25 June 2012

28 weeks and high risk.

28w1
Dress: Kohl's {non maternity}
Oh, where do I even start?  I feel like so much has happened this past week.  It's crazy how everything can change in just one appointment.

Friday was an interesting day.  I went in for my routine OB appointment and my second Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT). I passed my first GTT at 11 weeks with no problem {I take two because I make monster babies.}  Anyway, the test itself was fine and my appointment was okay as well.  I found out that I'm now up 21 pounds at 28 weeks, which I guess isn't terrible.  I'm on track to gain about 35 pounds, which is exactly where I was when I had Carter.  With Brynn I only gained 22 pounds total, but I also started at a heavier weight, so I'm sure that had something to do with it.

My BP was great and the baby's heartbeat sounded perfect at 135 {exactly where Brynn's heartbeat always was...}  And that's kinda where the "routine" appointment ends and things start going astray.

First, my belly is now measuring more than 3 weeks ahead.  Again, this is somewhat typical for me and when the belleh starts to really break off from the norm.  I'm sure I'm on my way to 6 weeks ahead like I was with Brynn.  This is expected, but still a minor concern.

After my 28w OB appt, I headed over to Maternal Fetal Medicine for my monthly ultrasound.  Again, I'm being monitored every 4 weeks due to pre-e and large babies in my past two pregnancies.  I was totally expecting the same routine ultrasound and was concentrating more on where we'd be going to lunch afterwards. {What? Don't judge.}

But boy was I thrown a curve ball.

Well, most importantly, the baby is perfect.  Perfect.  Just look at him/her...
I mean... I know I'm bias and all, but that is one cute baby ;) I can't wait to nom on those cheeks!

The ultrasound tech started with some standard measurements on me first, before moving to the baby.  She checked my cervix, tubes, ovaries, etc.  The works.  I noticed her spending a lot of time taking pictures of my cervix, but I didn't ask questions.  She moved on to fluid levels, blood flow to the baby and then the growth scan.  When she was finished, she said, and I quote...

"So, I found a mass above your cervix and I want the doctor to do her own ultrasound to figure out what it is."

Huh?

There was no "mass" during my ultrasound 4 weeks ago.

When the doctor finally arrived, she sat next to me and tried to explain what was going on as best she could.  But the truth is? She had no idea what it was either.  She did her own ultrasound, took more pictures and measurements and checked the blood flow to the mass.  The good news is that there was absolutely no blood flow in the mass, which rules out a lot of things including a tumor.  She also said that, although the mass is above my cervix, it's not affecting the baby at all, which is awesome.  However, for several reasons {especially considering how fast it has grown} she is sending me in for a follow up appointment and ultrasound at the hospital for a second opinion.  Her exact words? "We're not taking any chances."

I'm obviously eager to get an official diagnosis and find out exactly what this "mass above my cervix" will do to this baby's exit strategy.  I'm {of course} hoping that it's just a benign fluid-filled cyst {this is what the MFM doctor thinks as well} that either moves or goes away entirely before the baby is born.  I would absolutely hate to have a c-section at this point {after successfully delivering 2 large babies already} but I will obviously do whatever is best for both myself and the baby.

Oh, and on top of all that?  My fluid levels were "slightly elevated" and the MFM doctor said that's a sign of gestational diabetes.  I told her that I haven't had GD in either of my two previous pregnancies and already passed one GD test in the 1st trimester and took my second one just before the ultrasound.  She told me that, even if I passed my GD test, she still wants me to take the 3 hour test to rule out GD officially. {Ummm, how does the 1 hour not rule it out??}  I took the 3 hour with Carter and it was torturous so I'm definitely hoping not to do that again.

I called my OB's office this morning and found out that I did pass my 1 hour test that I just took on Friday morning, {WOOT!} so I'm eager to see what my OB says about taking the 3 hour.  My nurse said that I passed by a lot, so I'm hoping that my doctor rules out GD officially.  I will, of course, take the 3 hour if my OB also thinks I should do it.  She has yet to receive the official ultrasound report so once she does, she will call and discuss everything with me {including the mass situation!}

Andplusalso? {Ha! Did you guys think I was done with this update?  Nope... there's more.}

My pregnancy has now be labeled "high risk" {because of the mass, my fluid levels, my pre-e issues and having large babies.}  I now have to be seen every week by MFM for a Biophysical Profile {BPP}.  If you don't know {um, because I didn't before this appointment} a BPP is a special ultrasound that tracks movement, the baby's heart rate with each movement {a.k.a. a nonstress test}, muscle tone, breathing rate, and the amount of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. My BPP appointments start this Friday followed by my hospital ultrasound for the mass.

So, yeah.  I have an ultrasound {or two} every Friday until this baby arrives.

While I'm certainly thankful for all the extra monitoring to help get me and the babe to the 38+ week mark, I sure picked the wrong pregnancy to be team green, huh?  It's not that I'm tempted to find out at ALL {especially at this point!} but it's just the general slippage with each passing doctor and tech that walks into the room and/or the use or pronouns that worries me.

So after 57 ultrasounds by the end of this pregnancy, if we're still surprised at birth?  It will be a freaking miracle.

Pregnancy: 28 weeks

Weight Gain: 21 pounds

Sleep: It sucks.  I'm having so much trouble falling asleep, but hey!  I'm getting a lot of reading done.

Gender: We're team green, so we'll find out in September {hopefully, right!?!}

Names: Reid Joseph or Emerson Mae {see the name post here!}

Feeling: A little rattled after my appointment on Friday, but I'm trying to stay positive about everything.  I'm trying not to worry about the "what ifs" yet, until we know more. Again, the baby is perfect and that's the most important thing!!

Health:  Umm, did you read the update above?
Movement: Feeling lots of movement and I love every second of it!  The baby was really dancing around like crazy during the ultrasound on Friday.  So adorable.

Belly: Measuring over 3 weeks ahead right now, still no linea negra and my belly button has been out for awhile. And for comparison, here's my 28 week belly shot with Brynn!

Next Appointment: Biophysical Profile & follow-up "mass" ultrasound: this Friday, June 29th at 28w5d

28 comments:

Heather said...

Wow! What an appointment. sorry to hear there are new developments happening but.. let's hope its nothing to worry about! Good luck and keep us updated when you can :)

Molly said...

I'll be thinking about you and the babe, jenni! Hoping everything is just fine!

Kate said...

Wow-- That is a lot to take in mama! I'm glad that baby is doing good and hopefully you will hear from your doc soon and everything will be okay with you (the mass) as well! :)

Andrea said...

That is a lot to take in, but your right! Healthy baby=happy mama.

and ps. That dress is crazy cute!

Kat said...

WOW that is a LOT to go through - I would be SUPER glad to get to be monitored to make sure the baby is safe and I wouldn't mind the extra time I get to spend watching the little one on the screen, but omg are these "stress" tests stressful! And so time consuming. Hope it all continues to go well and you get to 38 weeks safely! :)

Erin said...

Oh my goodness! I bet yu needed a REALLY good lunch after that day with doctors! And yes, I bet all these ultrasounds is making team green tough. I'm so impressed at how well you've stuck with it! Hope all turns out well with this mystery mass!

J-Berg said...

Oh my goodness, you poor thing. I'm so glad to read you're keeping your sense of humor and your wits about you. Hopefully it turns out to be a big to-do about nothing.

Sending lots of love your way!

juliane2004 said...

Did they tell you what the actual AFI (fluid level) was?

jenni from the blog said...

Thanks everyone!

@ Juliane- No, they didn't :(

sarah said...

Well, like you said...at least the baby is just fine :) Hopefully the mass is just a cyst and there's plenty of time for it to go away on it's own. I'll cross my fingers for you!

Melissa @ Growing Up Geeky said...

Oh Momma I hope everything is going to be just fine with you and the babe <3

Anonymous said...

Oh Hun I'm sorry! Everything will be great sending food vibes and prayers!a BPP saved my son as well as my life so I know first hand they work! It's a long 30 minutes but worth it! For ours I couldn't move or they would start over I wonder if that's the same for you! And go team green I'm with you all the way and if it does slip just know either way healthy mom and baby is what counts!!! Hugs!

Sabrina said...

Best of luck to you! I'm sure things will be just fine.

I had to get weekly BPP tests towards the end of my pregnancy. I had really large fibroids and they wanted to keep an eye on them & the baby. I always felt like the lamest high risk pregnancy, because everything was always just fine. oh well! :)

THE COOKS said...

Definitely hoping all the future appointments go great and that the mass disappears or is nothing major! :) Did you say that you have Pre-E this pregnancy? New follower. :)

Sweet Little Lovings said...

Oh my! That is a lot to take in! I'm glad that the babes is okay though! Hopefully whatever this mass is, it resolves itself and is no big deal! I will be keeping you in my thoughts!!!

bearie1 said...

With all the potential "issues", I would think accidentally finding out the sex would be the least of your worries. Hope it all goes well.

Kari said...

That is a lot to take in. I hope that everything comes back with good news on Friday!

Alb Mom said...

How frustrating. I hope the mass goes away on its own and soon.

jess1979 said...

Sorry to hear that you are high risk. Just wanted to let you know, I was high risk with both pregnancies, and had weekly ultrasounds/non-stress tests, as well as a monthly regular ultrasound, not part of a non-stress test. Both pregnancies I was team green. Not one person slipped! The nurses at the non-stress tests just told me to remind them every week that I didn't want to know, just in case, and no one wrote it in my chart ever, so not even my doctors knew the baby's gender either time. It can be done!

Best of luck, I hope the mass resolves itself quickly!

Amber @ Backwards Life said...

So sorry to hear about your high risk status. I was high risk from the start with my second because my first was a preemie. All the extra tests are exhausting even if they're in the best interest of you and the baby. I had shots from 16 weeks to 36. UGH. And ultrasounds every two weeks (internal...FUN) hahah. Then more monitoring like you because of Pre-E concerns. It all just sucks. I really hope you're feeling ok and things stay that way even if the docs are peering inside a bit more than normal.

Anonymous said...

I was also "team green" with my most recent baby (#4) and had to have ultrasounds 2x a week (high risk pregnancy due to Fifth's disease) for about 20 weeks and thought we would never make it through either but we did! After being certain it was a boy (we had 3!) we delivered a HEALTHY baby GIRL! Just be sure to tell EVERY technician at EVERY appointment that you are NOT finding out. Just keep telling them and you will make it! Good luck ~ it was worth the surprise! :) And I will be praying for you and your baby! :)

jenni from the blog said...

Thanks so much for all the sweet comments everyone!

@ bearie1- It IS the least of my worries, which is why it's alllll the way at the bottom of the post. You know, like an after thought. But thank you for your "concern."

ana {bluebirdkisses} said...

gosh Jenni this is some news! I am keeping everything crossed for you that everything works out a-ok and that the mass is nothing more than fluid like you said :( but on the positive side, you get to see your little nugget every week until delivery!

Unknown said...

scary stuff, jenni! I'll be thinking of you and hoping for the best outcome. Just remember that you live a pretty charmed life and luck always seems to be on your side. :) I'm sure this will turn out to be nothing at all but a lot of worry (which sucks too...but its the better of the options, right?) hang in there!

Tracy Eyles said...

Oh no! Sounds like your appt didn't go quite as planned. Hopefully, they find out what that mass is and you can rest easy...hard to do with a watermelon in your belly but you get the drift;) As for GD, I passed my 1 hr with my second pregnancy but failed the three hours miserably a week later. This past pregnancy, I passed my 2 hr..my OB did the 2 hr because she really wanted to rule it out. Three weeks before delivery I was growing way too fast so they did the 3 hour and I failed miserably again. I was able to control it through diet though...which was a blessing. Hope for your sake you don't have GD but it really wasn't the worse thing in the world. Fingers crossed that all your tests come back with positive feedback.

Jill said...

Hi Jenni,
I don't comment often, but I just wanted to say, first, that you look fabulous, and second, that I hope the mass is nothing of concern in the end. You're doing a great job; not many of us could handle one pregnancy with a "monster baby", let alone three pregnancies with them! Keep up the great work, Momma!

Kendall said...

Wow! I'll be praying for your little family -- found you via facebook. Keep writing!

www.greatproofreading.com
Blog Proofreading -- for when your blog has attracted to many followers to pretend it's okay because no one's going to see it.

torie@twentyfivedesign said...

Hang in there friend. You will rock the rest of this pregnancy :)

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