Home stretch
So here I am about to be 38 weeks pregnant. I am a walking death star, Lou keeps laughing or calling me boodah every chance he gets. I've become a fertility goddess (his words not mine) in his eyes. He loves it when I toddle around in little clothing my belly swollen and my breasts engorged.
So I figured I should make a note of things that have been happening recently.
I have a Single Artery Cord. When the placenta and umbilical cord formed it formed slightly wrong. Normally the cord has two arteries and one vessel. the vessel is to give nutrients to the baby while the two arteries take away waste products for me to dispose of. This is a very rare condition effecting five % of babies. See the article:
Single umbilical artery (SUA) is the most common malformation of the umbilical cord. On its own, SUA does not necessarily pose a risk to you or your child as an umbilical cord with just one artery is sufficient to support a pregnancy to term. However, SUA does increase your child’s risk for certain birth defects.
What is Single Umbilical Artery?
Normally, when the umbilical cord develops, it forms three vessels: two arteries and one vein. However, in some cases, just one artery develops. Precisely why this occurs is not entirely known. It is suspected, though, that one artery may simply stop growing as it develops or perhaps that the primordial umbilical artery does not divide properly.
How Common is SUA?
This malformation of the umbilical cord has been found to affect between 0.5% and 7% of pregnancies and 1 in 100 live births. Caucasian women are twice as likely to experience this complication compared to Japanese and Black women. Additionally, women having a multiple pregnancy are three to four times as likely to develop SUA.
* Advanced maternal age (over 40)
* Having 3 or more previous children
* Diabetes
* Female fetal sex
Although SUA can affect either artery, the left artery tends to be absent slightly more often than the right.
How Will I Know if I have SUA?
Although some babies may not be diagnosed until birth, most times, the problem can be diagnosed through an ultrasound scan. During an ultrasound, an SUA diagnosis will be made if the technician notices that one artery is abnormally large and that only two vessels are visible instead of three. Alternatively, a colour doppler ultrasound may also be done. In this instance, the colour doppler will be used to visualize the arteries. If you have single umbilical artery, then only one vessel will be seen on the screen on either side of your baby’s bladder.
SUA has Been Found; Will My Baby be Born Healthy?
Anywhere from half to two-thirds of babies born with single artery umbilical cord are born healthy and with no chromosomal or congenital abnormalities. Of the remaining babies with SUA, some studies suggest that about 25 percent have birth defects, including chromosomal and/or other abnormalities. These can include trisomy 13 or trisomy 18. However, the most common pregnancy complications that occur in infants with SUA are heart defects, gastrointestinal tract abnormalities and problems with the central nervous system. The respiratory system, urinary tract, and musculoskeletal system may also be affected. One in five babies affected by SUA will be born with multiple malformations.
Aside from these problems, between 15% and 20% of infants with SUA may suffer from intrauterine growth retardation. Single umbilical artery also has an increased miscarriage rate of 22% associated with it, likely due to the increased abnormalities. Furthermore, there is an association between SUA and low birthweight (<2500g) and early delivery (<37 weeks).
So I am post 37 weeks and the Fetal Echo showed that he is generally fine (there could be a tiny hole in his heart that wasn't detected in the Echo) and growing. I am concerned that hes not moving as much but that is also a sign of impending labor. I am going to ask a midwife tomorrow during the day just to be sure though.
Asside from the SUA being scary. ..I brought it up with the pediatrician. She mentioned that she hasn't seen it often, its extremely rare and she implied that my son could need more care then a normal baby, which scares me. They want to see him within 48-72 hours after discharge.
Then a few weeks ago I found out that I was GBS positive. This of all things really upset me. I've read that GBS births are more medicated and more managed and I really don't like that, not one bit. Thankfully the midwives are really accustomed to all this and Katheryne (who might be one of the most awesome people ever) reassured me that everything is fine and I don't have to change ANYTHING in my birth plan. While they can't give me oral or inject-able antibiotics, they are using a hep lock IV (which is something that keeps me portable) So in labor I am only hooked up for 30 minutes at a time or so. I am very much against laboring in the supine position (or on your back.) I don't understand why we have been yelled at or told to not lay on our backs AT ALL becasue of the effects it has on yourself and your baby but then labor: Lay on your back!! No, thank you.
I've been told I will have to lay to be EFM'd and I won't. Nope won't do it. If they need to check the baby they can work around me. It's not the only way to check to make sure hes doing well. I will not let a medical professional dictate to me how to labor.
Anywho. . .Lou's mom told us she was GBS positive. Lou didn't get sick, but his younger brother Martin did. He was in the hospital for over a week very sick. Lou made the joke to me that Martin is perfectly healthy just ugly. :)
So we will be going to the hospital sooner then we wanted to. If my water breaks I have to call right away and when I'm in labor I need to call sooner then usually. Again not really happy about that. . .but big picture, right?
So Lou and I have been planning for the birth. Right now the plan is to grab the xbox if my water breaks. This in anticipation of the labor being longer because water can break 12-18 hours before labor starts. If I'm in active labor, we just bring cards and other games.
My bag is full of food (we will stop at Wawa on the way to pick up milk for cereal and fruit) clothing, oil and stuff. Yes, I am aloud to eat in labor as long as I don't have an Epidural. :)
God I love my midwife.
Lou and I have also decided on the last name for the baby as well as the family. As some of you know, it's been a long . . .on going thing for us and it's a little upsetting to me in some aspects. When we first got married we were going to have our family name be my last name. Lou and his father don't have the greatest relationship, I know he knows Lou is married.
Needless to say, the name change didn't happen as planned. So that was an ongoing contention and argument with us. Long story short it's finally been decided and I'm comfortable with it.
While I appreciate everyone's ideas and suggestions, it's really a sensitive subject for me so if I bark, it's not intentional.
I've also told my mother that no longer can she panic or try to panic me. When she found out that I wanted a home birth she started in on the 'you were born cesarean! Your hips might be too small. What if the baby doesn't fit!'
I think, just now, shes understanding that I'm taking this pretty seriously. I'm studying harder then when I had the SATS and this test is happening even if I wasn't ready for it. Infact . . .it bothers me that people don't take birth more seriously.
There are times (and I've said this to Lou) that I look at women and a wide range of emotion falls threw me. From anger to jealousy to pity to sadness.
Anger and Jealousy becasue most women don't know what it's like to have reproductive challenges. Their fertility is something taken for granted.
For me, I have never felt more beautiful (at times) then when I see how swollen from life my body is.
Pity and Sadness because so many women don't know how beautiful birth can be. I talked to a woman at a store recently and she thought I was insane for planning a natural childbirth. When I asked why she told me it was because of a movie she watched where the mother was screaming and carrying on as if it was the most painful thing in the world. I tried to reassure her and I told her the right movie to watch to see birth on how it should be. That our bodies were made for this. Our bodies aren't wrong. It's the system that is. I get so angry seeing movies that just don't encourage a woman to be what she is.
Sorry for my long winded ramble. They won't be happening very often after hes born. :)
So I figured I should make a note of things that have been happening recently.
I have a Single Artery Cord. When the placenta and umbilical cord formed it formed slightly wrong. Normally the cord has two arteries and one vessel. the vessel is to give nutrients to the baby while the two arteries take away waste products for me to dispose of. This is a very rare condition effecting five % of babies. See the article:
Single umbilical artery (SUA) is the most common malformation of the umbilical cord. On its own, SUA does not necessarily pose a risk to you or your child as an umbilical cord with just one artery is sufficient to support a pregnancy to term. However, SUA does increase your child’s risk for certain birth defects.
What is Single Umbilical Artery?
Normally, when the umbilical cord develops, it forms three vessels: two arteries and one vein. However, in some cases, just one artery develops. Precisely why this occurs is not entirely known. It is suspected, though, that one artery may simply stop growing as it develops or perhaps that the primordial umbilical artery does not divide properly.
How Common is SUA?
This malformation of the umbilical cord has been found to affect between 0.5% and 7% of pregnancies and 1 in 100 live births. Caucasian women are twice as likely to experience this complication compared to Japanese and Black women. Additionally, women having a multiple pregnancy are three to four times as likely to develop SUA.
* Advanced maternal age (over 40)
* Having 3 or more previous children
* Diabetes
* Female fetal sex
Although SUA can affect either artery, the left artery tends to be absent slightly more often than the right.
How Will I Know if I have SUA?
Although some babies may not be diagnosed until birth, most times, the problem can be diagnosed through an ultrasound scan. During an ultrasound, an SUA diagnosis will be made if the technician notices that one artery is abnormally large and that only two vessels are visible instead of three. Alternatively, a colour doppler ultrasound may also be done. In this instance, the colour doppler will be used to visualize the arteries. If you have single umbilical artery, then only one vessel will be seen on the screen on either side of your baby’s bladder.
SUA has Been Found; Will My Baby be Born Healthy?
Anywhere from half to two-thirds of babies born with single artery umbilical cord are born healthy and with no chromosomal or congenital abnormalities. Of the remaining babies with SUA, some studies suggest that about 25 percent have birth defects, including chromosomal and/or other abnormalities. These can include trisomy 13 or trisomy 18. However, the most common pregnancy complications that occur in infants with SUA are heart defects, gastrointestinal tract abnormalities and problems with the central nervous system. The respiratory system, urinary tract, and musculoskeletal system may also be affected. One in five babies affected by SUA will be born with multiple malformations.
Aside from these problems, between 15% and 20% of infants with SUA may suffer from intrauterine growth retardation. Single umbilical artery also has an increased miscarriage rate of 22% associated with it, likely due to the increased abnormalities. Furthermore, there is an association between SUA and low birthweight (<2500g) and early delivery (<37 weeks).
So I am post 37 weeks and the Fetal Echo showed that he is generally fine (there could be a tiny hole in his heart that wasn't detected in the Echo) and growing. I am concerned that hes not moving as much but that is also a sign of impending labor. I am going to ask a midwife tomorrow during the day just to be sure though.
Asside from the SUA being scary. ..I brought it up with the pediatrician. She mentioned that she hasn't seen it often, its extremely rare and she implied that my son could need more care then a normal baby, which scares me. They want to see him within 48-72 hours after discharge.
Then a few weeks ago I found out that I was GBS positive. This of all things really upset me. I've read that GBS births are more medicated and more managed and I really don't like that, not one bit. Thankfully the midwives are really accustomed to all this and Katheryne (who might be one of the most awesome people ever) reassured me that everything is fine and I don't have to change ANYTHING in my birth plan. While they can't give me oral or inject-able antibiotics, they are using a hep lock IV (which is something that keeps me portable) So in labor I am only hooked up for 30 minutes at a time or so. I am very much against laboring in the supine position (or on your back.) I don't understand why we have been yelled at or told to not lay on our backs AT ALL becasue of the effects it has on yourself and your baby but then labor: Lay on your back!! No, thank you.
I've been told I will have to lay to be EFM'd and I won't. Nope won't do it. If they need to check the baby they can work around me. It's not the only way to check to make sure hes doing well. I will not let a medical professional dictate to me how to labor.
Anywho. . .Lou's mom told us she was GBS positive. Lou didn't get sick, but his younger brother Martin did. He was in the hospital for over a week very sick. Lou made the joke to me that Martin is perfectly healthy just ugly. :)
So we will be going to the hospital sooner then we wanted to. If my water breaks I have to call right away and when I'm in labor I need to call sooner then usually. Again not really happy about that. . .but big picture, right?
So Lou and I have been planning for the birth. Right now the plan is to grab the xbox if my water breaks. This in anticipation of the labor being longer because water can break 12-18 hours before labor starts. If I'm in active labor, we just bring cards and other games.
My bag is full of food (we will stop at Wawa on the way to pick up milk for cereal and fruit) clothing, oil and stuff. Yes, I am aloud to eat in labor as long as I don't have an Epidural. :)
God I love my midwife.
Lou and I have also decided on the last name for the baby as well as the family. As some of you know, it's been a long . . .on going thing for us and it's a little upsetting to me in some aspects. When we first got married we were going to have our family name be my last name. Lou and his father don't have the greatest relationship, I know he knows Lou is married.
Needless to say, the name change didn't happen as planned. So that was an ongoing contention and argument with us. Long story short it's finally been decided and I'm comfortable with it.
While I appreciate everyone's ideas and suggestions, it's really a sensitive subject for me so if I bark, it's not intentional.
I've also told my mother that no longer can she panic or try to panic me. When she found out that I wanted a home birth she started in on the 'you were born cesarean! Your hips might be too small. What if the baby doesn't fit!'
I think, just now, shes understanding that I'm taking this pretty seriously. I'm studying harder then when I had the SATS and this test is happening even if I wasn't ready for it. Infact . . .it bothers me that people don't take birth more seriously.
There are times (and I've said this to Lou) that I look at women and a wide range of emotion falls threw me. From anger to jealousy to pity to sadness.
Anger and Jealousy becasue most women don't know what it's like to have reproductive challenges. Their fertility is something taken for granted.
For me, I have never felt more beautiful (at times) then when I see how swollen from life my body is.
Pity and Sadness because so many women don't know how beautiful birth can be. I talked to a woman at a store recently and she thought I was insane for planning a natural childbirth. When I asked why she told me it was because of a movie she watched where the mother was screaming and carrying on as if it was the most painful thing in the world. I tried to reassure her and I told her the right movie to watch to see birth on how it should be. That our bodies were made for this. Our bodies aren't wrong. It's the system that is. I get so angry seeing movies that just don't encourage a woman to be what she is.
Sorry for my long winded ramble. They won't be happening very often after hes born. :)