35 Weeks & Appointment With The Perinatologist

Today I'm 35 weeks and am currently feeling quite relieved after all of my anxiety towards having to see the perinatologist today. I was referred by my primary OB on Tuesday to see a perinatologist today to deal with my preeclampsia issue. We're still waiting on results from my latest 24-hour urine test (which will hopefully be back tomorrow) but my doctor wanted to be sure that I was checked out immediately by a perinatologist. I went into this appointment with the overwhelming anxiety that she would tell me to get in the car, drive to the hospital and they were going to have to deliver my baby right this minute. I've been dealing with fear of a pushed-up delivery since this began and when my OB admitted this was very much a possibility during my last visit, I've let the worry kind of consume my little world.

But, luckily, I only have good things to say. My pressure was great at 117/78 and Ethan looked great on ultrasound. He's super active with a fantastic heartrate and my fluid levels are perfect. We're still waiting, like I mentioned, on my latest urine results to come back but based on everything the perinatologist did today (did I mention we were there for 3 1/2 hours?!) and my time on the monitor, she's confident that my delivery window will be between 37-39 weeks.

This means a lot of things. My first thought was a deep sense of relief that she wasn't horrified by her findings and rushing me over to the hospital to deliver right now. 37-39 weeks is a window that I will definitely take and accept! As I was running it through my mind, I realized that 37 weeks is only two weeks from today. Two weeks! It's a possibility that I may have little Ethan here in two weeks! Of course, I'm pushing for as close to 39 weeks as possible but it's still a great relief to know that he's not being pressured to make his big debut right this minute.

As far as a future gameplan, I have to see my primary OB weekly and I also have to see the perinatologist weekly. Together they'll keep tabs on the sneaky pre-e and work on week-by-week estimations on how long he'll stay in utero. I've got a great medical team behind me and I'm just trying to remember that whenever I get nervous. Today, at least, I can focus on the fact that I was given a 37-39 week window which is all I can possibly ask for at the moment.

As for Ethan, we learned today that he's weighing in at 6 pounds! That's a bit bigger than the 5 1/2 pound estimates from the baby websites, who also estimate him to be around 18 inches long. We got to watch him swallowing and practice his breathing on ultrasound today which was pretty cool to see. His kidneys are fully developed now and his liver is processing waste. Most of his physical development has been completed and now he's just working on gaining weight. Gain away, Ethan!