37-Week Appointment

Today, I had my 37-week appointment with Doc.

All the vitals were just as they should be, and weight gain from last week was only 1lb, putting my total weight gain so far at a whopping 25lbs.
(Note: According to my scale at home, I had calculated my total weight gain at closer to 29lbs so this was great news to me!)

We listened to Baby Girl's heartbeat and it was bumping right along in the low 130s-- strong and healthy. When Doc came in today, he seemed unusually perky. I think because he leaves for vacation on Friday. He asked what questions I had, and I really only had 2 this time:

Q1. Can I take something for my allergies? My sinuses have really been on overdrive lately.
Answer: Yes, Benadryl and even Claritin are fine at this stage.
Reaction: Great, because I have been getting so congested lately and I need more than just blowing my nose for relief. And hopefully I won’t snore so much—sorry Corey!

Q2. Can you tell about how big Baby Girl is at this point?
Answer: According to my weight gain and my size, Doc thinks I should have about a 7- pounder, an average-sized baby. He said there are no really accurate ways of determining the baby's size, but he can assure me that if I were having a 10lb baby, I'd be a lot bigger.
Reaction: As long as she doesn't have the shoulders and head of a 10lb baby, I'm okay.

With my questions out of the way, Doc asked if I’d had any bleeding or contractions or pains that are so bad I feel I need narcotics. Since my answers to both were negative, Doc hopped right to business measuring my belly and feeling all around. I measured 37.5cm—right on schedule—and he confirmed the baby’s position is still head-down. All good!

The next thing Doc wanted to discuss with me was my result from the Group B Streptococcus (GBS) screen last week. I tested positive, which means I am a carrier of this particular bacteria. Doc said it’s nothing to be concerned about, that about 30% of women carry this harmless bacteria. When pregnant, however, the risk is passing this on to the baby, potentially causing infection. Doc said to prevent this, all they do is give me an antibiotic during labor and chances for any kind of complication are drastically reduced.

Next, it was time for my physical exam and Doc checked my cervix. Doc said he didn’t find much difference from last time, so, again, it doesn’t look like Baby Girl is coming any earlier than her due date.

I think he was a bit surprised when I was so content with my progress, or lack thereof. Usually, Doc said, he has women complain if there’s no dilation at this stage, and they start trying to coax him into early induction or elective C-section because they’re sick of being pregnant. He said it was so refreshing to have a patient that was so “easy,” and “just goes with the flow.” (I think he likes me!)

All-in-all, Doc said I’m as “healthy as a horse” and he couldn’t be happier with my pregnancy. He urged me to keep up the good work these last few weeks and he looked forward to seeing me once he returns from vacay.