Monday, December 04, 2006

8w3d - a significant milestone

To most pregnant women, 8 weeks & 3 days is probably just another day in a pregnancy. For me, it holds some pretty big significance. Last time I was pregnant, 8w3d was the last day I was pregnant. The ultrasound at 8w2d showed that the heartbeat we'd seen the week prior was gone. They were able to get me in for the D&C the next day. At 8w3d, I started out the day technically still pregnant, but by the end of the day, I was not.

This time, 8w3d has a better outcome so far. I have another ultrasound on Wednesday (8w5d) with the RE and I'm hopeful that everything will show up just fine. I got myself a bit freaked this weekend when on Saturday, I woke up and suddenly the nausea and constipation were gone. Nothing like a sudden lack of symptoms to make a pregnant lady assume the worst. Especially when the worst has happened before.

Also, today, I had my first appointment with the midwife practice. I am hoping to be able to attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) with this one and figured that if I was with a midwife I'd have a better chance at achieving that goal. The CNMs (certified nurse-midwives) are in the same practice as my former OB, so I'd also have access to OBs if needed. Unfortunately, the MW informed me today that if my gestational diabetes comes back and I end up on insulin again that they won't be able to allow me to try a VBAC due to their insurance limitations. Apparently, there's too much of a risk that the baby will be too big due to the GD and the risk is more than their insurance company will allow. I think the final decision is ultimately based on u/s measurements late in the pregnancy, but odds are, I'll have a baby that is estimated to weigh too much. The cut-off is 4000 grams (8.5 lbs). NSWO was 8.5 lbs and 2nd babies are often bigger. So, I may be out of a VBAC before we even start.

I also have to do the glucose screening test this week. Yes, at only 8-9 weeks pregnant, I have to check to see if I'm already diabetic, this is usually done at about 26-28 weeks. I guess for some, it comes on way early in subsequent pregnancies. Gosh I sure hope not - that would S-U-C-K! It was hard enough being diabetic for 3-4 months, doing it for 7 months would not be fun at all. I feel for people who are diabetic all the time - so rough. I'll probably do the test on Wednesday since I'll be up at the hospital for the ultrasound anyway. Wish me luck.

Just in case I am already diabetic (which would mean no VBAC for me) I also made an appointment with a highly regarded OB in a different practice. I have several friends who saw him or are seeing him for their prenatal care and he's supposed to be THE GUY to go to if you need surgery. Trying to keep all my bases covered.

The nausea is still pretty much gone, although the grocery store tonight was a bit more than I could handle, so I'm happy to mostly have my tummy back to normal. The fatigue is starting to take over as the strongest symptom now. That's ok, napping is fun.

4 comments:

seattlegal said...

I hope that you don't have GD this time around. I've heard how much GD sucks.

Good luck with your ultrasound on Wednesday! I know we will both receive great news that day!

BigP's Heather said...

I'm so glad 8w3d was much better for you this time around! I know I keep saying how excited I am for you - but I am! I'm just so happy for you Nickie!!!

Unknown said...

Congratulations! Here's to a nice, strong ultrasound tomorrow and negative results from the glucose screening test.

Kristen said...

When I hit my m/c milestone (8w2d) it was such a bittersweet feeling. I could breath a sigh of relief but it also hurt a little too.