34 wk appt

Ken had a mandatory meeting called at work so this is the first obgyn appt he's ever missed - EVER! And Dr. Solomon noticed. :) He asked where he was and if he was ok.

I started off the appointment by asking if I was going to get to have any more ultrasounds and he said no. I argued "Could I please? I switched insurance and they're free now, so I want to get my money's worth!" He said there'd really have to be a complication or a medical reason for another ultrasound at this point. I guess insurance companies frown upon paying for ultrasounds that are just for fun. :P

Blood pressure's good, urine's good, Aubrey's heart rate's good, my body's swollen. My swollen legs are pitting pretty high (just a few inches below my knee) and my right hand is tingly like it's always asleep. He gave me a carpal tunnel brace to wear ALL of the time and said that should help.

He measured my belly (fundal height) and said that I was measuring at almost 37 weeks, "So looks like you're going to get that ultrasound afterall!" The ultrasound will tell us if I'm measuring big because of a big baby OR because of "fluff." In the past month, I've gotten stretch marks on my belly and the lowest part of my belly has gotten MUCH bigger - the skin's all puffy but the tissue is soft, unlike the rest of my belly. He says all of this is swelling, just like my hands and feet - and calls it "fluff." Heh. The big fundal height number could be due to that swelling, so that's why I get the ultrasound. Woohoo! That'll be Thursday, Nov. 8th - I'll be at the end of 36 weeks. If the ultrasound reveals that we ARE dealing with a big baby, he said he'll want to examine my cervix to see if we should be expecting an early arrival. I told him that my brother was almost 10 lbs and was 2 weeks late - he was quite impressed with mom and said he wouldn't let me go more than a week over. Good - don't want to get too close to Christmas anyway.

So I've got a brace for the swollen hand, I'm elevating the swollen feet - what about the swollen belly? He recommended this sucker:



Isn't that funny looking?? But I guess it would do the trick! It's called the "Prenatal Cradle" and is $60 but I'm going to see if I can find one on ebay or something.

So how did I get so lucky to already have well-defined stretch marks and swelling? He says I can thank my parents. :P Here's hoping Aubrey gets Ken's skin genes!