Monday, August 17, 2009

Breathing Easy, Almost

Work today was, to put it bluntly, torture. I knew that at the end of the day I had the follow-up ultra-sound, and every client, every phone call, felt like an imposition on my sanity.

Thankfully, the experience today was vastly different than two weeks ago. First of all, the technician today treated me like a person with real concerns and real questions, rather than the vessel that happens to be carrying a baby. She dealt with me with warmth and compassion, very often explaining more than she is "allowed," and repeating tests on several different machines, to allow for the greatest clarity.

From what I understand, the purpose of today's testing was to make sure the baby has grown in the last two weeks, albeit proportional to the findings of the previous exam. So indeed, hooray, everything is two weeks older, though the stomach lags behind other parts of the body, as it did two weeks ago as well. She has gained approximately 400 grams in the last two weeks, and has passed the 2.3 kilo mark. The Doppler test for the pulse of the umbilical cord is in the 95th percentile, and she was quite active throughout the ultra-sound. As regards the stomach, the technician pointed out that she takes after her mother, tall and thin. The key take-home point is that she is growing.

This child, in my unbiased opinion, was cooperative and well-behaved today, and showed her face to me to be able to say she does not look much like me, and is quite beautiful. Phtoo phtoo etc.

Of course the final word comes from my gynecologist, with whom I have an appointment next week. He will decide if there is a need for further testing and monitoring before the birth.

Right now I can breathe easier emotionally - physically speaking, she is putting much pressure on my diaphragm - and maybe even get some sleep tonight.

(A special set of thank-yous to the following, who helped me get through the last two weeks, in alphabetical order so as not to insult: Debi Badichi, my cousin and adopted older brother Kory Bardash, "Savta" Shira Chernoble, Naomi Magen, Dr. Ronen Mendi, my friend and Chiropractor, Michal Toledano)

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