dr apt 3.24.08
posted on 03/24/2008

so at my last dr appointment (3.11) my belly was measuring about 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule. in baby belly world they take an actual measuring tape and measure from belly button up to the crest of the uterus (yes, you can feel this right under your boobs). the number of centimeters should roughly correlate with the number of weeks prego you are. so, on the 11th my belly was 35 centimeters, but i was only 32 wks prego.

the thought that we could be having a behemoth of a baby really wasn’t that shocking. in fact, i’ve been assuming that would be the case all along. a 6 or 7 lber just really never entered my mind – i’ve been thinking 9+ the whole time. 

so to get a more accurate idea of really what was happening in that cozy little (or not so little) uterus, i had an ultra sound today to measure the baby.  quite similar to the 20 wk anatomy scan, they measure the circumference of the head, the stomach, the femur, etc. and come up with an “age” of the baby based on weeks. today i am 35 wks 1 day pregnant, but the baby is measuring 38 wks 3 days old. i happen to know for sure  that the baby was not conceived any earlier than first expected, so this just means that he is slightly bigger than normal 35 wk bambinos…

in two weeks i will go to st. francis (the big hospital where i’ll deliver) and get a second opinion ultra sound to make sure the one today was accurate (a.k.a let’s have you do this as many times as possible so we can milk your insurance company for all its worth).

if that u/s also puts me ahead of schedule by a few weeks then we will have a “collaborative meeting” to discuss L&D options. sounds like no matter what the results in two weeks, i will not be induced unless i go over 40 wks. once in labor if things aren’t progressing rather routinely, i would not be left to labor for 30+ hours. i would probably go in for a c-section.

my dr recommended that i cut out sugar and excess carbs from here  on out to try to curtail any major weight gain from the baby. if he were to gain the 1/2 pound per week, which is expected now, he would be about 10.5 lbs on april 27th…hmmm, sound familiar mom?

surprisingly, or maybe not, i’m not worried in the least. i just want the biggest, healthiest baby possible. and if that means keeping my female anatomy in 1-3 pieces, vs 5-10 i would be plenty happy.

oh, and on a last note – the ultrasound confirmed male genitalia (phew) and showed that he has at least one of mom’s baby features – chubby, chubby chipmunk cheeks!