This appointment, again, was fairly short and easy! I was taken right back when I got there, which was GREAT because I actually had the appointment at 9am and had to be at work by 11. I know thats a 2 hour gap, but with the OBGYN, you never know!
Vitals first:
BP 82/55
+2lbs for a total of 22 I think? or 23? Idk. I know that according to my scales at home I'm +24lbs
Pam asked if I felt ok and my honest answer was a very weak "no". My heart was racing and I just felt so, so weak. My legs felt as if they wouldnt hold me up and it was hard to breathe. I told her all of that and she asked if it was an episode of sorts or was I feeling that way consistently these days. I told her I had only been feeling it the last 5 min or so and she assured me that these kinds of episodes can be normal and its usually heart palpatations that cause an increase of blood flow to certain parts of the body, making other parts weak. I remember feeling that way fairly consistently towards the end of our vacation a couple of weeks before but I had honestly not been feeling bad lately... so I was for sure hoping that it wasnt a turn for the worse and that I wasnt going to keep feeling that way till delivery or something...
I got taken back to a room and reminded her that Dr Pohl would be doing my cervical check and strep B test since I wouldnt be there for my 36 week check.
So, I nuded up and tried to get that little piece of paper (which is plenty sufficient when I'm not preggo but not so much when i am!) to cover my back side ;-). And sent a few texts and made a phone call (our insulation was getting inspected that day and I had gotten word that the inspector was on his way!) and Dr Pohl was there! I was, again, surprised at how quickly he came! And grateful ;-)
Fundal Height: 37+.
I expressed my frustration that HOW am I measuring that much farther ahead this week?! Did baby have a growth spurt? NO growth spurts are allowed!
Dr Pohl went on to check my cervix and said i'm fully closed, which was good news and that the baby is super high.
He went on to explain that while fundal height is pretty accurate for the first and second babies, it is less accurate at predicting size with each additional pregnancy due to the fact that the uterus is stretched and the baby has more room to move in and out of the pelvis. That the most accurate fundal height measurements to predict baby size are when the baby is fully down in the pelvis, which she WAS at my last appointment. And today she is much, much higher!
I asked him if that could also affect my symptoms (the feeling bad after eating, having heart palpitations/weakness) and he assured me that this is exactly why some days I feel great (when she's lower) and others I feel just plain bad! I was so grateful to learn that! I've been trying to relate it to how much water I drink, what I've eaten, etc... and while those things certainly can affect how I feel, i just knew in my gut that it was something more that was out of my control since some days i drink exactly the same amount of water as the day before and eat healthier, yet feel worse!
I had a couple of questions for him:
1. Back to wanting to breastfeed and dealing with low supply issues... I've spoken to 2 LC's (lactation consultant) who suggested I try domperidone to help increase supply. It is a medicine not yet FDA approved and is used in other countries as a motility drug (to help with nausea) AND as a lactation drug (at different dosages). I wanted Dr Pohls opinion, although I was pretty sure I knew what it would be.
His take... he wouldt recommend that his wife take it. Since its not fda approved we (in the US) do not have studies on the affects of it. He did, however, assure me that it DOES work and that it quite likely will help me make milk should I choose to take it (but I would have to order it via online in Canada).
2. I asked him why all the rage about cord clamping... what are the benefits? Does he do it?
His answer: its mostly just a trend that is hogwash. Here's why
The idea is that you want the baby to continue to get the oxygen rich blood from the cord and so many moms request delayed cord clamping until the cord stops pulsating. The problem with this? In our bodies the arteries bring oxygen rich blood to us and veins take the biproducts away. But in the umbilical cord, its the opposite. The Cord has one LARGE vein that runs down the middle which brings oxygen rich blood to the baby and two smaller arteries that are on the periphery which take biproducts away. The ARTERIES are what pulsates. And what causes that pulsation? The baby's heartbeat.
So as long as the baby's heart beats, the cord will pulse to some extent. UNTIL the placenta detaches from the mother, that is (because at that point the mom's body gives one last gush of blood through the vein). But even after the placenta detaches, the baby's heart obviously still beats, causing a pulse in the cord. Now, the end of the cord closest to the placenta will be the first to stop pulsating and the end closest to baby will literally still have a pulse up to an hour or so after birth.
So he said its an inconsistent practice as each dr has their own opinion as to what part needs to stop pulsating before clamping, but that AGAIN... the point is that the pulsating arteries are taking biproducts AWAY from baby so who cares if they are pulsating or not!
He said that his practice and belief is that the cord should not be clamped until that gush of blood which indicates that the placenta has separated from Mom. That as long as its in tact, the baby is getting nutrient rich blood. That he definitely takes his time and cleans baby and suctions and massages the cord to help get all of that blood from the vein in the cord to baby, but that after that gush, there is minimal to no benefit of delaying clamping past that point regardless of if there is a pulse in those arteries.
Are yall bored? I was intrigued. I LOVE science and the body and this stuff fascinates me :-)
So... he'll clamp after the gush. Sounds good to me :-)
And I'll likely order some domperidone illegally from canada in hopes of a better breast feeding experience :-)
Because some Dr's orders are worth following, and some are meant to be broken, right?! ha!
Here's the only pic I have from this week. Its horrible. And My melasma (dark spotting on my face from pregnancy hormones) is BAD. I'll be so glad to get a chemical peel and get rid of it!
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