Monday, March 22, 2010

A misnomer

I think they mis-named the illustrious "non-stress test". I find them quite stressful. We started them at 29 weeks, which is admittedly early to get a good trace, and I have been doing them weekly ever since. Today was week 33.

Last week almost resulted in a meltdown when it took almost 2 1/2 hours (plus 1/2 hour in the waiting room) to get the accelerations to show on the trace. The standard we are looking for is 5 accelerations that are 15 bpm above baseline. The baby was kicking like crazy, but no accelerations of more than 10 bpm. Cookies, orange juice, a walk, and a nurse moving the transducer around finally resulted in a total of 5 accelerations. By then, I was planning what I would need to pack when they hospitalized me and put me on bed rest for the next month or so (which they actually wouldn't do, but don't tell my anxiety-addled brain that...).

Today's NST was similar, but we managed to keep Baby awake long enough to get 5 accelerations to happen. I kept guzzling juice, eating cookies, and poking my belly. When you phrase it like that, it almost sounds fun.... It's not.

How 'bout this? I do most of my NSTs in the room where they told me C was dead. I often have to walk past the room where we sat waiting for them to tell us what they were going to do (and where I imagined they would do a c-section, resuscitate him, and leave us with one of the "almost" stories). The same nurses who cared for me 5 years ago care for me now. And it doesn't freak me out. I remember, each and every time. But I don't freak out. Thank god for 5 years.

Changing the subject, I can't sleep much any more. Hard on the pubic bone. I also have been fighting a cold for nearly 3 weeks, meaning I can't breath. My best option is usually to doze, propped up with pillows on the couch. That means that I am awake for the day at 6 a.m. and require a nap immediately following supper. Don't even ask how work is going - concentration is impossible when all I can think about is "when can I sleep again????".

Only a few more weeks. I expect either induction or c-section before the end of April. I would prefer to deliver vaginally, but the baby is not head down. Last u/s was breech, but I am thinking transverse is more what's happening now. We'll see what the OB says tomorrow.

Hoping to go for some BPPs, but don't remember when we started those last time? What's your experience?

And that's an update.

5 comments:

kate said...

Thanks for the update...huh. I think that 2.5 hours of NST is totally crazy. My OB would have been doing a BPP long before that. Not so much out of concern but more out of a desire for efficiency.

I can't believe you are at 33 weeks already! I just wish you could get some sleep. Sending you hugs & sleepy vibes ;)

delphi said...

I do the NSTs at the hospital, and the nurses are left by the on-call OB to handle it. They don't have the authority to send me for a BPP and they basically won't call the OB unless they are worried. Because the baby moves so much, they aren't worried. But the protocol says they can't release me until they get their 5 accelerations. Crazy stuff, and stressful, too. Oh, well, I take solace in the fact that I get to listen to a strong heartbeat for 2 1/2 hours.

Rosepetal said...

I sympathise entirely with the being very tired and of course the panic attacks (of which I had another one yesterday, sending me to the hospital for evening monitoring in tears)

kari said...

How stressful. I remember with my first daughter how I imagined I'd have the c-section and wake up to find that she hadn't died after all, that they miraculously saved her. I thought I was the only one who had that fantasy while waiting to deliver my dead baby.

Unknown said...

bpps - had them every week with lu... can you ask to have them, just for your sanity?

SO glad you only have a few weeks to go. I know it sounds like eons...

just randomly thought of you when i was cleaning out the garage the other day, and SO excited for your little man to meet his little brother or sister so soon!