32 weeks

Just got back from the 32 week appointment, and it went great! My blood pressure read 120/80 at the doctor’s office (YAY!!), AND Ivy has flipped back over to where she is no longer breech. I suspsected that was the case, because there was a lot of rolling around recently, and I didn’t feel her head stick out just below my ribs anymore, plus everything felt “lower.” We will keep the same routine regarding blood pressure readings at future appointments – let me come in and sit down in the exam room (on a chair, not the table) and just be still/quiet for 5-10 minutes before wrapping the cuff around my arm.

Joey came to the appointment this time – the last two had been really quick, so I convinced him it wouldn’t be too bad. And of course, this week the doctor was delayed delivering a baby (a 25-week old baby, he said… yikes!!), so we had some time to kill in the exam room. I showed him the placquard of cervical dilations, and he got to learn a new word (episiotomy) that I hope to goodness NEVER comes up again, as well as about effusion of the cervix and other fun female stuff. There is a colposcope in the exam room, so of course that got tested out, while we waited (“whoa, I can see the crevasses in my hand!”) I mentioned that to the doctor, and he said, half-way to the side: “did you try it out on each other?” LOL!

So, with both of us there, I had the doctor slow down the ultrasound a little bit, to explain what all we were looking at. Got a profile view of her head, and a good look at her chest area – and we could see that she’s taking practice breaths, which is also very good news! Nothing on the screen was worth a printout, but I’m glad Joey (and I, of course) got to see her again 🙂 ) Fundal length came out at 37cm this time (the doctor said “big baby”, and Joey later said “big head” hehe), which is 5 weeks “ahead” of schedule, but I know those things vary quite a bit.

While we were there as well, the doctor signed paperwork which enables us to donate Ivy’s cord blood. We’re going through Cryobanks International, which accepts cord blood donations to a public bank, from pretty much anywhere in the US. I’m glad we were able to find someone who could do that.

So, all in all, a really really good visit 🙂