Sunday we left Macae and headed to Rio since we had an Ultrasound appointment at 1030 and a Dr. appointment at 1 pm. Since this trip was personal we used some of our 200,000 Sheraton points for a free night. Once we arrived they upgraded us to an amazing room with two bathrooms and a separate living room- wow. Then for dinner they surprised us with a bottle of champagne which I obviously couldn't drink. (I think they did this because yesterday was Brazilian Valentines Day) I did however take the bottle home with us so after Belle is born we can have a celebratory glass!
To start the morning off we headed off to the ultrasound appointment. Our normal ultrasound guy was busy so we had the sweetest lady working with us. She checked positioning of Belle, fluid level, blood flow and growth. I really love all the ultrasounds that Brazil passes out like candy. It puts my mind at ease for how things are going inside.
I am 33 weeks and she measured out to be 32 weeks 6 days. Pretty great huh? They graphed her number and we are right in the middle of the chart so her growth is on target. They are estimating her weight at 2.3 kg which equals right around 5 pounds already! Slow down Belle! She is already facing down which confirms all of the rib kicks I get daily. Everything is just great!
After the ultrasound we grabbed a quick snack, hopped in a cab and headed to the doctor's office. For once we actually didn't have to wait and she saw us immediately. I cannot complain to much because each visit she spend 30 minutes with me. Anyway, this time around she totally redeemed my confidence in her abilities. She did make a comment on my weight telling me once again I have gained too much in the month but I have come to expect it. PS- I believe my weight gain total is 22 pounds at 8 months 1 week with possibly 7 weeks to go....
On to the good part and possible boring for some :) Next week she will be testing me for Group B strep which does not cause strep throat but rather a common infection that can be deadly for infants if untreated. If the test comes back positive, meaning that I have it, then when I go into labor I will receive the antibiotic penicillin. If I go into labor before the results are cleared then she will give me the antibiotics anyway!! Having seen several newborns suffer from complications of Group B strep (full life support and seizures so often that tube feeding is necessary) this makes me so happy. We continued to discuss how some Dr.'s in Brazil do not test for this at all and believe it's false. Big deep breath!
We continued to talk about what will happen after birth. I think you all know that I want to have as natural of a birth as I possibly can. I also want to only breastfeed and wait to give into the pacifier. When I asked about how soon after birth can I breastfeed (helps contractions for your body to return to normal and bonding with your baby) Dr. J replied with the following: As long as the baby is fine, I wait one minute to cut the cord (very progressive and not everyone in the US does this as standard) and then Belle will breastfeed immediately!
Dr. J you have my complete confidence and I couldn't be happier. I now realize that she will not be doing any unnecessary medical interventions. If she does then it's because I really do need them and not because she needs to get back to the office. I am so happy! This really couldn't be any more perfect!!
I do have a 3d picture of Belle that I need to scan so I can post- hopefully later today! Hope everyone's day is going as great as mine!!!
Tchau,
Sara
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