Today was Claire's first of many non-stress tests (it was supposed to be last Friday, but I did not think Sentara would appreciate my coming in with a nasty case of the stomach flu, so I rescheduled). The test consisted of sensors being placed on my stomach to monitor Claire's heart rate to make sure she is not in any distress. There is probably a more technical explanation for the purpose of the test, but I will stick with what I know. ;) The sensors stay in place for 20 minutes, and during that time they want to see at least 2 instances of the heart rate increasing by 15 bpm. Claire decided to show off and hit the minimum within the first five minutes. I, of course, got excited, thinking that it meant I could leave early, but no such luck . . . stuck for the duration. Which was not a bad thing at all since I got to listen to Claire's heartbeat the entire time.
I was surprised to learn after the test that I would also be getting a mini-ultrasound. This is something they will be doing once a week - unless I am scheduled for a regular ultrasound at EVMS - to check the amniotic fluid level. And they do mean "mini" - I think it lasted five minutes, at best. But I still learned that Claire apparently has a lot of hair, gets the hiccups (which is good because it means she has been practicing breathing), and likes to grab her right foot and bring it up by her face. I was also told that, due to the high amniotic fluid, I am at a higher risk for pre-term labor, but it is not too high of a concern at this time. All in all, a great appointment. Before leaving, I went ahead and scheduled the non-stress tests for 3/22, 3/26, 3/29, and 4/2, but don't worry . . . unless something significant happens at an appointment, I'm not planning on doing a post for each and every one!
~~Val
I was surprised to learn after the test that I would also be getting a mini-ultrasound. This is something they will be doing once a week - unless I am scheduled for a regular ultrasound at EVMS - to check the amniotic fluid level. And they do mean "mini" - I think it lasted five minutes, at best. But I still learned that Claire apparently has a lot of hair, gets the hiccups (which is good because it means she has been practicing breathing), and likes to grab her right foot and bring it up by her face. I was also told that, due to the high amniotic fluid, I am at a higher risk for pre-term labor, but it is not too high of a concern at this time. All in all, a great appointment. Before leaving, I went ahead and scheduled the non-stress tests for 3/22, 3/26, 3/29, and 4/2, but don't worry . . . unless something significant happens at an appointment, I'm not planning on doing a post for each and every one!
~~Val
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