Thursday, November 11, 2010

Fetal echo cardiogram and 22 week checkup

I recently had my first of two fetal echo cardiograms, and also my 22 week checkup (I think most people do this at 20 weeks, but mine just happened to be on 22). The fetal echo cardiogram was a one hour peek at Baby B’s heart via ultrasound to make sure the blood is pumping and everything is functioning correctly. The results are in, and everything looked great, at least as far as they could tell since Baby B again wasn’t very cooperative in being in the right position for a great look (noticing a pattern?). It was a very peaceful test as I got to sit in a dark room with soothing music while the cardiologist looked at the heart on her own monitor. They didn’t have a screen for me to see, so it was an hour of pure relaxation.

I couldn’t get over, however, that the cardiologist (who I assume is pretty smart and well trained), asked me if I take insulin after I told her I have type 1. In disbelief I said yes, and then she asked me if I had been taking insulin before I got pregnant. I couldn’t understand how this medical professional, a cardiologist, no less, didn’t get that as a type 1 diabetic, I need insulin. Those kinds of questions irk me to no end! But, other than that, she was nice and gave me a good report, so besides her obvious ignorance about diabetes, the test went well overall.

I also had my 22 week checkup. They baby’s heart was beating at 155 beats per minute and everything seems like it’s progressing as it should. My weight gain is now right on target since the last checkup, but my OB told me that I should now try to gain ½ a pound a week, which is making me nervous. I’m concerned that I’m going to gain a lot more than that, and I haven’t been doing much to stop that from happening now that I can eat again. So, I really need to start eating better to make sure my weight gain doesn’t accelerate too quickly.

In other news, I sadly need to do a 24 hour urine test, which is basically collecting urine over a 24 hour period of time to make sure the pregnancy isn’t putting too much stress on my kidneys. I was hoping to avoid this one, but no such luck. I am so NOT looking forward to that one, but luckily you can do it on a Sunday. So, I guess two Sundays from now when I do the test I’ll be stuck in the apartment! I am certainly not going out lugging my “collection vessel” around.

Overall, my blood sugar is still trending a little higher than I like, but nothing to be upset about. I’m still increasing my basals to keep up with the higher numbers. I’m feeling great, otherwise, and am enjoying the second trimester.

Also on my list for the next few weeks is registering for gifts. There is so much out there, I hardly know where to begin, so if any of your moms have suggestions, let me know!

4 comments:

  1. Great news!! SO glad that everything is progressing as planned! And... I hear you about the confusion over diabetes with medical professionals... I work with PEDIATRIC doctors and even they ask me questions like that sometimes... just no excuse for it!! What are they teaching these people in Medical School??

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  2. I can't even believe that a cardiologist would have said that to you. I don't know why I'm suprised anymore. . . CONGRATS on your 22 week Echo! I remember after that Echo and anatomy scan I mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

    Bummer about the 24-hour urine. Definitely my LEAST favorite of the tests we have to do. I had one Endo in college who liked to do them YEARLY. UGH! That was awful and I was so grateful to be rid of him! I haven't had to do one in years. My Endo now just does urine microalbumins and mine are always super low. He says he only does 24-hour urines if the microalbumin warrants it. I don't know how much you hate them but if you wanna try a last ditch effort to get out of it, maybe ask your Endo if he'd consider this instead?

    The registry has easily been the most confusing/stressful thing for me to deal with so far. Coming as a person who works in the NICU, I feel like all I need is to feed/clothe/bathe her and we're all good. Apparently not. There's SO much out there and I don't know what's fluff and what's not. From working in the NICU I can tell you to get a Boppy, they are useful for so many things. Other than that, the best advice I've gotten has been from other moms.

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  3. So glad to hear everything is going so well! When I had my fetal echo cardiograms the cardiologist was equally uninformed. He was surprised that I had been on insulin since the age of 4!

    As for the registry, I know every baby is different, but if yours is like Lukas, he/she will love a bouncy chair. We could not get through a day without it. Also, we really like this bath tub (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3417460) ... we started using it once he was too big to bathe in the bathroom sink

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  4. So glad all is going well. When I meet a doctor like your cardio I try to do my zen breathing and just be grateful that I don't have to see her regularly!

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