A less than stellar prenatal appointment

Tuesday, I went in for a routine prenatal appointment. They did all the standard stuff...talked about aches and pains, used the Doppler to listen to little guy's heartbeat, and measured my fundal height. That last part? That's where things started to kind of get frustrating.

My fundal height was 28cm as of June 26th. On July 10th, it was 28.5. As of yesterday, it was 28 again. My midwife went ahead and ordered a quick growth scan, because that's not normal for things to not be growing for that long. I was definitely surprised, but if I think about it, I honestly haven't been looking any bigger in my weekly pictures for a little while. So, off to the u/s department I went. They checked my cervix, which is still long and closed. They measured the amniotic fluid levels, which were totally normal, and they measured the baby. They estimated that he's about 3.5 pounds, and the tech told me I'd probably hear from the doctor within 24 hours.

Less than 2 hours later, my midwife called me to tell me the results of the scan. (Love her!) Wee Laddie is measuring in the 8th percentile, so they're a little concerned. That's awfully small, even for a baby being born to short parents. (He was in the 22nd percentile at the 20 week ultrasound.) My midwife discussed the u/s results with one of their MFM doctors, and they both agreed that it's borderline, but Wee Laddie falls into the "growth restricted" category. I'm going to be having weekly biophysical profiles for a little while, and in three weeks they'll redo the growth scan. If he can get up to the 11th percentile, then I'll go back to normal prenatal visits. If he's still measuring abnormally small or has dropped in percentiles, then I'll be going in twice a week for non-stress tests and ultrasounds until he's born. Oh, and they'll be inducing me somewhere between 37 and 39 weeks.

Obviously, the most important thing is that he gets here safe and healthy. I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen. But there is a huge, huge part of me that is horrified at the prospect of induction. This is not how I wanted things to go. I'm Little Miss Crunchy Granola...I was going to have a natural birth, get him here without drugs, without epidural. (Not judging anyone who has had a birth like that at all; it's just not what I wanted for myself.) Induction scares me because it increases the risk for a c-section, and I am terrified of that. I just want everything to be ok, with him and with me.

One good thing did come out of yesterday's drama...a beautiful 3D shot of my gorgeous little boy. Yep, this mama cried some happy tears when I saw his sweet face. I think he looks like his daddy (for now at least!).