Let's check in and see how our High Risk mommas are doing!
What's your story? (AMA, Diabetes, History of Pre-E, Shoulder dystocia, placenta previa...etc)
If this is a second+ pregnancy, how has this one been different from your first?
Any recent or upcoming appointments you'd like to discuss?
What kind of birth are you hoping to have? Any discussions thus far with your provider about potential interventions or birth plans?
Re: High Risk Check-In (June)
Type 1 Diabetes (diagnosed since my last pregnancy), HELLP with first delivery, Shoulder dystocia with both deliveries.
If this is a second+ pregnancy, how has this one been different from your first?
This is my third pregnancy- it has differed in a few ways- frist my diet is obviously different. Since my last pregnanc I was dx with celiac and T1D. Although I'm glad I was dx before this pregnancy since I've had time to adjust to the diet before the pregnancy related food BS came into play. But whats been really hard is managing my diet with nausea, aversions, and cravings on top of it. When I am nauseous I can't just munch on crackers anymore...that's been tough. I've also started having more scans. I had my AS 3 weeks ago, a fetal echo last week (standard for diabetic moms), and will continue to have growth scans every 4 weeks throughout the rest of the pregnancy. I will have NST weekly starting at....32 weeks?
Any recent or upcoming appointments you'd like to discuss?
AS a few weeks back- everything checked out- having a boy, super pumped! Echo last week and all looked normal. Doc said we will continue with growth scans and shouldn't need further echos, but will get more if a future scan indicates need. OB this week, and second growth scan next week.
What kind of birth are you hoping to have? Any discussions thus far with your provider about potential interventions or birth plans?
Doc says I will be induced between 37-39 weeks depending on growth scans. Says he is hopeful we can avoid a C section (2 previous vaginal deliveries, shoulder dystocias getting progressively less serious), so based on what he knows now he thinks that trend will continue and make another vaginal possible. Growth scans later will inform that decision further. I am very much hoping for another vaginal birth. Ideally one that starts naturally, but I was induced with DD and it wasn't that different than my delivery with DS in terms of length.....about 9 hours start to finish with both. although I went from 3 hours of pushing with DS to 28 min of pushing with DD.....not too shabby!
I had an epidural with DD, but not with DS (HELLP syndrome = no epidural), and I HATED IT the epi! I do not want another. I was allowed a spinal of morphine with DS and I will ask for that again, but I'd go natural before asking for another epidural. I felt awful- hard to breath, foggy, nauseous and dry heaving....ugh.
What's your story? (AMA, Diabetes, History of Pre-E, Shoulder dystocia, placenta previa...etc)
Previous blood clot from not getting up on a long flight while being on estrogen birth control.
If this is a second+ pregnancy, how has this one been different from your first?
N/A
Any recent or upcoming appointments you'd like to discuss?
Nope - but I'm looking forward to the appointments were we actually start to talk about how delivery is going to go down (or at least doc's intentions for it)
What kind of birth are you hoping to have? Any discussions thus far with your provider about potential interventions or birth plans?
I have to be induced, so there's no option there. It's all about timing when I go off and back on the blood thinner, so I'm assuming I'll be a c-section if the induction doesn't take within a certain amount of time. I'm honestly okay with any type of delivery as long as baby and I are okay and the doc has a plan. I like plans. I REALLY like plans.
1. Know what to do in case of _____
2. Be clear on the outcomes I want.
3. trust my doc's advice on how best get there.
So I think while it's impossible to "plan" in the sense that we can map out how it will go down, your thoughts on trusting your doc to get you to your goal are right on!
And you don't know that you'll be induced. You could go into labor naturally. With my first, my water broke at 37+2. I had no idea that I had HELLP until that day, so had I made it to one more OB appt, I would have been induced, but baby knew better. So you could definitely go into labor on your own before a scheduled induction. While it's good to prepare for induction, don't forget baby could surprise you like any other mom.
Having identical twins who share a placenta, AMA, overweight, previous 27 and 33 week deliveries.
If this is a second+ pregnancy, how has this one been different from your first?
My first was a singleton, low risk, no concerns until I went into preterm labour. My second pregnancy was fraternal twins, and were again early but not as much as my first.
Any recent or upcoming appointments you'd like to discuss?
Repeat ultrasound on Thursday because Baby B isn’t growing as well as they would like.
What kind of birth are you hoping to have? Any discussions thus far with your provider about potential interventions or birth plans?
I’m hoping for another vaginal delivery, but know the chance of c-section is pretty high. My OB will let me
labour as long as A is head down, but if things are too early or B isn’t growing well it’ll be a c-section. And it will be an epidural if I labour, which sucks because I hate the epidural.
Preeclampsia and HELLP (baby born at 34+4)
If this is a second+ pregnancy, how has this one been different from your first?
This pregnancy has been so different than my son! I had hypermeisis with him and it was miserable. I am being monitored waaaay more closely this time.
Any recent or upcoming appointments you'd like to discuss?
I had the anatomy scan last week. Baby girl looked great. I’ll be back at 22 weeks for an echocardiogram. It’s the MFM’s protocol to do one of there was first trimester zofran exposure. Next regular OB appointment is on Tuesday. Seems like I’m going to one or the other every 2 weeks.
What kind of birth are you hoping to have? Any discussions thus far with your provider about potential interventions or birth plans?
I’d like to get as close to 37 weeks as possible. Other than that, I don’t care. I had a c/s with my son. If I go into spontaneous labor, I’m down for trying a VBAC. If my numbers look bad and she needs to come out before I go into labor, I am fine with another c. They won’t induce me b/c I had a c before.
AMA, overweight, borderline bp, concerns about developing GD and pre-e
Any recent or upcoming appointments you'd like to discuss?
Next appt on Friday
What kind of birth are you hoping to have?
Med-free birth in a hospital w/ OB, supported by doula
Any discussions thus far with your provider about potential interventions or birth plans?
I plan to talk to my provider about that on Friday. I am meeting with the doula middle of next month, and have to figure out how things are going to go.
I specifically picked this doula because she isn’t super crunchy, but she sent a whole list of shit “to get educated on”, and frankly, I am okay with following standard hospital policy for the vast majority of it. But I still feel like I need to read about this stuff, but I don’t really care, and I don’t feel like I need to have an opinion.
Wow- that sounds really bitchy and whiny. Let me try that again. I specifically hired a doula because I want a med free birth, for the experience of having such. I don’t have an opinion on a lot of other things around the labor process and don’t feel like they will negatively affect me or my baby. I believe that the doctors and hospital have my and my baby’s best interests in mind when it comes to many of the issues involved.
We did discuss BP in terms of third trimester. I’m enjoying not being on a low sodium diet while my BP is great, but will probably start tracking my sodium more as I get closer to 3rd tri!
DX as type 2 diabetes but now they think it's just an extreme sensitivity to insulin while pregnant?? Waiting to talk to the MFM next week for clarification. I also had high BP with DS but seem to be doing fine this pregnancy. And I'm obese.
If this is a second+ pregnancy, how has this one been different from your first?
This pregnancy is much different from my first. I'm being monitored more closely so I also feel more confident this time around.
Any recent or upcoming appointments you'd like to discuss?
Just had an appointment with my OB yesterday. Everything looked good. I actually lost a few lbs but the dr didn't seem worried. I have my Fetal Echo on Monday so I'm a little nervous for that. My next OB appointment is for my glucose test. I didn't think I needed to take it again given my previous diagnosis.
What kind of birth are you hoping to have? Any discussions thus far with your provider about potential interventions or birth plans?
I know the plan is to induce st 39 weeks due to the diabetes. If my BP starts to be a problem my OB said I could be induced at 37/38 weeks which puts me at the end of Sept/first week of October. I'm hoping I go into labor naturally between 38 and 39 weeks (wishful thinking I know lol) and that baby is healthy. Id like to avoid induction but I know that's not likely, other than that I'm just going to go with the flow.
I'm hoping little miss and DS dont share a birthday. He's Oct 5th.
Diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 20 weeks. Doc thinks it could be type 2 but we won’t know until after pregnancy.
If this is a second+ pregnancy, how has this one been different from your first?
This has been different in that I am diagnosed much earlier and seem to not be able to eat as freely as I did with my first. Also I started insulin at night yesterday and that is interesting. Although I feel like it will be a good thing for me in the end.
Any recent or upcoming appointments you'd like to discuss?
Just met with the high risk doc to be put on insulin. I will have a regular OB and a high risk appointment the beginning of July and will get an ultrasound to check on growth.
What kind of birth are you hoping to have?
Any discussions thus far with your provider about potential interventions or birth plans?
i assume I will be induced at 39 weeks like my first but I’m hoping to hold off and go into labor naturally. Trying to stay away from pitocin but we will see how it goes. I still have quite a ways to go. 18 weeks to go!!
AMA, overweight, previous high risk pregnancy
If this is a second+ pregnancy, how has this one been different from your first?
So far this one is different from my previous high risk pregnancy in that I'm not being as closely monitored, but I do still have to have regular growth scans (currently every 4 weeks, will increase in frequency)
Any recent or upcoming appointments you'd like to discuss?
Next prenatal appointment Thursday: plan to discuss increasing pelvic pain and possibly a referral to PT again, First growth scan Tuesday after next.
What kind of birth are you hoping to have? Any discussions thus far with your provider about potential interventions or birth plans?
Hoping for med free in hospital with CNM. Have not discussed many details yet, but have been told that I will be induced if I do not go into labor on my own by my edd. I'm not a fan of that idea because I have previously had an induction and it was a very hard labor. I have delivered my last 3 babies with her so we have a good relationship and I feel comfortable she knows what I'm comfortable with and what I'm not since I never really have a long list of expectations for labor and delivery to begin with.
Also- my doc said the same about induction: After 37w if Ihave anything abnormal (sugars or BP) I get induced then. Once it's 39w I'm induced no matter what.
This time around I am hoping to do it without an epidural, so we discussed this last visit bc I fear natural birth with pitocin. He said it will all depend so much on how dilated I am from the jump. He said if I am closed-1 cm they will likely need it, but if I am 3ish dilated he could break my water and deliver the baby within a few hours likely without pitocin. <--- That's what I'm hoping for!
2. If this is a second+ pregnancy, how has this one been different from your first? I have been much sicker for much longer.
3. Any recent or upcoming appointments you'd like to discuss? Had our 2nd attempt at an anatomy scan on Friday. Baby is a boy. He is measuring over a week behind at this scan.
4. What kind of birth are you hoping to have? Any discussions thus far with your provider about potential interventions or birth plans? I’m hoping to have a vaginal delivery with epidural. Baby is breech for now. We are hoping he is compliant and flips before it is time. The doctor has discussed inducing me at 39 weeks since I will have to travel to Duke University Hospital to have baby about 2 hrs away.
My second induction was a lot smoother in some ways. My induction was scheduled for 37 + 2 but when my bp went too high, they induced me at 8 pm the night (Monday) before I became 37 weeks. They used cytotec that time. The biggest issue was that my body remembered labor and almost immediately jump started my contractions and they couldn’t insert any more doses of the cytotec since my contractions were too close together. That went on for over 24
hours and they couldn’t break my water since I wasn’t dialated enough. My water finally broke at 11 pm Tuesday night. I chose to have the epidural this time and it was administered after midnight and my daughter was born at 3:57 in the morning Wednesday morning. I don’t think I even ended up with the pitocin at all, definitely not during the induction.
I had the same doctor for both kids so I really didn’t ask too many questions. The second time was also more because I had btdt. This time around though, I’m planning on asking what their process is and what to expect. I’m with a new OB practice and a new hospital, so I’m actually very very nervous about ending up with a c-section. I’ve been told I’ll be induced at 39 weeks at the latest (GD) but if the preeclampsia occurs again, it’ll be at 37 weeks at the latest (best case scenario if that happens).
GD and a history of pre-e
If this is a second+ pregnancy, how has this one been different from your first?
3rd baby, just having more appointments early on, being diagnosed with GD early, and being watched super carefully for the the pre-e. This is the first where I’m high risk from the get go.
Any recent or upcoming appointments you'd like to discuss?
I had my Perinatology appointment today and official anatomy scan. Baby is right on track growth wise and is still a boy. I get another ultrasound in 2 weeks to check out his heart and then I start my NSTs in August. Yay!
What kind of birth are you hoping to have?
Hopefully it’s a vaginal delivery. I’m more nervous about the epidural at the hospital I’ll be at. A former student’s mom had issues with the epidural when she had her baby a couple of years ago. And it was her 7th.
Any discussions thus far with your provider about potential interventions or birth plans?
Birth plan is basically whatever is safest for me and baby. I know I’ll be induced by 39 weeks so it’s more about learning what their process is and what to expect. It’s a new practice/hospital for me.
Not that I'm an expert. I am most certainly not. I would maybe ask for clarification about what they hope to learn and/or rule out by the test. If they know you are diabetic right now (GD or T2), what is the benefit of inducing a big spike?
Type 2 diabetes. Gestational with my first pregnancy, then a few years later I was diagnosed with Type 2.
If this is a second+ pregnancy, how has this one been different from your first?
It's a completely different animal. I was able to control my blood sugar with diet and exercise, and a low dose of insulin at bedtime. This time around, even following the diet, my sugars were double where they should have been. I started insulin injections yesterday, twice daily, mixing regular and NPH.
Any recent or upcoming appointments you'd like to discuss?
There are just so many appointments. I had four this week. I have three more on Monday (although one of those isn't even pregnancy related- I'm having a breast ultrasound done because of issues that have been occurring since late last summer).
What kind of birth are you hoping to have? Any discussions thus far with your provider about potential interventions or birth plans?
Really hoping for a VBAC, and that's still a possibility for now, although I'm not getting my hopes up. My first was an emergency c-section. It wasn't anything to do with the GD, it was because of cord issues. I'm allergic to opioids so pain management is going to be rough if I end up with a c-section.