30-Week Appointment

I shouldn't look at each appointment as a moment of "passing" or "failing," but when your doctor jubilantly tells you what an easy patient you are and the nurse uses the phrase "absolutely perfect" when reviewing each stat, it's easy to feel overly proud of yourself like you had anything to do with a favorable roll of the genetic dice and just plain old luck.

Today was another routine, and quick, appointment. The results of my glucose screening are within range, which means I'm not at risk for gestational diabetes, my blood pressure is still low and the baby's heart is still beating at a healthy 142 beats a minute. Blood drawn for the glucose screening was also used to measure my hemoglobin level, which was measured at my first appointment as well. My hemoglobin levels were and are where they should be, which means I'm not anemic. All good news. While it feels like I'm getting bigger by the day, I was surprised to learn that my stomach has only grown three centimeters. That sounded accurate at first, until I reminded myself that they're talking centimeters, not inches.

Thirty weeks is not considered a milestone, but for me, it has been, at least physiologically. Since a baby is considered full term at 37 weeks, just knowing I'm now in the 30s puts me more at ease that I'm in the homestretch (even if I could easily be pregnant for another four weeks after going full term). Each week from here on out will be more momentous for me, as it means the chance of survival, should I go into labor early, goes up, and the chances of complications for the baby go down.