Pregnancy Update - 30 Weeks

We had a slight scare early in the pregnancy. They did the first trimester screen which looks for the baby's chance of trisomy and down syndrome. They calculated my risk first just based on my age, then recalculated after blood work. My risk for trisomy dropped drastically, but my risk for down syndrome went up. Because of that increased risk, my doctor had me get a level 2 ultrasound at a hospital at 18 weeks to see if everything was ok. That was back in April and when we found out it's a girl! All of her measurements looked great, and she was in the 51st percentile for weight. The doctor said if she was at risk for downs she would weigh less and have larger measurements in certain areas. And I thought that was the end of it...

At my last appointment, my doctor told me that I would have to start coming in twice a week for a fetal non stress test (NST). From what I understand, she is concerned because something caused my first trimester screen to be off. Since they don't think it's downs, they're not sure what it is and want to make sure everything is ok.

So starting July 25, I will be going to my doctor's office in McKinney every Monday and Thursday. For the NST they are going to hook me up to machines as if I was in labor and test fetal heart rate and contractions for about 20 minutes. (This is just what I understand from my doctor. I'm obviously not a doctor, so hopefully I'm explaining everything correctly!) But there is a VERY big benefit with this - I get an ultrasound every Monday! That means I get to see our little girl once a week until she is born! I haven't seen her since the ultrasound in April, so I'm very excited about that!

Although I am an expert worrier, I have tried to continually remind myself of two main things - God is sovereign, and He loves her more than I do (even though it's hard to wrap my head around that one). And I also love the comfort of Psalm 139: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb...My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." 

Other than all of this, I have had a relatively easy pregnancy, but Rustin and I would appreciate prayers that everything would continue to go well!