“Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials.” –Meryl Streep
I have been officially banned from most Internet use.
Oh, I can still check my e-mails, update my Facebook page, and find out the current weather in our area, but, according to my husband (and his accomplices at my OB/GYN office), I am disallowed from ‘looking up pregnancy related stuff.’
It’s because I am truly a ‘glass is half empty’ person. Never thought of myself as a doomsday-er, but this last week proves that I most certainly am.
After having my 36-week ultrasound, I was told by my nurse practitioner (whom I adore because she is soft-spoken, calming, thorough, and shares my love for Sedona, Arizona), that I have a ‘grade 3 placenta.’ Hmm. Does that mean that mine is at the top of its class? A spectacular specimen of a student? On the prenatal honor roll? Sadly, no. It means that my placenta is ‘mature.’ Not in a, “Wow! Your child is so well behaved for his age,” mature, but rather, “We need to just keep an eye on the baby and make sure she is getting all the oxygen and nutrients she needs due to your aging placenta and its calcium deposits,” kind of mature. She suggested that I rest, eat well-balanced meals and sleep on my left side for optimal oxygen and nutritional health for the baby.
I smiled and nodded my head while she told me this information about my deteriorating, under-performing, rapidly aging gelatinous mass in my belly and plotted the quickest way home to my computer.
I didn’t even take off my sunglasses when I sat down and Googled: “grade 3 placentas.”
Not good. T.M.I., as my children would say. (Too Much Information)
According to the blogs, threads, Yahoo questions and other ‘mature placenta’ related topics, my baby was doomed. She was suffering, not getting enough oxygen, on the verge of low weight, lack of fetal development and at great risk for even scarier scenarios.
Let’s just say, I freaked out. For the entire weekend. I did kick counts. I laid on my left side until I had permanent pillow impressions on that side of my face. I filled up with antioxidant foods. I drove my poor husband nuts (he even called my sister to try to calm me). It all came down to one thing: protect my child.
Monday morning. 9 a.m. sharp. I phoned the OB/GYN office and thus began the process of trying to talk myself down from my cliff of placental despair. I talked with my sweet nurse again. I hunted down the ultrasound sonographer who had originally seen my calcified, mature, aging placenta and asked for her opinion. Then I patiently waited to see Dr. Carr. (Well, actually, there was nothing patient about it; we arrived 15 minutes early to my appointment.) Travis promised me (and held to his promise) that he wouldn’t reveal my weekend’s mental insanity to the doctor. That was my confession to share.
As always, Dr. Carr was terrific. She didn’t even laugh at me. She told me clearly and concisely all the reasons that my baby was doing well. She told me that she was zealously watching over my baby and would never to anything to put the baby at risk. She told me to stop obsessing over my placenta.
It’s amazing how priorities change when you have a child. My ankles are the size of my thighs. My legs are blue from the amount of varicose veins running down them. I can’t walk up a flight of stairs without panting, and if I have to sit down, I plan on staying there for quite awhile. But, I have a healthy baby who kicks and moves, and a placenta, which, like me, is aging and maturing.
Life, despite the curveballs and fears, is good.
What’s happening to baby this week?
*Baby now weighs approximately six-and-a-half pounds.
*The baby is acquiring important antibodies to protect her when she is born.
*For some women, baby descends into the pelvis (most common with first time moms). This will leave more room for breathing, but also create more trips to the bathroom as baby pushes on the bladder.
What’s happening with ME this week?
*I’m staying off the Internet…with much difficulty.
*My full body pillow (given as a gift from my mom) is a lifesaver.
*I am giddy with every kick, spin, turn and move of this little one.
Let’s hear from you!
How do you handle fears/worries during pregnancy?