A bit of a scare

On Wednesday we had a growth ultrasound. We got some good news: baby boy is finally head down! I thought he was, but couldn't be 100% sure until the ultrasound.
His estimated weight was 4 pounds 13 ounces (at 34 weeks 6 days) - so he's on the small side, which worries me a little but he's still in the "normal" range so hopefully everything is fine.

We also got some worrying news, though: his heartrate was too high. The ultrasound tech took repeated measurements over a period of time, and his heartrate did drop a little, but not enough for her liking. In between the heartrate measurements, she got us some more 3D pictures for free (very nice of her!). Baby still had his hands by his face, so they weren't too great, but we appreciated the effort! Anyway once that was all done and his heartrate was still on the high side, the tech went to speak with one of the doctors to see what they wanted to do. They sent us to the hospital to have a NST done. They could have done it at the OB office, but they said we were better off at the hospital if anything were to happen. Before we left the ultrasound tech said "If you decide to deliver, good luck!". Holy crap! I was panicking a bit by that point. I was virtually 35 weeks pregnant, but not expecting to deliver right then!

Anyway, we went to the hospital and waited quite a while to be called back to L&D. Once we were called back, everything happened quickly. I gave them a urine sample and they hooked me up to the NST equipment and a blood pressure cuff. My BP was a little high, but I have what seems to be white coat syndrome, and I monitor my BP at home where it's fine, so they weren't concerned. Within a few minutes the nurse was able to tell us that everything seemed to be OK with the baby - his heartrate was higher when he was active, and lowered when he was not active, which of course is how it should be. We still had to leave the NST running for the full 20 minutes, of course, but that was fine. Baby boy passed the test with flying colors, which was a huge relief! It was definitely better to be safe than sorry, and I'm glad that we were sent for the NST in case anything had been wrong, but it was scary at the time. It really hit me yesterday morning that there could have been a different outcome, you know?

I haven't taken a 35 week belly photo yet, so here's one from 34 weeks:

And here's one of our new 3D ultrasound pictures:

I don't know if anyone can really make out this picture, but his hand is resting on his forehead and his other arm is across him. You can see his nose and one eye, and a chubby cheek. He's definitely stubborn when it comes to having his picture taken!