Strike a Pose!

I've recently been diagnosed as "high risk" - even though this does not come as a huge surprise (chronic hypertension, weekly or biweekly doctor visits since I was 8 weeks along... I'm not a brainiac, but even this, I know, is slightly unusual for a "normal" pregnancy), it does seem slightly funny to me. I guess whenever I have heard of women having a high risk pregnancy, it is often accompanied with tales of a difficult pregnancy, including anything from multiples to mandatory bedrest to any other assortment of situations. If anything, I feel like I have been experiencing what might be the easiest pregnancy on record: I have, as of 25 weeks, only gained 2 pounds, I never experienced any nausea or morning sickness, my bouts of exhaustion have been few and far between, and really, it's only recently that I have grown enough that people KNOW there is a little one growing within. So, high risk, even though the reasons for that distinction ARE quite serious, and I am taking them seriously, it seems a little funny at the same time.

I also found out at the same appointment that there is absolutely no way I will still be pregnant at my estimated due date - at the very least, I will be induced at 39 weeks (which, to my accounting, would be mid-August, instead of later-in-August). There is always the possibility that I will go into labor before needing to be induced, or that I might even develop some of those high-risk-associated conditions that would cause for me to have the baby earlier. I do hope that the ease of this first 2/3 of pregnancy only continues and the terms attached to my medical chart are only there for show.

On quick benefit of the chronic hypertension induced high risk diagnosis is that I am supposed to have ultrasounds performed every four weeks in order to make sure the little monkey is growing at the appropriate rate. Chronic hypertension can affect the vascular system, and can, in turn, affect the growth of the baby, so ultrasounds are used to measure the baby's growth and make sure any conditions (like intrauterine growth restriction) does not happen. We had our first of these ultrasounds (we already had one at 12 weeks for early screening of possible issues as well as our big 20 week anatomy scan) yesterday - the great news is that not only is the little monkey growing right on schedule (or a bit beyond - I was 25 weeks yesterday, overall measuring at just under 26 weeks, and her arms were measuring 27 weeks - a little monkey she is indeed!), but she's super cute and knows how to pose. Here is the glamor shot the ultrasound tech was able to catch (after jiggling my belly a bunch to get her to move her hands away from her face, shy girl!).

It will be so interesting to see how these early snapshots compare to the real thing!