37 Weeks and Special Delivery

I've officially reached 37 weeks and the past month or so has really been a rollercoaster. In July, we thought I might've been exposed to mono (Epstein-Barr), so the OB tested me for Epstein-Barr and cytomegalovirus (CMV) to see if I test positive.

Well, mono showed antibodies for a previous infection (presumably years ago) and CMV showed antibodies for a current or recent infection. Since I wasn't displaying any active symptoms, the OB decided to test me again in 2-3 weeks. The same results ensued. We repeated this pattern every 2-3 weeks, anticipating the antibodies to convert to "past infection." At 34 weeks, my tests still had not converted to showing a past infection, which was perplexing.

CMV is concerning to have during pregnancy, as it can cause some birth defects. The severity depends on when you have the infection. After visiting with a perinatologist (high-risk OB), we've determined it's highly unlikely I have or had CMV during pregnancy. There is a high incidence of cross-reaction on this particular antibody test and people often have a false positive. One consideration is people who have an autoimmune disorder (I've questioned whether I have celiac for quite some time and it is closely tied with autoimmune disorders).

Anyway, while all of this "does she or doesn't she have CMV?" drama was going on, the perinatologist performed a thorough ultrasound to look for other signs of CMV - calcification in the organs or stunted growth. While Zyggies organs look great, he/she is measuring small.

We repeated the growth ultrasound again today and learned that Zyggie is not showing improvement in his/her growth rate. Although Zyggie's blood flow and heart rate look excellent, they've decided it's less risky to have him/her on the outside. Soooo, I'm being induced on Thursday. I have to go in on Wednesday night to receive Cervidil, then begin to receive Pitocin on Thursday morning at 7am.

I'm scared, anxious, nervous, and excited. I'm mostly worried right now. Worried whether the baby will do well in the outside world (is NICU in our future?), scared about induction. My emotions are all over. On a positive note though, the perinatologist says Zyggie has a "full head of hair." :) I'm choosing to focus on this because it makes me smile.

So, while there may not be an update for later this week, you should get some exciting pictures next week!

In the meantime, you'll have to make due with my 37 week picture and our Halloween costumes: