Even *I* wasn't expecting to have another update for you already

Well! Baby girl has a flair for the dramatic already. Lucky us.

I'm 32 weeks and 3 days along today. I went in for my follow up monitoring ultrasound, and was surprised to learn that I would also be getting my first non-stress test. This is a neat little test where they strap a few monitors to your belly and check the kiddo's heart rate (and mom's contractions, if any) over about 20 minutes. They also give you a little clicker that you push any time you feel the baby move or kick. Apparently after 32 weeks, the baby is supposed to have at least two "spikes" in heart rate in that amount of time, so that's one thing they check for. It started out very interesting (watching baby's heart rate progress on a monitor! Listening to her heartbeat and hearing a big THUD in the audio when she would flip up against or kick where the monitor was strapped!) and got very boring by the end.

Next was the sonogram, where they quickly determined that - sad trombone - my fluid levels had increased since last week. But also slightly concerning, my cervix was looking a little on the short side. So out came the dildo cam for a measurement of the cervix from up the hoo-ha, and yup - the ol' girl is down to about 1.7cm.

Now, this in and of itself is not necessarily an issue. Many women's cervixes begin to shorten slowly and steadily in the weeks leading up to birth. However, given the extra-large baby I have bouncing around on top of mine, plus the extra volume of fluid, plus the new-to-me-information that I had apparently had two contractions during the NST (!??)... I am now Seriously Officially At Risk for pre-term labor.

I subsequently got the privilege of my first cervical check to make sure I wasn't ALSO dilated (OW, and no, not more than a fingertip) so I'm not, like, currently in labor or about to have a baby spontaneously fall out of me.

But they don't want to take any chances in case I *do* go into preterm labor sometime soon, so next up was my first betamethasone steroid injection. This neat little shot is given to me (painfully, in the ass) but travels down to baby girl and helps her start creating a surfectant in the lungs which babies don't usually make on their own until about 34 weeks. It helps prevent respiratory distress syndrome should the baby come early. I got one shot in my right ass cheek today, and I go back for a second shot in the left ass cheek tomorrow. The effects of the steroid last about 2 weeks, at which point I'll be past 34 weeks and baby girl should hard at work maturing her lungs on her own at that point.

So, they're not saying I WILL to go into preterm labor shortly. Buuuuuut just in case I do, and just in case they can't stop it, these shots will give the little lady an even better chance at being OK on the outside and requiring less intervention in that scenario.

In the meantime, I'm on pelvic rest (mainly just means no fun things can happen in the bathing suit area, although a lot of my exercise routine is now out as well) but not bedrest (I'll take it!). I go back tomorrow for shot #2, then again next Tuesday for the next NST and sonogram. Goal: no updates between now and then. Stay calm and stay put, little lady.