Non-Stress Test

We went to see our OB, Dr. Kuhlmann, today for a non-stress test to make sure Finley's heartbeat was regular without any erratic dips to indicate that she is under stress. I was attached to the machine for about 20 minutes, during which time Finley did not have any dangerous dips or show anything out of the norm. She did have several accelerations, which is good because that is indicative of movement and being active. The machine has a screen so that we can see her heartbeat rate (usually about 140 to low 150's except for periods of movement when it got into the upper 160's), it prints out the findings on graph paper and it's audible so we can hear her heart beating. About halfway through the test, I got the giggles - it makes a really loud, scratchy sound, which only made me laugh harder - and then Andrew got them too. He was laughing so hard he had to stand up and turn away from me, but I could see his shoulders shaking so it just fueled my laughter. I felt like I was in church because the harder I tried to stop laughing, the more I laughed. Luckily after about a minute or so, we were able to control ourselves and we just had to explain that the blank period on the graph had nothing to do with Finley and everything to do with her silly parents!

I had my first steriod shot this morning and I'll have my second round tomorrow. The steroids will aid in the development of Finley's lungs in case she comes really early. As Andrew said, I won't be eligible for the Tour de France this year - but that seems like a small price to pay! Dr. Kuhlmann seemed to think that based on the positive results from Monday's biophysical profile and today's non-stress test we may be able to keep Finley cooking in the oven longer than next week. Let's hope so! Right now though we're just taking it a few days at a time and every day she is in the womb is good news to us!