Instead, I gave in and ordered a home doppler this afternoon.
I've been hesitant to do that because I've read that sometimes you can pick up the sound of blood flow of the placenta or umbilical cord instead of the baby's heartbeat and therefore wind up with a false sense of security. Or, on the other hand, have a hard time finding the heartbeat when it really is there, and therefore become panicked about it.
But a couple of you suggested it after my last post, and between those comments and realizing that this is not likely to get much easier in the coming weeks, I went ahead and bought one on eB.ay. Please feel free to share any suggestions or tips on how to use the thing.
On the bright side, I should mention that on some days the movements are now strong enough that R can feel them. The first time he felt them was on Wednesday night. It was a very brief but amazing moment to share with him, a moment I wasn't sure we'd ever get to experience. Friday night was another active night for Kiddo, so he got to feel it again a few times then.
One other thing I'm looking for thoughts on: short-term disability. Work has been unexpectedly even more stressful than usual for the past month, and my blood pressure is starting to creep up a little bit when I monitor it during the day (typically in the high 130s over the high 80s). And mid-December through February is our busiest time of the year, so the stress isn't likely to ease up much between now and March.
I mentioned this to the nurse practitioner on Friday. My bp was something like 138/87 at that appointment. She said there aren't many things that they/we can control, but stress is one of them, so she asked if I'd be open to short-term disability until delivery.
For the most part, the answer is yes, but I have a concern. From what I've read online, it seems like short-term disability applications for pregnancy get denied a lot, and you don't know what the outcome of your application will be until you're already out of the office. If the application is approved, I would still receive 60 percent of my salary, but if it's denied, I wouldn't. And while it wouldn't absolutely make or break us, it would put a major drain on our emergency fund.
I didn't think to ask the nurse about it, but I will bring it up at my next appointment. For now, we agreed to just monitor things for the next couple of weeks and see how it goes.
If any of you have experience with applying for short-term disability for pregnancy-related reasons, I'd love to hear them.
6 comments:
we had a home doppler.
when we first got it, we took it to our ob office and had him do it with ours so we knew it worked, and we knew where and how to look for the h/b.
after that, we chose a time during the day, and took a short reading each and every day. as the time progressed, and there was movement consistently and i was doing kick counts, sometimes i skipped a day with the doppler, and i would skip days that i was going for routine u/s checks at the ob's office. of course, if there was any times that i worried, out came the doppler, sometimes twice a day, because that is what it is there for! just keep the sessions short- get a good reading that you feel confident in, and then continue with your day.
following along, keeping you in my thoughts!
No advice on the disability thing, but hoping it works out for you. You should take your NP's advice and get out of the pressure cooker at work, you deserve some rest!
I didn't get a home doppler myself because I could use one or scan myself quickly at the hospital when I got really scared. It doesn't matter if you're catching baby vs placental flow vs umbilical flow. As long as the number you've got isn't matching your own pulse, you've found the baby. If the heartrate is above 110, things are looking good (I think).
You'll get used to scanning pretty quickly. If the baby's head down and low in your pelvis, you'll probably be scanning lower down, over where your bladder is. You'll get used to finding it pretty quickly. If you don't find it in the usual spot, don't freak, as your baby has likely just shifted position. At least since you're starting to use it much later in your pregnancy, you'll have a much easier time locating it than would you have if you'd bought one at 13 weeks.
Anonymous has great suggestions.
I was on STD during my pregnancy for contractions. I'm not sure if I just had great insurance, but I filled out the claim form and had my doctor sign it, and that was it. I got my money after a brief interview with someone from the insurance company. You and the baby are the most important thing, and if your BP has been high and they're worried about it, I'd think that would be enough for the insurance company to pay out for your claim. I hope it works out for you!
Hooray Rebecca, aren't you almost 24 weeks? I'm glad you "caved" and got the doppler...I would leave you good advice on how to use it but it looks like Kate has done a pretty good job already. Anything that buys you piece of mind is worth it, including leaving your job for awile and a getting the doppler. That's so great that R is feeling the movements too! Sending positive thoughts and prayers your way
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