Septate Uterus: Prenatal Appointment, 21 weeks

If I haven't already mentioned this, having a septate uterus (especially a suspected vascular septate uterus) means that there's a good chance that not a lot happens until near the end of the pregnancy. At the beginning there's some excitement about what side the baby is on and if it's your first pregnancy going over all the ins and outs of what could happen, what the game plan is, and what preterm labor will feel like. The nearer you get to your due date more things could possibly occur. They may detect some growth restriction, your child could be in a compromising position, like Jr., or you can have premature rupture of the membranes and/or preterm labor. In between there's a good chance that nothing much is happening, which is the lovely phase I currently find myself in.

I am so happy to say that my appointment tomorrow will be my last transvaginal ultrasound, as long as my cervix continues to be awesome. After 24 weeks they just ask you to look for signs of preterm labor and call in right away if you suspect things are happening. They will still do regular ultrasounds to watch for any growth restrictions. I'm not too concerned about that because Jr. was just under 6 lbs. and was 19 1/2 inches long at 4 weeks premature.

Since there's really nothing to say about this last appointment, now would be a great time to talk about the signs of preterm labor.

It's good to acquaint yourself with these warning signs, and to not take them lightly, whether you have a Müllerian abnormality or not. There was one time that I thought for sure that preterm labor was happening. We were away from the house and I told my husband that if I still felt bad/weird when we got home we would be calling the doctor. The feelings all subsided and I felt fine for another month or so. I'm pretty sure that these feelings were brought on by the pedicure I had gotten earlier that evening. Word to the wise- when they massage your legs during a pedicure or a prenatal massage tell them to avoid the back of the ankle. There's a pressure point there that can trigger contractions.

Here are the standard signs of preterm labor:

- More vaginal discharge than normal. (This shouldn't be based off of someone else's definition of normal. You have to know your body, so take notice of the discharge that you do have from the beginning of your pregnancy.)

- A change in the type of discharge— if you're leaking watery fluid or your discharge becomes watery, mucus-like, or bloody (even if it's pink or just tinged with blood)

- Any vaginal bleeding or spotting (yes, some spotting can be normal, especially early on, but never write it off as normal, always have your doctor confirm that it's normal)

- Abdominal pain, menstrual-like cramping, or more than four contractions in one hour (even if they don't hurt)

- More pressure in the pelvic area (a feeling that your baby is pushing down)

- Low back pain, especially if it's dull or rhythmic, or you didn't previously have back pain

These symptoms can be confusing because some of them, such as pelvic pressure or low back pain, are common during pregnancy, and sporadic early contractions may just be Braxton Hicks contractions.

But it's always better to be safe than sorry, so call your practitioner right away if you're experiencing anything unusual at any time during your pregnancy. To catch any potential problems early on, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with symptoms you should never ignore during pregnancy.

(The information regarding signs of preterm labor and the above two paragraphs are from babycenter.com, with some added commentary).

If anything happens during your pregnancy that doesn't seem normal to you, call your doctor. Don't feel that you're asking silly questions. Your doctor is trying to provide you with the best care possible, if they don't know about what's going on with you and your body they can't do their job.

Hopefully tomorrow's appointment will be status quo and I'll be able to go to one appointment a month for a little while.