Natrum Muriaticum

With my first pregnancy, I had polyhrdramnios, a condition in which there is too much amniotic fluid.  The opposite condition, oligohydramnios, is more dangerous, but both carry their risks.  With this pregnancy, I had one appointment where our midwife thought I might have too much fluid, but then at the next appointment, she was certain I did not.  At my most recent appointment, she was pretty sure I did.  And, so it begins.  My fundal height is measuring two weeks ahead.  I'm looking big again.  It all makes sense.  During my pregnancy with Cece, I looked on the bright side.  I got so many more "pictures" of the baby during ultrasound to measure fluid depth.  It was deemed "idiopathic" meaning, there was no known reason, i.e. nothing was wrong with the baby.  And, that it was unlikely that I would experience the same condition with another pregnancy.  So, that was good.  But, for this pregnancy, I was really looking forward to fewer pictures, less risk, more "normal".  When the midwife had me schedule an ultrasound, it felt like a loss.  It was also a realization that...it's me.  This is something my body does when pregnant.  And that made me sad.  I feel like I put my babies at risk.  The midwife discussed some possibly necessary measures to control the birth and the release of waters to minimize the risk of a prolapsed cord, or a prolapsed foot for that matter.  Because...in addition to polyhydramnios, or perhaps because of it, he's not flipping over...yet.  There's still time, of course, but time's ticking, kid.  He was transverse, meaning he was lying sideways, but at my last appointment, he was foot first.  So, after all of my appointments at the birth center, I still might end up in a hospital setting.  But, I feel like I trust my midwife and her instincts and would still feel more comfortable in the hospital with her than with anyone else.  She also had some suggestions for managing the extra fluid.  A homeopathic remedy called Natrum Muriaticum.  It should balance the fluid.  So, I've been taking a dose each night and, if nothing else, it makes me feel like I'm doing something proactive.  I wish I had known about this during my first pregnancy, so that's why I wanted to share out about it.  I've also been doing some specific yoga exercises to encourage this little guy to move it already, especially while he does all of this extra swimming pool room to do so.  My ultrasound is this Tuesday, as well as my next appointment, and fingers crossed that they'll find something positive, either lower fluid than expected, or a baby that has figured out he's supposed to be upside down already.

And, continuing with looking at the positive.  All this extra fluid is probably what makes me feel perfectly comfortable during pregnancy...except for, well you'll read all about it in the next post.... I feel the baby kick much more this time around, but I'm not short of breath, I don't feel like he's damaging any internal organs, etc.  Overall, I can't complain.  I feel so lucky and blessed, and we'll work through any challenges from here to the end.

Did I mention that he seems to move more than I remember feeling Cece move?  Did I mention that Cece's a pretty active kid?  Oy.