32w+6d: OB Visit + NST, Maternity Leave Scenarios

Today I had my weekly OB visit and my very first  NST. My stats:

Weight: +14
Blood Pressure: 122/80

I think I'm gaining too much at this point. I need to talk to my MFM about it next week in more detail. I'm not sure if it's because I've been eating RIGHT before my appointments or not? But I don't think I'm supposed to gain that much since I started out overweight. Baby boy is supposed to gain 1/2 a pound a week, but I don't think I'm supposed to gain. Argh. I'll have to remind myself to talk to my MFM about it.

Non-Stress Test (NST) 

On the SMC board there were some tips on the NST. I didn't really "realize" what they would be looking for, so it's nice to have had others that have been through it before me. I decided to eat right before my NST and I think that helped. Within 5 minutes of getting hooked up, baby boy started moving around a bunch.

The NST is interesting. You go into this small room and sit in a recliner. They then hook up these monitors to your belly to check the baby's movements. Then you have this little button you press whenever YOU feel the baby. Everything went well with the NST and I was able to get out of there within 30 minutes. There was a period of a few minutes where baby moved and they didn't catch any movement, so they made me stay on for an extra 5 minutes.

No signs of baby in distress or pre-term labor. So yay for that.

OB Visit 

It was kind of weird because my OB visit was WHILE I was hooked up to the NST. It was hard to concentrate on the conversation when I was laying in a recliner and supposed to be pressing this button every time the baby moved. LOL. We talked about a few things:

  1. My swollen feet. My shoes don't fit anymore! Luckily it's sandal/flip-flop season. But that means my swollen feet are out there to show the world. LOL. I don't even notice them being swollen, they don't hurt or anything. But man -- they're bigger and look pretty bad. The OB looked at them and said they weren't too bad, but they'll keep an eye out for it if they get any bigger. 
  2. Scheduling the Induction. We talked about when I would be able to schedule the induction. I was hoping I'd be able to schedule it today, but no such luck. She said let's wait another week to schedule. She also said, "Let's get you on the calendar for 37 weeks." I was like, oh no - I can't do exactly 37 weeks because that would be BEFORE I hit my 1-year mark at work causing me not to qualify for maternity leave... eek! Next week when I meet with the OB, I'm going to try to get it scheduled for May 23rd - which is my 1-year mark with my company. 
  3. What about a C-Section? We won't know if I need a C-Section until I'm 36 weeks. My OB said we'll get on the calendar for an induction and if it looks like I need a C-Section instead, then we'll just re-work it to get in there for a C-Section instead. With an induction, you can get "bumped" to a different day if they get too busy at the hospital. For a planned C-Section, you aren't likely to get bumped. 
Other than that, the visit was pretty fast and uneventful. I scheduled my LAST 4 visits with the OB... which is so surreal after all this time! 


Maternity Leave 

Speaking of maternity leave, since I know that I'll be induced (or have a C-Section) between 37-38 weeks I decided to go ahead and open my maternity leave case at work.

We went into depth about IF I deliver before May 23rd and IF I deliver on/after May 23rd. So, May 23rd is the magic day that I need to make it to! My scenarios:

  1. Before May 23rd. I will not qualify for maternity leave pay. I will get 6 weeks short term disability for a vaginal birth or 8 weeks short term disability for a C-Section. FMLA leave of 12 weeks will run in concurrently. After short term disability, I can take an additional 4-6 weeks (depending on the type of birth). This would be unpaid or I can exhaust my PTO. 
  2. On or After May 23rd.  I will get the same options for short term disability (6-8 weeks). Then I'll qualify for 8 additional weeks full pay under the company's maternity leave policy and my job will be protected for the days that exceed the FMLA leave (12 weeks). Having total leave of 14-16 weeks (depending on type of birth). 
So... I'm VERY close to not qualifying for maternity leave... Now, if all goes well and I have an induction -- I'm confident I can schedule it on or after May 23rd without an issue. However, if something happens between now and then -- like baby deciding to come early or just something else like pre-term labor... then I'm SOL. 

Of course I'll roll with it, what matters the MOST is that baby boy comes into this world healthy. But... it would be a lot easier and better for it to happen on/after May 23rd! More paid leave and more bonding time with baby. 

Will have to see how it all plays out! 


Next Step: Weekly OB / NST next Friday.

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