Thing one and thing two

I had a regular appointment with Dr. Fantabulous today (I'll be 23 weeks on Monday) and all in all things are going fine (well, kind of - keep reading). After all the nerves and uncertainties of the Small Boy pregnancy (what was that pull? what was that twinge? is that leukorrhea or an infection? is that normal?), I've been quite pleased that I've managed to make it to 23 weeks without finding something to worry about (aside from the whole this is going to change everything thing, that is) and haven't called for a single non-scheduled appointment. So I'm trying not to worry about two little Things that came up today.

Thing one was some protein in my urine. Protein in the urine may be one early indicator of preeclampsia (also called pregnancy induced hypertension), which in the short version, if you don't want to click the links, is something you really don't want to develop. And it is something you really really don't want to see progress. Really. Dr. Fantabulous is not concerned at this point; my weight gain has been slow and steady with no notable swelling, my blood pressure has never wavered, I have adequate amniotic fluid, and via ultrasound Dr. Fantabulous assures me that I have very good blood flow through the umbilical cord (or Nabelschnur, one of my preferred German pregnancy terms). He told me flat out that this is not preeclampsia, though I noticed he wants my next appointment in three weeks rather than the regular four. He gave me a list of symptoms to watch for, and then reassured me that this is not something to worry about. So I'm trying not to worry. But come on. Protein in the urine at 23 weeks? That's up there with blood on the toilet paper on the list of Things you don't want to see.

Thing two is that I appear to have a low-laying placenta. It is not covering any part of the cervix and at this point is not considered placenta previa. If the placenta stays where it is and everything looks like this at the time I'd be ready to deliver, vaginal delivery is completely possible. (I have a strong preference for vaginal delivery if everybody's health permits it.) But, of course, there will be continued monitoring, especially after 36 weeks (assuming thing one, aka protein in urine, doesn't turn into anything that makes getting to 36 weeks impossible or impractical). What I didn't think to ask Dr. Fantabulous until just now is whether he noticed this at the Level II ultrasound and didn't mention it, or didn't notice it (which I find impossible to believe, the man experience personified), or, the ugly possibility, my placenta actually moved downward in the past three weeks. It's not uncommon for a low-laying placenta to move up during the second and third trimesters; I don't know whether a previously well placed placenta can drop*. That would be troubling, I imagine.

Now if both of these Things were to turn into actual issues, I'd kind of be screwed. You see, ultimately the only treatment for serious preeclampsia or eclampsia is delivery right. now. or better yet five minutes ago; and the thinking on low-laying placenta is that since the placenta might shift up as the pregnancy progesses you want to try to go to term.

Um, yeah.

Oh, and I have a yeast infection. At least that's something we can treat.

* I could google that, I imagine, but I don't want to. Besides, my medical degree from Google University pales in comparison to Dr. Fantabulous's credentials.