Her Billionaires_ Boxed Set(119)
“But it’s a bit complicated.”
No!
“Right now, you’re on the high end of amniotic fluid. There’s a condition called polyhydramnios—it literally means excessive amniotic fluid. Your measurements show you are at the low end of having this condition, which means the fetus is just floating in all that fluid, like an overstuffed balloon.”
“Are you sure that’s not just my bladder?”
Sherri laughed and reached out to grip Laura’s hand. “Why don’t you go and empty that poor, overstretched balloon and we can talk more. All the images we need are done.”
Laura started to get up and stopped. “The sex?”
Sherri cocked her head and made a face of surprise. “Oh! James didn’t get to that before he found me. You want to know?”
“Yes!” she and Josie practically shouted.
Chuckle. “Well, then, if you can bear it, lean back again and let’s look.”
Groaning, Laura complied, the pressure to urinate overwhelming her mind and body. This was crucial, though. Boy or girl? She’d wanted to know since the day the test said PREGNANT.
More gel. Wand. Gouging (not really, but it felt like it). Jiggle. “Why are you jiggling?” And then she knew, as the baby moved and shifted, trying to get away.
“Well, this is not an exact science.” Josie snorted. Sherri made a self-deprecating gesture. “I am, though, ninety percent certain it’s a girl.”
Girl.
“I don’t see the telltale penis I’d expect to see. Just the umbilical cord. The only time we’re certain is at the birth.”
Girl. Laura had imagined the baby was a girl since day one. She was right. It really was. Mother’s instinct always knew, right?
“Are you OK, Laura?” Sherri asked.
She shook herself out of her own thoughts and grinned. “I assumed it was a girl. I was right.” She stuck her tongue out at Josie, who had teased her she was wrong.
“You and Josie are having a baby girl,” Sherri said, looking at them both with great joy.
Hold up. “Me and Josie?”
“Awkward,” Josie said out of one side of her mouth. She addressed Sherri. “Um, we’re not—” she said, pointing between her and Laura.
“Oh, no! No, we’re not a couple!” Laura added.
“If I were into women, Laura’s totally not my type,” Josie added helpfully.
Hey, now. “What does that mean?” Laura cried out, indignant.
Sherri cut them both off, her face red with embarrassment. “I certainly did not mean to start an argument, and I apologize for my assumption. And Laura, you did mention that the father isn’t part of the picture—”
“Fathers,” Josie muttered. Laura cut her a glare that would kill Medusa. Sherri clicked a few buttons on the machine and printed some pictures, handing them to Laura. On slick fax paper, they were the most beautiful photos she had ever seen in her entire life, even if her baby did resemble something from a government archive in an episode of The X Files.
“So I’ll leave you with this: your chart looks strong; All the lab work is perfect, and while you are technically overweight, and could technically reach obesity during this pregnancy, depending on total weight gain, you don’t have gestational diabetes, your cholesterol and other lab values are well within range, and frankly, Laura, you’re healthier than many average-weight women I see.” Picking Sherri had been smart.
“Does this mean I can still birth in the hospital with a midwife?”
“For now, yes. We can’t predict what will come next, but given the information we have now, you’re not risked out of a midwife birth.”
Pleased as punch, Laura simply said, “Thank you!” Josie appeared suitably impressed. The feel of the paper in her hands gave her a happiness she hadn’t felt in months. Not since her last night with the guys.
“This does, though, explain some of your added weight gain, some of it excess fluid. At this point, we’ll have you come back in three to four weeks and do another measurement to check fluid. You may find that as you expand, your mobility is a bit limited; if the polyhydramnios continues, it makes you look and feel as if you are further along than you are.”
“Is that why I look seven months pregnant but I’m barely at five?”
Sherri nodded. “It explains some of it. So call if you feel like anything is off, or if you have any fluid leakage or spotting. Right now, in the second trimester, measurements can change, so for this month we wait and see. If it persists, we’ll do some tests to see if we can find an underlying cause.”
Each word made sense. Understanding the basics of this polywhatever wasn’t hard. But the screaming voice in her head that kept shouting wrong wrong wrong wrong made it hard to fully digest what Sherri was saying.