Midwife Weeklys

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Warning:  Long post ahead.  Proceed with caution and at your own risk of sleepiness.  :)

Week 1

     This was another short visit because I had just seen her only 5 days before.  I can't believe that I'm already this far into my pregnancy that I'm doing weekly visits!!!  We talked mostly about how I'm doing.  She thinks that baby girl has got a bit bigger since last time, and considering I gained 2 pounds since then I would hope so.  I'm not sure where else it's going.  Well, I could guess, but that's an unpleasant thought I choose not to believe in.  :)  Honestly, I'm having a hard time seeing my belly get bigger.  My guess is that this is due to her consistently moving up instead of out.  I'm getting stomach aches in the mornings now that will dissipate when she moves down a bit.

      Before going to this appointment, I actually had a bit of a break down and shared with Ty what I was feeling.  The last couple of days, I was feeling very overwhelmed with being uncomfortable, stressed of her being okay, and the pressure to get everything done and prepared before her arrival.  I tend to expect perfection out of myself and it's difficult when I realize that I haven't been living up to that self-inflicted expectation.  Now that my hormones are greatly affecting my emotions (I call it hormotional thanks to Willamina from the TV show Ugly Betty :) ), I've been even more so distraught over small, what I feel, are "failures".  They aren't of course and everything will get done in time, I just have to be more patient with myself.

      I digress, I told Ginger that I had officially hit "Panic Mode" and she thought that maybe I was worried about labor.  Fortunately, that hasn't fully registered yet.  We talked about my uncomfortableness.  She suggested ways to help me sleep better.  My hips are killin' me and my tummy is more awkward to move from side to side.  Even sitting down for long periods of time is rough.  I ended up having to leave church early the day before because (1) I was wicked tired and couldn't keep my eyes open, (2) she was kicking me all over the place and I couldn't focus, and (3) my bum was getting numb from sitting too long.  Ginger also, suggested putting up positive statements where I can see them now so that I can calm myself before going into labor. 

       Again, she's on the right side.  She moves to the left a little sometimes, but she just likes to cuddle with mommy on the right side.  Ginger told me that she's in the front and as long as she's there she's good.  Baby girl was measuring right on time, once again, though she hasn't dropped just yet.  I'm anxious for her to get out of my upper innards.  We also did my Group B test this visit.  All I can say is (with much sarcasm), "lovely".  :(  The things we women endure.  Before sitting up, I looked down at my stomach and actually saw muscles!  Hooray!  They're still there, just a little more difficult to see at the present.  I'm glad to know I still have them.  Big highlight of the visit.

Week 2

      Group B test results came back and I tested negative.  Yay!  However, I do have an infection which she said can be taken care of with a salt water bath every other day until the baby is born.  She also said to "enjoy" my probiotics. The infection itself is nothing serious, but it's always good to get things like that taken care of.

      This week I came in with a list of things to talk with her about that have been going on.  Firstly, I've had some green mucus a couple of times when wiping in the bathroom (sorry, TMI).  I've read some things that could have explained it and the most likely explanation is that it's that is the mucus plug that's slowly coming out.  The next thing was some swelling in my hands and feet the day before, which was explained by having had pizza the night before.  I, also, had some concerns about her movement.  Ginger confirmed what I had thought, but wanted to make sure of, was that she's kind of running out of room.  I'm not very tall so there's not much room for her to move around in.  Later on in the appointment, and the remainder of the day, Baby Girl proved that she is in fact alive by moving quite a bit.  I'll never doubt her again.  :)  The last thing is that the adapter piece she gave us to connect the faucet and the hose doesn't fit our faucet.  So we'll see if it will connect with the shower head or find an adapter that will fit the sink.  Oh dear.

      She quickly went over the Emergency Childbirth page she has for Ty in our folder.  It basically outlines what needs to happen if things happen quickly or if something goes wrong.  Next we talked about breast infections and what to do about.  She emphasized that I can call her no matter how long it's been since I've seen her and she can take care of the situation.  We also talked about ways to prevent.  The great news this week is that I only gained 1 pound!  Yes.  Other than that one day of swelling, I've been doing pretty good.  My blood pressure is still good.  Baby, or as we called her this visit, "Juniorette", made it to the left side during the week after a chiropractor adjustment.  Though, she seemed on the right and center for the most part during the visit.  She sitting lower, but not quite "in position" yet.  When Ginger measured her she said, "Cooked."  I wondered what that meant and asked what she was measuring at.  Ummm, yeah, so 40!  NO WAY!  Holy Big Baby Batman!  At this point I'm 38 weeks.  While hearing her heartbeat, we played a little game with her.  I poked at her feet and she poked back.  Her heartbeat went from 135 to 160.  She was definitely awake.  :)

Week 3

       I feel like I'm in a daze, but at the same time I feel good about everything.  At this visit we were able to meet Marcille (sp?), the woman who will be assisting Ginger during the birth.  It kind of made everything more real as we are drawing very near my due date.  I really like Marcille and I'm looking forward to her being there during the birth.  They asked if I had any questions for her and I confess I didn't.  I trust Ginger and that she wouldn't bring someone around us that we wouldn't get along with.  And really for the most part I get along with everybody.  :)  We did spend some time getting to know her and her getting to know us.

      At this point in my pregnancy, we're so close and we see her so often that we don't have much updating to do.  We did ask her about going to Ty's grandpa's funeral on Friday and she said that it would be fine for us to go, but to take the birth kit just in case, though we should be able to be back in time.  During the belly/baby exam we discovered she's down into position, ready for action.  Of course, it's always possible for her to rise a little bit if she's feeling rebellious.  Overall, all is well in the world of baby.  :)