Midwife Appointment, 36+3
Connie, the apprentice, was by last night. Our appointment was originally for Friday, but she had called me to reschedule for Monday or Tuesday of this week. I thought it was because she and Kate were at a birth on Friday, but it turns out that Kate had a hysterectomy and is recovering from surgery. :-( She's doing ok and it was a 'planned' operation anyway (the actual surgery took place before they had anticipated due to an opening in the hospital's schedule).
Jake was being a grouch and had a sinus headache (which he refused or forgot to take anything for) and was super negative all evening. It bothers him that Kate is almost never on time for appointments and was grousing to me about it. Not the best way to have our evening together. I don't particularly like that Kate and/or Connie are late for scheduled appointment either, but I think that might be part of their modus operandi. As long as they're with me for the birth and offering support and guidance, I think that will be what counts and I'm willing to be flexible about weekly appointments.
So I called Kate when they were a half hour late (7 pm) for the appointment and she said Connie was at her house and would be heading right over. Connie didn't arrive until 745, but offered no explanation about this until the end of the appointment, when she mentioned that Kate was being a Chatty Cathy while on her post-op medications. *sigh* Just little disappointments and nothing really a big deal. I honestly wouldn't have minded so much had Jake not bitched and complained about it prior to Connie showing up.
I got to do my GBS test, joy of joys. Connie palpated my belly, causing a BH contraction, and thought that Little Bee was now ROA, instead of LOA. Still, head-down and anterior? I'll take it! I will try to do a bit more standing and positioning techniques for the next several weeks to encourage him/her to get back over on the left side, but I was very relieved to hear that the head was still down. I'd been having nightmares or paranoid thoughts about LB suddenly turning breech, but I'm hoping that's becoming a slimmer chance with every passing day as their head is more firmly pulled down into my pelvis.
LB's heart rate was back in his/her normal range: 130s. Ben was really very interested in the doppler when Connie got it out and turned it on. He came to stand next to my head to listen to the baby's heartbeat and was very still and quiet. It was very cute and made my heart melt. He's started to give my belly kisses when prompted and when asked "Where's the baby?" will lift up my shirt and poke at my belly button. I think daycare is reading him a lot of 'new baby' books because all of a sudden he's interested and talking about babies. He found a little rattle doll in his closet the other day and it became his 'Baayy-beee!'. He has to take it to be at night and likes to carry it around and bite its face during the day ;-p.
We didn't get my blood pressure reading because Connie's cuff was messed up (she thinks her toddler got into the bag and fiddled with it). Still, I'd taken it at Meijer on Sunday at the pharmacy counter on a whim and it was in the normal range for me. I was also really dehydrated which is unusual, so I'm trying to remember to keep drinking today.
I turned in my MANA database statistics form, have my emergency card filled out and the birth kit ready (to be checked at the next appointment), bought a newborn screening test from Kate via another couple who planned a homebirth but ended up transferring. Connie brought a letter from Kate stating she was, in fact, my care provider so I can turn in all sorts of forms to the graduate school and financial aid offices before I have the baby.
It's all coming together so quickly now. Our next appointment is on 15 March and I will be 38+4 at that point! We'll be meeting weekly following that until the baby comes, but honestly we might not make it much past that appointment if what Jake believes is true. He's convinced this baby is coming a bit early, but watch that make us go a couple weeks post-dates :-) We have completed all of the required and scheduled tasks outstanding for both of us (I have one workshop I'd really REALLY like to make next Weds) so we're just in a holding pattern until labor begins. I have experiments planned and a manuscript to start writing, so it's not as though I'm completely off the hook, but if something happens I'll just finish up after maternity leave.
I think now the agony of not knowing WHEN this will all get moving is going to start getting under my skin. I need to remember to keep calm and keep breathing and do what I can with the time that I have. With that in mind, I'm going to take a walk to the ladies' room and then start working on my to-do list for today.
Jake was being a grouch and had a sinus headache (which he refused or forgot to take anything for) and was super negative all evening. It bothers him that Kate is almost never on time for appointments and was grousing to me about it. Not the best way to have our evening together. I don't particularly like that Kate and/or Connie are late for scheduled appointment either, but I think that might be part of their modus operandi. As long as they're with me for the birth and offering support and guidance, I think that will be what counts and I'm willing to be flexible about weekly appointments.
So I called Kate when they were a half hour late (7 pm) for the appointment and she said Connie was at her house and would be heading right over. Connie didn't arrive until 745, but offered no explanation about this until the end of the appointment, when she mentioned that Kate was being a Chatty Cathy while on her post-op medications. *sigh* Just little disappointments and nothing really a big deal. I honestly wouldn't have minded so much had Jake not bitched and complained about it prior to Connie showing up.
I got to do my GBS test, joy of joys. Connie palpated my belly, causing a BH contraction, and thought that Little Bee was now ROA, instead of LOA. Still, head-down and anterior? I'll take it! I will try to do a bit more standing and positioning techniques for the next several weeks to encourage him/her to get back over on the left side, but I was very relieved to hear that the head was still down. I'd been having nightmares or paranoid thoughts about LB suddenly turning breech, but I'm hoping that's becoming a slimmer chance with every passing day as their head is more firmly pulled down into my pelvis.
LB's heart rate was back in his/her normal range: 130s. Ben was really very interested in the doppler when Connie got it out and turned it on. He came to stand next to my head to listen to the baby's heartbeat and was very still and quiet. It was very cute and made my heart melt. He's started to give my belly kisses when prompted and when asked "Where's the baby?" will lift up my shirt and poke at my belly button. I think daycare is reading him a lot of 'new baby' books because all of a sudden he's interested and talking about babies. He found a little rattle doll in his closet the other day and it became his 'Baayy-beee!'. He has to take it to be at night and likes to carry it around and bite its face during the day ;-p.
We didn't get my blood pressure reading because Connie's cuff was messed up (she thinks her toddler got into the bag and fiddled with it). Still, I'd taken it at Meijer on Sunday at the pharmacy counter on a whim and it was in the normal range for me. I was also really dehydrated which is unusual, so I'm trying to remember to keep drinking today.
I turned in my MANA database statistics form, have my emergency card filled out and the birth kit ready (to be checked at the next appointment), bought a newborn screening test from Kate via another couple who planned a homebirth but ended up transferring. Connie brought a letter from Kate stating she was, in fact, my care provider so I can turn in all sorts of forms to the graduate school and financial aid offices before I have the baby.
It's all coming together so quickly now. Our next appointment is on 15 March and I will be 38+4 at that point! We'll be meeting weekly following that until the baby comes, but honestly we might not make it much past that appointment if what Jake believes is true. He's convinced this baby is coming a bit early, but watch that make us go a couple weeks post-dates :-) We have completed all of the required and scheduled tasks outstanding for both of us (I have one workshop I'd really REALLY like to make next Weds) so we're just in a holding pattern until labor begins. I have experiments planned and a manuscript to start writing, so it's not as though I'm completely off the hook, but if something happens I'll just finish up after maternity leave.
I think now the agony of not knowing WHEN this will all get moving is going to start getting under my skin. I need to remember to keep calm and keep breathing and do what I can with the time that I have. With that in mind, I'm going to take a walk to the ladies' room and then start working on my to-do list for today.