24 week appointment

I was busy most of last week, mostly making messes with G and then took a break from the computer over the weekend so I'm just now getting around to writing up my latest midwife appointment notes.

24 weeks, 6 days
Midwife Amy

Flexing (well in mid flex...Mark is not the most patient photographer)
Don't all pregnant women flex?
Wait till I complete Body Beast post prego, you will probably be tired of my flexing. 
(or you could join me...Always an option) 

1st paragraph is TMI, so skip it if you don't want to know THAT much about you.  Everything else is PG!

This appointment was supposed to include the normal baby checking activities as well as another procedure to check for the possibility of cervical cancer. This cervical cancer screening is not a normal procedure during pregnancy, but I pretty much denied the chance to have further testing done after an abnormal pap back in February. Why would I do that? I'm crazy! Ok, well, not entirely, but my regular doctor who caught it said it was low grade and probably would go away on it's own, but he sent me to a Gyn for further testing/discussion. She did not see anything when she looked, but suggested a test. Turns out it was an expensive test. I didn't find out how expensive the test was until the day of the appointment and well, even though we have always have enough and at times more than enough money, money still freaks me out and that made me decide not to do it. I was already apprehensive about further testing because even this doctor told me it usually goes away on it's own and can show up 1 test and be gone a few weeks later. Had I had my pap 1 day later, it could have come back perfect and we would have never known it had been abnormal just the day before. Plus, she said (as well as countless internet sources noted...yes, I know not to believe everything I read online, but ya still gotta check ya know) that eating healthier (ie. fruits, veggies, etc) can take away any bad cells. I am all for treating/preventing with food. So Amy did her own looking around and decided there is nothing visible that would suggest further testing needs to be done until after the baby arrives. 8 weeks PP I will need to get rechecked though.

So then comes the normal part of this checkup, except I'm not exactly sure how my appointment was scheduled because Amy didn't seem to know anything about the normal checkup part. She did listen to the baby's heartbeat (140-150 so normal) and they took my weight. Of all things to remember they remember the darn scale. Other than that, no belly measurement or anything. Although I'm not sure what else could have been done. Maybe blood pressure?

Amy had done my initial pregnancy exam so she saw her note to have my thyroid rechecked. She didn't see any follow up notes, so she asked if I had been rechecked. Well, no, of course not! She told me I could get it done today if I wanted. sure, what's a little blood work on a Wednesday afternoon? It would just require a stop at the lab at the end of the hall. So I get dressed and she tells me she will see me in the hallway. I am a super fast dresser so of course she is nowhere to be found so the nurse see me and walks me to the checkout desk, which is just at the other end of the hallway right in front of the lab. On my paperwork it says 1. have thyroid retested 2. return in 4 weeks for a normal appointment and a sugar test. Checkout lady (I'm sure not her real title) asks me if I would like to return on 10/9. Sounds good. Then she asks me morning or afternoon. Ummm, don't you have to be fasting for the sugar test? She says no. I say, well, isn't it 2 hours long. Again she says no. But at my last appointment I was told you guys no longer do 1 and 3 hour tests, just the 2 hour and if you fail that's it, you are just a failure and proceed as a prego diabetic. She tells me that apparently those tests were not working great so they stopped them. Interesting! So I pick an afternoon appointment and she asks if I need a parking sticker. Yes, I sure do. I get the sticker and she tells me to have a good day. Ummmm, did you not see the part on there that says have thyroid rechecked. Aw, yes, she says as the lab tech walks past her saying she will return soon. She tells her I will be waiting and then I wait. While I'm waiting, I swear the next person says she needs a morning appointment for her 2 hours sugar test since she will be fasting and the checkout lady says ok. HUH?????? But I do not ask because it just seems like too much trouble and I'm sure I will just end up more confused.

Finally the tech makes it back but for some reason she doesn't know I'm the one waiting and doesn't ask. So I'm hanging out holding the wall from falling over when the checkout lady finally says that I can just go back there. Blood is drawn and I am finally done. I get all the way home before noticing my appointment sheet says OB appointment and has no mention of a Sugar test. I could call and clarify, but I think I will just take my chances :)

Moral of the story: one picks midwives because they choose not to intervene or do unnecessary things. One does not pick them for their organizational skills, as clearly this is lacking.

Prego complaints: my legs are taking turns giving out after simple activities and it is quite painful.

The Baby: he's a kicker and a mover and clearly has restless leg syndrome (or maybe restless everything syndrome...is that a thing?). Either way I like it. Better to have movement than no movement. I think he may be getting big like G. Scary, but unless something weird happens between now and his birthday I don't imagine I will have any more sonos so I guess we'll just be surprised.

Random thoughts: I have this really great picture idea in mind for him and G for Christmas so is it bad of me to hope he arrives about a week early? G was 13 days early so I already have it in my head that Baby B will be early too. If not, no big deal. G will get to do it alone.

Speaking of Baby B, I keep thinking of the other boy name I wanted. Might just start up that convo with Mark again. That should bring more interest and fun to the next 15 weeks :)

On baby clothes: I have clothes coming out of my ears, closets, drawers, and any other crevices you can find. Mark just went and picked up another tote of clothes out of storage that I somehow missed this morning in the living room. Trying to organize everything so it gets worn is impossible, but I am organizing and reorganizing none the less.

I only picked up 50 more hangers at Target the other day.
I don't think that is going to be enough. 
How in the world did we have this many clothes?
The boy's closet is already full. 

On the boy's room and play room: just came up with a great decoration idea for the play room. Will start working on that soon. For the boy's room we just discovered that the corvette bed comes in blue finally so now we wait for the darn thing to go on sale. Once this whole baby naming business is for sure, I can order his name in street signs like G's and get those hung. Will need to rearrange some of the pictures and hang a pendant too. I still want a glider so that will have to get bought. Other than that, we are pretty good.

Wow, that was quite the post. If you made it this far, you deserve some kind of prize. Let me know what I owe you :)  I make no promises, just curious what you come up with. That was way longer than I imagined it would be for a simple 4 week OB appointment. 

3rd Appointment

19 weeks, 4 days
Midwife Tania



Tania was actually the midwife on staff when I went into labor with Garrett, but she was on the last few hours of her shift so I barely saw her.  When I told her that, she was like, oh I probably was super tired at that point.  Ya think?  I got there around 3 in the morning.  They switch midwives every 24 hours at 7 AM. 

Normal appointment.  I had to remind everyone that I don't know what the gender is yet so no one accidently mentioned it.  One more week until we find out. 

When I was getting on the table to hear the heartbeat, she saw my legs and asked me what I was doing.  I told her T25 and she said "pregnant?"  LOL.  When I let her know that I was doing the modified low intensity version she was much happier.  Made my day!

Denied more testing today.  I asked about the really short sonogram and she said that she knows he is good and he is good at looking at everything fast.  So I asked her if everything was normal and she said yes, but she would try to book me for a regular OB sonogram if I wanted.  No need, just wanted to be sure since he just poked around and didn't say much.  She said I measured exactly to date on the sonogram so my due date stands.

Baby's heartbeat was 142 and I had my first stomach measurement today.  Measured exactly 19 weeks, so all you people that think I am growing too fast are wrong.  She did ask me if I was worried about my weight gain and I'm not.  I have gained more than normal, but I maintain it is my weight lifting schedule and that is what I'm sticking with. 

Next appointment is in 4 weeks and then 4 weeks after that I have my appointment and glucose test.

This week's craving:  Luigi's Strawberry Italian Ice

Garrett pulls my shirt up every night now, pats it and says "ball!"  Good times :)

Pretty much 20 weeks till we have a baby and Christmas is here. 

Growing Baby #2 has begun!

Well, it looks like we are doing this parenting thing again.  About 7 weeks ago I found out we are expecting.  I actually thought it didn't happen that month but apparently my normal sign was just a fake out....A good fake out.  We are all thrilled.  Well, G doesn't understand at all.  I try to tell him to rub my belly and kiss his brother or sister and he wants to bang on my belly instead.  All boy that child.  If we were having a dog, he would be extra gentle I bet, but a kid growing in my belly does not seem to interest him.  29 more weeks for him to get used to the notion I guess.

We told my family and Mark's brother, Matt, and his wife and kids while we were in Ohio last week.  Everyone apparently already knew my incredible news they say.  I guess telling Facebook that you are napping in your car at lunch and have a sudden disgust for bananas makes you instantly prego in their book.  Since then we have just been telling people here and there. 

I had my first "real" appointment with the midwives this morning.  Honestly, we were a little nervous.  I have continued to bleed almost weekly since I first took that test, but took the intense morning sickness, food repulsion and a case of the sleepies as a good sign.  After 5 billion questions Midwife Amy finally did the long awaited for Doppler and a strong 160 beats was heard.  Such an amazing sound.   No ultrasound until at least 17 weeks...boo.  I can't wait to get a little peak.

Mark told me I need to be fair to baby #2 and give him/her the same fanfare I gave G so I guess it is weekly/monthly bump picks and a blog for this one too :)  Hope you are ready for my weekly "why does everyone tell me I'm huge" posts on FB.  Amy told me that the more pregnancies you have the bigger the baby.  G was 9 lbs, 4 oz.  All I could say was OH DEAR!  Now there is something to look forward to...not!  Another natural, unmedicated birth coming up. 

Oh, I left out the best part!  This little one will arrive sometime near December 26.  Poor thing, but we'll make it right.  That's my promise.