36-Week Doctor Visit

Tonight was an exciting but scary appointment. I don't think Bill agrees with me, but I'm the one carrying the baby and writing the blog, so you get my opinion for now.

First of all, we had to wait for an hour in the waiting room, which seemed to have a broken air conditioner, or the office staff just hadn't walked into the waiting room at all. A bunch of pregnant women and their impatient husbands sitting around in a steaming hot office -- not so fun.

We finally got called into the back. I got weighed (tallies below -- although, in my defense, I was totally swollen by that point, so I blame it on water weight), and the nurse took my blood pressure (good). Then she said, "Today you start your internal exams."

Excuse me?

Yes, I was aware that most OBs check pregnant women later in the pregnancy to determine effacement/dilation. However, with no prior information from my doctor about when this would happen, I hadn't expected it so soon.

The nurse left me with a sheet made of paper to cover myself and I told Bill to close his eyes. I got up on the table and started to get nervous. Bill began to make bets about how soon (tonight) I would have the baby and talk about what the doctor would do to me internally. I told him to shut up or go back into the hot waiting room. He shut up.

Dr. A came in and explained about the Strep test (swab) to see if I have this bacteria that, although completely normal and not harmful to women, can affect the baby. One in five women have it, and doctors administer an antibiotic during labor for those women to protect the baby when it comes out; no big deal. Thanks for the swab.

Then she did an internal exam to ... evaluate my cervix, I suppose. It felt more like she was trying to poke my brain (ouch). Then she dropped the bomb: "You're about 50 percent effaced."

50 PERCENT EFFACED?! But doesn't that happen right before you're about to give birth?!

"First you efface, and then you dilate."

OK, well that's a little better, but not much! I'm not ready to efface! I'm not ready to do anything! Holy crap!

Then she explained that I might experience some bleeding (after her brain exam), but to call if it's significant (which freaked me out). She also said that we should measure contractions from the start of one to the start of the next, and that we should call the office when they are one minute in length and three minutes apart for an hour. Which freaked me out.

We listened to the baby's heartbeat (good) and she said the baby was hiccuping (so cute); then she measured my belly (good, I guess, because she didn't say otherwise and I was too distracted to ask).

She emphasized to call the office before going to the hospital, because she bikes in the morning, and she won't go out for a 12-mile ride if she knows we're heading to Labor and Delivery. Bill thanked her for that.

"See you back in a week."

Bill and I reaffirmed that we really like her, and hope that she's the doctor on call when I have the baby. Then I made my next appointment (July 7) with Dr. G. (Well, she's the one who's there on Tuesdays.) Better to see her now than when I'm in labor (not that one has anything to do with the odds of the other but we're trying to be optimistic).

I went to the bathroom before we left the office (because I still felt a little gross from being violated) and indeed found the bleeding she mentioned. I freaked out (because in my head I had heard "bleeding = bad") and asked Bill what she actually said. "It might be bright red. Call the office if it lasts for awhile, like a period." I tried to calm myself down. I'm still trying.

So, while it's amazing that I'm going to have a baby soon, all this stuff happening is scary as shit and I can't stop thinking about it. I have so much left to do, and I would need to be in some severe pain/discomfort to want to bring on the intense pain that comes with labor. So, no, I'm not ready. My body seems to be getting ready, but I wish it would talk to my mind before it takes any big steps.

Today's weight gain: 4.2 pounds
Total weight gain: 30.4 pounds