33 Weeks and Counting

Okay, upfront I need to acknowledge that this picture is very out of date. It was taken at the beginning of October, and I'm embarrassed to say that is the last time we have taken a belly shot. Second child guilt--let the games begin.

There has been lots of excitement as the birth of our new little nut approaches. Our midwife appointments have now gone to every two weeks.

Last week we had a consultation with the OB/GYN that delivered Sophie. That is requested by the hospital for anyone considering a VBAC. The doctor was really encouraging about the possibility of having a VBAC. She said they have a 70% success rate. The fact that I progressed to 7-8 cms last time, and that it was Sophie's crazy positioning that necessitated the c-section, it is unlikely that situation will present itself again. She said that after reviewing my operative report (which we got a copy of, and was kind of creepy to read about!!) she felt positive about VBAC being a viable option.
She did want me to a) have a transfer of care from our midwife b) have constant fetal monitoring/an epidural catheter and an IV plug and c) a pre-booked c-section if I go a week overdue.
We took a picture of the doctor and Sophie, and I had the opportunity to express my thanks for all that she did for our family. She gave Sophie a stuffed Eeyore. That part of the appointment was really nice.

I decided not to really make any decisions there and then, but would talk to my midwife about everything. On the way home we stopped at the midwife clinic, and Chris was right there greeting me. She was incredibly supportive, and suggested that I call her at home that night to chat about everything.
Chris said that the hospital does not require a transfer of care for VBACs. Brett and I decided that we would have intermittent fetal monitoring (I spent a LOT of time in the tub last time), we would have an IV plug, and we would not have an epidural catheter (one reason being able to labour in the bathtub). Chris was surprised that she scheduled a c-section for a week after, and wondered why she didn't schedule an induction instead.

Having that appointment really confirmed our use of midwifery care. I feel so incredibly happy with the decision that we made, and have made a second time.
(let me say that I realize that all doctors and midwives are different, and I'm just talking about my experience, not claiming that everyone has the same one!)
I love that we have our appointments in an old Victorian house. The rooms are all decorated like homes, and instead of examination tables they have day beds with throw cushions. In each room there are baskets of toys on the carpet for Sophie to play with. When they examine me Sophie is usually up on the bed with me, and the midwives include her in the process. Brett and I laughed at the ob appointment when the nurse called me in to measure/listen to the heartbeat/weigh me. It all took about 2 minutes TOPS.
At my last appointment I had printed out my birth story (from this blog actually) and put it in my file as my midwife had requested. When we had our appointment with our back-up midwife last time she was teary when she was talking about reading it. That felt really validating to me.

Anyway, enough rambling about that.

The other bit of excitement happened last week. I had a blood-glucose screen that came back positive. Ugg. I kind of panicked at first, but again, my midwife told me in the message to call her at home to chat about it. She said that I would have to do the next test, that involved fasting, and a two hour test. I kind of freaked out a little bit (although gestational diabetes isn't the end of the world, just a bit of a pain in the butt!). That night I was talking to my sisters, and they both had positives on the first test. Then I talked to two girlfriends, who ALSO both tested positive for the first test (which makes me wonder, why the heck do they even do that test if it has such high false positives??!!). So, we'll find out early next week the results from the second test, but I'm feeling okay either way.

Last but not least I have officially started nesting!! I had a dream last week that the baby came early and we had NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING ready for the poor little sweetie. Not even a clean receiving blanket, or a diaper to put on it. I had to wrap it in a towel and it was all scratchy and yucky. Since that dream I have been itching to get going and getting things in order.

This morning we cleared out the closet that will hold all of the baby's things. So now I can start washing clothes, and putting them away as they are cleaned. Ahhhhhh. I'm feeling so much better already! My goal is to have everything done in the next two weeks, so that I can just relax and enjoy the Christmas holidays.

The baby is doing great--kicking and wiggling up a storm. It feels so different than Sophie did. No kicks in the ribs, and way more hand movements. It seems more active than Sophie was. I'm having more trouble breathing this time around (playing clarinet has continued to be an interesting experience!).

That's a quick summary of babyland. I'm sure there will be lots more to report in the next few weeks! Only 53 more days until my due date!! We're getting really excited about meeting this little fuzzy headed cutie.