uterine update.

i had another appointment today at the bryn mawr birth center to check in on my pregnancy and baby boy murphy, or as we lovingly call him, The Fetus. (it sounds so badass! come on!)

there are somewhere around 7 or 8 midwives at the birth center, and you never know who's going to be on call when you go into labor.  you can make your appointments with whoever you like, but i've been trying to make each appointment with a new midwife so i get to meet everyone.  that way the fetus will have a better chance of being caught by a familiar face.  or familiar hands, i mean. face catching would be uncomfortable.  so far i've met four of the midwives and i like every one of them! :)

the birth center is very interactive and encourages its patients to be a member of their own team and help out with the appointments! that means every time i go into the office, i first get my own chart.  i love this, because i get to review all of my own test results and progress and see what notes the midwives have made about me and my pregnancy.  today i got to read the results the ultrasound tech sent.  looks like baby murphy was in the breech position at my ultrasound and is in the 50th percentile for size (hey, let's be honest, we know this kid's not gonna be a linebacker).  next, before every appointment i weigh myself, pee in a cup, and test my own urine with litmus paper.  i record the protein and glucose levels and my weight in my chart.  some people might be grossed out by this, but i love it! i love feeling like i have some level of control over my own health and feeling like i'm playing an active role.  and of course, this brings me to my next point...

umm, like i said, I GET TO WEIGH MYSELF! in a bathroom BY MYSELF!  so you know what that means! as soon as i shut that bathroom door i strip down to my skivvies!  without any sympathetic gazes from the nurse!  you're darn right i'm taking off my sweater before i get on that thing!  so, i started out at a whopping 95 pounds and am now, at 21 weeks, weighing in at 108.  13 pounds!  even though my midwife says this is exactly where i should be (a minimum of a ten pound weight gain is recommended by 20 weeks), i still don't like it!  i remember at my first appointment my midwife told me i should be gaining 45 to 50 pounds with my pregnancy because of how small i was.  she looked at me like i should be rejoicing, like she gave me a free pass to krispy kreme! but really i felt completely overwhelmed.  i've never been comfortable gaining weight and i've always been small.  the first two months were really hard for me.  i could tell i was gaining and it made me nervous and panicky.  thankfully now i feel a lot more relaxed.  even though gaining weight is psychologically hard for me, i know that i'm doing the right thing for my baby, and i know i'll be able to get back to my little self again after he arrives!

anyways, enough about me, baby looks and sounds great, and even kicked a little "hello" to my midwife (hey! it surprised us! her hands were cold!) his heart sounds great and he's growing right on track.

i also decided this week not to get a flu shot, even though it was recommended.  i've never had a flu shot, and i'm kind of superstitious about them.  i'd rather pass.  hopefully i'll have a healthy winter! :)  you know, sometimes you'd think these midwives would be more hippie-tastic and give you a pat on the back for saying no to immunizations, but really they're not.  they still preach the same statistics and risks that doctors do.  but i think that's because they have to, legally.  i bet they don't get flu shots either.

billy and i also have to sign up for a five week childbirth and breastfeeding class that will probably start the end of next month.  i'm not quite sure why billy has to come to the breastfeeding class, but i'm hoping it's because they're going to tell all the husbands that they're in charge of all diapers since their lovely wives' chesticles are in charge of all feeding.  i've got the incoming you've got the outgoing! right? no? here's hoping!
the class form also recommends wearing loose clothing and bringing a pillow.  does this mean billy has to wear loose clothing too?  does he have to get in that awkward straddle position on that big bouncy ball as well?  or are the comfy clothes and pillow recommended for him so he can take a nap while the childbirth educators make me walk over hot coals to build up my pain tolerance?  who knows!  but i'm getting a shot of billy on that birthing ball. you betta believe it!