37 Week Checkup

A friend of mine told me that it wasn't fair to leave ya'll hanging, as far as my last dr. appt is concerned. And she's right. :) So here's how it went.

First, she did the Group B Strep swab. I have read about this test, so I was all prepared for it to be kind of invasive. And it totally wasn't.

For anyone who doesn't know anything about Group B strep, it's a bacteria that a pregnant woman can have "down there", but the mother experiences no symptoms, so she couldn't possibly know on her own. However, she can pass it on to her baby (if she has a vaginal delivery), and her baby could get quite sick.

If I was found to be a carrier, my midwife would give me antibiotics, both now, and during labor. Thankfully, I wouldn't have to go the hospital if I did have Group B Strep, because she can give me an IV at home or at the Birth Center.

Anyway, the way to test for it is with a swab. I'm trying to think of a way to explain this as delicately as possible. Basically, they swab everything down there. However, it's very quick. Just a quick swipe with a q-tip, and it was over. It really wasn't awkward like I thought it would be. She said she gets the results pretty quickly, and that she would call if I tested positive. I haven't heard from her yet, and if I don't get a phone call by the end of tomorrow, I'll know the results were negative!

Then she checked my cervix, and again, this wasn't as big a deal as I thought it would be. I was all prepared for it to hurt. I mean, yeah, it was a little uncomfortable, but it certainly didn't hurt. We were chatting casually the whole time. Maybe it has to do with the type of person that I am. Like, I don't make a big deal out of doctor's appointments, no matter what they have to look at or touch.

Anyway, I found out the following: I'm effacing some, and not dilated at all. She didn't give me a percentage for how effaced I am, and I'm glad. I feel like I'm less likely to be anxious and impatient if I don't have a number to obsess over. And it's not like knowing the percentage is going to change anything. It won't tell me when labor will start, or what my labor will be like.

She also told me that my baby's head is quite low. I wanted to roll my eyes at this, but then she laughed and said, "Where else would the baby's head be? You're just so small, and the baby is so packed in there!" My sentiments exactly.

Then she measured my stomach (I'm still measuring small, but she's not worried, although there is a small possibility of another ultrasound in my future). She also took a blood sample to test my iron levels, took my blood pressure, weighed me (apparently I lost a tiny bit of weight), and it was all over!

My appointments are every week now, so each one will be pretty much like that (but without the tests).

I feel mostly ready for this baby to come. We still don't have everything that I'd like to have (like a stroller), but we have enough. We'd be fine. However, even though I'm terribly uncomfortable and I don't want to be pregnant anymore, I know it would be better if the baby arrived on or after my due date, mostly because Art is still in school. His final exam is two days before my due date.

I know he could work something out, but it would be better if he was completely done. Then his attention wouldn't have to be divided. But all I can do is leave it in God's hands. He knows what will happen and when, He knows the desires of our hearts, and we know that His plan is the best one, whatever that will look like.

So for the most part, I'm at peace (as long as everybody else around me isn't anxious or impatient).