Upon being weighed in, I had gained 1 lb. That puts me at a total of +13 lbs since getting pregnant, which I feel pretty good about.
Pee tests are still good.
Blood pressure is still good.
Fundal height measured perfectly at 36 cms.
Josiah's heartrate is still great.
And then I had the exam and the Group B Strep test..
She did the Group B Strep test first. Being as vague as possible, this just involved sweeping a cotton swab around my lower regions, front and back. There was nothing penetrating about it, which made me feel better. And it was over in about 2 seconds, which made me feel MUCH better. I just have to wait on the results. If it comes back positive (which, by the way, is no big deal since it's a normal bacteria that comes and goes and doesn't affect me), they will simply put me on antibiotics while I'm in labor to prevent it from being passed on to Josiah.
The pelvic exam consisted of Dr. York shoving 2 fingers up as far as she could and pressing on my stomach with the other hand. This part was pretty uncomfortable at times, but definitely bearable. If you've ever had a pap smear and had them check to feel for your ovaries and uterus, it feels much the same. Her final analysis was that my cervix is still completely closed = no dilation, but it is softening (which is still a sign of progression!). She said that he hasn't dropped completely or settled into place, so she wanted to make certain that his head was down like we thought. She added that everytime she pushed on my cervix, he moved away, which indicated that he was still in a floating state. So, to make sure, she pulled out her "dinosaur", an ancient ultrasound machine. As soon as she placed it on my lower stomach, you could see his big ol' noggin right there on the screen. She said that he's still facing towards my left side, laying sideways with his butt under my right breast and his feet under my left. I can tell that this is all true based on how he moves regularly. It's no problem that he hasn't dropped or that he's turned sideways, though. He's got time to move around before birth, so it's all good.
I asked her how big she thought he was now, and she said that he still seems perfectly average which would put him at about 6 lbs (and 18 inches long according to my email info). I told her that I think it's amazing that he is the size of a perfectly healthy newborn baby right now. She said, "Oh yeah. If he tried to come right now, we wouldn't try to stop him!"
I asked her how much past my due date she will let me go before intervening, especially considering that she is going out of town the 1st of September. She said that I will for sure have a baby by August 31st!!! Even though I expect him at least a week before that, having a definitive date makes it that much more real. I also asked her about when I need to call her once I go into labor or if the hospital will call her when it's time. She said that either when my water breaks or when my contractions are intense and regular, I should call the clinic and talk to her or the on-call doctor who will inform the hospital that I'm on my way. I asked about bringing a breast pump to the hospital, if I'd need it. She said to not worry about it because they'll have one if I need it. Furthermore, it's better to not introduce a bottle to a baby before they're at least 2 weeks old and/or well-established at nursing. She explained that bottles are much easier for babies to feed from. So, if they're given that option, they're likely to quit trying for the breast because they don't have to.
Oh, and you won't hardly believe this! My boss approached me that morning (not because of her own agenda, but because she had to) to say that I am not allowed to wear flip-flops to work anymore. Remember these ugly, swollen feet? Here's how they looked that day after work!
I explained that I knew I was stretching the rules, but that I am 9 months pregnant and my feet are already swollen when I wake up first thing in the morning. She was understanding and asked if I possibly had any shoes that would be comfortable enough. And then she said that it may be possible for her to argue a case for me if I had a doctor's note saying that I should be able to wear flip-flops! So, I brought it up with Dr. York that afternoon. She seriously thought it was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard, but she got out her pen and paper and wrote up a note. She shook her head and laughed as she handed it to me.
I did try to wear regular shoes on Friday and Monday after bringing in the note since it wasn't officially approved by the hospital, but I can't hardly fit into any of my shoes. I have one pair that don't have heels and I can fit into, but they don't match everything I wear. So I wore them when I could and went back to flip-flops after that. My boss ended up being okay with it. She said that if anyone said anything, she had my doctor's note to back it up, and that I really only have 2 weeks left of work anyways. So what's the big deal?!
Anyway, I have a little bit more to say about what's happened since then and I have pictures to post of the nursery and getting ready. I'll post these in separate entries to come...
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