35 weeks

I had my 35 week appointment today. (Normally, you wouldn't have a 35 week appointment but I'm off a week because I had to reschedule one a few weeks ago.) Anyway, it was interesting and amusing.

First, I was about 5 minutes late so I called ahead to let them know. Then, when I got there, parking was interesting. They only have room for about 3 cars side by side and 1 car perpendicular to those, if you are far enough away that they can get out. So, the easiest spot was taken. The next spot was taken. And just when I arrived some bicyclist pulled into the last spot to talk to the people in the second spot. Even if he hadn't been in the way, my van can't make the tight turn to get into it. So, I took the perpendicular spot, making it interesting to try to get out of the parking lot when we left...5 point (I mean 3 point) turn required...either that or backup into a busy street going the wrong way.

Then, I did the pee thing and went into the room to wait for the midwife....only it smelled...well....ewwww. Not strongly ewwww, but ewww enough. Get it? I asked my daughter if it smelled bad to her so I'd know if it was just me and my sensitive nose. It didn't smell "bad" to her but "weird". I went back into the waiting area and mentioned it. Turns out, I was smelling the people whose appointment was before me. They have dreadlocks, I was told. I wasn't aware that dreadlocks smelled...apparently they do. So, we opened the windows and left the door open. She offered to spray some kind of air freshner...lavendar...but I don't like those smells either. Fresh air is the best.

While the student was checking my belly, she decided that the baby's butt felt suspiciously like a head so she got out the fetal scope to help her check position, I think. I asked if we could call the baby "butthead" then. It just popped in my mind...sorry.

I found out that the baby part that is always trying to poke a hole in my left side is not a foot, but rather a knee. While the midwife was feeling baby, she got a tad bit more into it than usual which was slightly uncomfortable; I have a tender spot on my right side and pushing on baby makes me feel that spot more. She says, "Well, that was fun for me, but not so much for you," and got more gentle. I found it kind of humorous. You probably had to be there.

The student poked my finger to check my iron levels. She didn't poke very hard and couldn't get enough blood out and decided that she'd have to poke me again. Sorry! The second poke HURT as she went much deeper with it. She still couldn't get out enough blood! I helped her. My squeezing was much more effective. LOL

I met a doula who is currently considering midwifery school. She hasn't attended a lot of births so she's offering her doula services for free as part of her learning. We talked. She got a feel of what my normal is. She seemed nice, likes kids, and apparently takes good photos. Since we don't have money for a doula, we'll probably invite her to come along. That makes a nice little party of 7 adults (midwife, student, assistent, doula, friend to care for the kids, hubby, and me) and 3 kids attending this birth. The birth center is going to freak! LOL

What else? Ah, the kids...Mika complained that her ear was hurting again (she just finished antibiotics for an ear infection) so I tried to call the pediatrician for an appointment while waiting for the midwife to come in. She came too quickly and ended up leaving me to finish my call...she understood. The midwife also noticed the math Sam was working on and double checked his age. She was surprised to see a 7 year old doing long division and finding areas of various shapes. Finally, Josh is determined to show them where they need to child proof.

Finally, I figured out which of the two midwives I prefer. That means I must give birth during the weeks of June 29th (38 weeks pregnant) or July 13th (40 weeks pregnant). The weeks of July 6th or July 20th are out. Hear that baby?

We also scheduled all of my remaining appointments through 41 weeks.