I had another appointment this week (Tuesday) with the midwife. Everything looks good.
* Baby is head-down still, and is in a good position (as far as rotation) for birth later. It was pretty cool. She put my hands on my belly to feel the baby's head, and then showed me how to follow the head down, and feel the neck and then the shoulders, etc. pretty neat stuff.
* I got my blood drawn to check for anemia, but I'm good to go.
* They don't do a glucose test as standard of care - only if they see signs of glucose issues in the urine first (or other signs that gestational diabetes may be an issue). Since I haven't shown any signs of anything, I don't have to do it - yeah!!
* I gained back some weight this time, which is good. I've gained a total of 20 lbs. so far.
* we went over all kinds of stuff - from handling GBS (Group B Strep) during labor (and how to decrease the chance of testing positive for it in the first place), the Vitamin K shot and eye gel for the baby when its born, to circumcision if we have a boy. She actually sent me home with a video about circumcision. Kinda weird, but ok. Haven't watched it yet.
* There's going to be a breast-feeding support group/ class through the birthing center that actually starts tomorrow. My friend Emily (the only person I know that has done a homebirth) is helping lead it. I'm bummed about it though, because I can't go - It's during BSF. :(
* Today I ran for the first time in about 8 weeks (due to the sinus infection I've been battling forever and have finally overcome). I took it easy - walked a quarter mile, ran a mile (in about 14 min. ha.), and walked another quarter mile. I had some braxton hicks, but nothing really bad. I shared all of this with the midwife, and she was very encouraging about the running. She said that braxton hicks were going to happen - just to do what I felt comfortable doing and not to push myself too hard - but to go for it as long as I wasn't having any problems.
*I saw the pregnancy chiropractor at the birthing center, and it was great!! She explained to me everything that she saw as problems (my legs weren't the same length due to my hips being out...she looked at something else and said that my pelvic bone was out of line...she found tension in one part of my back and asked if I had been getting enough water, or if I had been stressed out...) and how it would help get the baby (or keep the baby) in the right position simply by adjusting those things. Pretty neat. My hips had been randomly popping lately, and hurting at times, but she said it should feel better after adjusting the problem areas. I do feel tons better. Hooray for a wholistic approach to prenatal care :)
*I'm not sure if I mentioned this already:
At 35 weeks I'm going to start taking what they call "The 5-week Formula". It's an herbal supplement that is supposed to kinda just bring the body into balance. Specifically, if you have very long or very short labors, it's supposed to help labor be easier and more "average" in length. It also does things like helps in the production of quality milk in the mother, aides in separation of the placenta, have larger dilation before discomfort arises, minimizes postpartum bleeding, reduces the risk of hemmorage, etc. They pretty much encourage everyone to take it, but definitely someone like me who tends to have "fast and furious" labors.
Anyway, I guess that's it for now.
