Working it out

It has been a week full of emails and back and forth but I think that we are close to coming up with what will work with our 2 families for the prenatal appointments the rest of this pregnancy.  I hate that we had to have these discussions but hopefully it will help us as we move on. I will be able to go into the appointments alone and then they will join us after all my vitals are taken.  I will share the important vitals with them (weight, blood pressure) but it will at least give me a sense of some privacy.

I was surprised when last Thursday I got a call from the midwife's office telling me I had an UTI.  I have never had one before and did not have the classic symptoms to alert me that there was something going on.  Yes, I have been peeing a whole bunch but show me a pregnant woman who is not in the bathroom all the time.  I did think it was crazy that I had to go to the bathroom 2-3 times a night but just attributed it to all the water I drink these days!  I was prescribed an antibiotic but at the request of the intended parents I have been trying D-mannose instead.  D-mannose is a herbal supplement that is naturally occurring in your body so it is not harmful to take and has no major side effects.  The bacteria attach to the d-mannose and then are excreted with the urine.  I have been taking it since Friday and I am seeing some improvement in the frequency of my bathroom trips but wish I had a way of knowing if the bacteria was all gone or not.  I will run out of the bottle in a day or two so will just keep it up till then.

I  am feeling great and seem to have passed the tired stage.  I still get tired but my daily naps are no longer required.  Maybe I can not stop neglecting my house and sewing!  So far I have gone up and down on my weight each week but am right about at my starting weight.  I am not dieting but also not craving my nightly cup of ice cream (even though I want to eat it I just can't make myself!) which I can only assume is a good thing...maybe I won't crave that routine after another month or two!

26 weeks to go!

Back to the Ob, finally!

After being released from the fertility clinic 2 weeks ago, today was the first visit with my midwife.  I had mixed emotions about today as I was not sure how the appointments were going to go with 2 extra people involved.  During my other pregnancies it was usually me by myself at the appointments with my husband only coming to the main ultrasound appointment.

I switched from a normal ob to a midwife after my first delivery.  My second delivery was with a wonderful midwife whom I had heard so many wonderful things about.  She was great during the birth staying with me throughout labor instead of only coming in to catch the baby, and it was refreshing to see the same person at each of my visits and then to have that same person deliver my baby.  Shortly after my second delivery this midwife left private practice and went to work for a health clinic.  When I found out that I was pregnant for the 3rd time I was relieved to learn that the midwife had gone back into private practice part time and was accepting 4 due dates per month....we were in!  Another great birth with the help of a wonderful midwife. 

Fast forward 2 years and here we are again with more changes.  My midwife is now back in practice full time and has opened a birthing center in Statesville.  It was a decision to be made whether I continue to follow her or find someone new that is closer to home and a little more convenient to get to for my prenatal appointments.  I pondered a little what I wanted to do and came to the decision to follow her yet again and go with who I am comfortable with verses who is more convenient.  So, this will be my 4th delivery at 4 different hospitals/centers in 4 different cities!!

One of my concerns with the OB appointments is whether I would get any time with my midwife by myself to discuss anything in private.  But, I called on my way up there this morning and asked them if I could have a brief moment alone with the midwife.  It worked out fine and I was able to get the time I needed.  The intended parents and I are both struggling to find our place in this process.  I went into today's appointment thinking that this is my doctor and my body, rightfully they think this is their baby so should be a part of the whole process and all information.  I know we both have to adjust our thinking but hopefully we have a better feel of the process after today's appointment.

Our visit was very through and the intended parents even got to have another ultrasound.  After hearing the heartbeat on the doppler they did the ultrasound and it was amazing to see how much the baby has grown in the last 3 weeks.  It was hard to get a good visual of the baby last time but today we got to see everything so clear even seeing the backbone and vertebrae.  This baby was also a mover and shaker, he did not stop tossing and turning the whole 10 minutes of the ultrasound!

Another unknown was whether the birth center would be covered by my insurance and if it would be an option for this birth due to cost.  After touring the center and speaking to the midwife it looks like we will be heading towards a birth center birth!!  The center has 2 birthing rooms each with a queen bed and a big tub.  One of the best things about the birthing center is that you usually leave 4-6 hours after birth.  This resolves a lot of my questions regarding how we would work things after the birth...Would they get their own room with the baby?  Would they have to spend the night in my room?   Most likely I can get my insurance to cover the birth center birth but even if not, a birth there without insurance costs as much as a birth at a hospital with insurance so to me it is a no-brainer!

I am finishing up my 12th week and feeling pretty good.  I am still tired but I am finding that I am able to survive without my naps more and more lately.  I have only gained a little over a pound (which is normal for the first trimester) since the start of the pregnancy so feeling pretty good going into the second trimester where I know I will start to gain the pregnancy weight.  I am not showing yet but definitely getting a tummy bulge.  This is the time I don't like (especially in the summer where I am in bathing suits around my neighbors, they must think I am getting fat and lazy!) between normal belly and definite preggo belly.  

I am grateful to get this first appointment over with and to feel like the pregnancy is progressing and to be back on familiar ground again.

27.5 weeks to go:)