28-week Appointment

The day after getting back from California, I had my 28-week appointment with Doc.

I checked in, and was then sent straight back to the lab for the glucose test where a seemingly nice nurse gave me the grossest concoction ever created.

"Oh, good morning, Ms. Benjamin," she says with a smile. "How are you today? Please have a seat and we'll call you in after we finish mixing your poison."

I thought it wouldn't be that bad. Afterall, it looked and smelled like fruit punch. But this 6oz styrofoam cup held what tasted like cherry Jagermeister. I thought I was going to puke trying to get it all down.

They're smart at the lab, too-- they watch and make sure you drink that whole cup. There's no getting out of it. Oh, and did I mention there's no chaser? Yeah, you have to drink this crap and you can't have even the tiniest sip of water to rinse your mouth of its residue. Blech!

Anyway, I sat for about 20min in Doc's waiting room, and then they called me back for the usual urine sample, weigh-in and blood pressure check. All was good with the vitals, so the nurse slimed me with gel and then we listened to Baby Girl's heartbeat. Boy, was it loud this time! Strong and at a healthy pace. Just perfect.

A few minutes later, Doc came in with his usual grin, shook my hand, and asked how I was doing.

"All good in the 'hood, Doc," I said.

He just laughed. "That's it??"

I feel bad complaining about anything because I feel like I'm stretching to find something to report to him. I've been so lucky with this pregnancy-- it's all been a breeze. But, if I don't say anything, then Doc probably thinks I'm a moron and just not paying attention to my body. So I told him about the leg cramps I'd been having on occasion.

I've read it's very common to wake up and have a stiff lower leg, and Doc confirmed this. It can be due to carrying additional weight, slow circulation or swelling with hot weather. Doc explained that there's really nothing you can do to prevent it but that stretching, increased fluids and exercise may help. I said I was doing all those things except the stretching, and sure enough, with a few moves to stretch out my calves, no more cramps. Doc is a genius!

We moved on, and Doc measured "the height of the fundus," or the distance from my pubic bone to the top of my belly. I was 29.5cm-- again, a little ahead of where most people are at 28 weeks but Doc still didn't want to move my due date. He said he's just setting expectations--he'd rather have me prepared for an early September birth and be happily surprised with an August arrival, rather than the other way around.

With that, I asked Doc about his travel plans for the summer:

Me: "You know you're not allowed to go anywhere from mid-August to early September, right? I mean, Doc, I know you love tennis and the U.S. Open is usually in that timeframe up in New York, and I want to make sure you're staying put in Richmond."
Doc: (Chuckling) "You're sweet. But actually, we are planning to go to the beach for a week in August. I should probably be back by the 20th or so, I think, but yes, I do have some vacation coming up."
Me: "I can wait till the 20th. I'll hold it if I have to. But that's it, right?"

We had a few more minutes, and since Doc didn't spend them calling his wife to reschedule their trip, I figured I'd ask him about this so-called "birth plan" I'm supposed to create:

Me: "So, I've been reading a lot about how I should have a birth plan so that the staff at the hospital knows exactly how I want things to go down. Honestly Doc, there's nothing in my plan besides 1). Give me drugs and 2). Get the baby out as safely as possible. What am I missing?"
Doc: (Again, laughing) "You're absolutely right. You know, so many people have these elaborate plans and really, I feel that they're just setting themselves up for disappointment. We don't know how labor and delivery is going to go, so to create some elaborate plan is really silly. There could be an emergency situation and we just have to act according to best medical practices than according to your plan. Now, you should think about things like drugs..."
Me: (interrupting) "Yes, I want the drugs."
Doc: "Yes, I'm well aware. But also think about whether or not you want your husband to cut the cord, if you'd like to breastfeed... things like that."

Okay, so Corey and I have some homework to do on this birth plan. Does "TV in room must tune into ESPN" count, I wonder?

Anyway, that was it for me and Doc, and then I had to go back down to the lab for bloodwork. I should know the results from the glucose test this week. Hopefully, I passed-- don't want to drink that stuff again! Keep your fingers crossed for me.