36-1-70

I am 36 weeks, 1 day pregnant. If I hold out til next Thursday I can have the baby at the birth center. If I go before 37 weeks then it's the hospital. The baby's lungs are fully developed at 37 weeks, which is why the center uses that benchmark. It's also 3:01 am, and I'm blogging. I've been napping off and on since 5pm.

Today was another midwife's appointment, and so far so good. Now is when your doctor/midwife will test for Group B strep. It's a common bacteria that lives in your colon but sometimes migrates to your vag. It's harmless to you and more often than not asymptomatic, so if you have an outbreak you wouldn't notice. The concern is that if you do have Group B and it goes undectected during childbirth, the baby can inhale the bacteria upon exit and develop pneumonia. No one wants that. So if you do have GBS you'll receive antibiotics intravenously every four to eight hours while you're in labor. You can still deliver vaginally (and in my case in the birth center) should the results come back positive.

I'd read women complaining about this test on a message board. Compared to a Pap smear this was nothing-no speculum needed, and it's a very quick swipe. I guess some issues women had were the discomfort and being left alone to take the sample. My midwife took the sample, and as I was laying there I couldn't see her head for my mountanous stomach. Can't imagine being expected to swab my own coot when I can't even see it!

Once she took the sample, my midwife asked if I wanted her to check my cervix. She said it wasn't necessary, but I figured since she was down there we may as well find out what's going on. As of this afternoon my cervix was one centimeter dilated, and 70% effaced. She said this is no indication of what could happen ten minutes from now, but the 70% effaced is very good. It means come labor time I will have less cervical thinning to do. The baby is still in the vertex position (head down), another good thing. Midwife also said I have a good stomach for feeling the baby.

I'm having lots of trouble getting out of bed. I'm going to try to sleep sitting up, propped up with pillows. It's so uncomfortable trying to turn from right to left, then lifting myself up.

My leave has been accepted. All I had to do was send a reminder email, along with the request I submitted a month ago, to the HR lady with a copy to the prez. HR lady saw me in the elevator last night and says "Oh, I thought our conversation would suffice, but I'll draft you a letter."
The conversation went like something like this: "Hi, I got your request. We've been pretty busy with the gala, and I've got to talk to the president about your leave, but it shouldn't be a problem." I know I'm considerably younger than most of the staff, but I'm not stupid. Some things need to be in writing, and if I submit a request for leave in writing, I expect an acceptance or denial in writing. Always leave a paper trail, that's my motto.

I guess that's it for now. Oh- I'm officially scaring people at work. I get concerned looks when I lift anything like empty boxes. A guest helped me push an empty flatbed up part of the ramp (I was only taking it to the elevator, calm down!), and a co-worker refused to let me load the boxes of quilts on the flatbed, push it to the elevator, and take it to the gallery for preparation, so she helped (and I appreciate it.)

But I've got a job to do, and two weeks left to do it. Hallelujah!!!!