Toured Labor and Delivery on Sunday

Chris took a break from studying for his big test and we drove out to the Hospital on Sunday afternoon for a tour of Labor and Delivery. Of course we had to stop for coffee first, and I warned him that if I am in labor, there will be no "latte pit stops". He agreed, but it wasn't very willingly.

Anyway we got there and I looked around at all of the mom's to be, and noticed that they almost all had very pregnant bellies, whereas I am still down a pound or so from where I started. The lady who was giving the tour asked everyone when they were due. March, June, even a July. She was so proud of the July Mom for thinking ahead. I was almost embarrassed to say September. I couldn't even get the date out. I just said September and blushed. I really do pre-plan a little more than necessary!!

The hospital has great security. You must be buzzed in and out of the floor, there are bands with matching numbers for us and the baby that they check each time they bring you the baby, and they have a cool thing called a HUGS band, that will set off alarms if the baby is too close to an exit door, or if someone tries to tamper with the bands.

The rooms are all private, and all have at least 1 window to the outside. You labor and deliver and recover in one room which is more towards the front of the unit, and then they move you back to the back where it's a little more private for the rest of your stay there. She said a normal delivery is a 2 day stay, and a c-section is a 3 days stay. We're hoping for normal. She also mentioned that the epidural guys are there 24-7. That's good, cause I have no grand illusions of doing this without drugs!!

I go back to the OB on the 13th and will try to take a few photos. We, of course, forgot the camera.

Everything Is A OK

Chris and I went in February 13th to meet the new OB doctor. The hospital is very new, and quite pretty. The staff was really friendly and answered all of our questions. The doctor was nice enough, though I do wish she would have looked at me a little more while talking. Hopefully next time. They took a long history and I got a full physical and 5 tubes of blood drawn. Then they sent us to the other room for the ultrasound.

My first question was "is there only one?" and my second question was "is it where it belongs?". The answer to both was "yes". Our little peanut measured 2.23 cm, so a little less than an inch. I'd been under the impression that we were 10 weeks that Friday, but the tech said based on the size of the baby, that we were only 9 weeks. She sent us home with 2 photos of our little one. I tried to scan them, but since there is really no detail whatsoever, it was just a black blob. Sorry grandparents, you'll have to wait til the 20 week ultrasound for a better photo.

I have 3 books on my coffee table, and have been reading WAY too much! The nurse said it. The doctor said it. My parents said it. Chris and I have really been struggling with the testing they can do on the baby. Should we? Shouldn't we? What if something comes back that's bad? Then what? After a lot of soul searching on our part and crying on my part, we finally decided to leave it in God's hands. He knows what is best for us, and we trust him. So, we are skipping the NT scan and the cystic fibrosis testing and all of that nonsense. We'll just have to wait another 10 weeks before we see our little one on camera again. I am pretty sure they will check the heartbeat every time I go in, so I'll get to hear that.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for all of your time and patience and support. I am sure I've driven you crazy. But, now that we have a plan, to really do nothing, I am taking your advice and I am going to just enjoy this pregnancy. I am one of the truly lucky ones who has no morning sickness, no skin issues, no bloating, no nothing. I need to count my blessings and be thankful for what I have, or more accurately, don't have. So, that's what I am going to do.

Peed On Another Stick This Morning

I really can't explain it, but I just don't feel pregnant. I have no symptoms. None. And, according to my chart, I was 9 weeks on Friday. So, since the test I bought was a two pack, I took the other half this morning. It took a while, but the word "pregnant" still flashed on the screen. I have been reading my books - I now have 3 since my good friend Shelby brought me one on Friday - and they have a few parts that freak me out. I just wish I felt something. It's odd to sit here and say I wish I had morning sickness, but it's true. I have read, and heard, that pregnancy is somewhat genetic, in that if your mother had an easy time, chance are you will have an easy time. Heck, my mom worked a 12 hour shift at the hospital, went home, took a shower, finished watching a movie that she'd rented, and then went back to the hospital and had me. Drug free too! So, maybe I just have good genes, and nothing to worry about. But, I tell you, Friday can't come soon enough! I need to see the baby on the monitor, hear the heart beat, and have the doctor tell me that everything is alright. 5 sticks have told me I'm pregnant, and part of me still doesn't believe it.

Told My Bosses

My birthday is in a few weeks, and our office always (a) takes you to lunch and (b) buys you a gift (within reason). So, today during the office meeting, Carrie, my boss, asked me where I wanted to go for my lunch. Of course the answer to that was mexican!! And she asked me to send her a list of what I wanted, and I told her I already knew . . . . I said I'd like a gift card to Target cause I needed to buy maternity clothes! It was just Terri and Carrie (CB is in Memphis on some family emergencies) but they were beyond thrilled! I told them I for sure would be coming back after the baby is born. I'm a lot of things, but stay-at-home-mom isn't one of them. So, I think they were happy to hear that too. It's been hard not to say anything, especially since Moni knew, but I was waiting for the right time. Cyndi is dealing with some hard things, and I didn't, and still don't, want to overshadow that. She's due back here in a few weeks, so I'll tell her then. It feels good to tell my bosses. I am thinking since I'm feeling mostly better, if I am going to get morning sickness, it should be hitting sometime soon. And if I arf in my office trashcan, at least they will know why. No more having to take secret phone calls on my cell out in the parking lot. I can finally openly talk to my OB's office without having to worry about who might hear me say "pregnant" or "ultrasound".