Appointments and plans

Today was our 23rd week appointment at the obstetrician's and now things are starting to get interesting.

First, the health news: I'm fine, the baby's fine, with a nice good heartbeat going on down there. Belly growth is great. My weight is low - I'd actually lost a pound since the last time (although I attribute this to a smaller breakfast), when I should have gained about 3 lbs. I only seem to have trouble gaining weight when I'm pregnant! I wish I could have this problem at other points in my life. (In 6-7 months would be great!) Now I have to keep a more detailed food journal, but that's never really a bad thing.

On the planning front we started to talk nitty-gritty around the delivery. Carl & I are to meet with a new team, including a psychiatrist, to develop the birth plan in case we go vaginally, because as my ob said, they can pull a c-section out of their hats at any time, but if there's any chance we would like to try for a vaginal delivery, an essential part of that would be a really solid plan detailing our wishes and setting an "extremely low threshhold for any distress." Doing it now is also supposed to help lower anxiety although I was warned that I'll probably get increasingly anxious from here on in - and that goes with how I'm feeling, so I think that's probably pretty accurate.

I suspect they also want to evaluate me & Carl and that's fine with me; that counts as care in my book, and I admire the low-key subtlety of it ("this might be helpful for you, I really recommend it, and oh yes it also helps us to provide you with any support you might need beyond straight obstetrical care") although I will have to think about what we want to say about dissociation and multiplicity and all that.

When we were talking about my current fears (standard appointment question) I mentioned a few things and everyone looked relieved and my nurse said that they would be concerned if we didn't have any fears. Well duh, but it's always interesting to hear that out loud.

My nurse also recommended that we hire a doula as a part of the team, and Carl and I had already decided that was probably a good idea so I was enthusiastic, and then the coordinator of the clinic offered in a very nice, no-pressure way, to serve in that role for us if we would like. Carl wasn't there this time so I set up a meeting with her around our next appointment, June 7, because it will be important that we both like her. But I hope he does like her, 'cause she's sort of been holding my hand through the process already starting with my first phone call to Mt. Sinai, so I already am thinking "Yay!"

I felt like people were engaged with me and that they are anticipating my needs, and that was a really good feeling. And I'm drinking a large steamed milk that has fat in it. :)