We decided to switch doctors mid-pregnancy. I had no problems whatsoever with our original OB, but because she had worked the past two Christmases, this was her year to take off. GB's due date is December 26th so I was nervous that the doctor who would get to know us and our baby wouldn't be the one to be with us at the hospital. I know there's always a chance (and a good chance, from talking to a few people) that even if she
had been in town, she still might not have delivered GB.
Despite that, I still wanted to switch. A woman we go to church with highly recommended a local midwife. As soon as I said the word "midwife" to Lee, I could tell what he was thinking - that the midwife's name was probably something like "Moonflower" or "Stardust" and that I wanted to give birth at home, surrounded by lots of friends and family. I quickly assured him that I wanted to deliver in a hospital (no offense to home birth moms - I'm just not completely sold on the idea), and that there would be a doctor available if something went wrong.
We had an initial visit with our midwife on September 4th. I immediately liked her. She's warm, friendly, and - most importantly - got my and Lee's sense of humor. She said she wholeheartedly supports the type of birthing class that Lee and I are taking, which was nice to hear (since I've heard rumors about medical professionals not particularly liking it). And she's totally on board with me wanting to have an unmedicated birth. She said that she has a very good track record at being at her patients' births - that if she is going to spend time getting to know us, she doesn't want someone else swooping in at the last minute.
The only time she's not at a birth is Christmas morning. She and her husband have two school-aged children, so she always spends Christmas morning with her family. She said that if GB comes on Christmas Day, just to hold off until Christmas Afternoon or Evening and she'll be there. Did you hear that, GB? Hold off at least until our midwife can open presents with her kiddos.
The first 'real' visit with our midwife was on 9/15. The office for my original OB still hadn't released my records to my midwife, so most of the appointment was spent answering health-related questions. We got to hear GB's heartbeat again - that never ceases to amaze me. I forgot to ask how fast it was, but in my expert medical opinion, I'm thinking it was 140ish bpm.
I didn't gain any weight between the 4th and the 15th (or at least her scales didn't show that I did - I beg to differ). So far, I'm up 16.5 pounds.
I start the 3rd trimester (!) on Friday, and Lee says that he's putting me into full Rocky mode: two raw eggs and a quart of milk for breakfast every morning. Ha! Although my goal is to eat 80g-100g of protein every day, I think I'll pass on the raw eggs and opt for cooked ones instead. And maybe not a quart of milk in the morning ... maybe just a big glass instead.
I can't believe we're almost to the 3rd trimester. In other words, non-pregnant people, Christmas isn't too far away!
