Warm Kool-Aid

28 weeks, 4 days - I had my glucose test done today. I had heard horror stories about how awful the drink was, so I really wasn't looking forward to it. And while yes, it was a tad gnarly and did taste like warm, overly-sweetened orange Kool-Aid, it wasn't the worst thing in the world. The worst part was how I felt afterwards. I'm not used to drinking really sugary drinks, and I got pretty jittery and light-headed. I had to wait an hour and then got my blood drawn. If my levels are high, I'll get a more extensive test for gestational diabetes in two weeks.

I've gained 4 lbs since my appointment 3 weeks ago - grand total: 21.2 lbs.

I think today was 'Training Day' at my midwife's office. There were at least three or four nursing students from Pensacola Christian College (who wear the traditional nurse uniforms from years ago instead of scrubs - they looked so cute!).

One of the student nurses was in the room with us during my appointment. Our midwife spent a lot of time explaining procedures and medical terminology to the student, which was nice because I was able to learn some stuff too. Of course, though, in between being taught by our midwife, the student nurse was blushing and laughing at the comments that Lee was making. Learn a little - get embarrassed a little ... I'd say our student nurse's first day went rather well.

My belly is measuring 27.5cm which is right on track for my being 28 weeks along (1 cm/week). We got to hear GB's heart rate, too. Thanks to the sugar overdose courtesy of the glucose drink, GB's heartrate was really fast. And she was moving around like c-r-a-z-y.

Our midwife told me to start monitoring GB's kicks. I'm supposed to feel her move at least 5 times an hour, twice a day. That shouldn't be a problem - she's a very, very good mover. And shaker.

I also found out that my blood type isn't what I thought it was. I always thought it was A+ (or, "A plus", as I like to call it), but apparently it's A-, which means I'm Rh negative. Lee's blood type is O+, so he's Rh positive. And this has the potential to be a bad thing, so I have to get a shot of this stuff that will trick my body into thinking that the potential "positiveness" of the baby's blood isn't a foreign substance. If we were both positive or both negative, it wouldn't have been a problem. But because I'm one and he's the other, I have to get this shot. And I'll have to get it with every pregnancy. Interesting. (Here's a website that makes sense out of what I just said: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/rhfactor.html)

Our next job is to pick a pediatrician and set up a tour of Baptist Hospital. And our birthing class teacher mentioned that she has a friend who's trying to get certified as a doula - she just needs to attend one more birth to get her certification. A nice thing is that she wouldn't charge us anything. But I'm wondering if I'd get panicky with extra people in the delivery room. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a huge decision. But we'll still think about it and pray about it to see if it's a good choice for us.

I see our midwife every two weeks now! Way back in May, I thought that December would never get here. And now, here we are, going for a checkup every two weeks. Grow, baby, grow!