Midwife Appointment - 17 weeks

Well, my midwife finally didn't have a birth to go to today! So, that means I had my appointment! The baby has a heart beat of 150ish, fundus measuring right on time and my blood pressure as always is fabulous! She had some amazing labor and deliveries in the past two weeks including a transfer to the hospital (after TWO DAYS) in which she was still able to catch the baby because the doctor was so late getting there. Heh! I LOVE hearing about her other birth stories, could listen all day!

It was really nice because Oliver decided to take a nice long 2 hour nap during our appointment so there was no doppler freak out or begging to nurse, or vying for my midwife's attention. Kristen (midwife) believes I am having a boy - she is of course wrong! - as does my mom. I sure would save a ton of money if it was another boy!! I am not having a gender scan, or actually, a second ultrasound at all. I just feel it is unnecessary unless there was a feeling something was wrong like spotting or something. In which case, I would get an ultrasound just to rule out something like placenta previa (placenta laying over the cervix) but I don't see that happening.

This pregnancy is so relaxed and easy going compared with Oliver's. I was SO anxious to hear his gender, so anxious about labor, and breastfeeding and becoming a mom. Though the home birth process is even more foreign to me than a hospital birth was, so in that way I do feel like a first timer again. Think about how many hospital births you have seen. Perhaps not in person but because of movies, TV shows and The Learning Channel, we all know the process. You go in, you change into a gown, you lay in a bed, they hook you up, you beg for an epidural, they threaten C-section, give you pitocin, threaten a section again, episiotomy, baby out and bottle in the mouth.

With a home birth, nothing is certain. I may give birth in any room, at any time, in any position. I just don't know! It is sorta amazing in that way, that I just have to listen to my body and when it tells me to get on all fours, I do, and when it tells me water would be a good idea, the bath gets filled. The most amazing part? No nurse is gonna come in every three minutes to tell me I am bonding wrong, or that the baby isn't safe, or congratulate me for "trying to breastfeed" before handing me two bags of formula! I am so excited that my baby will be born in an environment of love, caring and joy!

The video has nothing to do with the new baby but it was cute, and it is especially for my sister.