Our place is still a wreck, the to-do list is getting longer, and I have so many appointments, meetings, and classes that I don't know what I'd do without iCal or Backpack. To top it off, baby brain is in full effect and I have the attention span of a gnat. Everything is going well though, so I'm just trying to plan too much I think. My focus is so centered on the baby though, that it's getting really hard to think about work. I feel so much more productive ordering supplies, cleaning and planning than actually doing my job. I'm nesting at the office - it's so weird for me. I'm becoming "office mom".
Mr Cobra accompanied me to the antenatal test yesterday because we had a doctor's appointment right afterwards. The baby put on a good show for daddy during the ultrasound by grabbing his foot with his hand and showing us his little face. He was just too cute!
The nurse with the notorious noisemaker was zapping all the babies around us. I drank something sweet and had a bit of coffee to make sure he didn't get zapped again. He was pretty active luckily, but we did have to wake him up a little just to make sure he got his heart rate up high enough. We discovered that he really likes my voice. Whenever I spoke his heart rate shot up by at least 10 beats per minute. Daddy talked to him too and his heart rate went up a little, but not quite as much. I've read that the mother's voice carries better through the amniotic fluid. It was still fun to see an indisputable physical reaction to our voices though.
The doctor's appointment went well. I was swabbed for GBS (Group B Strep) which is very common and requires antibiotics during labor. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'm not positive because antibiotics wreak havoc on my arthritis. I feel terribly achey, feverish and weak after taking them and it will make pain management so much harder if I have to contend with my arthritis flaring from antibiotics while giving birth. I'll find out in a few days whether or not I am. I won't worry about it until I get the results. There are some measures that can be taken to minimize my exposure to antibiotics, so it will work out fine.
This weekend was very busy as well. We had our Childbirth Prep classes. I was overly prepared for it and found it somewhat useful, but it was very good for Mr. Cobra. It covered the basics and it was great to ask questions and hear other people's questions. There were 5 couple in the class. Three of us had consecutive August due dates, but most of us were going to do different hospitals. After listening to our teacher, who also has been a doula, talk about the different hospitals, I feel very fortunate to have chosen UCSF as the hospital to give birth at. It seems to be the most progressive hospital in the Bay Area. That says quite a bit.
We also sat down with our awesome doula to talk about the birth plan. We didn't actually write everything down, but we all discussed many different aspects of it such as comfort measures and pain management. I feel very confident in my team to help me through the discomfort. I want a natural, drug-free birth and I will be doing my best to maintain that goal. I really have no idea what to expect or what my pain tolerance will be, so I will be flexible and use the most minimal pain medications possible if I need it. I know that this is an event I have absolutely no control over. I have to let my body guide my mind and be open to the full experience. I am very excited to meet our little boy!
