So yesterday was my 38 week appointment. First off I have to say that I’m getting a little tired of the appointments. Obviously I realize keeping a close eye on pregnancies near the end is a good idea, and every week I look forward to my weekly check-in. But then I get there, and I wait, and I have to deal with nurses and this and that and more waiting and everything checks out fine.

One thing I do appreciate about these weekly NSTs is that at least I’m familiar with the evaluation and treatment (triage) environment. I have to say, being on a monitor in a little curtained-off room for 20 minutes before I’m admitted in labor is going to be a pain in the ass. It’s not bad for the NST, but when I’m contracting and just want to be in my own labor room? Yeah, not going to be all that much fun. Maybe that’s a reason to go in a little bit earlier, rather than when I need to just be left the hell alone.

I also realized that, contrary to expectation, I’m probably going to have to mute Kate’s heartbeat while I’m laboring. I thought it would be comforting and reassuring, but instead I find while I’m laying there that it makes me a little jittery and I have to constantly check it. Especially yesterday when she kept moving out of range. I’ll need to periodically check-in to make sure everything’s good, of course, but I’m also going to need to be able to just focus on my body and the contractions.

After the NST I saw a midwife – one I hadn’t met before. She took the time to read my chart first thing, yay. Other than having to explain several things again, I liked her. She read over my birth plan again (third midwife to do so) and reiterated that it’s all very reasonable, very “normal,” and most of it is standard practice by the midwives/this hospital anyways, though I will have to remind the nurses to delay the newborn procedures and hour because they might just forget during the birth and do their usual routine. (Which isn’t a huge deal to me anyways, but I’ll certainly remind them that I just want to hold her for an hour!) So my blood pressure was normal, weight was fine, measurement normal. The midwife estimated she weighs about 6 1/2 lbs. All is good and happy.

The midwife asked about my labor with Devin (induced, 6 hours, very easy physically). She reminded me that typically second labors are faster than first ones. I then told her how Kate is posterior so I’m expecting a bit of a harder time of it, a longer labor. So while she was palpating my belly she frowned and said, “Why do you think this baby is posterior?” I pointed out: ultrasound, kicks all over my belly, punches all across my lower front, among other things. “Well, I’m feeling a lot of baby body on your right side right here.” She put the doppler on my right side and there was her heartbeat. AHHH, she did move!! I was simultaneously thrilled and thinking well that figures, she [Kate] of course makes me look like an idiot! I told the midwife that I hope she stays that way!

Well she of course swiveled back to posterior for the day, but then later in the evening I got the hiccups on my right side. They are NEVER on my right side, always lower left. It made me say hmmmm.

Today she’s been doing her usual thing, feet traveling all the way across my ribs while we went to a movie, hands dancing all over. And then, again, this evening it changed: all kicks and punches were felt on my left side only. I did a quick feel and ho-ly crap I can feel a BUTT on my right side! Even Denis can feel it! She currently has the hiccups… right side again.

Now I am not expecting her to stay here permanently, but the very fact that she is starting to spin around in different positions is great! It means that she’s not locked into one position and she can move when she wants to – which means she’ll probably turn before or during labor. I don’t know if it’s all my time spent walking, dancing, leaning over the birth ball, sitting on the birth ball, and stretching out on hands-and-knees…. maybe she would have done this anyways. But who cares!

Maybe I ought to start mentally preparing myself for a quick labor, just in case. ;) It will certainly be interesting to see how this goes! It’s the great mystery of childbirth…. timing and content. It’s so weird to be waiting for such a huge surprise like this and not even know when it’s coming. It’s even weirder that I, of all people, am excited about this. (I have a “thing” about surprises – I generally hate them.) It’s like I’m getting to the end of a story and I am just so eager to see how it all comes out.