Friday FMT

Even though I've only had a few weeks of fetal monitoring, it's already weird when I go in at a different time of day - mostly because it means Ivy's going to behave differently. This week, because of Memorial Day, I went in on a different day and at a different time than usual, and I could tell.

Today was at 1:30pm (my usual time is 8:30am). The same nurse checked me in as usual; she has been pretty quiet and not that interested in chatting or smiling until this week - I must have seen her enough that she's used to me now. Ivy moved around a decent amount, and I again had the weird jagged line from the sensor that measures contractions - I know that some of my movements are picked up and some of Ivy's as well, but I don't remember that lower line being so jagged before last Tuesday's appointment.

The OB that I was assigned to today was called in for an emergency c-section, so I was in the chair for longer than usual, and they ended up just grabbing a different OB for me instead. She commented on my blood pressure (124/82 today) and I told her that at home my tests have been on average 111/70 - it's nice to be able to tell them that because it makes me feel like they can't be that worried about inducing. (I didn't tell her that I have a log, complete with graphs and trend lines, readily available for them to peruse on my iPad. They haven't been worried enough to ask to even see my hand-written log, so I'll save my geekiness until they want it.)

I spent most of my time in the chair knitting a soaker and yawning - I'm much more tired during the afternoon - but I did start reflecting on where we are now. I read an article a month or two ago, written for soon-to-be mothers who were in this late-pregnancy limbo, having finished all their prep and all their reading and were just waiting. At the time, I'd thought "that's totally not going to happen to me. I've got all kinds of books to read to prepare, and the nursery isn't anywhere near ready, and I'm sure I'll just be busy right up until she's born!" Now I know better. I really do feel like I'm in limbo, and I'm feeling my old tendencies to obsess over details coming back. Is she dropping? Was that a Braxton-Hicks contraction? What was that twinge? I even asked the doctor when they'd start checking my cervix, just because it would be interesting to know what's going on, and she said because of the risk of infection they don't tend to check until they feel like it's really needed. It's probably just as well, because I'd just obsess over the number and want to know if there were changes every time I went in.

OH, and my Group B Strep test was negative. Yay!

It's supposed to be a nice weekend and I think Cory actually has a teensy bit of time off, so we may go find some nature to walk in, and maybe take some maternity photos. We shall see what happens. And then on Monday we will have arrived at Ivy's birthday month! Eek!