Another Midwife Visit

Ok, the visit was actually a couple of days ago. We’re now in 33rd week and only have a little to go before baby Peach makes its debut appearance.

This visit to the midwife was short and sweet. I think that had something to do with the fact that the midwife had forgotten an earlier appointment and ended up running out the door to get to work on time, missing breakfast and coffee – so she was desperate to finish a bit early so she could run out and get one!

We had a quick chat about how Mom-to-Be was feeling and if anything was abnormal. She was extremely fatigued after her two day shifts last week and had belly cramps low in her abdomen after the second shift, so she ended up calling in sick for the following two days of night shifts. That first day off she pretty much slept and relaxed without doing more than some reading. The next day she was feeling better but still tired. Nothing to worry about though, as the time off helped her recover and the belly cramping stopped.

The midwife then measured the size of her uterus (exactly the size it should be), checked her blood pressure and then we listened to the baby’s heartbeat. This time it was hard to find Peach’s heartbeat – the little snidge was turned and folded up in a different position than normal. And baby Peach has not yet dropped down and locked into the pelvic arch yet – Peach still has a lot of room to roll and squirm and move about. The midwife spent some time trying to feel where the head was and figured out that Peach is lying a bit sideways with the head lower than the bum but not locked in yet. Then baby Peach decided to move again and turn so its back was to us. Nothing to worry about yet, but if little Peach hasn’t dropped into place in a few weeks then a positioning ultrasound would be in order along with some careful shifting to help move it into position.

Then we had a short talk about epidurals and whether Becoming-a-Mom still wants to have one. After doing some reading and attending the prenatal classes she’s still leaning towards it but now understands the implications of having an epidural – that she may lose control over the events of her pregnancy and the epidural may dictate other more drastic interventions during delivery. Things like forceps, or the use of oxctocin, or even an emergency ceasarian section. Also the more we learn about labour and delivery, the less worried she is about the discomfort and pain. She’s still leaving it as an option but is no longer adamant about having one.

We finished up a few minutes early and then left. We saw our midwife hustling down the street towards the coffee shop – I hope she got what she needed!