We had our 36 week doctor’s visit this morning, and it turned out to be an eventful one.  The purpose of this checkup is to determine the position of the baby (hopefully confirming he is head down) and to see if the cervix had started to dilate. A culture for Group-B Strep (GBS) is also normally performed. GBS is a type of bacteria found in the human body.  The midwife told us that 1 in 3 women carry the bacteria without developing an infection or illness, but it’s necessary to find out if a woman has it during pregnancy because it can be passed on to the baby and cause respiratory complications if not treated. If the mother is found to be a carrier, she’ll be given antibiotics during labor to prevent it from being passed on to the baby.

My blood pressure is “rock solid” and I have gained a total of 21 pounds now- up three pounds from my last visit!  My baby bump is measuring right on the money.  The midwife predicted Grae is now a little over 6 ½ pounds and that if he decided to come now he would more than likely be just fine… Although, another OB doctor always says “White boys are weak! You gotta keep ‘em in there as long as possible.” 😉 Although, after today’s appointment, its even more obvious that our baby could join us at any moment (and finally we can welcome him without worries of NICU time).

My midwife performed the cervical exam and confirmed that the baby was head down and that he had “dropped” very low.  The last time I had my cervix checked, it was excruciating.  This time, she told me to make two fists with my hands and put them under my bottom before the exam.  This was the best advice I’d been given, because it wasn’t anywhere near as painful as before (thank god!).  She told us that I was 1.5 centimeters dilated and my cervix was 50% effaced, or in other words, half way thinned out.  She said that it had softened a lot, but wasn’t as soft as it could be.  When I asked what this meant, she said that I would not be one of those 41 week mommas that has to be induced (I’m really hoping that she is right).

So now, at 36 weeks, my complaints are starting.  My stomach is gigantic, it’s a challenge to sleep comfortably or even breathe at times, I can hardly bend over to pick something up without grunting, I’m peeing every 10 minutes, it takes me forever to get dressed because finding clothes that are tolerable enough to wear throughout an entire day is nearly impossible, and now my shoes barely fit and socks are not my friend as I cannot bend over far enough to put the things on. I am having at least two contractions every day, my back hurts and the right side of my chest is the worst part of all- I have a little baby bottom shoved up there, stretching my rib cage apart- pleasant, eh?

But I know it is all worth it… We love you, Grae