28 Week Doctor Appointment

Yesterday I had my 28 Week doctor appointment. The wait was forever long, but I finally got in and I saw Dr. Biter for the first time. Until now I've always ended up seeing Dr. Cap instead, who is great, but since Dr. Biter will be the one who is there for the actual delivery, I was really looking forward to meeting with him.

Everything went well! We started out by discussing natural birth, the new birthing center, and my birth plan. He answered all the questions I had about my birth plan, and told me that while I could list everything out, I didn't need to worry about it. All I need to do is let them know that I want to avoid all interventions if at all possible, and the staff will know that I want "The Biter Birth." That was reassuring, although I do still plan to have my birth plan written out for reference for Mike and I. I am going to write out all my reasons for not wanting an epidural so that if in the heat of the moment I am weak and question myself, I can look at that list and remember why I am doing this in the first place. I didn't find out much more about the birthing center and its opening date - it still may or may not be ready in time for me. He eased my mind a bit about delivering at the hospital though. The staff all knows him there, so as long as I am his patient, they will be willing to let me have things the way I would like. I did find out that my insurance will probably not cover delivery at the birthing center (if it is completed in time for me) so he advised me to get things set up with my VA health coverage. He introduced me to his office manager, so she is coordinating things with the VA for me now.

We also discussed pediatric care, and he recommended that Mike and I interview a pediatrician soon, before the baby comes, since they will be taking care of her right away. He recommended one in particular at El Camino Pediatrics, so I will probably give her a call in the next week or so.

We discussed the results from my glucose screening the other day, and he said that everything looked great, including my iron. So, that was good news! Before I went in to the office, I did the math to see what range my weight should be in so that I wouldn't freak out when I saw the scale. According to my weekly emails, I should have gained about 17-24 pounds this week. I was very thrilled to find that I have gained just 16 pounds - just enough to be healthy, but still at the low end of the weight spectrum. I gained 6 pounds total in this past month, so it's slowed down a bit from my 8-pound gain last month. I can live with that. My blood pressure was good, and baby's heartbeat was nice and strong. My belly is measuring right on track.

All in all it was a great visit. I go back in 3 more weeks for my next checkup. I guess since things are going so well, I don't need to go back every two weeks just yet. I like the 3 week interval better than a full month though - it doesn't seem so long that way!



Other news: I found a brand new crib mattress on Craigslist for only $40! That puts the total cost of our crib and mattress at $260. That is awesome, considering that we were expecting to have to put down somewhere between $350 and $400 for them. Now I just need to find a night stand and a shelf of some sort, and other than that, just wait for after the baby showers to get all the rest of our necessities off the registries!