thirty-eight weeks!

-






bump watch: we're measuring at 40 weeks again this week! baby thankfully remains head down, and she was right occiput transverse at my appointment yesterday (meaning the back of her head is facing my right side and her arms and legs are pointing towards my left. this position is more favourable for her to turn into the optimal occiput anterior position (back of her head facing out), as opposed to Greta who was occiput posterior (also known as sunny-side-up).



little peanut: is the size of a winter melon ... i'm really quite amazed at how many varieties of melon there apparently are. the midwife estimated that she'd be about eight pounds at delivery, which is exactly what they said about Greta (who was 7 pounds 5 ounces at 41 weeks and 3 days!), so we'll see! her lungs are fully matured, and her vocal cords are ready to start making some noise!




Fetal Development Week 39


best moment: by far, the highlight of the week was resolving the issue with my insurance provider. i spoke to one of their member representatives last week and she filed an expedited appeal on my behalf to try to get them to cover my delivery at in-network rates. i found out yesterday afternoon that they approved my request, so my delivery at Mercy will be covered! i'm so relieved to be delivering at the same hospital where i had such a great experience with Greta, and with the midwives who have taken such excellent care of me through both pregnancies. and i found out from the midwives today that they also approved in-network rates for the other 20 women who were in my exact same situation. lots of happy pregnant women in Pittsburgh today!








symptoms: puffy fingers, and a few irregular contractions. baby's still sitting up high, so i don't have too much of the pregnancy waddle going on yet!


cravings: Halloween candy. specifically Snickers ... and these specially flavored Brach's candy corn someone brought into work. they taste like waffles and i can't get enough.

what i miss: my sense of balance and general idea of how much space i need to maneuver. this morning i accidentally bumped a patient with my belly while examining her back so, you know, that's awkward.
looking forward to: finishing up the remaining few items on my to-do list. i did get the hospital and baby bags packed this week. i still need to put the sheets on the co-sleeper; wrap Greta's gift to the baby, and "baby's" gift to Greta; and assemble the double stroller. and of course, i can't wait to meet our sweet little girl and start to experience life as a family of four!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

whine and cheese (2024 edition)

-
Image
it's about time for a good old airing of the grievances. while we have ever so much for which to give thanks, sometimes we need the catharsis of enumerating our woes, big and small. (you can read the 2023 edition here.) _________________________________________ first up, potty training.  I buckled down and trained Greta and Cecilia both around age 2 1/2, and it went fairly well (I'm a big fan of waiting until the kid is practically ready to train themselves). Elizabeth turned 2 1/2 near the end of the school year, and logically it seemed like a great time to buckle down -- we wouldn't be driving around to after school sports and activities and we'd have more time at home. I kept waiting for the day when I'd wake up full of excitement and motivation to strip off the diaper and chase a naked toddler around the house. and ... shockingly ... that day never came. then we were preparing for our trip to Seattle in July and it definitely didn't seem like the right time
Read more

eight months

-
Image
dear Victoria, sometimes I scoop you up and can't stop myself from squishing your little body right into my chest, and nuzzling my face into your neck until you squeal with giggles. you are just so darn cute! you can spend up to an hour scooting around the family room playing with various toys -- recently you've started to be interested in baby dolls and the Fisher Price doll house. you mostly army crawl, but sometimes you pull yourself forward when you're sitting, too, and a few times you've been able to launch forward an inch or so from a bona fide crawling position. you can stand supported for a little while, but you're not close to pulling up by yourself yet.  we had another wonderful report from the orthopedic surgeon this month. both hips remain in place. your left hip has what they call a "delayed ossification center", meaning that it's still primarily cartilage since the hip socket didn't form properly to begin with, but the doctor said tha
Read more

what's good for the goose {my first foray into therapy}

-
Image
sitting outside the new independent coffee shop that opened in the neighborhood this summer as a physician assistant with an undergraduate minor in psychology, I've always been fascinated by the connection between the mind and the body. that interest serves me well in my chosen specialty of primary care/internal medicine, as mental health comes to bear so frequently on physical, or somatic, complaints like fatigue, upset stomach, and dizziness. in any given day, I'll typically have one or two appointments that are scheduled specifically so someone can address their anxiety or depression, and it often comes up as a subject of conversation during routine physicals. I have probably recommended therapy to my patients literally thousands of times, whether it's to deal with an isolated situational stress or grief, or more pervasive issues like OCD, chronic insomnia, bipolar disorder, depression, or borderline personality disorder. when we're discussing starting antidepressant
Read more