OOOOhhh, My Belly's so Tiiiggggghhhht!

This morning I had a doctor's appointment that included the glucose test to check for gestational diabetes. I had to slurp down the dreaded orange syrup, which it turns out, is not bad at all. I would describe it as a thicker version Fanta Orange Soda - bubbles and all.

We had an hour to kill while the sugar made its way into my system, so we ran upstairs to the clinic where the actual labor and deliveries take place. We had been wanting to scope out the joint to be able to better visualize how this whole thang will go down. We found an especially chatty nurse who was more than willing to show us a room and fill us in on everything that might possibly happen during delivery. The clinic has what they call "LDRP" rooms that stand for "Labor And Delivery Something Something" rooms, which basically means that you end up spending post-labor in the same room (and bed) that you delivered in. Seems kinda gross, but supposedly they shoo the mom away for a bit to clean up the room and remove traces of ickiness left over after the birthing process. Plus, these rooms are pretty p*mp - very spacious, warm colors, nice millwork, wood (laminate) floors. Not bad at all.

When we got back to the lab, they drained about ten gallons of blood out of my arm for the glucose test and to screen for antibodies because my bloodtype is Rh negative, which means I also have to get an injection on Friday morning. They've tried to explain to me this whole Rh negative thing which, for some reason, I'm having a hard time digesting. Something about how my body will produce antibodies that will combat Alex's antibodies if he has a positive blood type, so they have to inject me with anti-antibodies to protect him... or something... Not sure and too embarrassed to ask again for clarification. Oh well, I have faith that the nurses know what they're talking about, so I'll just do what I'm told.

We also met with Mari who went through the regular routine - basic measurements, quick ultrasound, question and answer session, etc. According to Mari (who knows everything), my belly measurement (23cm) is "perfect", weight is "good", blood pressure is "great", and overall my pregnancy is going "beautifully". Not a bad assessment, huh?

I also mentioned to her that I had been experiencing some pretty substantial tightening in my abdomen that I was suspecting were Braxton Hicks contractions, which she confirmed. Joy had mentioned that she started noticing them at twenty weeks, and although I had been feeling "something weird" for several weeks, I kept thinking, that can't be contractions! Contractions are what happen at the end of your pregnancy! When the baby is about to arrive! I'm not ready for CONTRACTIONS!! Then I found out that I have probably been having them the whole time I've been pregnant, but just haven't noticed them until now. Kinda scary but pretty cool, too.