36 week Poke in the Butt

I just had my 36 week appointment. Had the GBS test, totally fine by the way, and my first internal (not counting the one I got in L&D at 26 weeks). The verdict is: about 1 cm dilated and "pretty thin." I didn't ask for a percentage effacement, but she said it in a "that's good" way, not in an "oh no preterm labor way." And on her way out she said, "Good start!" I know that early progress like this means next to nothing, but honestly, it's almost impossible not to be excited about it. It's so cool to know that my body is doing what it's supposed to be doing already.

Other than that... blood pressure's good, pee is presumably good since I didn't hear anything about it. Heartbeat was strong and fast. She had a little trouble pinning down the heartbeat because he was squirming - I could feel it and she commented, "This baby's all over the place!" Which is why I thought it was slightly odd that she kept stressing how important it is for me to make sure he's still moving enough. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that he seems to sleep for longer stretches... she harped on the idea of making sure it wasn't too long. Seriously, I finally feel secure in this pregnancy, do I need to start worrying about something new? He moves plenty. He's fine. I understand that bad shit can happen right near the end, but at this point I am so done being paranoid. After 36 weeks, I am trusting my body and nature to take its course as it should.

She asked if I've had much pelvic pressure considering that my cervix has begun to efface... and I kind of blurted, "Some... like especially after a meal? But not all the time." Yeah, pretty sure food doesn't efface your cervix, dumbass... lol. I don't know, I just couldn't think of the "right" answer. If I have had pelvic pressure I guess I either haven't noticed or thought it was just gas or Braxton Hicks or something. There's all sorts of stuff going on down there, but I'm not a doctor, I don't know what it all is!

My weight is up 28 lbs now. I'm not going to lie, even though rationally I know my weight gain is fine and I'm pretty much all belly, it does make you a little googly to know that you've gained 30 lbs or so. And still have plenty of time to gain more. I could be looking at 40 lbs if I keep gaining so quickly... that's kind of crazy. I know I can lose it. It's just a bit of a head trip to think about. But (don't tell him I told you) Mr. I has gained almost exactly the same amount of weight as me since I got pregnant! Hehe... so maybe with a little teamwork we can lose our baby weight together.