Today was my 36 week appointment.  My mom came with me and I left Elise with John’s Mom because she is not good at knowing when not to interrupt.  I had a lot to talk over with the doctor, and I thought she’d slow it down significantly.  We did all the regular checks and everything looks really good.  The baby’s heart rate was faster today–160 beats per minute.  He/she was awake though, so that makes the heart rate go up a bit.  I also got a group b strep test–a routine test for pregnancy that they like to treat if you have it so that you lower the risk of passing it onto the baby.  I don’t know my results, but it was always negative in my last two pregnancies, so I doubt it is very likely I would be positive now.

The doctor did a check to see where we are.  The baby is head down, which is a good thing at this point.  I figured it was, because that is how it feels to me, but it was nice to know for sure.  I am about 1/2 cm dilated, which is not much, but doesn’t necessarily mean anything anyway as to how close I am to labor.

We discussed some labor issues, things like eating and walking during labor and what he would allow.  We are pretty much on the same page for everything.  I have everything written down, not only for myself, but also so that if it happens that I am delivered by another doctor he can see what I had already decided on with my doctor.  The doctor was nice in saying that he planned on being there.  🙂  Of course he warned me two days he’ll be gone to a conference and I warned him that the last time someone (John) told me a bad day to go into labor that was the day it happened.  Hopefully that will not repeat itself.  🙂

We also discussed postpartum depression.  Our plan has been and still is that I will go on anti-depressants while still in the hospital and will be discharged with a prescription.  I plan on taking the ones I took before, because I know they work.  I did mention to him that I have been very emotional some days even now, and he said that if things got really bad before the baby came there is one anti-depressant that is considered safe during late pregnancy.  This takes a lot of stress off of me.  I hope I don’t have to use it, but now I don’t have to worry about it as much.

All in all, it was a great appointment.  I see the doctor every week now until the baby comes.  It won’t be long now.