Had my weekly prenatal appointment today with Dr.Williams. Pretty sure it was my first time meeting him. He reminded me a bit of an absent-minded professor as he seemed a bit "off" his game. I'd put him in his mid-30s to 40s though so I don't think it's from inexperience.
Blood Pressure: 120/80 - perfect
Weight: no change from last week, so at +6 lbs from original starting weight
Belly Measurement: don't know, but asked if it was good & he said yes
Urine Proteins: negative, which is a good thing
GBS/Strep B result: negative, which is also good. not really a huge deal if you're positive. If you are positive they give you two rounds of antibotics once you go into labor. However, if they can't give you the full round of antibodics before baby comes, then they will be extra cautious and do extra stuff with baby.
Feet Swelling: it's gone up & down depending how much I'm on my feet, how much I get them up & how much salt I consume so I don't think it's related to my blood pressure (especially as my blood pressure it good).
So it was an uneventful appointment which is really a good sign. I'll be 37 weeks tomorrow (Saturday). Booked my next appointment for one week away.
Dr. Joelle
I've decided to try out a new chiropractor for a few reasons.
-My current chiropractor is fine, but I can't help but feel that he is complacent in my adjustments. I just feel a little too rushed during the appointments.
-Dr. Joelle is from my "Independant Achievers" group which is for women in business to network, so I thought I should give her a try.
-She specializes in prenatal & postnatal chiropractic care as well as chiropractic for children.
My first appointment and assessment was today. Normally it is $65 for the first session, but I found out that part of the fee is waived for I.A. members so it was only $35, score! It was really exciting to talk with Dr.Joelle. She definitely has a different focus from my previous chiropractor as right away she asked me about my baby's position. All I knew was that his head was down at my last week's appointment but she had concerns, from the shape of my belly, that he was posterior (meaning that his bum would be to my back instead of to my front) or at least maybe to the side too much rather than centered. This could cause painful back labor and also in the meantime could cause some pelvic & hip pain.
So she tested all of my reflexes & did a bit of a manual exam on me. Then she did some "typical" chiropractic adjustments as of which felt amazing (when you are out of alignment it feels so good to 'click' back into alignment). She felt around for baby and said what she felt lined up with what she had thought. She did some new adjustments and did a stretch type thing of the muscle that is underside my abdomen. Boy did that feel good in that bad kind of why...where it hurts but you know its a positive hurt. Then she had some homework for me:
-continue drinking red leaf raspberry tea. I've kind of been sporadic about it, so she suggests drinking at least a pot a day.
-start taking evening primrose oil. One capsule orally & one capsule vaginally daily (more info on the reason for this below).
-whenever laying day, lay on my right side with my left leg elevated. This should help baby slip better into the center of my abdomen/uterus.
-Get down on all fours a few times a day, for 20-30 minutes. She suggested getting an exercise ball and sprawling over that. This position helps to pull baby away from my spine.
Um, I think that's it. I get to see her again on Tuesday & Thursday this upcoming week. She's a very interesting lady with a lot of knowledge & she herself has given birth 3 times, all of them at home & in water.
She also has a lending library of book resources as well as several copies of the DVD "The Business of Being Born". I have seen the last half of it by chance on my digital cable but never did catch the first half (which really explains why they made the documentry I'm sure) so I borrowed it to watch. I also have a prenatal massage on Tuesday that I am very much looking forward to...and the first massage you book is 1/2 off so I'm happy about that as well!
Evening primrose oil is a natural source of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins act to soften and ripen the cervix. This can aid in dilation and effacement. However, since the prostaglandins found in evening primrose oil are natural, they do not affect the body of a woman who is not otherwise ready to go into labor. This means that they are unlikely to trigger labor much earlier than it would naturally occur.
Though evening primrose oil is not likely to trigger labor directly, you can still take evening primrose oil to help the body in its natural process. Many midwives recommend starting a supplement of evening primrose oil during the 34th week of pregnancy. You can start by taking one or two 500 mg capsules every day. When you reach 38 weeks, you can begin taking up to four capsules of evening primrose oil every day. At this time, you can also begin inserting one or two capsules vaginally every day as well. This can be a more effective method of softening the cervix, since the oil will come in direct contant with the cervix. You can do this every night before bed, which gives the evening primrose oil plenty of time to be absorbed while you sleep.
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