Nothing like the movies

A couple of pregnancy milestones have happened in the past few weeks, and I haven't been able to properly chronicle them, as I have been without the internet for some time. However, I should be back online any day now. As of this moment, I have to use any internet I can find, which means no pictures today because I do not have the means to upload them. But there are some beautiful ones coming I can assure you! Any day now...

On Monday, November 8th, we had our first official OB-GYN appointment with the doctor who supposedly will be delivering our baby. It's a little different than the movies, though. In the movies, the couple goes out and earnestly searches for the perfect doctor for the job. And then once they find them, they have an intimate meeting with them to discuss their birth plan, and preferences, and exchange home numbers, and fax numbers, and email addresses. And then that exact doctor is the one who shows up at the hospital when labour begins and that familiar face helps them through this monumental moment...

Nuh uh.

In Winnipeg, you choose your hospital, and then you are assigned a group of OB-GYNs. You meet with one regularly, but there are about 5-8 in the group, who circulate on the labour and delivery floor in the hospital in which you'll be delivering. So, the best chance you have of the doctor you've been seeing being THE doctor on THE day is about 20%. When we got to the place where we were meeting with out doctor, we sat in a waiting room for a little while which was FULL of pregnant ladies, it felt so surreal. At a glance someone would think there were 20 people in that room, but I guess in reality, there were a minimum of 40! Strange to think of it that way... Anyway, when they finally called my name we went in, and in a very assembly-line-like way, I was weighed and measured (my measurement was exactly on the money, by the way.) I shook the doctor's hand, and she said "Got any questions for me?" and in my confusion, I didn't really have any specific ones. However, I would have liked a little bit of familiar conversation. I did not receive this. She was very polite, and friendly, but as soon as I was in her office, I was out again, and the receptionist was calling the next woman's name. Well, I'll be.

That evening, we attended our very first prenatal class. Again, not really like the movies. The scenes where everyone sits in a circle, and shares their feelings and thoughts. And everyone becomes friends, and supports one another. And you all breathe and bond. No... felt a little bit more like a work seminar. There was a powerpoint presentation, and handheld notes, and a whole lot of explanation of all of the things that can go wrong during labour and delivery! And nobody really talked to each other, nobody was brave enough to ask questions (except me. I was totally on it!) and everybody was much older than Matt and me. Everyone except this one couple, who didn't seem married to me. They seemed a little bit more like this baby was sort of a surprise situation...

Our next class is coming up on the 22nd, and hopefully its a little bit less horrific. Just hearing the statistics of cesarean section deliveries alone was enough to freak an expectant mom out! But Matt and I are hoping and praying every day that everything goes as close to plan as possible. There can be a few detours, but hopefully nothing as drastic as needing a C-section...

In other news, I still haven't been able to begin work on the nursery, and my nesting instincts are exploding! I don't think I can suppress it anymore, to be honest! But our bathroom needed finishing first (and that ones almost complete) and then our nursery can be tackled. It needs plastering, taping, sanding, painting, wainscoting application, baseboards, and floors before I can even begin to move any baby stuff into there. We're in hot pursuit of a suitable crib right now, but once we get it, it will have nowhere to go! I'm getting antsy here, people! I'm slowly building a small pile of assorted baby supplies in the corner of our bedroom, but there isn't much there. A crib bedding set (first official baby purchase!) and some receiving blankets, a ton of baby clothes (but not many of them newborn sized, unfortunately) that we've recieved as gifts from people, and a diaper bag. I can't wait to do some serious baby shopping, though. I think I will feel a LOT better once I know we have everything that we need.

There's a lot more going on, but I'll save that for the next entry. And that one will have pictures!

As of yesterday, I'm 7 months pregnant! Just over 31 weeks. Baby's healthy, and kicking ALL day, Matthew's been reading AA Milne's classic Winnie the Pooh to Baby G every single night, and the baby kicks the entire time. And we're starting to establish a home, and a family. I'm feelin' good! Movin' forward! Making it happen! One step at a time, baby.