It's all Normal, But it's Not

Once you get past a certain stage in your pregnancy you start to see your midwife every 3 weeks. This Monday just gone it was exactly 2 months until AvaLillaBee is due and it was 3 weeks after my last midwife appointment, so we went in to see her. 

I had a million and one questions to ask about this pain or that pain, that cramp and this feeling. She took my blood pressure which she said was normal and then took the good ol' pee cup sample and sent it off for testing - apparently normal. 

Then she asked me if I had any questions. I asked about my cramps around the bottom of my back, the heartburn I get from drinking water, the sharp pain I got once or twice at the top of my uterus, the knotted feeling of back ache, the headaches, the pains I had in my pelvis when I could barely walk last week... All of these things I was terrified about, terrified that baby wasn't well that she wasn't doing something right, that I wasn't doing something right. That she was going to come any minute and I've had these visions of me going into labour telling the midwife "We're not ready yet, she's not ready yet". But on the other hand all I can think about is how she is fine and she is just chilling until it is her time to come. Adam reckons she will come early. But anyway, I asked her about all these things I was worried about and she said they were normal. 

I felt like a complete loon! The midwife reassured me that all of my worries and troubles were normal parts of pregnancy and some of them, like the back ache, are probably only going to get worse during the latter parts of my pregnancy. Sleep is beyond me a lot of the time now, either I get the whole restless leg syndrome thing, or my hip hurts, or I need a pee, or Millie our cat, feeding her ever growing up brood of six kittens, needs feeding.

The midwife got me to lie down so she could feel where Ava was and how she is doing so I asked if the midwife could tell me where about's Ava is lying because I can never tell. She said Ava has her head above my belly button and her bum by the bottom of my stomach with her legs and arms curled to the side. She told me that Ava and bump are measuring in at the right size for the length of the pregnancy I am at and said there was nothing to worry about. Then we listened to her heartbeat. Adam and I love that part. We didn't realise now when we go for appointments we would be able to hear her heart beating but since we do and we can, it's such a great comfort to a little worrier like me. 

Not that there is much to worry about. Ava is bouncing and kicking all over, even having a good old dig at my ribs. Now I know the womb is supposed to support Ava and give her all the comfort she needs to be safe inside my body but where is the comfort and support for my ribs, and my bladder, and my stomach? The cheeky little monkey takes it all for herself. But as they say, as long as she is okay, that's all that matters, since women's body's are apparently built for this sort of thing I shouldn't worry myself too much about my organs moving all over my body. 

Oh well. As long as she's fine and I am curled over in pain because she has kicked my ribs... then I am fine.