December 9th 2005

I dropped Kristy off at the entrance to the building because it was really cold and she had to go to the lab before her appointment so she could drink her orange crush drink for her diabetes test. Then I searched for a parking spot, we didn’t see any on the way in, but I got lucky, there was one left and it was pretty close to the door, I could have just parked there and we could have walked in together, but I didn’t see it at the time and I didn’t want to have Kristy walking a long ways in the cold.

“I forgot my book, oh well, no big deal, I’ll make do”, that is what I was thinking as I got out of my car. Now I know, some of you are thinking, man he’s been reading this book for months, but that is how it was meant to be read, month by month through the pregnancy. I think it works best if you are a month ahead because then you get all the valuable tips ahead of time, but I’m actually at the end, I just have to read the info about Cesarean sections and some advise on bringing home baby and then I’m finished. I’ve already started a list of essential items for our pre-packed birth and hospital stay bags, lord of the rings extended version DVDs (all of them), In-motion ipod speaker dock with remote control, ipod mini, video camera, digital cameras, hydration pack that I hope I get for Christmas (so I stay hydrated through the delivery process, it’s important dad is on the ball), clothes, toiletries, beef jerky for nourishment (need to go to Costco and get the big bag), hp 375 4x6 photo printer (it’s one of those small ones, so our visitors can have a little something as a parting gift), the list goes on and on with things that I have deemed absolutely necessary for a successful birthing experience.

Inside I found that Collette was not manning her station? To my surprise a new receptionist was there, her name was Sharon and she was totally boring. I miss Collette.

Kristy grabbed a brown bag and headed towards the restrooms but was greeted by a nurse who told her she didn’t have to do this now, she had to go to the lab and do it there. Kristy was like, “are you sure”, because she really had to go right then and there. So, we ended up hurry down to the lab and she checked in and they let her go to the bathroom. Then we waited for fifteen minutes and then Kristy went back up and asked how much longer the wait was going to be, because we were already late for our checkup with Jill. The lady apologized and found that it had been ready for around ten minutes but no one called Kristy.

Then we were back to the waiting room for our appointment with Jill. Since I forgot my book I had to read about: The new war in space - hypersonic bombers - space mines and killer satellites, the 4000 mega pixel hand build camera and tomorrows robots invading Japan (latest issue of Popular Science if you are interested). Then we were called back in for Kristy’s weigh in. Wow, 143 pounds, at the time is sounded like an enormous number, mostly because Kristy really doesn’t look all that big. Her jaw was dropping and her eyes were really wide, “Where is it all going?” She was really worried about the wait gain. Her blood pressure was 118/62; it probably rose a bit with the weigh in news.

Jill knocked softly on the door and then blasted into the room, “Hi Guys!” She looked at me and said “Oh you’re the one that takes all the notes!” in my head I was thinking for this blog of course, I didn’t’ say it out loud because I didn’t want to have to explain blogging again. About half way through the session she checked my notes, “Wow, you record everything, I don’t even need to keep records, this is great”. She looked over the blood pressure, “Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous honey!” and then said she wanted to go over signs of blood pressure problems, but that she didn’t expect Kristy to have any trouble. Really bad headaches, seeing lights, star bursts or spots in vision, dull achy pain in the liver and swelling in the face (swellings in the legs, hands and feet are standard joys of pregnancy and are of no concern), any of those symptoms and we need to call and come in for a visit.

Kristy asked about her weight gain and Jill looked it over. She said it had definitely gone up since last time but since the first appointment it has only increased by sixteen pounds which is perfectly fine and judging by Kristy’s fitness at the first appointment, she could gain up to 30 pounds without a problem. Kristy read that around 25 pounds or so is recommended and my sister who is very tiny gained 30 pounds during her pregnancy and a week after delivery half of it was gone. I think Kristy was worried about getting too big and developing diabetes during pregnancy but I’m not entirely sure. Kristy asked where all the weight is packing on? And Jill said you gain it in your hips, belly, fluids, placenta, amniotic fluid, and breasts. The baby should start chunking up these last few months.

The measurement of Kristy’s belly was next, from pubic bone to the top or roof of the uterus. This is the measurement that was slightly below average last time and so we ended up doing the urgent ultrasound to make sure the baby was growing. This time, however, Kristy measured 28cm which is right on the money or “Perfect!” in the words of Jill. Jill said you should measure in centimeters, roughly the same number of weeks you are pregnant, give or take 2 to 3 weeks.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh; it’s much easier to find the heart beat when you know how the baby likes to position itself. He was on Kristy’s left, our right if we are looking at her, just like he always is. He was showing off, pressing his back up there so we could hear it real well and even see it a little. It would speed up at the end and Jill said this was a very good sign and that he responds to music when we put head phones on Kristy’s belly (he usually comes out of hiding down low and pops his head out right at the head phones). Jill said that this is the number one sign that all is well and they love to see these responses and rises in heart rate. These simple responses mean that the brain is getting enough oxygen to stimulate brain activity and development.

No questions, everything looked good, and we will have our next appointment next year!

Back to the lab so Kristy could get her blood drawn and finish up the diabetes testing. Heading back to the lab in module A Kristy saw her advisor from WSU Vancouver, Elizabeth. They quickly exchanged pleasantries while passing in the hallway. We got back to the lab and Kristy had to go to the restroom again. When she got back she said “Twenty-eight minutes to go before an hour has passed and they can draw my blood” and at that moment I realized what a grave mistake I had made leaving my book at home. I could have finished it in during the waiting time. I began to look around the room to try and find something to keep me amused.

I wanted to use the technical term for my notes, since they are merely scribbles that trigger my elephant memory to recall a certain point in time. One or two words usually correspond to a paragraph, sometimes two in my blogs. I asked Kristy what the technical term was in psychology and she said I have no idea. I told her Bill (She is Bill’s Teachers Assistant for Neuroscience) would be disappointed and she said, oh, that wasn’t Bill’s class that was Steve’s class, Cognition and Memory, “I Rocked that class!” I responded “If you did so awesome in that class, what is the term I’m looking for” and Kristy replied “Look it up yourself, I don’t remember I have pregnancy brain” because evidently when you are pregnant something happens and you become very forgetful, I’m not making this up, it really happens. There is a clumsy stage too! For those who are interested, the technical term for the recall trick is “mnemonics” and there are many exercises and techniques covered under this title for memory recall.

Okay, only like 4 minutes gone by, what the heck. Finally time was up and Kristy went back to get her blood drawn, by this time I had started watching the reader board up on the wall. “Pharmacy Wait Time” was the title, and it scrolled: “Patients Waiting: 9 … Wait Time: 14 Min” over and over. The shortest during my stay was seven patients and nine minutes, but it quickly bumped up to nine patients and seventeen minutes. By the time we left it was twelve patients and twelve minutes. I still wish I had my book but the reader board helped pass the time.