Moving right along....

I had an appt with my OB/Gyn today. Although I am having a homebirth, I have also been seeing my OB\Gyn. Mainly because I think it's nice to have a back-up person, just in case something were to happen and I needed to go to the hospital, and also because I have known my dr since I was about 21 yrs old. So, she feels like a longtime friend and she has been with me since before I even had kids. She is fine with me having a homebirth, especially since I have done this before, and she is very confident and supportive of my homebirth decision, which is nice. Of course, if she was not, I would most likely not continue to see her :)
Anyways, she checked me today and I am already 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. For those of you who have had kids before, you understand this lingo and it basically means....I am moving right along, my body is preparing for the birth and labor could happen anytime soon. Once you hit about 80% effaced or more, labor is immanent and happening fast...at least that is how it is for me. If I do not have this baby in the next 2-3 weeks, I'd be shocked. I have been contracting and cramping a lot this week. I feel like I am in early labor at times...and I guess I probably am, since labor could be a month long process.

I see my midwife, Pam, next Tuesday. I do enjoy my appts with her so much. We usually just sit and chat, and drink tea...and talk about baby. No rush. And, I do notice a huge difference in my appts with my midwife vs. my dr. I love them both, but my dr is more by the book, using technology (ultrasounds, doppler heart monitors, blood tests and doing internal checks) to ensure all is OK, whereas Pam has an intuitive sense about her...she loves to connect with the baby and feel my belly without all the technology and man-made stuff...and it feels as if she seems to know more that way. She can always tell where baby is at, the exact position and has a good sense of the baby's size too...all without any ultrasound technology. Pam also does blood tests and urine tests as well, and she has the all the "medical stuff" if needed....so don't think she is totally not modern or well prepared, but I do think that overall, the care of a midwife far outweighs that of a dr. and the time a midwife spends with her patient is much longer. She takes time at our appts to figure out the emotions of a pregnant woman...not just the physical outcome of the mom and baby, which is nice.