I met with my OB on Tuesday and from now on I will be seeing him weekly until the baby comes. The visit was fairly routine. Blood pressure, urine analysis, and weight check. I have gained another 2 lbs, making my total 12 lbs for the entire pregnancy.
He examined the baby and I'm measuring 36 weeks and her heartbeat was 137 bpm, strong and steady. She is still head down and has dropped into the pubic bones making her "engaged", meaning she's getting ready to pop out.
Since we are so close to delivery, he did a swap test for Group B Streptococcus, which is a bacteria that is very common in women. 15-40% of women carry the bacteria, but when you are pregnant that bacteria can be passed onto the baby during birth. Doctor's test for it around the 36 week mark and if your results are positive then you are hooked up to antibiotics when your labour starts or your water breaks so that the baby won't get it. It is pointless to give antibiotics before labour begins since even with treatment the bacteria often has time to re-grow before labour starts.
The test was just a simple and pain-free swap and my OB so kindly said that unfortunately that is the least painful thing that will occur from here to the end of the birth.
I asked when he would be checking for dilation and effacement and he said because it is such a painful experience and there is really no benefit to checking early, he won't check that until the last week before my due date. Fine by me. Lets keep the pain to a minimum!
