I Am Stronger Than the Needle

Got my bloodwork done today, WAHOO!

You're probably thinking, "But...you're like, over four months pregnant. You're just NOW getting your bloodwork done?"

Yup.

Well, we went in soon after our initial OB appointment in January, but when the lady informed us that it was going to cost over $1,000 because of not having insurance and requiring extra blood tests thanks to my husband being half Hispanic, she suggested that we wait until we found out if we got Medicaid. Well, as of now we don't qualify (although we will when I'm officially no longer employed by the school over the summer), and we can't keep waiting. So, we worked out a payment plan and be-bopped on down to Quest Diagnostics once again today, determined to get this done.

Needles don't scare me, and blood really doesn't bother me either. It's something about the magic combination of putting the needle into my VEIN that sends me straight to the floor. I shudder when I see someone with an IV in their hand, too--I dunno, maybe I believe that needles should be used to give shots only. Anyway, I don't do so well with bloodwork (at all). I was nervous, but I figured this is small potatoes compared to what I'll be facing in a few months (BTW, read the labor and delivery section of Girlfriend's Guide...holy guacamole. Color me scared). I just told the lady that I don't do so well with bloodwork and asked her not to mention needles or veins. The hubs went back with me and chatted me up while I turned my head as far away from my arm as I possibly could.

AND I DID IT!

I had the sweetest lady, who was so helpful. She asked me when I was due, and I told her August 28th. She goes, "My goodness! You're carrying so well! I thought you were due in October or something! You look fantastic!"

She was probably just saying that to make me feel better, but it still made me smile in the midst of having my life fluid drained.

I'm starting a new book: Your Best Birth, written by the same people who produced The Business of Being Born. I'm finding it to be really informative so far. It's not nearly as preachy for natural birth as I thought it would be, which is nice. I don't want a book to tell me how to have my baby, I just want information on my options. I'm trying hard not to get attached to any one option, because babies have their own ideas of how they're going to come into the world. I just want to be prepared as well as I can be.