Doctor appointment

I had my 28-week appointment this morning (even though I'm really 27 1/2 weeks done). We are getting near the end!! They want to see me in one week to get my RhoGAM shot. For those who don't know, I need this because I have Rh- blood and Mike has Rh+. So there is an Rh antigen on Mike's blood cells that my body would recognize as a foreign body, and attack. And our baby could be Rh- or + since it will have inherited blood type from both of us (and other relatives, of course.) So if the baby is Rh+, it's okay for now; its blood doesn't really mix with mine, and so my body won't attack (that is, build an antibody against this foreign antigen.) But, during childbirth, the baby's blood will mix with my blood (this is still not clear to me, but I imagine it has something to do with it squeezing through my bloody, torn vagina, and it's not pleasant to think about). Once our bloods mix, my body would recognize this foreign antigen, and begin producing antibodies that will attack. By the time my body is cranking out the antibody, the baby will long be out, so the antibodies can't hurt the baby. But, and this is what's important, if a subsequent baby was conceived and had Rh+ blood, the antibody now present in my blood would cross the placenta and attack the baby's blood cells, which needless to say would not be good for that baby. I think this was a major problem in the past, and it caused a lot of miscarriages and such. Now that they know about it, they can prevent it from happening. So I need this shot. I don't know how it works, but I suspect it stops my body from producing an antibody if the baby does have Rh+ blood. I can't imagine why else I would have to have it before delivering the first.

Anyhow, there you have it, our first Littlest Lesh physiology lesson.

And then after the appointment next week, he wants to see me 2 weeks later, or 3 weeks from now. That'll be in the middle of my 30th week, and then after that the appointments are every other week. Eek!

And the baby is just fine. He found the heartbeat with a little more trouble than previous appointments--when he first stuck the doppler-probe-thingy-ma-jigger on my belly, the little bugger (baby, not doctor) kicked it. And then it apparently squirmed around and wouldn't give a good heart rate reading. But it settled. And then I asked the doctor if he could tell which way the baby was facing, and should it be head down by now? Is it important? And of course, the baby is presently breech. But he said it's totally fine until the 35th week or so, at which time we'll want to make sure it's head down. But it was funny that he claimed he could feel the head, and he cupped his hands around where it is, and it's pretty much standing up in there, and I was all, "No wonder it feels like someone is dancing on my cervix!" Seriously, I've been complaining to Mike that it's kicking my bladder, what must be my cervix, and my lower colon a lot, and not to be too callous, but it makes me feel like I have to poop. It sucks. I hope it flips over before it gets any better at stomping.

Oh, and we start Lamaze classes in late January. I'm excited.