So thankful for midwives

Warning: Female discussion topic ahead. Not that I have many male readers anyway.

On Friday I had my annual exam with a midwife, as decided months ago. On the advice of some of you, when I scheduled the appointment I also mentioned that I wanted to do a pre-conception consultation at the same time. This turned out to be an awesome idea, because the midwife actually spent over an hour just talking to me about various pregnancy- and health-related topics.

Seriously, she was AWESOME. She was supportive of my desire to have a natural childbirth without being too extreme about it. She was very knowledgeable and discussed some issues that hadn't occurred to me, such as genetic counseling (since Torsten and I are both European Caucasian, we're at higher risk for being carriers of cystic fibrosis), testing for rubella immunity (apparently some batches of the MMR vaccine weren't fully effective against rubella), and checking Torsten's blood type (I have a negative blood type, and if Torsten's is positive, it's possible that a baby's would be too, and then there would be concern about my body attacking the baby, which could be alleviated with a simple shot).

She listened to all my questions, and answered them thoughtfully and thoroughly. She was interesting. She didn't seem rushed AT ALL, and even sometimes took the time to go on tangents that were useful but not strictly necessary. We talked about doulas and water births and self-hypnosis and c-sections and risks and my thyroid and weight and lots of other things.

Background on the thyroid as it relates to pregnancy: apparently untreated or poorly-managed thyroid problems can lead to temporary infertility. So, before my thyroid was treated and before I went on the pill years ago, my period was quite irregular, and according to my endocrinologist, I probably wasn't ovulating.

Also, because apparently when you've been overweight your whole life you assume that everything is related to your weight, and because thyroid problems affect your weight, I assumed that the non-ovulation was related not just to my under-treated thyroid condition but also to my weight, because being overweight can be related to fertility issues. BUT, this midwife told me that the weight has absolutely nothing to do with thyroid-related non-ovulation. Since my condition is now well-controlled, there's no reason for me not to ovulate once I go off the pill, and if I'm not ovulating, it's irrelevant to my thyroid condition.

SO, yet another way that I've let my weight get to my head for no reason, huh? But good news that I don't have to freak out that I won't be ovulating. And since I didn't start treating my thyroid condition until well after I started the pill, I am sort of curious to see whether my period will be as irregular as it was now that my thyroid is under control.

She was just... she was supportive and aware and reasonable and understanding and non-judgmental and made me EXCITED not just to be pregnant but also to give birth. EXCITED. To squeeze a large baby through a very small passageway! Seriously.

So, let's see. Annual exam done, pre-conception questions addressed. I'll just keep taking my vitamins and folic acid and eating well and exercising and generally do everything I can to get myself in the best possible condition for pregnancy. We're going to meet with a genetic counselor and get tested and if we're both carriers of the same condition (which is unlikely, but possible) take steps to avoid passing the condition to our child.

And then... well, then the waiting game begins. And I try to avoid freaking out about potentially not being able to get pregnant. I try to limit my freakouts to worries that can actually be productive. We'll see how that goes.