Centering Pregnancy

Oh, Baby, we have an exciting several months ahead of us!

Thanks to a new thing Kaiser is trying, you and I get to meet with other mommas-to-be for our prenatal care! The concept is called, Centering Pregnancy. We just had our first appointment on Saturday, and it was so nice. Six of us met with a team of midwives, with whom we'll all be meeting once a month over the next few months, and then twice a month towards the end of our pregnancies. We got to take our own blood pressure and weight, and then I got the chance to try and find your heartbeat with a handheld Doppler radar machine. I didn't get to hear you that day, but Jacqui, one of the midwives, told me not to worry. (In fact, she said, "If you're really skinny, sometimes we can hear the heartbeat with this machine before 12 weeks, but it's rare." Haha! Skinny I am not; therefore, worried I am not.)

Wanna know the best part? We have friends in the group! Katy, with whom I used to work at Big Valley (and her baby boy due in August), came walking up on Saturday and she was SO surprised to see me. She had no idea about you! I knew she was going to be there, though, because when I signed up for the group, I saw that her name was already on the list, so I decided I'd just surprise her. It was great!

I'm so glad to be sharing this experience with a friend; although, I know I'd enjoy it even if I hadn't known anyone going into it. The environment is so positive and encouraging, and it's much more nurturing than meeting for 15 minutes in the doctor's office. Don't get me wrong--I love our OB, Sheila, but I think this is a better choice for us. All we need to do is pray that nothing serious happens to either one of us so we can stay in the group!

Love you, Baby!