Week 26

Since the baby's movement patterns have become stronger and more regular, I thought I would relax, knowing the approximate times I would feel a kick.
Unfortunately, no. The more the baby moves, the more I freak when it doesnt move. There are quiet moments, somtimes complete stillness in there. When I experience those moments, the moments when I cant feel anything, I kind of lose my mind. I drop everything, stop and start kick-counting. I eat lollies, drink ice cold water, poke, prod, jiggle and cry. I cry a lot while I do this.
This week, Rainbow Baby had such a quiet day that I actually stalked The Boss. I stalked him.
Im not proud of it. This type of anxiety really pushes the boundaries...
After four hours of complete stillness, I rang his office, to see if I could "call past for a check." Now, this is laughable, because we live an hour away. The Boss's office and my hospital where I will be delivering is a sweet one hour drive away. The Boss's secretary told me he was at the public hospital across the road (my delivery hospital) doing Clinic duty. Big mistake.
At 3.30pm, I bundle Jack into the car, drive down the Freeway, and present myself at the hospital's obstetric Clinic (funnily, where all my antenatal checks for Sybella and Jack took place).
As The Boss walked out to call his next patient, he catches my eye. He stops. Looks around. "Hi Steph."
Hmmmm. I anticipate that he is going to have the shits. But I still have not felt the baby move, so I feel justified in my crazy behaviour.
I wait until his last patient has finished and walk into the room apologising profusely. I explain that the baby hasnt moved in five hours, I was stressing out, blah blah blah. As I babble, explaining myself and apologising, The Boss calmly takes my blood pressure and coaxes me over to the portable ultrasound machine (that he has hunted down especially for me...normally in the public Clinic only the doppler is used.)
I keep babbling, until he shows me a strong heartbeat and a baby kicking away, happily oblivious to my anxiety. With a deep breath, I shut up. The Boss explains the baby's position, which is one that the limbs are facing inwards, meaning I havent been able to feel the movements. Well. What a little bugger.
"So," says The Boss conversationally. "You found me. Thought I could hide here."
"Yeah," I respond. "Sorry for stalking you and chasing you all over the place."
He laughs, and gets immediately accosted by Jack, who wants to explain, and dramatise, the details of his last vomit.

What an afternoon for this saint of a man.

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