Proverbial medical advice to self: It is better to indulge in books than in sugar

Twenty-eight weeks today! The beginning of my third trimester. I am really starting to brace myself for the months ahead. I know from experience that these last 3 months of pregnancy become increasingly difficult and uncomfortable, and I also know that it gets even harder when the baby arrives. There is joy amid the stress, but there is, no doubt, stress.

Last week I picked up the latest edition of Sheila Kitzinger’s classic, The Complete Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth. The copy I pored over prior to Pearl’s arrival in 2005 was dated 1987, I think, so I felt justified in securing more up-to-date information.

I also bought a batch of books for Vi, anticipating the unwritten pages of summer vacation. I found a 3-for-4 deal on four books that had been recommended to me at the Festival of Faith & Writing:

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell—This was one of A-Town faithful Auntie Jean’s favorites as an avid young reader. We actually have Auntie Jean’s copy in our possession, which I think Vi will come to cherish. However, for now, I hope she’ll be enticed by the slick new paperback version.

The Silver Crown (Aladdin Fantasy) by Robert C. O’Brien—Recommended by FFW author Sara Zarr. This one seems like the fantastical sort of subject Vi would enjoy, given her past faves.

Shug by Jenny Han—I can’t recall who suggested this one (was it you, Leena?), but I scribbled a note on my Festival notes: “Shug, Han, Vi.” Looks like an appropriately melodramatic pick for the summer before starting middle school.

Summer of My German Soldier (Puffin Modern Classics) by Bette Green—Another Zarr selection, which I remember reading as a girl, but barely recall its contents. I enjoy a good juvenile lit pick every now and again, so maybe I’ll relive this tale myself.

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Since writing the above this morning, I have had a full day of work- and pregnancy-related transactions. Things really start to pick up as birthing day draws near. Last Monday I went for my gestational diabetes test. I “passed”—meaning my body is processing sugar appropriately and I don’t have to restrict my diet for the next 3 months to spinach salads and hard-boiled eggs. (Whew!)

This week I had to go for my Rhogam injection. As a woman with Rh-negative blood married to a man with Rh-positive blood, I have to get this shot during and after each pregnancy to make sure my blood does not attack my babies’ blood. This is a very oversimplified explanation. If you want to understand it better, Google it, but be warned: Googling medical information can be very scary and confusing (if you haven’t already figured that out). I have been through this Rhogam drill 3 times before with no ill effects (at least, none evident so far—3 healthy kids, ages 10, 6 and 4), but I looked it up again over the weekend. By the time I got to the midwife’s office, I was warily certain I would accept the shot, but not without qualms—and not without making sure it was mercury-free. (The brand my midwife used was—I personally read the specs.)

Still, I wonder if I made the right decision. So many health-related decisions are so daunting. There doesn’t seem to be a “right answer.” Doctors often disagree with one another, as do alternative health care practitioners. My chiropractor and my massage therapist, for example, are not philosophically “in sync,” as I assumed they would be. So what’s an Average Jane to do? Research some, pray a lot, and hope for the best, I suppose. If only life could be as clear-cut as Strunk & White’s.

One thing’s for sure—and I don’t need an expert to confirm what I already know: I gotta stop eating so many sweets! I’ve done it before; I can do it again. Now that Ben’s Star Wars cake is consumed, I am resolved to lay off the refined sugar. On that count, today’s check-up was painfully clear-cut: Up 7.5 pounds in the past 2 weeks—zoinks! Headline to avoid: “A-Town woman births 16-pound baby.”