Half-Baked - pregnancy update

I've reached 20 weeks, the half-way point. Another 20 weeks to go, give or take, then my life will be thrown back into complete chaos for months on end.

Sneak Peek
Had my 20 week ultrasound today. Because the hospital's medical imaging department is total overbooked, I couldn't have my scan done there. So they 'helpfully' gave me a list of other clinics and told me to get my GP to write me a referral. Luckily one clinic on the list offered bulk billing... the down side was that the clinic was in Broadmeadows.

Anyway, DeepSpice and I dropped BallFiend at creche and set off for the sticks. Actually, Broady isn't as bad as I was expecting. There was only one junkie passed out at the bus stop near the clinic when we arrived (around 9.30 am).

The ultrasound went well - it's all there, head, shoulders, knees, toes, eyes, ears, mouth and nose. (Argh! been watching too much Play School with BallFiend.) The little creature kicked and wriggled and twisted and turned while being examined from every angle, inside and out. I got a nice package of still images to take home - a print-out on laser film and an electronic copy on CD-Rom. Plus DeepSpice took a short video by pointing our digital camera at the LCD screen during the scan.


I still hadn't decided whether to find out the baby's sex or not, so I followed The Librarian's lead and got the sonographer to write it on a slip of paper for me to take home. Nearly 12 hours later now and I still haven't looked! I just can't decide if I want to know.

Discomforts
Latest pregnancy-related annoyances include:

• heartburn (reflux),
  
• sore lower back,
  
• abdominal aches and occasionally stabbing pains as ligaments stretch,
  
• extreme tiredness, and
  
• an immune system that is on a 'go slow' (I have tonsillitis for the second time in two weeks).

The Great Hospital Debate
After deliberating for months about which hospital to book with (Private Tour; Another Busy Morning; Results are in!; In the system), the decision was made for me today. A midwife from the hospital that I had been considering transferring to phoned today to tell me that they couldn't (wouldn't) take me and I had to stay with the hospital I had initially booked in at.

I'm happy with this outcome. I had another appointment with the midwife recently and felt much happier after that one. I wasn't kept waiting for ages this time (only 5 - 10 mins) and the midwife was much nicer and seemed much more confident than the one I saw last time. So I had already reached the decision not to transfer hospitals... just hadn't gotten around to contacting the other hospital as yet.
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