I took my laundry list of questions to the midwife appointment today.

She is happy with my weight gain, blood pressure, and lack of swollen ankles. Smudge sounds healthy and is growing "right on track." Unless something bad happens between now and then, I am free to travel through Christmas, although that should be my last out of state trip before Smudge makes his appearance. Yes I should get a flu shot, and if the company doing them for my office has an issue, she will send a note. That Smudge movements feel pretty much like gurgles or maybe large-scale digestive action is not a cause for concern, so long as I feel something every few hours.

As far as the leg cramping goes, she thinks that if everything I have tried hasn’t done the trick, I  just have to live with it. Maybe drinking more water would help a little bit.

And as far as the scary, wake-up-choking-and-retching reflux goes, that too is just my unlucky pregnancy symptom.

I can keep playing OTC remedy roulette. She recommended having my ‘help Smudge let me sleep’ snack a little bit earlier. And if I can tilt the angle I’m sleeping on even more, that’s probably also good. (I already use one of those wedge-shaped pillows.) And if sleeping on my back helps, go right ahead, unless I start feeling faint or light-headed.

It looks like I’ll be carting my wedge-shaped pillow all over the United States — and St Maarten — between now and the end of the year.

And calling Dr Madelaine (oh, how I wish she was my doctor) to find out what she took when she was pregnant.

Next week I get tested for gestational diabetes.

Fruit & Veg Count, 11/2/2005: 1 pear, 1 cup fruit salad (mostly melon), 10 spears asperagus, 1 cup sweet potato puree