Pharmacy, testings, H1N1 etc....(men may not want to read - there's a lot of pregnant junk in here)

So this morning I had an appointment at the Neuvola (nurse clinic behind our apartment building - tres convenient) - and the nurse asked how I was feeling. I told her fine - no pains, no contractions - nothing. I had cramps a week ago that I timed - and after an hour and a 10 minute wait for the next one - nothing happened. So I went to bed.

Anyways - she asked about regular stuff and I said yep/nope accordingly and I mentioned my concern about me using the bathroom frequently (only to have a drop!) or that it was running clear. She thought it was possible that there could be a tear in the amniotic sac and sent me to the hospital afterward to get looked at. Other than that - the heart beat was a steady 160/minute and she felt the tummy and said I'm growing great and was a little worried about how hard my stomach was at first. Which I thought was normal and part of the baby's back/butt or feet. But s/he loosened up after she poked/prodded some more.

Off to the hospital. Well the nurse was great - heart beats went up and down from 140 up to 169. Then the doctor - well she was a butch. She had lovely long reddish hair with blonde highlights and it was pulled back in a tight braid. That should've been the first sign she was a butch.
Anyways - she tried using this white boomerang tool (Tim said all the docs have used it - apparently she's the lucky un-successful one) - and I cringed a lot. It hurt - and she smiles and says, "Wow the head is very very low." SNAP goes on the glove and a few jabs later she determines that I am not leaking amniotic fluid at all however I am 3-4 cm. dilated. Yee haw. She determined I have approximately 6 cm. of amniotic fluid going on inside and that is "very good".

Then I went and did a urine test for Strep B (I know in Canada they do it similar to a Pap test during 35-38th wk of development - but here in Finland - they do a urine test early in the pregnancy to determine Strep B) - and when you're done filling your bucket (honestly - think cole-slaw bucket you pick up for a picnic!) - there's a hatch in the bathroom back corner. You just open the little door and leave your bucket (+ lid) in there. So this saves embarrassment and messy hands of having to give your bucket of pee to the receptionist!

SO! Off to the pharmacy - once this was all done and over with....when you get inside the Aptekki you take a number and when you get buzzed you go up to the appropiate teller and they fill out your prescription - right there on the spot! Why it takes 15 -30 minutes in Canada - I don't know. She punched my name in a keyboard, confirmed my ID and plop - there was my inhaler in a brand new box.
I'm sooooooooooooo happy! I've been feeling super bad lately because I don't take the woods anymore or out for their bathroom breaks because I have a really hard time keeping up with them (not that I was running) but as well going back up the stairs too was making things hard.
But now I feel great and alive! WAHOOOO!

Ok - time for a nap to see if these "cramps" go away permanently or not.

PS Before I forget - I will be getting the H1N1 shot on Tuesday. There are now cases of H1N1 in Northern Finland (I'm in Central) - and if they're anything like the ticks - well they'll spread quickly. It's not the same vaccination as in Canada Katri (Neuvola nurse) said. And where I am not only pregnant but have asthama - I am part of 2 high risk groups. So hopefully the baby can hold out until Tuesday - then once I get the shot - it'll go with the baby too.