Tall Tara

dealing with hecklers since 1989

Desperately Seeking Cervix

[Disclaimer: If you are a dude who does not like to read about lady bits, then you should not read any further. That is, assuming the title didn't already warn you and you actually made it to this disclaimer. Or that the following picture doesn't scare you off.]

A funny thing happened at the first appointment with my midwife last week…

Let me set the scene. There I was, feet propped up in stirrups, dress pulled up above my waist while my midwife snapped on latex gloves explaining that she needed to look for my cervix. Adam sat nervously in a chair next to the examining table, averting his eyes as the midwife proceeded to poke around inside of me.

“Hmmmm…..” she said, after a few minutes of work, looking up at me. “I seem to be having a hard time finding your cervix. I’m just going to go a little deeper.”

“Ummmm…okay?”

A few more painful and silent moments go by as she palpates, what feels like, all of my internal nether regions. I keep telling myself to breathe, that I’m quite confident I actually have a cervix, and that I’m sure she’ll stumble upon it at any minute.

“This is embarrassing, but I can’t seem to locate your cervix. Have you had other doctors say something about the position of your cervix before?”

“Well, I did have one Ob/Gyn that told me my cervix was shy.”

{Side note, if you’re going to have an adjective associated with your cervix, shy isn’t a bad one. It could be worse. You could have an angry cervix. Or a stubborn cervix. What about a dirty cervix?}

The mid-wife smiled a bit.

“Of course, I don’t really think my cervix is shy. I just think she needs a few drinks before she comes out of her shell and warms up to people.”

The mid-wife looked confused.

“Yes, I have heard that about my cervix before. But seriously, I just had an ultrasound last week where we saw my cervix on a small screen, so I’m pretty sure it’s still there.”

She apologized again, telling us that this kind of thing never happens. Like normally, she’s an award-winning cervix-sniffing superstar.

My husband didn’t say much.

The mid-wife grabbed my chart, looked at my ultrasound and told me I was right. They had not only captured my elusive cervix in the picture of the ultrasound, but they had even measured it.

“You have a long cervix. That’s a good thing.”

(Although also a bad thing, because it meant that she couldn’t find it. You would think something long would be easier to find, but then again, I’m no scientist.)

So I guess this story does have a happy ending.

I do still have a cervix and it’s long. Both of these things are going to be pretty crucial in the delivery of my child, I’m thinking.

But, then, after my appointment, I couldn’t stop wondering…what if my cervix had been missing? Where might it have run off to? So I present to you, the top five places you could probably find my cervix:

  1. The Bermuda Triangle.
  2. That kegger up on the Hill.
  3. Celebrity Rehab.
  4. FBI Witness Protection Program.
  5. The first van that looked good.

{Photo notes: I stole all of these images off the internet but at least I’m honest about it. Additionally, in case you’re wondering, none of the cervices pictured above are mine. And finally, how awesome is it that the first picture of the cervix at the top of this post was created by an organization with the same name as my husband?}

It turns out I can have fun without alcohol. And yes, I’m just as surprised by this as you.

117/366

Ever since my pregnancy was confirmed, I’ve stopped drinking. Crazy and unheard of, I know.

[It was a whole different story when we were trying to get pregnant as I considered alcohol an important part of the conception process. Many books say the opposite and I'm not a doctor, so don't take my word on the whole drinking/knocked up thing. But it seemed to work for us.]

But not drinking now for a month has taught me some interesting things, in addition to giving me an increased respect for the recovering alcoholics and Mormons out there. Here are a few of the newly sober things I’ve done recently…

  • Happy hour. Yes, I still go. And yes, to the untrained eye, it may look like I’m still drinking. The trick with this one: mocktails. I’ve discovered that the whole point behind happy hour is the opportunity to catch up with friends. I can do this with a drink in my hand. Especially if that drink looks fruity and fizzy.
  • Brunch. I’m not sure how you do brunch, but mine always used to include a bloody mary or a mimosa. It turns out that brunch without alcohol is just breakfast. And while still delicious, it does take a bit of the excitement out of it.
  • BlogHer. This was my first sober conference experience. The fact that there were 2400 women around probably didn’t help with that fact. Nor did the many parties I attended. Or the wine party that I was asked to host in my hotel room. But I made it through. I just didn’t have any really fun pictures as I did in years past. Like the one below, after I drank a bit much in a San Francisco Macy’s department store (at a BlogHer sanctioned event…not just because I had shopping anxiety…):

not that much!

  • Concerts. I went to see Built to Spill at an amazing outdoor venue and I’m pretty sure that it was one of the only sober musical experiences I’ve had. With the exception of seeing some classical music a few years back. The show was fun, because I enjoy watching live music, but standing in a crowd of drunken fans wasn’t all it promised. I’d like to say that I’m never going to do that again…although I’m sure I will. Especially since I have tickets to see the Eels in October.
  • Family visits. My MIL is visiting us for a few weeks. Yes, you read that correctly. And I haven’t had a single drink. Yes, you also read that correctly. Tell me you’re proud of me. Please.
  • Company lunch at the pub. It broke my heart not to lift a pint with my co-workers at our Friday company lunch outing. Especially because we were dining at the Mountain Sun, my favorite pub & brewery here in town. I had a pint of what they call magic root beer. I raised my glass in a toast. And I may have asked a co-worker to breath on me after they took a swig of beer. Call me the human breathalyzer.

A few key takeaways from this whole sober thing…

I’ve realized that without alcohol, my ability to make small talk has practically shriveled up. I mean, there’s a reason I call alcohol my favorite social lubricant. Not to mention, my patience for putting up with intolerable people has decreased dramatically. Alcohol also helps with that skill. And on top of all that, I can now remember every event very clearly. So if you’re an annoying stranger that I happen to meet, don’t expect me to be charming and witty. Or to forget your face.

I didn’t write this to garner sympathy from anyone. (In fact, my mommyblogging friends are probably laughing at me right now.) But, if you’re wondering how you can support me during this time, I insist on you doing the following four things: Pour a little of your forty on the ground in memory of me. Raise a toast in my, and the baby’s, honor.  Do not apologize for drinking in front of me. And, for the love of all that’s Irish, drink one for me.

Because I’m still having fun over here while sober.

Just not as much fun.

And, for the record, not drinking during my pregnancy doesn’t mean that every once in a while, I don’t wish (just a little) that I could be this type of pregnant woman…

Halloween - 9 months

Drink up bitches.

{Photo credits: thanks to Caroline Donahue for the photo of me in my drunken mannequin experimentation phase and to Jeff Werner for the pregnant cocktail shot.}