20 weeks, publicity, and plans

Last Friday I came "out" at work and let the department head announce the pregnancy. I always hate the publicizing process, but it couldn't be helped. While I am, as always, seriously impressed by my gut's ability to suck in on demand, the changing weather meant that my disguise wardrobe of slightly baggy hoodies was not going to cut it for much longer, and something needed to give. So. People Know. Woo. The I got sick over the weekend and missed Monday and Tuesday at work while recovering. It's also exam week so there are hardly any faculty members around today. It's eerily quiet and makes it difficult to concentrate on work. I hit 20 weeks on Sunday - the halfway point! Baby is currently the size of a "small cantaloupe", I believe the app said, but starting next week the measuring is no longer head-to-rump but head-to-toe and baby will shoot up to the size of a banana. Which is one of Edward's favourite foods. In slightly disappointing news, my midwife will not be available at my due date and cannot attend the birth. So I have to figure out other plans, made more complicated with my issues surrounding internal examinations. It's not definite yet, but right now it looks like it'll have to be a hospital birth. I have mixed emotions about this. The hospital puts a number of restrictions on what I can and can't do in labour, and requires me to stay there for 48 hours following the birth. Also, I have to get into a car while in active labour to get there, and I don't know when is the right time to go because second births are usually, though not always, faster than the first. And we have the added complication of arranging someone to look after Edward while I'm gone. Martin may miss some or all of the birth depending on what time things kick off and how long it takes. And Ed will be without his mommy for two days after the birth, and then have to deal with a new sibling when I return. All of this is less than ideal. There is a possibility of a different midwife but I haven't contacted her yet, can't find much about her online, and am not entirely sure I want to start over with someone new. My OB trusts my first midwife (as much as a medical doctor will admit to trusting a midwife anyway) and although that midwife recommended this new one, in all my research about midwives last time, this new one's name never came up.