Some Dubious Benefits of Being Pregnant

1.  You can just ignore the scale for the duration.  Sort of.  Unless, of course, you feel the need to worry about whether or not you are gaining weight appropriately because you don't want to give up running.

2.  You have a ready-made excuse to buy new clothes.  Of course, they are all roomy through the stomach and can in no way be used long after the baby comes, especially if you are like me and have no plans for subsequent babies.  (No comments, please.)  But you don't honestly think I paid full price for maternity clothes, do you?!  I LOVE consignment stores.

3.  You become everyone's first choice of a designated driver.

4.  For a few months anyway, you might have a fantastic excuse not to clean your house.  "Really, the fumes make me deathly sick!"

5.  You are on the top of the list for the H1N1 vaccination.  No swine flu for me!

My obstetrician told me, in no uncertain terms, that I needed to get both the seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 vaccine, as soon as it became available.  Well, the Woodford County Health Department finally got its shipment and had its first clinic today from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at a Nazarene church in the town of Eureka, about 20 minutes from where I live.

I've had previous experience at the Health Department, as that's where I take my kids to get them vaccinated.  When Elijah needed his kindergarten boosters and Charlotte needed a chicken pox shot before we went to France, the pediatrician told us that he could vaccinate them in his office for something like $250 dollars or I could take them to the Health Department for $20.  It was pretty much a no-brainer.

Anyway, I guess they figured the Health Department building was too little to hold the crush of people who would show up for the vaccine, so the clinic went on location.  And, when I arrived, I could definitely see why.

I went around 12:20 so I could hopefully get in and out in a reasonable amount of time.  The parking lot was already half full, with a few souls braving the rain and cold to stand in line.  I opted to stay in the car a bit longer, where I watched the hordes swarm in:  lots of moms with little kids, several sickly looking people, a few obviously pregnant women, and one poor guy wearing a mask.  I hopped out and joined the burgeoning line when I spotted someone I knew from France; it was nice to pass the time chatting while we waited the final 15 minutes for the clinic to open.

Anyhow, for all of the hype and the bad new stories and the horror stories about waiting in line, the process at this clinic was astonishingly smooth.  One guy walked down the line with a sheet of paper telling people to identify their priority group.  "Only these people are getting the vaccine today, folks!" he announced cheerily.  (The same guy was at the door a few minutes later explaining to an irate father-to-be that his pregnant wife could have the vaccine today, but he couldn't have it until the baby the born.  How'd you like to have his job?!)

As we got closer to the door, a lady was handing out information/consent forms after ascertaining into which priority group we each fell.  (FYI, the priority groups here, in order, are pregnant women, health and emergency personnel, caregivers of children under six months old, all children between the ages of six months and five years, and any adult ages 25 to 64 with vaguely described "underlying condition.")  I filled out my form, got an additional information sheet from a lady in the gym where they were vaccinating, and was hustled to a table where they were injecting the vaccine.  One poke in the arm later, and we were out the door, the whole process taking under 20 minutes from start to finish.

Not too bad.

Have a great weekend!