wildflowersoul | (no subject)

9 months is an inconceivably long time for an impatient control freak.

So at my midwife appointment yesterday I had a bit of a scare. Turns out the achey crampy feeling I've had off and on for about a week has actually been minor contractions. It didn't hurt that much so I had written it off as things expanding and getting squished around, it felt like first-day-of-period cramps that I wouldn't normally even take an Advil for. I probably wouldn't have mentioned it, but yesterday morning I ran my belly into a doorknob really hard and freaked out about that, so when I got the crampy feeling in the afternoon and was going to the midwife anyway I figured I'd mention it. They strapped me onto a monitor for about half an hour, and the baby's heartbeat is totally fine (hopefully he won't come out with a doorknob shaped dent in his head), but I was having regular small contractions. They did a pre-term labor test (which involves an uncomfortable cervix swab) and my midwife called at 9 last night to tell me it was negative (otherwise I would have probably been instructed to head to the hospital). So things are fine, it's probably just the heat getting to me. I've been advised to take it easy and take days off work if I need to, but I just don't get enough days off work to feel like I can take days all willy-nilly, I wanted to save some days so I can have some days off after I go back to work so I can actually hang out with the baby sometimes.

Also, I am totally psyched to see Eclipse this weekend!!

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Scary!! Glad you're feeling better and the little guy is hanging in there. How many more weeks (assuming you don't go over)?

6 more weeks! My midwife said last night that so long as the little guy stays in for 3 more weeks, if I start to go into labor after that they won't try to stop it. I am hoping he is a punctual fellow because I can't stand the thought of going over!!

You must be getting close to 30 weeks?

I just hit 26 weeks yesterday so not quite third trimester yet. I'm already hoping I don't get any bigger and will be perfectly happy with an early (healthy) arrival. Pregnancy is hard!!

How are you feeling otherwise?

Otherwise I'm feeling decent enough. My hands and feet are swelling up in the heat and the not sleeping through the night thing is driving me insane, but at least there's light at the end of the tunnel now (even if that light is PAIN! I am starting to come around to the idea of an epidural). I hear you on the not wanting to get any bigger, my belly button is just about to pop and become and outie.

It is hard! How are your feet doing, has the edema gone away?

Have you read the Henci Goer book yet??? (nag nag nag ;)

I had an epidural for Lauren's birth. It went well (I was also "augmented" with pitocin and had a very painful IV insertion) and neither of us had any complications, for which I'm thankful for.

(I'm now also going to start suggesting you read the birth stories in Ina May Gaskin's book as well as Birthing From Within.)

I actually looked for the Goer book in the bookstore today because it's not at the library, but it wasn't in the bookstore either. I'll have to Amazon it. I did pick up the Ina May book and started reading that. No one told me there would be vomiting! It sounds like everyone pukes at some point in labor. I just resigned myself to not being worried about the pooping and now I'm worried about the puking!

The edema is much better. I've drastically increased water intake, given up the high heels (torture!), and keep my feet up under my desk at work. Also try not to cross my legs at all but that's a tough habit to break!

My belly button changes every day. I'm totally obsessed with it!

So it was just braxton hicks? Cheryl is having those. I think they are pretty common. Glad to hear things are okay!

I guess so? They didn't really say that's what it was, but that sounds right to me.