1.07.2011

In case you were wondering......

40 weeks and counting.

And I'm not the only one counting.

It's not all my fault, but I convinced myself {and everyone else} that on Sunday, December 26th, I was in labor.

Starting during church at around 2:00 I began to have regular contractions while hoping that my bag of waters would stay intact.  It did of course.

Little by little I started realizing that they were pretty consistent, no matter my position.

Then by 8 or 9 they were about 5 minutes apart and getting stronger so I started getting excited!

Since I had made no accommodations previously I busied myself preparing my home.

Patrick pumped up the birth tub Angela lent me and got the hose connected.

I cracked open the birth kit, gathered old towels/ plastic cloths, pulled down the bins of newborn clothes, cleaned the toilets and scoured the stove top of course. ;)

I called my mum, Julie to tell her I would probably be calling her in the morning to come over to take care of the kids and I e-mailed my friend who is going to take pictures for me.

By 9:30 I called Sherry my midwife and her assistant Tiffany to let them know that I thought I was in early labor so they could be ready when the "real stuff" started during the wee hours of the morning.

I even had Patrick take one last not so flattering late-night picture of me pregnant....


Finally at midnight, everything was in order and I figured I should get some rest since I had probably had some work ahead of me in not to far from that time.

The contractions kept coming. Some quite strong but very manageable.

It was like going to sleep excited for Christmas as a kid......

Christmas never came.

Reluctantly, the next morning I sent Patrick off to work

But...
I kept thinking active labor would come at anytime because the pre-labor contractions kept coming just not as consistently.

It never came.

Since I have been pregnant 3 times prior to this, you'd think that I would know by now when labor was beginning, but apparently I have no clue.

This is the first time I've had consistent contractions before water breaking.

Talk about confusion!

I walked around for over a week thinking I was centimeters away.

And my family called every day, bless their hearts. Repeatedly they would inquire.....

Have you had the baby yet????

Eventually, I reminded, "Don't call us, we'll call you." 

When Sherry checked me this week the confusion ended.

The prognosis: Thinning and barely dilating.

It may sound depressing, but believe me, I have felt much calmer and less obsessed ever since.

Phew.

Now we just wait patiently for the REAL fun to begin.

I'll just wait for my water to break like it usually does. {Crossing fingers}

I'm not interested in being teased any more thank you!

11 comments:

Angie Larkin said...

Yep! I was wondering! Been waiting for your nonchalant call every day! Whenever you have your babies you call me in a tone of voice as if you got a new vacuum or the peaches have ripened. :) Good luck friend. Call me if you need me to rub your feet or sing you songs:)

Theresa said...

:) I'm so excited for you and can't wait to see pics of the baby. I love the anticipation right before,... don't get me wrong,.. I hate going through it,..but I love the feeling of excitement! :)

Maynor Moments said...

How frustrating!! That little kid needs to get here!!!

i said...

I'm really not frustrated at this point. Really. :) I'd much rather it get here on it's own. Now, if it was 2 weeks from now, I would be frustrated!

Anonymous said...

It's OK Sweetie, she's just waiting until Grandma gets home like I've been praying. We're leaving in about an hour and will be there in about 8 hours, hopefully that will be enough time. I'll be waiting for your call. I love how patient you are. And I love reading your blog. I love my Sweet Julie!!! Love, MOM

Judy said...

Ughhh!!! I'm SO sorry!!! I really hope there is NO 2 weeks from now!! And if it makes you feel any better I Still had a hard time telling "real" labor with #5!!!! They are all SO different!

Andrea said...

Are you doing a home birth? How adventurous! Have you done that with others? I wanted to do a tub birth for the second one, but she was born ten minutes after I got to the hospital. I had barely gotten my gown on and she was on her way! Maybe next time.

Mary said...

Oh dear Julie! I relate!

Water breaking while you're pushing is a great way to go. If it doesn't break on it's own, don't let someone do it artifically. I don't know if she would anyhow, but it is great to have the extra fluid to push the baby out.

If it does break on it's own then disreguard.

Love to you! Sending positive birthing thoughts your way.

Shaunna said...

I usually put a message on the machine at around 40 weeks. It goes something like, "Hi, this is the Sanders. shaunna is not in labor and she hasn't had the baby yet. If you're calling for some other reason, please leave a message." Hang in there! And you should definitely take Angie up on the foot rub.

Beverly B. said...

Good Luck Julie. I hope the time goes by quickly. I'm excited to hear about your birth story.

Leslie said...

I do not blame you for not wanting to be teased! Glad you got some peace of mind so you can go back to enjoying each day until it's time to shift gears! Let us know if you need anything.