Call the Midwife

My contractions got stronger and I decided it was time to call Karen and let her know the update.  She and her wonderful team just got here and are setting up all of their equipment.  I still hadn't lost my mucus plug though and so Karen asked if I wanted to be checked to see where I am at for dilation.  I got up to go to the bathroom and low and behold I lost my mucus plug!  It's not a definitive sign that I'm having the baby soon but it does mean that things are moving in the right direction.  Andrea did my cervical exam and I am dilated to about a 4.  Not a huge number, but again, definite progress!  Before Karen got here I was in the birth pool sleeping in between contractions and I am hoping to fall back into that rhythm so that my body and baby can do what they need to do without my mind getting in the way.  We might be having an Easter Baby, we shall see!!

Labor Pains

Well, I have been having MUCH stronger contractions the last few hours.  I was still able to sleep through some of them so I got a little bit of sleep.  I don't feel anymore rested than before and I can feel how hard my body is working to make this baby happen.  Even though the pain of the contractions have gotten worse, they are still stubbornly holding at about 8-10 minutes apart exactly.  I can feel them building but they just aren't getting more frequent.  I kicked Ken off to bed to have him get some sleep and for a little alone time to myself.  It is interesting how much I have kind of wanted to be alone during this labor so far.

Ken and I went to dinner at Red Robin and I had a delicious burger... let's hope I don't regret it later!!  I'm off to try to get more sleep, at least a few cat naps between contractions.

A much needed break

My wonderful parents offered to take Penny for the night so that Ken and I can have some time to ourselves and relax.  I am so grateful!  Today has been very tiring, even with multiple naps.  The contractions died down for about two hours, but my body still felt tired and my sciatic pain was worse than ever.  Cramping and shooting pains all down my right leg and into my foot.  Luckily, at around 4:00 pm I had a really strong contraction and the pain went away.  I have to say a big Thank you to my uterus for helping moving the little one to a better position.  I have had a few strong contractions three to four times in the last two hours, so hopefully we will be seeing some tangible progress soon!  I know I will look back on this and probably have amnesia about how tiring it was, so I am going to keep that mindset.

I was too tired to do my homework earlier and took a nap instead, now I am trying to power through it so it is one less thing to worry about!  Keep sending those good vibes!!

Long Haul

After a long 12 hours of the same thing, I gave my amazing midwife another call to talk about my status and how things are going.  She mentioned to me that it seems like I am in prodromal labor.  Meaning that I have all the feelings of early labor starting and then it could stop out of nowhere, typically around the same time each day and not return until the next day or a couple of hours later.  Considering I have felt like I have been in and out of labor for the last couple weeks, I still feel like this is progress.  SO what this means is... you could all be reading this blog for the next three days or I could go into active labor tonight.  There really is no way of knowing so I am going about my day as usual and just allowing my body to prepare for this baby.  Luckily, my midwife knows exactly the right things to say and instead of being discouraged, I actually feel at peace.  This is just another stage of labor, not a very fun one, but just as necessary!

She gave me a few tips and encouraged me to rest which is a lot easier with my mom here.  I have decided to work on my schoolwork, take a nap, and then go hop in the pool again since the baby seemed to absolutely love that.

Thanks for hanging in there with me, guys!  Your support and love mean everything and I love seeing all of your words of encouragement.  It makes such a huge difference!

In Between

Well, I haven't updated in a while because honestly, there hasn't been much change.  Same distance between contraction and they are only slightly more intense.  I'm ready to get things moving, but I know that I am not in control here, my body is.  I know early labor can be extremely long so I am mentally preparing for a long haul.  With no basis for my labor the first time, I'm just winging it!  I was able to sleep for about two more hours, which is good.  Daylight has a different energy than the night and I don't feel like it is very conducive to labor.  I may try to shut myself off some more and just stay in a quiet, dark space.  Natalie's words keep running through my head that it is all about what is going on between the ears... that your mental state during labor really drives the show.

Keep sending those positive vibes!!  I have loved hearing from everyone and I can definitely feel the love!

Blood Moon

I woke up just in time to see the Blood Moon.It was pretty cool.  I can't remember the last time I watched a lunar eclipse!  I was able to sleep for a solid two hours, only waking minimally when a strong contraction hit.  I'm back to timing them and I'm still getting about the same time in between each contraction, about ten minutes.  They are lasting a little longer though and are a little bit stronger.  My mom is on her way up to watch Penny for us so Ken can hopefully get some sleep.  This cough/cold has kept her up for a good portion of the night, plus the full moon is giving her tons of energy.  She just wants to run around and play at 2:00 am.  Maybe she just knows she's going to meet her sibling soon and can't sleep for all the excitement.  Here's the best pic I could get of the blood moon with my terrible little phone lens:

Well, I'm going to keep timing and see how things go.  I'll keep you all posted!

Early Labor

I think we may have made it to official early labor!  I've felt like I was in early labor for the last week and man, it has been a mental trip.  The constant feelings of "Oh!  I think it's going to start!" to realizing that there really isn't anything happening.  It's a battle of endurance that I honestly could compare to labor itself.  Luckily, I have an amazing group of friends that have kept me busy and distracted, especially with Penny being sick.  I finally broke down around 7:00 pm last night and called my mom crying about how I was just plain OVER it.  We talked through so much and, as moms do, she turned my whole night around.  So... onto the beginning!

My mom and I discussed a few ideas to help me de-stress and really focus on the baby and we came up with a swim in the pool to get myself outside and clear my head.  I squeezed into my bathing suit which now barely fits but added a little bit of support to my huge belly.  Man it is a gorgeous night!  It was still a tiny bit warm and my apartment complex heats the swimming pool to a perfect temp.  The full moon was absolutely mesmerizing.  I just lazed in the water, visualizing holding my new little one and talking to them.  All of a sudden the baby started moving and kicking like crazy!  It felt like the baby's head was banging into my pelvis while it's fingers poked at my cervix, plus kicking it's legs out.  My midwife had mentioned that the baby might be in a position that was not putting enough pressure on my cervix and that was why I wasn't going into labor.  Now, however, between the tightness of my swimsuit and the buoyancy of the water, I felt baby shift and change into a better position with every movement.  Whatever discomfort I felt was outweighed by the fact that I knew the little one had re-positioned itself.  After about an hour of the relaxing water, I dragged myself out of the warm pool into the chilly air and made a run for it back home.  I hopped in a warm shower and then went to work on my hair.  As I was ripping my brush through the tangles, I felt the first real contraction!  I nonchalantly mentioned it to Ken, trying really hard not to get excited.  After about 30 minutes, he asked me if we should start timing them and I thought that was probably a good idea.  We have been timing for two hours now and they are an average of 10 minutes apart, each lasting about a minute.  I called my mom to let her know to slowly start heading this direction (she is planning on watching Penny for us during the labor).  Now I am off to call Karen, our midwife and let her know all of the info!  I will try my best to keep all of you updated at least once an hour until it gets to be too much, then I may have someone else fill in the blanks!