D Day

My mum has given her prediction that this baby will be born this weekend. Man...I hope she's right. She's also predicted that this baby will be a boy. We'll see on that one - all this labour drama makes me think this might just be a girl!

When do you think baby will come? Think it's a boy or a girl? Time to place your bets!

At my last midwife appointment they told me that baby should have settled into his/her birthing position by now. But, being a tricky baby, this one continues to flip from head down to sideways, even with just a few weeks until I'm due. The midwives did talk about performing an external version followed by breaking my waters, giving me pitocin and a host of other interventions. Exactly the type of thing I wanted to avoid and one of the main reasons I chose the midwives. Their main concern is that my waters will break when baby is sideways, allowing the cord to be pinched in the birth canal. I have my next appointment on Tuesday and I'm hoping to convince them that this unlikely (though very dangerous) situation does not seem to be reason enough for a very medical birth.

So until my appointment, I continue to practice weird contortionist moves in an effort to keep baby in optimal position. Adam did take a photo of said exercises...though I don't think I want to share. I'm drinking red raspberry leaf tea to strengthen my uterus and taking evening primrose oil to prepare my cervix. Yup, I've become a crazy hippie pregnant woman (according to Adam). I prefer to think of it as proactive pre-parenting - doing everything I can to make this labour and delivery smooth and quick!

And so - think labour thoughts for me this weekend! Hopefully mum is right and this rollercoaster ride is nearly over!

Bed rest learnings

It's been forever since I've posted. I chalk it up to two things.

1. My space bar on the lap top doesn't work (a wine accident last year) which makes typing anything beyond a paragraph absolutely infuriating. If I didn't go back and individually add spaces beside every word myblogwouldlookalotlikethis.
   
2. I've been funneling my creative efforts into something else. I started my own little WAHM (that's Work At Home Mum for you non-anagram savvy folks) business making sock stuffie animals. It's done wonders to keep me sane and it earns me a few dollars (and I do mean only a few).

I'm still officially on bed rest. According to the scratches on the wall, I'm now into week eight. I'm 35 weeks though, which is past the real danger zone so I've been slowly weaning myself of my horizontal life. Every little chore or outing leaves me exhausted and breathless but also filled with a weird sort of pride for getting something done (other than completing another successful womb day for the belly bean).

I've made some interesting observations while being a shut in.

1. I crave face-to-face human contact and go a little crazy if I go more than a few days only talking to Adam.
2. I can't watch TV. I mean, it's often on but I can't focus on it for any length of time during the day. So many wonderful people have given me movies and seasons to watch, but they sit unopened on the shelf.
3. If I let myself, I could nap for an hour or two every afternoon. The Mexicans know what they're talking about with siestas.
4. I miss Hayden like crazy all day but am often short-tempered with him only three hours after he gets home. I hate the "edge" that pregnancy hormones give me.
5. My husband is a damn fine cook.
6. My neighbourhood rocks. It reminds me a lot of how a neighbourhood would have looked 60 years ago. Back when you knew who lived next to you and watched out for them.
7. The National Do Not Call registry doesn't work worth a crap. I get at least three unsolicited telemarketer phone calls a day.
8. Pending labour signs cease to be interesting or even noted after you've been having them for over a week. I think the baby will have to actually fall out for me to believe it's the real thing.
9. I'm ready to have this baby. I know that two more weeks in utero is optimal, but my mind, my body, and my marriage would be better off if I didn't have to coddle my cervix any longer. There's only so much any of those factors can take and I think we're there.
10. Hayden is going to make an awesome big brother. Every day he sings to my belly, sometimes making up songs for the baby. Today as the baby kicked and rolled in reaction to his voice he told me "Baby's bigger now mummy. He's ready to come out." He still believes that my belly button is the baby's exit route.

And so, that's the deal. I've been in labour with this little one for over seven weeks. And don't think I won't use this fact to my advantage when he/she becomes a lippy teenager!