So many question marks in these recent post titles! I attribute it to the usual uncertainty of having a baby.
I hesitate to write this post, because I could, essentially, be crying wolf. But because this blog is meant to: 1) help me remember major events in my life and my family's lives, 2) keep distant family members in the loop about major events in my life and my family's lives, and 3) give me something to do when I am bored, it seems like something that should be written about at this time. So, I believe that I am in the early stage of labor and have been for about 16 hours now.
I've been getting Braxton Hicks contractions for forever and I get them pretty frequently, but last night I started having more painful and stronger contractions about every 4 minutes for about an hour and a half right when we got home from our night out.
Picture - as promised.
They weren't "floor me" painful, but they were "stop me in my tracks" painful. Quinn packed a bag for the hospital, just in case, while I switched positions and drank water to see if they would go away. They didn't. After that hour and a half, I called the emergency line at my doctor's office. Another doctor was on call and when I talked to her about it she said that since I hadn't been dilated at all at my last appointment and the contractions weren't super obviously labor, that I may need to "contract awhile at home" before actually needing to come in.
I should mention Quinn had fallen asleep at this point... I woke him up, updated him, and let him go back to sleep while I endured contractions that were getting progressively farther apart, actually, and not quite as uncomfortable (a sign of "early", "false", or "prodromal" labor.)
The night before last I had been woken up by a very wiggly baby and only gotten two two hour chunks of sleep. Then last night, I didn't fall asleep at all until 5am and woke up at 8am. So, needless to say, I am extremely tired. My midwife friend called me this morning after I emailed her a long, ranty, sleepy email somewhere around 4am (thanks Katie) and she reassured me that everything would be fine, I just needed to wait it out and try to get some sleep. Quinn took very good care of Abram all morning while I napped off and on through regular contractions from 10-12ish.
They are now much fewer and further between, more like my normal Braxton Hicks, which really annoys me. I mean, labor shouldn't regress and what I experienced for upwards of 8 hours was definitely not just a normal pregnancy occurrence. But the big "problem" is that Selah hasn't engaged yet. The contractions haven't helped her do that and without her head on my cervix, it's not going to really do much. But I'm unsure what position she is in most of the time and she is still wiggling around in there. Early this morning, I am sure that she was head down, but posterior (her back toward my back), which is not a normal way for a baby to be able to settle down in the pelvis. I had lots of pressure down there last night at dinner, but she was moving around so much that I think she just moved out of a good position before the contractions really picked up (maybe because she was moving around so much?)
Anyway, as I write, I am realizing how much it has all calmed down since last night and that it may not indicate at all when she is going to come. But I still have a gut feeling that it's the beginning of the end. I just need to be patient, glad that it's a weekend and Quinn is here (and so helpful), and willing to trust the Lord and not my own, very limited, understanding of what's going on in there right now.
So really, in the grand scheme of things, we are waiting for her to drop down and engage. Barring something unexpected happening (like water breaking), that should be what takes this all officially out of labor? and right into labor.
I hesitate to write this post, because I could, essentially, be crying wolf. But because this blog is meant to: 1) help me remember major events in my life and my family's lives, 2) keep distant family members in the loop about major events in my life and my family's lives, and 3) give me something to do when I am bored, it seems like something that should be written about at this time. So, I believe that I am in the early stage of labor and have been for about 16 hours now.
I've been getting Braxton Hicks contractions for forever and I get them pretty frequently, but last night I started having more painful and stronger contractions about every 4 minutes for about an hour and a half right when we got home from our night out.
Picture - as promised.
They weren't "floor me" painful, but they were "stop me in my tracks" painful. Quinn packed a bag for the hospital, just in case, while I switched positions and drank water to see if they would go away. They didn't. After that hour and a half, I called the emergency line at my doctor's office. Another doctor was on call and when I talked to her about it she said that since I hadn't been dilated at all at my last appointment and the contractions weren't super obviously labor, that I may need to "contract awhile at home" before actually needing to come in.
I should mention Quinn had fallen asleep at this point... I woke him up, updated him, and let him go back to sleep while I endured contractions that were getting progressively farther apart, actually, and not quite as uncomfortable (a sign of "early", "false", or "prodromal" labor.)
The night before last I had been woken up by a very wiggly baby and only gotten two two hour chunks of sleep. Then last night, I didn't fall asleep at all until 5am and woke up at 8am. So, needless to say, I am extremely tired. My midwife friend called me this morning after I emailed her a long, ranty, sleepy email somewhere around 4am (thanks Katie) and she reassured me that everything would be fine, I just needed to wait it out and try to get some sleep. Quinn took very good care of Abram all morning while I napped off and on through regular contractions from 10-12ish.
They are now much fewer and further between, more like my normal Braxton Hicks, which really annoys me. I mean, labor shouldn't regress and what I experienced for upwards of 8 hours was definitely not just a normal pregnancy occurrence. But the big "problem" is that Selah hasn't engaged yet. The contractions haven't helped her do that and without her head on my cervix, it's not going to really do much. But I'm unsure what position she is in most of the time and she is still wiggling around in there. Early this morning, I am sure that she was head down, but posterior (her back toward my back), which is not a normal way for a baby to be able to settle down in the pelvis. I had lots of pressure down there last night at dinner, but she was moving around so much that I think she just moved out of a good position before the contractions really picked up (maybe because she was moving around so much?)
Anyway, as I write, I am realizing how much it has all calmed down since last night and that it may not indicate at all when she is going to come. But I still have a gut feeling that it's the beginning of the end. I just need to be patient, glad that it's a weekend and Quinn is here (and so helpful), and willing to trust the Lord and not my own, very limited, understanding of what's going on in there right now.
So really, in the grand scheme of things, we are waiting for her to drop down and engage. Barring something unexpected happening (like water breaking), that should be what takes this all officially out of labor? and right into labor.
Yay! Hang in there, almost done, Anaka! I enjoy reading your blog posts, even though I am not family. :)
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