To Paul… and just Paul!
Today we are celebrating Paul’s Birthday only. Paul’s take: “I like this better than sharing a birthday. That means no sharing a birthday cake.”
Tomorrow is my “due date.” Kate has 19 days to get here — in other words, it’s T-minus 19 days and counting until she is retrieved surgically from my womb (42 weeks, 4 days). Next appointment is next Thursday (40 weeks, 5 days) and the following Wednesday(41 weeks, 4 days) is when monitoring would begin. If we don’t see her by next appointment, we’ll probably start stepping things up a bit (ie: stripping membranes) and I am *really* hoping she shows up before I resort to Castor Oil and Orange Juice (ick.)
Aside from all of that, everything is fine. I am anxious because I hate being on this clock to surgery (the woes of a VBAC birth) but in reality, there is nothing to be concerned about. I am having contractions off an on and feeling good. Send good, positive labor and birthing thoughts!!!
(Educational note: it is very normal to have periods of “practice” contractions that my last for several hours. Unfortunately, many anxious women rush to the hospital during them, get hooked up to a machine which (duh) sees a contraction, get admitted, and then when their labor slows and/or stops, are entered unnecessarily into a hundred unnecessary procedures to induce labor. When should you start thinking — note the use of the word “think” — about calling your provider to consider going to your birth location? When your contractions are a good 45-50 seconds long and you cannot walk or talk through them. THOSE are the contractions that change your cervix and signal labor. That is the point when we will be thinking about heading to Pensacola — an hour away.)
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