eniarelocin: (Belly Foot)
eniarelocin ([personal profile] eniarelocin) wrote2007-09-24 09:18 am

Project Pollywog: 38 Weeks

Stephen took a couple of profile shots of me on Saturday... now I just have to get him to hand them over and post.

We are definitely getting close now. It's odd to answer the "how long do you have question" with "oh, two weeks." That's two weeks until the due date, by the way. Realistically, it could still be up to four more weeks before baby makes an appearance, but I sincerely hope not. The dull, menstrual like cramps continue to plague me, as so some of the stronger ones. I really hope, fingers crossed, that this will make for a smooth laboring process.

It's started to occur to me that by 12, 16, 18 hours in to first stage labor that I might become a bit anxious if we haven't hit transition yet and don't know when we will do. I really hope I'll have the stamina for this. I've been sick on and off this last week and fighting hard not to be. (Of course I would wait until nine months pregnant to get ill, right?) Being ill makes me want the baby to come out so that 1) I'll be more comfortable, and 2) my body will be free to amount a full immune attack and make me better once and for all. However, laying there wishing labor would just start may not be the best move as I would starting from a state of exhaustion and imagine this would make everything harder. It is from this the notion has sprung that it might be a lot longer and harder than I can currently comprehend.

Oh, and as a side note- last night I still got the "you're not that big" thing. What's wrong with just saying, "you look healthy" or some other generality?

The House: Status Report


Great strides were made yesterday with regards to the house. I'm pretty pleased, actually. Stephen was helpful in the morning and a combined effort was made last night before bed. I still have dusting to do, and need to vacuum along the edges of the walls and furniture but thought I'd save the crawling around on the floor (because I need the hose attachment for that) until today. Regardless, the bedroom is vacuumed, largely uncluttered, and the only things sitting there are the Home Birth Basket, which is ready to go, and the Just In Case We Have To Go To The Hospital bag which is ready with my stuff and now just waiting for Stephen. Now, it's just on to more work in the walk in closet, which I've been steadily reorganizing for about the last month, and deep cleaning the bathroom with which Mom will kindly be assisting me after work today.

The rest of the house is and has been in pretty good shape. I would still like to do more with regards to clutter in the living room at some point in the near future, though realistically it's fine at the moment. It's just visually offensive, and that's all. My office is the other visually offensive room in the baby path. This is namely due the homeless frames I have sitting in here. They are the first thing you see when you walk in and are blocking access to other necessary office supplies. They really should go to the garage, but I'm so reluctant to put them down there knowing that there is no temperature control and they'll likely get scratched and dinged. But... perhaps it's a necessary risk now. Cluttered workspaces equal inefficiency and we can't have that.

I'm really tempted to call in reinforcements for the rest of the deep cleaning- namely for the edges of walls and for getting around and underneath things which is increasingly awkward and difficult everyday (much like me!).

Early Mornings and Final Preparations


My body must really be gearing up for this 24/7 feeding thing. I keep waking up early- and I mean being awake and very early. This morning I got up around 4 and wandered around for about an hour. This includes loo, refueling on juice and water... and soy milk, and spending time in front of Ebay plotting and bidding (or plotting to bid) on various twigs for the nest, and then back to the loo before laying in bed listening to Stephen snore for an hour. I slept for another hour and a half and then got up at 08:26 to feed the kitties and come back in here for a while. I keep wanting to go and do things in the bedroom but that disturbs Stephen, though it's about time to jump on him and scare the crap out of him get him up for the day. Edit: He got up on his own. I also have more Amazon orders/purchases to ship to people. I'm pretty pleased this as well.

I have made enough from selling things (and with a little help from shower gifts of moolah) that we now are in a position of being able to/having to choose between hiring the labor tub and getting a breast pump. These are the two last big ticket items. If we're going to do the tub we need to do it in the next couple of days which means waiting and praying that breast pump will come later. This also means the possibility of a better labor due to the huge increase in comfort. (I did try doing the all fours thing in our tub with the shower running and that was a joke- so awkward and uncomfortable, and the water beating on my back became very irritating very quickly.) On the other hand, the tub is only for labor, $308.__ and could be considered a luxury whereas the pump is going to be a necessity anywhere from birth to about three weeks out. I am planning to work after this whole adventure begins so we're definitely going to need it. This is a really tough call. I've sort of set Wednesday as a decision deadline for myself. Apparently this one is up to me, which is nice but somewhat worse. I just don't know!


Ah well... time will tell all and everything will work out. We're really almost there. It's all so surreal!

Edit: Ah Peanut! Mom is sick with random flu and doesn't want to infect me... so I guess I'm on my own again.

Anyone want $20 to help with me scrubbing tubs, vacuuming the stairs and reaching things I can't reach right now?

[identity profile] sparklielizard.livejournal.com 2007-09-24 06:25 pm (UTC)(link)
I got sick with a cold-like bug a few days before Bethan showed up. Apparently it can be a sign of early labour! As soon as I had her, it just disappeared!

I can't remember if you said or not, but have you considered inflatable pools as they're much cheaper?

[identity profile] ebonyraine.livejournal.com 2007-09-24 06:59 pm (UTC)(link)
We talked about various other pool options, but we were a little concerned with housing them... spillage... etc. Especially since it's going to have to be upstairs and there are cats... Well it doesn't have to be upstairs, but the plan, given that the bedroom lives up here, is to pretty much have me up here during labor. We definitely don't want to put a pool in the living room and that pretty much leaves the garage.

I suppose if we get a bit desperate then other types are still an option, but the hassle and stress of them may out weigh the benefit... I guess you would have to know my husband to understand that one.

Calm is our friend.

And on the first note... I seem to have a lot of "labor is just about to happen" signs a lot of them time... but some how I think they're lying. I suspect I will just have them for a month.

[identity profile] sparklielizard.livejournal.com 2007-09-24 07:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Hehe - okay, yes, I can imagine! I bet I'd have had a similar thing happen with Steve to be honest if we'd managed to get as far as ordering a pool. We were going to get an inflatable one but I can just imagine the flapping now..!

Good point about the cats, although I *think* I remember one of the brands over here saying they were catproof. I could be wrong though - but maybe the fear of water and all that activity would put them off?

I guess your body is just trying to trick you into thinking it's nearly time! I am so, so pleased I managed to skip all that and I do feel for you. I did have some of the traditional "signs" but I blanked them as it was too early - but of course it may just have been a coincidence! I still think it was the curry though ;-)

[identity profile] ebonyraine.livejournal.com 2007-09-24 07:23 pm (UTC)(link)
mmmm curry.

Fortunately/unfortunately, our cats are very attentive when we are in pain or upset and will do whatever they can to be right there and comforting. Sometimes this is great, sometimes this means a bunch of fur in the face... bless'm.

And I think it is nearly time, but I think it's probably still weeks and not days. However, I don't know for sure. Of course.

And Wiggles is definitely getting very low in my pelvis... I can feel my body is doing things to prepare for baby eject... but yeah, who knows. Sometimes it's just fine and I know it will be a while, no big deal. Other times... well the suspense is killing me. Alas.

Soon, though! Relative to the rest of time, it's very soon.

[identity profile] sparklielizard.livejournal.com 2007-09-25 09:20 am (UTC)(link)
Our cats remain largely indifferent to whatever is going on, so I knew I couldn't count on them in an emergency!!

I guess it can't be much fun being at this stage, wondering if you can make plans for even later in the day, never mind a few days time. A friend of mine deliberately arranged a curry night for a week's time in order to invoke the law of sod. I can't remember if she went over her due date or not, but she never made the curry night! ;-)

It is very soon, although like the two week wait this is another two week wait that takes an eternity!

[identity profile] ebonyraine.livejournal.com 2007-09-25 05:52 pm (UTC)(link)
My law of sod event rescheduled itself! So ... who knows what that means.

(i.e. the Cure concert that was to be the day before the due date has been postponed until May)

[identity profile] sparklielizard.livejournal.com 2007-09-25 09:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Hehe - hopefully you'll soon find out that was a good thing! It was a good plan though - one way to bring baby early :-)

[identity profile] ebonyraine.livejournal.com 2007-09-26 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
I think I'll be happy to make it into October. It does feel like we're close, but I don't know that we're quite there yet... Besides, the diaper bag and my baby slings haven't arrived yet!

[identity profile] ebonyraine.livejournal.com 2007-09-26 08:52 am (UTC)(link)
o_O 8 minutes!

Maybe that explains the curry cravings! Or maybe it's just a product of suggestion. Either way, I blame you entirely.

[identity profile] sparklielizard.livejournal.com 2007-09-26 08:54 am (UTC)(link)
That has always been my dream labour. "Ooooh, a cramp" "Oooh, another one" - 5 minutes later.. "Oooh, here's the baby!"

I wish!! What a lucky woman!

Curry is good.. at any time, not just for labour!

[identity profile] ebonyraine.livejournal.com 2007-09-26 09:00 am (UTC)(link)
I've printed the article to take with us to our midwife appointment in, oh, 7 hours (maybe I should be sleeping).

Wouldn't you worry, though... that perhaps you wouldn't take those three contractions seriously and the baby would just drop to the floor or something? Or into the toilet? Or wherever...

I wouldn't mind laboring for a little while- at least to be mentally prepared. I'm hoping not it won't be for too long, though, when the time comes.

[identity profile] sparklielizard.livejournal.com 2007-09-26 09:11 am (UTC)(link)
Well, when I had Bethan I was having a massive contraction as I dilated from 0-7cm in 25 minutes, and for most of it I swore it was the results of the previous night's curry. Because it honestly felt like it was! So yep - it could be a concern! I can't imagine not realising it's the baby once it starts coming out though.. really, that doesn't feel like anything curry-related so I think it's unlikely the baby would actually be born in the toilet!

I agree - a slight build up that isn't too painful for a few hours (to give everyone enough time to be in the right place too!) and then a few pushes and bingo!