another pregnancy update

I'm still here.  I am getting aggravated to say the least.  I always thought I'd be prepared for the baby to come late just like Julianna did, but this time around things have been so different and I have gotten my hopes up about going into labor early so many times now that it's a lot harder to be patient than I thought it would be.

I have been having so many contractions and I have thought a handful of times that "this is it" and I'd be heading to the hospital soon.  Unfortunately, every time the contractions have stopped before anything else has happened.  We walked around the fair for hours on Monday and then Monday night I had contractions for five hours straight.  They were irregular, but some as close as 3 minutes apart.

Last night (or early this morning rather) I had strong contractions from 2am-3:45am.  I would have one and the pressure on my bladder was unreal.  I would have to jump up to pee and then just as I laid back down and got comfortable enough to drift back off to sleep I would have another.  I kept thinking that I was going to have to go to the hospital, but then apparently it all stopped because next thing I know I was waking up again around 5.

The contractions don't hurt, I just feel a little lightheaded or something like that.  I can feel the heat rise up my neck and my belly gets super tight.  It even takes on a new shape and I feel pressure everywhere.  When I walk or stand up sometimes now I feel a shooting pain go up my inner thigh as if I've pulled a groin muscle.  Yeah.  It's about as fun as getting an eyelash stuck under a contact lens.

I don't really like all this.  With Julianna, I didn't really have contractions until the night I went into labor.  I wasn't even sure then that it was a contraction I was feeling.  I just felt bloated and went to the hospital to be checked.  My water broke on the way.

This time around all of these contractions and timing them and just the whole process has been more anxiety inducing.  I have finally just decided to try to stop paying attention to them.  I figure I will know to go when my water breaks and that is better than sitting around nervous.

My parents were in the mountains this week and due to come home Saturday but came home last night instead.  So now that childcare is easily available and nearby I can relax more.

I went to the doctor Tuesday morning and I have gained a total of 42 pounds and everything they routinely check was normal (blood pressure, belly measurement, urine, etc).  When he checked me, he said I was already 4 cm dilated but only 60% effaced.  Progress, obviously, but the baby's head was still pretty far up so not enough progress.  The doctor offered to strip my membranes and get things started (and since they did this for me with Julianna I strongly considered it), but he also said that it wouldn't hurt to give the baby another week just to make sure that there would be no respiratory problems or anything like that with the baby.  We decided to wait another week to do anything and he said that I could go into active labor at any time so that was encouraging.

I am very ready.  I really didn't expect to have this little patience towards the end this time since Julianna was late and I even bet on 10/23 as the birth date.  I'm just very ready to have my body back.

I had also forgotten what it was like to have everyone calling to check on you a hundred times the last few weeks.  It's so nice, but at the same time it gets annoying when there's nothing to report.  It will be the same way once we have a baby to bring home from the hospital.

Jonathan has said that all of these false alarms have been good for him because it's made it seem more real and made him feel like he really needs to get ready for a baby.  Julianna is as ready as I think she'll ever be.  The other day when I was helping her out of the car at dance she asked the funniest question.  She said, "Mama, when is that silly baby EVER going to get out of your belly?"  It was so cute that I 'bout died.

We are going to the fair again tonight partly because we still have tickets left and partly because it's seemed to do the trick in getting my contractions going both times that I've been already.  And besides, it's been so nice to spend some fun times with Julianna these last few days.  (I have a post coming on the preschool day at the fair, complete with pictures of her and her little "boyfriend.")

I think that's about it.  I'm sure there's more, but I can't really concentrate well these days.