The Yo-yo Trip

So what have I been up to since Monday? If you have a minute, I’ll tell you.

I went to see my midwife on Tuesday and all looked well. Her daughter is getting married on Friday, Sept. 25, and so she will be unavailable today (Thursday and Friday). She wanted to see me before she takes her mini-vacation. She has given me the names of two midwifes who will fill in if need be; one is 2 ½ hours away and one is 30 minutes away (but this closer one is not licensed). I told her there wasn’t going to be any need for the other midwives since I never go early. Was I in for a big surprise!

I began to notice contractions while we were in the car, around 2 pm. I didn’t pay too much attention to them since I have been having those braxton hicks off and on for 5+ weeks. It takes us about 2 hours to get home and they were still coming but they were not hard at all. I could tell they were real contractions because they would start in my back and radiate around to the front. Sometimes they would also radiate down my thighs. So I knew these were real. Plus, they didn’t go away with any activity I did. I would stand, walk, sit, lie down, eat, drink, and take very warm showers and they would not go away. They stayed 10-15 minutes apart until around 2 am on Wednesday morning. They moved closer together, 5-8 minutes apart, and stayed that way until around 10 pm Wednesday night. Again, they didn’t slow down or go way, but they didn’t get much stronger either. I could still talk through them and do regular things around the house.

Since my midwife was going to be unavailable until Friday night, we decided to meet half way between her house and mine last night (Wednesday) so she could check me over and we could talk face to face. It turns out I’m about 1 cm and 50% effaced, with the baby being at about a 0 station (which means the head is about even with the pelvic bone). I was surprised that I was even that far, so it appears all those contractions were doing something after all. She suggested that I take about ¼ of a cup of Nyquill (using the little cup that come with the medicine, not a ¼ cup you use in baking!) to help me sleep (since I didn’t get any sleep the night before). It worked nice and even slowed the baby down. That may not seem very nice to say, but as active as this child is, and as tired as I was, it was a nice break. I slept all night and didn’t even wake up to use the bathroom until around 6 am this morning! Nice!

Once I got up and started moving around, the contractions came back and they have been hanging around all day. They did get painful while I was on a walk around the block, but other than that they are noticeable and uncomfortable, but not painful. I don’t know how close they are together because I’m refusing to watch the clock. Why should I? I spent 30 hours having regular contractions with out stop. I’m not concerned about them today. Does this mean the baby will be here soon? I don’t know. I’m not the One in control, God is. And I trust in that. Sure it would be nice to know what’s going on (or really, when is it going to end!), but I don’t need to know that for me to be calm. I am in complete rest knowing that He is in charge of everything, for He knows what I need and what this baby needs. Maybe my next entry will be a baby story? I’d like that, but if not, I’m okay with that too.

My grandmother spent 48+ hours in labor with both of her children. My mother was in labor for 30+ hours with my sister. But, unfortunately, in the 1970’s the protocol was different and since her water had broken on it’s own, she said the “doctor’s gave up on me” and they prepped her for a c-section. It was also protocol in the ’70’s that “once a c-section, always a c-section”, so my father and her literally chose my birthday. Anyway, all this is to say that there is a definite genetic history in my family for long labors. Nathaniel was 60+hours long. The others were not that long because with Grace and Isaac, I was considered “over due” and even though I was not officially considered in active labor, they kept me and began Pitocin to speed things along. And Malachi…well he was a fluke, with that labor being 17 hours from the first contraction until he was out. But I think I still got Pitocin with him.

Either way, I think going “natural” for me will mean days of labor. But we shall see. I just thought there were some of you who would be interested. And please, don’t write or call me asking me how I am or if the baby is here yet. I will tell you. As Adam just said (since he’s reading over my shoulder) “Don’t call me, I’ll call you.” :0)