The final last weeks of pregnancy drag by, hour by tedious hour, until you think the baby is never going to come and it’s time to attempt a home caesarean.
Unlike those women whose waters break spontaneously and kicktstart a fast labour, my body likes to tease me with signs of pre-labour for weeks and weeks: strong braxton hicks ‘practice’ contractions, back pain, spotting, nausea and moodiness. I keep thinking ‘this is it!’ and then… nothing.
I’m on full holiday time now and couldn’t tell you what day it is. But unlike holidays that can be filled with activities I’m practically housebound, waddling from room to room, trying in vain to keep up with my toddler.
As another friend who is 39 weeks pregnant put it, “ I am hunkering down in trackie pants and comfy tops and doing NOTHING, unless absolutely necessary… the poor kids are climbing the walls.”
The place which is my saviour at the moment is a play centre with decent coffee and a multitude of slides. It may be expensive, but what price can you put on being able to eat a chocolate caramel slice in relative peace? It has the dual benefit of tiring Finn out so we can both have a decent afternoon nanna nap.
Still, my midwives assure me that it won’t be long at all until I’m enjoying the surrounds of the birth centre while visualising my cervix opening like a flower (thanks Juju Sundin.) I’m 3/5 engaged and could safely go in to labour at any time. Bags are packed, an iPod playlist is being created and I’ve been practising my birth mantras, also from Juju’s book:
Relax, release, let go
Pain means action
Baby’s coming, baby’s coming
I can only hope next week’s blog brings more exciting news!
Do let me know if any birth mantras worked for you, and what was on your labour soundtrack.
You poor thing, I’m not looking forward to the waiting game this time around, the first time you have the novelty of weeks off work and no responsibility, second time round you have all the responsibility of the toddler without even work as a break!
Good luck!