Ahhhhh Prelabor

Here's a term that should never be used: False Labor

Use in it's place: Prelabor because all these early contractions are our bodies moving us closer to having a baby. False labor has such a derogatory bent to it. A term that contributes to a woman feeling "foolish" when she arrives at the hospital or calls her doctor thinking that her baby is arriving soon. What she is experiencing isn't "false" it is the early stages of labor which can in some instances last for weeks...and it's hard necessary work.

I have arrived in Prelabor land. Scott has been concerned for weeks that I have continued to work as much as I have. I keep telling him that I am listening to my body and it will tell me when enough is enough. Well last Saturday an invisible switch was turned on inside my body. I went from feeling perfectly normal to my entire being morphing into birth mode. Suddenly I have zero urge to leave the house and I spend most of my time stretching and sitting on the yoga ball. I have contractions painful enough to wake me at least once a night and my pelvis is working on shifting to the point where it is becoming difficult to stand up quickly and nearly impossible to walk without waddling and stopping when I feel sharp pains. I can feel all my energy shifting inward and I've developed an intense need to have Scott around as much as possible. If he has to leave the house on the weekends I at least want to be with him, but I prefer if we just stay in. All my instincts are preparing to have this baby.

We had another doctor appointment today and things continue to look good. My midwife/doctor told me that the baby feels like a good size, perhaps 7lbs some odd ounces. This is a relief as the frightening side effect of gestational diabetes is over sized babies. Even though I've controlled my condition carefully I still fear a 10 Lb baby (who wouldn't?). Baby's heart beat is good and strong and she continues to hang out in the preferred head down position. Last night I was able to feel her feet and she kicked back in response to my poking and prodding. It is so amazing to imagine this fully formed person in there who will be in our arms soon.

Going to try to summon the strength in the next few days to finish the nursery. We need to make a trip to buy the last of our shelving then I can begin putting away her clothes and books and blankets, etc. I haven't felt any of the intense "nesting" urge but being a virgo I've always been prone to obsessing about organizing the house.

Scott and I are still trying to figure out the best way to announce the birth and keep everyone in the loop. I'm sure there will be some texting but right now the plan is to use this blog to make important updates. So, check back if you are curious:)

Last week we had some pregnancy photos taken to preserve this moment in time. We don't see the finished product until next week but I'm excited we did this. It's been a long road to get here and these last few weeks before a first baby are so sacred, full of excitement and anxiety. It will be nice to look back on this moment and reflect on all the emotion we were sharing.

The entire third trimester Olive (our youngest cat) has been obsessed with me. We have shared many, many cuddles and she has taken to sleeping right next to my face, nose to nose. She watches me waddle around the house and waits for me to sit still so she can swoop in and sleep on me. The only time she takes a break is when she curls up on the changing table pad. I snapped this photo of her watching me write on the computer, no doubt waiting for me to move it off my lap so she can settle in.