(no subject)

3:05, 3:11, 3:17, 3:24, 3:31, 3:36, 3:40, 3:47, 3:54, 3:59.

What does that look like to you?

I got a couple of hours of lousy sleep. When I gave up and got out of bed at 1:40, I didn't think contractions were the issue - more like indigestion, hip pain, and a pernicious inability to get comfortable. But when I came downstairs to my computer I noticed that it felt like I was having one incredibly long continuous contraction. So I started monitoring.

It's been every 5-7 minutes since 2am. The contractions are about a minute long, mostly not painful although some have definitely been. Right now I'd lay even odds for it being early labor vs. just another frustrating, meltaway prelabor experience.

Either way, I'm not going to work tomorrow. I'll probably send Michael to work, though, unless they establish more of a painful, escalating pattern over the next couple of hours.

I don't know. Now I think they might be tailing off. If I've missed a night's sleep for nothing...

Anyway. I'll keep you guys posted.

Monday morning labor blogging.

I am now quite sure that I'm in labor.

Contractions continue to come in a regular pattern and are much stronger than they were overnight. I am now comfortable describing them as "painful." I wouldn't really say that they're active labor contractions - I don't need to focus on coping with them, I can just note them and go on - but they are definitely early labor, not false labor/prelabor. And they're progressing.

I've checked in with my midwife (who says come to the hospital whenever I feel like it), and my friend Emily who will be acting as my doula, and Dorian who will be picking up Alex after school if everything isn't all over by then. I've left messages for work. I've finished packing my hospital bag. I am about to wrap the presents that we got for Niblet to give to Alex. Then I need to decide if I have enough time and energy to bake his birthday cake. (We have a zero-shaped candle ready and waiting...)

Michael is at work. I don't yet feel that I need someone to pay attention to me through my contractions, which is my mental dividing line between early and active labor. If necessary, he'll be able to get home pretty quickly.

Can you believe it? It's my due date. Or at least my original, calendar-derived due date - they changed it to the 11th partway through based on ultrasound results. Still, I may wind up being one of the only 5% of women who actually deliver on their due date. Wouldn't that be crazy?

On with the show; this is it!

Off to the hospital! If you guessed The Yellow Admiral in my poll you win a gold star.

I'm going to try to do a Voice Post from the hospital, but I've never done it before so we'll have to see. Thanks for all your good wishes!

Voice Post