39-week midwife visit.

[rivka]

Despite my frustration, there has indeed been progress: I'm 3cm dilated (!!!) and 60% effaced, and the baby has moved down even yet still further, to -1 station (only 1 cm above the ischial spines of the pelvis). The size of my belly has shrunk since last week, even though the baby has grown - further evidence that she's way down in the pelvis, getting ready to be born. For perspective: a lot of women don't get to 3cm dilated until they've been in labor for a few hours.

Everything else looks fine: good blood pressure, good fetal movement and fetal heart rate, minimal swelling.

The midwife encouraged me to pay a little less attention to early contractions. If I start having contractions, she wants me to try lying down or taking a bath to see if they go away. If it's really labor, she explained, I won't be able to stop it. That was helpful advice, because I've tended to hyperfocus on anything that might be a sign of labor, and I've worried about not doing anything to slow down contractions. The result is that I get (a) hyped up, and (b) worn out. I'm going to try to be a little more Zen about it.

(Those of you who know me well can stop laughing any time now.)

Comments

[lisajulie.livejournal.com]

Yay! effacement! Yay! dilation!

That little otter will slither right out when her time is come.

We're rooting for you down in here in Laurel.