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.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Maybe she'll just crawl out slow and easy-like, no labor at all, and be baking you chocolate chip cookies by her first birthday. :)

[therealjae.livejournal.com]

Wow. Rivka and Zen. That I'd like to see. ;-)

-J

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Another thing I was told was that you can try having a small glass of wine; if the contractions go away, it isn't labor.

[scherazade.livejournal.com]

Praying for ya!
Can't wait for the day :)

[wiredferret.livejournal.com]

Yay, 3 cm. I am envious.

I will tell you that exhausted is the worst thing to be. This advice does you no good whatsoever, but I am obligated by the law of nosy people to mention it.

My midwives suggested (and I managed) that I sleep through early labor. In fact, when I got sent home from the hospital, they told me to take the muscle relaxants and go to sleep.

Mmm, sleep.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I will tell you that exhausted is the worst thing to be. This advice does you no good whatsoever, but I am obligated by the law of nosy people to mention it.

That's why I stopped working. saoba caught me at the end of the workday, when I was utterly exhausted and wrung out, and said, "I keep wondering what's going to happen if you come home from work on a day like this and go into labor." I had to agree that it didn't sound feasible.

I'm napping some, but still pretty damn tired by the end of the day. Ever since the baby really moved down into the pelvis, I've been having trouble sleeping because of the pressure on my hips.

[edschweppe.livejournal.com]

I'm going to try to be a little more Zen about it.

Later, of course, you can write the sure-fire best-seller, Zen and the Art of Otter-Psyche Maintenance.

Glad to hear that things are looking good, and hoping for a well-rested Rivka when the time comes!

[dandelion-diva.livejournal.com]

I check your journal a couple times a day and am sending loads of good thoughts and vibes.

Gessi

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

That's what happened with the local preschooler. (Or perhaps I should say it happened to her mother, WINOLJ. Wow, the child can almost read. Turn around, turn around, turn around.) Anyhow, she came home from an exhausting day at work, saying "I'm so glad I have the weekend to catch up on sleep!" She went into labor a little after 8 on Friday evening, and had the baby late Saturday. She was fine, the baby was fine. One of our friends said of the sleep deprivation, "best to begin as you mean to go on."

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Hi! I've just friended you, if that's okay. I'm running a few weeks behind you on the road to labour & delivery - I'm expecting my third child sometime next month. Congrats on getting to 3! You're doing quite well that way! I like your midwife's advice, and I'll try and remember that as the next few weeks come... and go...

[ailsaek.livejournal.com]

Me too. My midwife said "I can't come out and tell you that a small glass of wine to relax you when you think you might be in early labor is OK."

[papersky.livejournal.com]

3 cm dilated?

The little cervix that could, that's what you've got. Go cervix! Wow. I'm very impressed.

Won't be long now. Rest while you can.

[fairoriana.livejournal.com]

I don't have anything really meaningful to say other than "yay for you"!

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

3 cm! Hurrah! GO cervix GO!

Go cervix!

[ailbhe]

Great phrase.

You are doing almost zackly opposite what I did, which has GOT to be good! My contractions didn't go away no matter what I did, and I didn't dilate no matter what I did. Well done you :)

You might as well get excited as long as you don't get *stressed*, if you see what I mean. Every little thing is just more proof that you really do have a baby and you really are going to give birth and it really will happen soon. How many more sleeps until Santa comes?!

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Me too. *tapping feet*
I wonder whether we're more impatient than rivka is!

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Smart lady, that saoba. But you knew that when you asked her to come out and help, right?

I find myself amused but not surprised at the increasing possibility that your babe could be born on her actual due date.

[curiousangel.livejournal.com]

I can assure you that the answer is "No". :)

[erisian-fields.livejournal.com]

Good luck!

(I'm one of mactavish's many very and varied pregnant friends. I'm due on the 5th.)