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redemption

May 29th, 2008

As tends to be the trend in our house, a manic day with Kenny is often immediately followed by one of the sweetest days ever.   Perhaps part tender effort from me to be extra-nurturing, part concentrated effort on the rascal’s part to be less rascally… whatever the cause, it works.

We had a companionable day, my little man and I.   We played on his swing-set, had a picnic lunch, amiably skipped our naps when a contractor showed up two hours early, took Dudley to the Vet for his vaccinations, scooted over to the mall to buy him a new shirt for a wedding he is going to tomorrow with us (!) and then had a dinner date at California Pizza Kitchen.   The wild man fell asleep on the way home, and I actually got him from the car to his bed without waking him up, and even changed his diaper and put his eye drops in without too much mayhem.  

Casey is working late, and, as always happens when I know he will be coming home after “bedtime,” I am wired and can’t fathom the thought of going to bed early.   darn.

So, from the Two to the To Be… I am 35 weeks and my OB tells me that I’ve already “dropped” and that the head is “pretty far down in the pelvis.”   I’ve been having those pesky Braxton-Hicks contractions since week 30, but in the last four days, those bearable ab-crunchers have turned into real-deal-take your breath away contractions.   Last night for about an hour, I was seriously considering packing a bag and heading off to the hospital.   They aren’t regular, but they sure are strong and frequent.   Then morning comes, the B-H’s are back and the hard core clenches wait until dark to rear up again.   I want to go early, but not yet!   I’m thinking 38 or 39 weeks would work out well.   Besides, Casey and I have tickets to a Sugarland concert next Friday, and am not NOT missing it.   I’ll give birth in the concert hall aisle before I’ll give up another chance to see Jennifer Nettles in concert.   (and the silly thing is that I’m not really joking…)

How about all of you Mommies out there… did any of you have several weeks of real contractions before going into labor?   And how did you know you were finally in labor after all the false alarms?

8 Comments »

  1. Becky says

    I am also 35 weeks – having BH contractions, not knowing what un-induced labor really feels like or a vaginal birth. I’m scheduled to have my 4th c-section on the 27th of June and my first boy. He has also dropped and I feel as though I’m carrying a bowling ball between my thighs -SO PAINFUL! To top it all off… I have the nesting urge so badly but not enough energy to complete A THING! We are in the process of finishing our basement for our two eldest daughters and it feels no end is in sight. So- I feel your pain in every sense of the word. I just have to hang in there and know that all will work out but right now I don’t know how!:shock::shock::shock::shock:

    May 29th, 2008 | #

  2. kristjana says

    Becky, I feel for you!! Hang in there! 🙂

    May 30th, 2008 | #

  3. Kimmie says

    My Braxton Hicks were very strong from 20 weeks on with both girls. It would feel like a hard ball and make me stop in my tracks. I’d sort of massage it and it would loosen. I had really bad ones that would knock my breath out, but they would end. With Pig Will, I woke up on April 19th with contractions. They were not like BH’s with the hardening, rather my whole abdomen would contract and release. There was no “ball” like before. As a few hours pasted, they were closer together and more intense. I called the nurse hotline and told them I thought I was in labor… they agreed considering it took me 5 minutes to spit out the words, “I…. th….in…k…I’m….in….. la…bor….” 😮

    The nurse told me to go lay down on my left side for exactly one hour and then stand up. I followed her orders down to the minute. When I stood up, my water broke. 😛 The contractions actually slowed at that point and when I arrived at the hospital, they gave me pitocin, which made the contractions long and hard…

    Trust me, you will “know”… you won’t be able to talk! 0:lol:

    May 30th, 2008 | #

  4. Debbie says

    I thought that my B-H were more intense the second time around. We had a repeat C-section, so sorry I don’t have any words of wisdom about going into labor (I was induced the first time). Best of luck to you and your family in the coming weeks! What an exciting time! It kind of gives me that “I want another baby feeling”;)

    May 30th, 2008 | #

  5. Milaka says

    Exactly five years ago tonight I had B-H contractions every ten minutes for a little over an hour. I knew they were B-H because when I finally got up (after watching The Practice), they abated. The next day (June 2, 2003), I had a sonogram and a check-up. I was dialated to 2 cm! Later that day my water broke and four hours later I had my sweet Buddy. The way I knew that they were real contractions? I couldn’t breathe!!!!

    You guys are in our prayers! Hope your delivery is as smooth as mine was five years ago! Wow. Five years. Sigh! 🙂

    June 2nd, 2008 | #

  6. kristjana says

    Clarification for all you helpful mommies… I actually do know “what labor feels like”… I had 24 hours of labor with Kenny! I was trying to write that I have actually been having “real” labor contractions every night for the last five nights… and each time have been wondering if it’s time to hit the hospital. With Kenny, it was mostly just BH until D-day, so it’s harder to tell this time around… I guess I’ll know it’s real when they don’t stop and I can’t fall asleep!! ha ha…
    PS – with Kenny I went to the hospital thinking my water had broken, and I’d really just wet the bed… how’s that for women’s intuition????:grin:

    June 2nd, 2008 | #

  7. Debbie says

    I forgot to mention this in my first comment (and maybe you already know…but I was surprised by it). Assuming you plan to nurse, my nursing uterine cramping was more intense the second time around too. I barely noticed it the first time. When I mentioned it to my sister (a mom of 4), she said oh yeah I forgot to mention that:)

    June 2nd, 2008 | #

  8. WarriorLady says

    With my second son, I would have real contractions almost every night the last 3 weeks starting at 2a and they would last for 2 hours then stop. The first two times I woke my hubby and was hoping it was the day. After that I would just go down stairs to walk and squat them out. Then the night before my scheduled induction, they started at 2a and didn’t stop. They just continued to get more intense so that by 5a, I had woke hubby and called to see if I could just come in. And thus he was born that day with no putossin (sp?) for which I was very thankful. To this day the little sweetie likes to wake around 2a. 🙂

    Good luck!! We are praying for you and your little sweetie.

    June 5th, 2008 | #

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