By the time I figured out that the contractions were not the real deal yesterday morning, I was in a pretty foul mood. I felt supremely betrayed by my body, as false labour was nowhere near my radar screen, and it was outside the realm of the conceivable that what had started would not simply escalate into the arrival of my son. So when I realized otherwise, I was in one cranky-ass bad mood.
My mother, whom I had called early in the morning to put on high alert before the disappointment set in, called me back just before lunch time and offered to take me out – of the house, but mostly of my own head. I warned her that I was in no fit state for company, having lost an entire night’s sleep AND been recently denied something I desperately wanted (something I never take well!) and told her I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend any more time with me, so couldn’t imagine why she wanted to. She perservered, though, and we went out to the mall for a little lunch and a wander about.
By the time she dropped me off a couple of hours later, I felt 110% better. Nothing like a little lunch, a little retail therapy and some unconditional love to restore your perspective on the world. There will still be a baby — just not a baby TODAY. My mom rocks!
And then the midwife called late in the afternoon to check on me. When I told her what was (not) going on, she asked if I would like it if we had an impromptu appointment on the weekend just to ‘make sure everything was on track.’ How great is that?
So I met her at the (closed) midwives’ office this afternoon, and she checked out me and the baby. I had my first internal exam this pregnancy, and I’m a full centimeter dilated. Woot! (Might not seem like much, but I’m still six days away from my due date, and with Simon I was 10 days past and three hours into inducement hell and my cervix was still locked tight and “unfavourable” — perhaps one of the cruelest words in obstetrics.) She said my cervix is soft but still long, and she actually touched the top of baby’s head, which set me all a-tingle. She said she had been considering sweeping my membranes (basically, using her finger to separate the amniotic sac from the uterine wall, which often generates the hormones that trigger labour) but that it was her opinion that it wouldn’t do any good and would only cause me unnecessary discomfort. She did say, though, that “if we make it to the next appointment” she would try it then.
And the final word is pretty much what it has been all along — could be soon, could be two weeks. I can only laugh at this point. Could there be a worse torture for me that all this uncontrollable not knowing? I can’t imagine one!
But I received three e-mails this afternoon with varying degrees of curiousity (and the page views are insanely out of whack with the visitor count, meaning either y’all are clicking back regularly for updates or going mad with the refresh key looking for fun captchas!) so I figured an update was due — even if the baby isn’t. No real contractions since yesterday, so it looks we’re back in a holding pattern for at least a few days. And I’m okay with that!
But hey, if you need something to do OTHER than playing with the captcha oracle (which, admittedly, is a fun new game!) and you haven’t already done so, you could always mosey on over to the Canadian Blog Awards and vote for your favourite family blog…
*hugs*
(Captcha: affixed, 12)
I heart your Mom too. What a sweet thing to do. Nothing like lunch and retail therapy. My Mom was good at knowing exactly what i needed too.
Ya. “Unfavourable” is not a word you want to hear from the ob-gyn types.
(Captcha: 9-year-old Patti) – No. This does NOT mean that by the time you give birth TPTBNL will be a nine year old named Patrick.
It all sounds good–and what a great midwife.
He’ll be here soon. And you know what? Someday you’ll look back on the time you were pregnant, and it will all be a mere blip on the screen. So don’t rush its end…even though I know when you’re pregnant out to there and can’t sleep you just want it to be done already!
Oh how I hate the term false labour! Nothing’s false, it got you soft and 1 cm dilated! That’s productive! Maybe it’s going in fits and starts, but that just means than when you get into labour and stay there, active labour will be very short (intense, but short – think 6 hours instead of 12). Of course, YMMV.
You are having sex, aren’t you? Because nothing brings on labour when you’re body is ready like good sex – sex that is good for you AND your husband.
I’m outta my league here, as I refuse to comment on the quality/quantity of your sex. ick.
but…I’m checkin’ in regularly, and for the fun captchas.
(Pion Substitutes)
ian.
gastronomy all. I’m going back to someone’s comment from yesterday that you should eat :o)
Hourly updates, Dani. S’all I’m saying. Don’t make me email you constantly!
it was outside the realm of the conceivable that what had started would not simply escalate into the arrival of my son
Did you intend that pun? ‘Cause I like it!
Already voted for you. Captcha: able adelman
(what’s adelman?)
This baby will come. Mine did…didn’t think she’ll ever appear, but she did. Yours will too.
Hey, I got an upsidedown house full of incomplete renovations, a toddler, a newborn, a husband with a new job, and I’m sitting here blogging….instead of sleeping….
Wishing you a quickie easy birth no matter how big the child is.
I love that… there will still be a baby, just not TODAY. I’m glad your mom was able to make you feel better! Yay for moms!!
(Captcha: responsible Players… hmmm…)
What a lovely mum you have. She really knows how to cheer up her girl. That is so sweet.
Hang in there. Baby can’t stay in your belly forever. Take this time to try and relax (i know, i know) if you can and pamper yourself as much as possible.
Thanks for keeping us posted. 🙂
Well I for one am checking up pretty often so see what’s going on in your uterus (is that wierd?)
Also, fyi, Nico happened to mention earlier this evening that, in his opinion, women exagerate the pain of childbirth “for sympathy”. Feel free to haul your hormonal ass over to kick his.
How’d I miss all this?????
I’m sorry that the baby’s not here yet, but I love that you are blogging it all!!!!
My captcha’s “asset our”
I can’t be bothered to post right now, but thought I’d put up a comment to let y’all know that nothing is continuing to happen…. but you know what? I’m okay with that! I’ve got this really good book I’m reading, and all this contraction / no contraction business is giving me a great excuse to laze about and read it!
I’m glad you have your mom and midwife too. After all, I live so far away…
I keep checking back in here like everyone else, wondering if it’s time yet…
And I also keep meaning to drop you a line to tell you that the boy inside of me is BIG too. Like, real big. As in, the midwives are telling me to not be surpised with 10 or 11 pounds. Dear god. Dear god. I’ll be counting on you to tell me the hard truth when you emerge the other side…:)