Estimates and False Alarms

WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!
We're really just playing the waiting game now. Matt and I took a birth prep class taught by my yoga instructor last Sunday - it focused on how the partner could help ease moms discomforts during labor. It was great. Then, on Monday night, after my regular yoga class, I felt really weird. When Matt came home, he saw it in my eyes. I went to bed fairly early after a wonderful leg massage from him. He, however, stayed up late doing all the laundry, the dishes, paid all the bills, and cleaned up the whole house. I woke up feeling totally normal again. I described it as "the baby crawled back up."

Tuesday was a great day. Matt took the day off work and we spent the whole day together. After cleaning out the fridge, we met again with our doula and ran through what might happen during labor. She felt my belly and declared that I have a lot of amniotic fluid for the baby to float in and suggested more weight baring exercises (not swimming) to help the baby drop. So, we walked down to the local mall (2 miles) and saw "Burn After Reading," ate dinner at Chili's, and walked back. I took a bath and went straight to bed. It felt really good to do that much walking, I was just slow and tuckered out by the end.

Wednesday night we had a laugh, though. I woke up with weird, uncomfortable sensations through out my abdomen. I didn't feel any tightening like I would expect with contraction, but the sensations were coming in waves and hitting me in my lower abdomen most strongly. Matt woke up to my deep breathing and thought I was in labor. He was so excited he couldn't fall back asleep. I just rolled over and the pains went away. I woke up figuring it was the baby in a weird position or just what I ate the night before. Poor Matt was exhausted. We laughed about it and hoped I wouldn't go into labor that night - my partner needs sleep.

Funny, our friend Janelle was giving birth Wed. night/Thurs. morn right around that time. Way to go mama! She brought another little girl into the world.

Thursday, I went to the midwife and all is good. She said to expect the baby after the due date. She, the baby, is lower down a bit, but still pretty high up. Her heartbeat is strong and she has been settled into my left side for three weeks now. Apparently, that is the most common spot for a baby to settle before birth. Somehow, they know it is a good position for the twisting they will need to do to navigate through the actual birth.

Friday I did go swimming - I just had to get weightless for a while, and I made a lasagna to freeze.

Okay, baby. I've nested. You ready?