extension

there are certain things you just don't say to a pregnant lady. all questions and comments about weight should be kept to yourself. we're so damn sensitive during this time that even the nicest of comments can and could be taken the wrong way. i am amazed at how people feel this is an OK topic in general, but especially when pregnant - when you're already feeling uncomfortable in your new pregnant skin. the other (which seems like a no-brainer but still surprises me) is outsiders feeling as if their opinion matters when choosing a name. this is something i will never ask people because i am not a good liar. i don't have a poker face. so if i didn't like their name selection, my face would say how i felt about it. if you have a name you like, birth a child or adopt a labrador. just my opinion. and last but probably THE most important: don't tell a pregnant lady (this pregnant lady) that her due date has been moved.

some of you may remember a little confusion back in august. i had gone on a 12 mile hike when i was newly pregnant (7 weeks) and a few days later, noticed some spotting. since i hadn't experienced this with jack, i was alarmed, enough that i went to my doctor in anchorage. at the ultrasound, they determined that i was indeed pregnant but there was no baby... huh? they had me come back 4 days later where at that appointment they found my little girl. the doctor concluded that i was more like 5 weeks pregnant and not 7. i was extremely confused by this because i had been meticulous about tracking my periods, ovulation and even the possible conception dates. referencing my calendar, i could not be assured that i was two weeks off. i had taken a positive pregnancy test exactly 30 days from my last period and it was positive. so i would have only been 2 weeks pregnant when it was positive?! i don't think so. it takes ten days for implantation. so at the time, i didn't really think much of it. it was a source of confusion at a few doctor appointments along the way, but when transferring over and speaking with the midwives, they also concluded that by going with an early ultrasound, earlier than 8 weeks, they didn't feel that to be very accurate. they wanted to go by my last period since i had documented and been so consistent for 4 months. the last period would give me a due date of march 23. i felt confident with that and happy that they understood my confusion and frustration. fast forward to april 1, 2010...

i awake around 4 am to contractions about every 7-8 minutes, lasting about a minute. these were strong enough to keep me awake. about an hour into it, i had ben grab my ipod for me so i could listen to my relaxation music and birthing affirmations. around 6 am, i asked him to stay home. i would not have done this if i thought this was just another false alarm. i hadn't been able to sleep through them, convincing me that this was it. i thought about taking a bath or heading out for an early walk, but figured the best thing to do would be to try and rest. around 8:15, i got up to shower. contractions were still every 8 minutes. i called the midwifery and they made an appointment for me to come in at noon. after breakfast, ben and i went for a long walk and the contractions were consistent. we headed down to the midwifery where i was checked and was 2 cm, baby girl's head was "right there" and they also did a membrane sweep. i was feeling pretty rough after that. i continued to have some significant contractions while i was there and they were confident they'd be seeing me back this weekend. (they also told me that i was their last march lady and that 3 babes were born last night - these comments did not help my morale.) they sent me home with a breast pump which can keep contractions going and usually help to push you into active labor (they said i was in pre-labor) but advised me to rest before i tried it. after a bath but before i fell asleep, the midwife called. she wanted to express that she saw that i was worried about my "deadline" of 42 weeks approaching and that she and the team had looked over my chart and determined they could extend my due date to april 4, thus giving me another two weeks. i cannot express enough how this made me feel. i didn't have much to say on the phone, but after i hung up, i burst into tears, well, sobs really. maybe she didn't QUITE understand that i was wanting to get things going and not have two more weeks of being in this pregnant state. i thought we had already cleared this up?! my frustration level was through our vaulted roof. i may not be as physically uncomfortable as i was with jack, but i am more mentally exhausted than i was last time, than i have been in a long time. i'm so ready to be in labor! i'm so ready to hold her!

so that is where everything now stands. i am contracting every 8-10 minutes (still) but they are not as intense as they were yesterday morning and early afternoon. i guess it's just all preparation, but it's hard to keep my spirits up.