I’m 37 weeks pregnant now which means my baby is full-term
and shouldn’t have any medical complications should she be born today. My bags
are bagged, all necessary supplies have been purchased, my freezer is stocked
and I’m officially giving Strawberry permission to arrive any time she wants.
I don’t have any clues as to how this labor will go. I do
think Strawberry will come early, or at the very least, she won’t make me wait
until the very last day to make her entrance into this world like a certain
older sister did. (With Zara, my water broke the morning we were supposed to go
into the hospital to be induced.)
Other mothers I’ve talked to say that you should pray for
certain, very specific outcomes during labor and delivery. I know that many of
these wishes may not be realistic and I won’t be terribly disappointed if
things don’t go the way I want, but just for kicks, here’s a short list of how
I hope Strawberry’s birth will go:
1. I hope that I will know when I am really in labor. I don’t
know why, but I’m really afraid of not recognizing the signs of labor (or
active labor) and not making it to the birth center in time. My water broke
with Zara, which was a pretty good indication that something was going on. But
only about 10% of labors start with the spontaneous rupture of the amniotic sac
so I’m not expecting labor to begin like that again. (Also, it’s kinda a mess.)
I’ve started to have a few Braxton Hicks contractions this week (I didn’t
experience them with Zara) and they don’t feel much different than the
contractions I experienced at the beginning of my labor with Zara, so I really
hope my body will clue me in when things really get going
2. I hope my labor won’t stall again. The first few hours of
contractions with Zara were mildly uncomfortable and not really painful (they
felt like menstrual cramps), but they were not very productive at actually
dilating my cervix. Add to the fact that
I had to have IV fluids, antibiotics for Group B Strep and couldn’t really move
or walk around since I was strapped to fetal monitors, and you have a recipe
for a stalled labor. But once they gave me Pitocin, my body kicked it into high
gear and dilated from a 4 to a 10 in two hours. I’m hoping that since I won’t
need antibiotics this time around and I won’t need to be strapped down for any
reason, that I can move and walk and keep my labor progressing steadily without
any interventions. I hope my body remembers what to do, and won’t need an extra
kick of Pitocin.
3. I hope my labor is shorter. Now, I know I’m lucky because
even with a stalled labor, the entire duration of Zara’s birth was 13 hours,
which is relatively short for a first-time labor. My family has a history of
fast labors, and second labors, on average, tend to be half as short. Six hours
sounds about good to me.
4. I hope my labor starts while David is home (and not at
work). David works in Salt Lake City, a commute of 45 miles and nearly an hour.
Given my fear of not knowing when I’m actually in labor and the expectation of
having a shorter labor, I really hope I will not have to wait for David to
drive all the way back from SLC to have him at my side. The idea of trying to drop
Zara off anywhere or drive myself to the birth center myself does not appeal to
me. (Though I could honestly walk there since it’s only 4 blocks away.)
5. I hope Zara will have a place to go. I have several
friends who have offered to watch Zara while I am in labor. The only problem is
that each one has limited availability depending on the time of day or date due
to work schedules and/or vacations.
6. I hope for a shorter pushing stage and no tearing. I
pushed for an hour and a half with Zara. I think I would have had a much
shorter pushing stage if, again, I had been allowed to move into a different
position. It was terribly uncomfortable to push lying on my back, with my feet
in stirrups. I got so sick of pushing, that I ended up getting a second degree
tear. I hope that by being able to push in different positions, the baby will
descend and crown quicker and I’ll be able to take my time to push her out slow
and gentle and not tear. I’ve been taking vitamins which are supposed to help
make the skin more elastic so that you tear less.
7. I hope I will like the water birth. I’m planning on
birthing in a birth tub, but giving my sensitivity to touch (as in, I often don’t
like it), I’m afraid the water might annoy me. I’ve heard it can be very
soothing and provide a lot of relief during labor, so I hope I will like it.
Or, at the very least, I hope I will find a method/position/place that I feel
comfortable with.
8. I hope we are inspired with her name after she’s born.
Seriously. We still have no clue what to name her. It really may just stay
Strawberry. But we do have 10 days to think about it before we have to submit
the birth certificate after she’s born.
9. I hope she’ll be born on an even day. This is just one of
my [many] quirks, but I don’t like odd numbers and I’d much prefer that
Strawberry is born on an even-numbered day. Exceptions are any days that are
multiples of five (5, 15, 25) or the first or last day of the month (though if
she waits to come until May 31st, we’re going to have problems).
Zara was born on August 31st, for instance, but since it is the last
day of August, I’m okay with it. Weird, I know.
10. I hope I have a
healthy baby and a safe delivery. Ultimately, as long as I have a healthy child
at the end of my labor, and no major complications (like death) for myself, I’ll
be happy.
Hopefully, it won't be too much longer until I can report back on how things went. Oh, and post pictures of what I suspect will be one highly adorable little newborn.
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