I just looked at the calendar

[cinnamonamon]

and I realized that in 3 days I will be 37 weeks.

I'm scared to death; I don't feel ready, I'm still knitting like crazy trying to get some things ready to sell quickly on ebay to pay the midwives the rest of the money we owe them. I've hardly made anything for my baby, my friend still has all my cloth diapers, and my house is a mess.

I haven't filled out the paperwork re: birth plans etc. for the midwives, I STILL have a yeast infection, & I'm only a chapter or two into Birthing From Within...

Now I'm afraid I'm going to give the baby & my body mixed/screwed up signals about not going into labor since I'm stressed about not feeling ready. And dh is being completely pessimistic about how difficult everything is going to be "what a nightmare" I believe were his words.

Help!

[Wild Flowers]

Okay, I expect you to do the same for me in about 3 weeks, okay?
babies really only need two things, okay, there may be more, but really, they need food, readily provided by your breasts, and warmth which doesn't need to be cute, it could be your body and a blanket. Okay, diapers are nice, but disposables aren't the end of the world if necessary and ec is always a possibility also. I think you will be just fine. Relax, try to do something for yourself. You will be ready when your baby decides to come. And tell your dh to shut up.

[cinnamonamon]

Val, have I ever told you that I love you?

Originally Posted by Wild Flowers

And tell your dh to shut up.

I almost peed my pants when I read this...it's like you actually know him!

[Wild Flowers]

I was going to add some more words in that line, but you know, you have other kids, didn't want them to hear those words from me out of your mouth. I curse like a sailors wife

[Mavournin]

Hahaha... This sounds like my house.

I got my first package of diapers yesterday. But I still have no clothes. The BH and pressure are horrible and having an early baby doesn't seem quite so impossible anymore. (Probably because I'm so uncomfortable that I'm ready to reach up there and pull it out...) Thankfully a friend called yesterday and reminded me that I have baby blankets and a pile of friends with infant clothes should I suddenly have a need...

[deuxceleste]

Oh, mama!!! You poor thing, but NOT poor thing... you'll be SO fine, and SO ready! I can tell from your post that you already know in your mind that your baby will only be here when the time is EXACTLY right... It doesn't matter if the dishes are done or the birth plan is done, or if you're in a car at the side of the road. This baby will come and be loved and it will all BE FINE!!!

As far as your mw is concerned, I know it's a trip trying to get em all paid and settled up but they do it cause they love women and they love babies and they know it's best for women and babies, and if you're a month behind on that last payment, well then shoot. You just are. She's not gonna not show up

Your dh sounds nervous too I don't know that the term "disaster" is how I'd comfort the stressing mother of my child but hey, to each his own, I suppose. I concur- tell him to shut up and teach him how to knit.

You'll be juuuuuuust fine

[Wild Flowers]

Okay, remember when I said that I expect you to do the same for me in 3 weeks? Well, it didn't take that long...
:
I am not 37 weeks until Monday, but I have been having contractions, not regular though, may have lost part of my mucous plug yesterday, from what I can tell have a open cervix. I can't walk without feeling like I need to hold the baby inside of me. My youngest dd fell down ALL of our stairs yesterday, we live in a tri level so it was only 6 stairs, but still. Scared the crap out of me cuz I can't pick her up!!! She is fine though, just a bruise on her cheek and shooken up.
We still don't know if my dh will be allowed to stay home.
I have none of the diapers washed.
I have made like 5 soakers yet I haven't finished the ends, made drawstrings, washed and lanolized any of them.
I don't have all of my birth stuff ready, my home visit is Monday. My house is a diaster and really cleaning sets off contractions horribly.
I am trying to take deep breaths but I am now freaking out. I have 6 more days that I have to hold this baby in. And I know that if I am freaking out right now my luck would be that I will hold this baby in till 42 weeks, but the thought that I might not get my homebirth: But I don't want to do any of this stuff until I hit 37 weeks because then it seems like I am telling the baby I am ready for you and I am NOT!!! But if nothing else, I do need to clean my house for the home visit, right? How much of my house is she going to want to see?
Oh and we still don't have a name. Which for some reason just started to bother me again. It was fine when I thought we were going to have a few to pick from and name the baby soon afterwards, but now, especially since we don't even know if he will be here, it freaks me out that we might not be naming our baby until it is months old. I mean, what are we going to call the baby during those months? Okay, done freaking out, not really, but going to try and go back to sleep

[cinnamonamon]

Name? No big deal -- she'll tell ya when she shows up!

Dirty house? No big deal -- who better than a midwife knows how hard it is to clean when you're almost as big as said house! Seriously, use that early/pre-labor nesting to clean. You'll know instinctively what will bug you most then. My midwife (with ds2) just wanted the basic tour, with stop-offs in the kitchen & laundry room...she did dishes & laundry while I was in labor...

Diapers? Toss 'em in the washer so you can get them done & stacked up all nice & pretty. I actually haven't done mine yet, either. They've been in a box for a long time, but they'd work fine in a pinch. Worst case scenerios: 1. you spend $15 on a pack of disposables (which some people do anyway because of the meconium), or 2. you wrap baby's butt in a receiving blanket for a few hours after she's born while someone else tosses the dipes in the washer & dryer. Remember they only need to be changed a couple times the first few days.

Unfinished soakers? Sit down with a good movie and weave those ends in & make the dreaded I-cords. Not to be ready for baby, but so you can take pics to show me!

Birth supplies? Make a list of what you need, so if you do go into labor before you get them, you can send someone else out to pick it all up. No big deal.

Daughter falling down the stairs? Sit down next to her, drag her into your lap (once you've ascertained there are no serious injuries) and berate her for not being careful while you hug, kiss and pat her; try not to get any snot in her hair from crying, but tears are okay.

Hubby MIA? Kick his boss' butts (or come to us). If it makes you feel better, remember that men can be useless in labor, so maybe it's better -- my dh was actually reading "Misery" while holding my hand through contractions, until I caught him : Actually it was pretty funny, but I digress.

Early labor signs? That's actually a sign that you GET to sit down & do nothing for an hour -- bonus! This is your 3rd, right? So this kid is just followin' the path cleared for him/her so well! Seriously, I've heard lots of 3rd & 4th time moms comment about early dialation, baby feeling REALLY low, etc.


Okie-dokie...I think that's it...

Oh, and for the record -- still super duper mild cramping. It stopped when I went to bed, but it's started again since I got up. Maybe I just need to go to the bathroom (which can be difficult when ds2 is screaming "mommy come with me!!!!" and alternately yanking my arms and trying to pull my pants up for me. We'll see; this is how my 3 day labor started with Aiden, but they weren't THIS mild... I'll still start some packing today! And maybe wash my diapers.

[LydiaJW]

I'm glad to hear other people dread the icords!! Those things are the most boring part of making soakers!! Speaking of which, I ordered yarn to make a few more like a week ago and just now got the shipping confirmation : I've been idly sitting around for the past week just dying to make some soakers and have had nothing to make them with!! Not cool at all.

I think DH's in general are just brats at this point during pregnancy...I know mine is. I couldn't even convince him to come see how "cool" my mucus plug was

This is my first time CD so I'm kinda sorta terrified of it all. I have pockets in the bigger sizes but for newborn I'm just going with prefolds and proraps.

I need to pack a bag.

My court order (waiving eyedrops and vit k as mandated by the hospital) isn't here yet.

I had a big fat contraction in the middle of the night last night. I'll be 37 weeks tomorrow. Is it horrible that I'm wishing/hoping/praying that this kid will be born in the next 2 weeks? I feel like shes gonna fall out any day.

[cinnamonamon]

Originally Posted by LydiaJW

I think DH's in general are just brats at this point during pregnancy...I know mine is. I couldn't even convince him to come see how "cool" my mucus plug was

I can only imagine my dh's face if I invited him to see *that*!

How annoying the hospital tries to force the Vit. K, etc. My midwives handed me info sheets for all that stuff and you signed on the "giving permission" line or the "declining" line; no fuss at all. If it doesn't come in time, just make sure your dh is ready to stand over baby and physically cover baby's eyes, etc. Tell them when you arrive that they need to go get the waiver form, "NOW."




I think I'm avoiding packing... 1st I have to shower, push the toys into a corner so there's a pathway through the house for when my friend(s) arrive, and fold clothes so I have something to pack.

Valerie, how are you feeling this morning?

[MissInformed]

Okay...I'll add to this one....I had my total freak out moment last night while trying to go to sleep. All of a sudden I just started feeling panicky and like I wasn't ready...didn't want to do this anymore...etc...not ready for the pain yet...to which dh was just kind of like "ok...whatever"....well, i don't know that he actually said that, but that's how I felt...like it was my problem, not his i don't think he was actually being that insensitive...i think i was just totally freaking and thinking to myself that this was my problem and not his. of course, now i'm thinking, just my body trying to prepare me for that freak out transition period....so, if it happens again i'm going to just try and relax thru it....and i suppose i wouldn't feel so stressed out either if i would go ahead and get things "in order" around here...dipes out, house cleaned, birth supplies out and organized...etc. but i feel like val...not quite at 37 weeks yet and i don't want to send babe the message that i'm ready quite yet. we also don't have a name picked out...and part of my freak out too was b/c i don't want to be by myself in labor again. my dh has missed 2 of our 3 births...granted he's been in time to cut all the cords though....i labored with our last almost completely alone until my mom got here and took me to the birth center, so i'm really glad that i get to stay at home this time, but i don't want my only birth attendants to be people that i have to care for...meaning our other 3.. so, i suppose i'm just afraid that everything will just go too quickly and that i won't have time to stop, think, and relax....anyway...thanx for listening to all my rambling...i feel a little better now...voicing all these "fears"...now to just let them go.......

[Wild Flowers]

My dh is actually a cool one He read the Emergency childbirth manual. When he thought he was going to be here, he wanted a UC. He is totally in awe of the womans body and its ability to give birth. He would have been one to say something like"You lost your mucous plug and flushed it? I wanted to see" Okay, keep in mind I did marry a nerd who watched the discovery channel and even though we grew up in the 80s has never heard of Sixteen Candles, the Breakfast Club and doesn't really know any 80s music either. I married that boy
I am feeling a little better. It seems a little more do able when the sun is up. That is my hugest problem is that it goes in spurts, sometimes I feel like no biggie I can get it done, other times I need my dh nd the baby is staying in me until he gets home, which would make me seriously overdue. I am hoping that we find out in a couple of days if he will be coming home or not. I think I would get in some serious trouble for kicking his bosses butt. His technical boss is the president. But his commanding officer, well, they are pretty well protected from upset wifes by many miles of water and a pretty good hull of a submarine...The president is pretty protected by upset military wives also. And I don't think he would really care that someone was missing the birth of their child when they were doing their "mission". I have many friends that their dhs have missed the birth. I guess I actually feel really guilty complaining about it But the problem is that they told him he would be here and we have no family coming to help, it is just me and the help I can get from my friends, who also have kids if he isn't here.
Oh and Cinnamonamon, seriously, if you have seen my dds hair...There is no way that she could get anything in it. The poor girl has maybe 2 in long hair that is pixie like and she is 2 1/2. I know it will grow in some day, mine did, but hers is even slower.
And I have no clue the gymnastics this baby is doing but it is definately not liking me sitting down like this. Oh I don't do i cords, I crochet them. I was a crocheter, I have never done an i cord, but every complains about them so I never learned how to do them and just crochet that cord. That is a good idea though, we can start a thread showing off all of our FINISHED soakers to get us all motivated to actually finish them. Off to do dishes then I swear a load of laundry, or diapers, and sitting down to finish soakers. I swear I will get off my pregnant butt and do soemthing today.

[cinnamonamon]

s Valerie... I thought your dh was in the Armed Forces, I just wasn't sure...it would be nice if you could call up & holler at his "bosses," but that would probably be a bad thing, huh?

It sounds like your dd2 has hair like my ds2 -- it's so thin & wispy & short...I finally cut it in November for the first time, and it's due for another cut, but I keep unconciously putting it off because I'm waiting for it to grow in more. Doesn't make sense, but I do it anyway, lol.


So I'm about 70% packed now. I've started to have decent contractions throughout the day & my friend & her dh were here until about 1/2 hour ago, so they kinda motivated me. She cleaned up my living room & dining room -- they look awesome! I'm still not sure this isn't going to go on for days, but in any case I have an appt. tomorrow. We may drive down tonight and stay at my mom's house, we'll see.


I'll be sending "get home early" vibes to your dh; I really hope you don't have to be alone. That's the downfall to these due date clubs -- we get all friendly with just the people in our month, and then everyone needs help at the same time!

Hmmm... I wanted to post more, but ds' need my attention. I'll (hopefully) be back later.

[Wild Flowers]

I actually got to see him a little bit last night His boat broke. Hey Carolynn those get home early vibes sure worked, think you can think up some more? He does have to go back out this time, but hopefully not for long. And we were able to get some things done while he was here. I feel better. But off to post about another problem and why I think I have been having contractions...

[cinnamonamon]

: I think I sent myself some "get home early" vibes too...I'm back home today after a day of few contractions. At least I got a nice (almost) full night of sleep at my mom's last night. And since I had an appt. today there wasn't any wasted driving.

Maybe baby just wanted a test run? I'm glad he's waiting a bit, though -- now I can finish up a few things & have a chance to be excited & want baby to be here. I've been in the "not yet, not yet, not yet" stage until now.


...off to read your other post...