Daily Check-in for 1/6

[othersomethings]

Well, sleeping was non-existent once again, but we're both here and waiting.

I'm hosting a babyshower for a friend today, and busted my butt cleaning yesterday (and it's not done!!!) AND I made decadent chocolate truffles as take home treats. What was I thinking? Oh yeah...they're yummy! Oh, and finished my 3rd load of baby laundry, which I'm so happy about.

My affirmation for today:
Breastfeeding is not scary...it is lifegiving and I know my body was made for it, and I wouldn't want anything else for my baby.

[Stacymama]

I am grateful my dh is home to help me with my 4yr old and 2 yr old. I had to get away from them yesterday, they were getting on my very last nerve. I went to Walmart (Ack, hate that store) for about 2 hours, just to restore any sanity. I'm growing more and more impatient. I have not gone past my due date before (even though I'm only 1 day past). I peed seriously, 8 times last night, like a camel each time.

I found a website from another thread yesterday on how to make your own wraps, so that was part of my trip to Walmart to get some fabric. I'm excited to see how that works out.
Have a WONDERFUL Sunday!

[starry_mama]

Popping in from the December DDC to check in with you mamas. I'm 41w1d today and still pregnant. Every day I say "I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this!" and yet I make it through each day, so I'm trying to keep that in mind. I feel like I'm going to be pregnant forever. I have a midwife appointment this afternoon, and I don't want to go. I was complaining to my mom about going and she said "this will probably be your last one!" and I was like, NO! I've said that 2 times already, and yet here I am!

Last night I had super painful, but very erratic contractions. I kept hoping they would get into a pattern and turn into labor, but they didn't. Its weird - I haven't been getting up in the night to pee - maybe I'm not drinking enough? Its nice to sleep all night, but very odd at this point.

I'm so sick of having contractions almost every night. I don't understand why they don't just turn into labor. The baby is in PERFECT birthing position, so there is no good reason for labor to not be kicking in, except to annoy me.

Ok, I'm all done complaining. For now.

[rosie29]

Starry mama, hang in there! Sorry to hear your December mamas have left you behind.

Well, I tested my parents tonight. They are plan A for caring for our DS while I give birth at the hospital. They live an hour away. And with DS, I was in active labor only for 5 hours! So I'm really depending on them to be quick when I call them. I do have some backup plans though. Anyhow, I called them and said, "If I told you I was in labor, how long would it take to get here?" They were at a retirement party, and my mom said they'd have to run home, pack bags, and then hit the road. I think I alarmed her slightly, but that's a good thing. I'm 38 weeks today and reminded her that I'm considered full-term, so I could deliver any day. I think I'll call her tonight and do the same thing, to make sure they've actually packed their bags.

My affirmation: Birth will be smooth. Labor will be quick, but not too quick! My DS will be well cared-for during delivery.

[happymomma]

40 weeks today.

I was up every hour last night. Fun.

DH and I going to go to an early dinner all by our little selves today!!! First time we have been alone in about 6 months. Yippee! But first I need to go to the grocery and finish taking down all these Christmas decorations. Ho hum.

[impromptukiss]

i'm feeling a lot less sore than i was yesterday, which is nice.

we're supposed to do my belly cast today ... we'll see. if we don't do it today we won' tbe able to do it until tuesday since dh has duty tomorrow, so i guess i'll be firm on it - even though i have no interest in doing it, lol!!

[Peacemamalove]

Still here still pregnant 38 weeks 2 days!!! Still sleep deprived and my hips are killing me...trying to focus on my affirmation today

My affirmation:

"Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be"
~Eckhart Tolle from the Power of Now

[a22lamia]

Hi All,

Today i am feeling pretty sore and miserable. i woke up around 5:30, had some cereal and went back to bed because i was so uncomfortable. My husband lured me out of bed 5 hours later with coffee and fresh baked muffins.
I'm feeling a bit better now, but my uterus feels like it ran a marathon. The temperature is a bit over 40 degrees today. If the sun comes out (crossing fingers) I think we will take a short hike with the dog who is pretty stir crazy these days.
It looks like its been a few days since we've had a birth announcement - looking forward to hearing about some new arrivals soon!

[Chavaleh]

zahirakids: I like that affirmation. It's a pretty important thing to remember especially right now when I am so anxious to meet this new baby. Need to focus on today and what is on my plate and in my world at this moment.

Speaking of today... I'm having a few more contractions than has been normal for me but I suspect it's because I'm a bit dehydrated so I'm watering up. My mom is coming over in a bit to drive us down to a place where I can finally get my fried chicken! WOO! It's over an hour away but it's one of those homey Southern places with a big lazy susan on the table where they put these big giant bowls of food that they replace when empty. Fried chicken, cole slaw, creamed corn, roast and gravy, green beans, mashed taters, yeast rolls and peach cobbler. Mmm mmm mmm. Paradise.

I'm officially 39 weeks today. My two other kids have been 4 days early and 4 days late so I'm thinking that I am now in the two week window of probability for me.

[HardCoreMom]

yet another night when both boys woke up at 1030 and decided to neither (a) close their eyes and try to go back to sleep; nor (b) allow DH and i to leave the bedroom without bursting into tears. and then, after futile efforts to have ANY TIME whatsoever to talk together as man and wife (nevermind cuddle, watch a movie, clean the house, or do ANYTHING else we would like to do once the kids go to bed), when we finally stumble back to our own bed (angrily), the kids lay there, whimpering and kicking us all night long. another sleepless night in our home. i swear we're all gonna get really sick at this point. i don't know how the kids manage to pull it off. once the sun is up, they're bouncing off the walls, happy and energetic as ever (clearly not sick, teething, etc). but as soon as nighttime falls, they turn into these nocturnal whine machines, and they make no effort whatsoever to communicate what it is that they need or want to help them go back to sleep. they want daddy in bed with them, that is clear. but once daddy is in bed, they still lay awake, staring at the ceiling.

DH and i are pretty beside ourselves. it's been spiraling for a few weeks now, but we're seriously not sleeping at all anymore. we've racked our brains trying to address the situation. we're anti-behavioralism in this house, so we'd like to meet their NEEDS rather than change their behaviors, but at this point, mom and dad are really struggling for some rest. so for the first time ever, we have arranged for both kids to spend the whole day away from us. DH just left to meet the in-laws about 30 mins away (halfway), and they're gonna keep them till tonight. (not the best solution, as the ILs aren't as hippie as we'd like them to be, but hey...) we can sleep as much as we want all day long, and regain some strength to handle tonight's misery. i wish beyond all power that the kids would just try to communicate rather than fuss. we want to help fix the situation for everyone, not just impose some new rules to try and change their behaviors.

still no labor symptoms. thank heavens. i think that today i would opt for the longest hospital stay possible (and die of guilt for leaving DH to sleep alone with the kids).

thanks for listening to me rant. i'm off to try and do last night's dishes while DH is driving them up to meet the ILs. it sucks when you wake up the next morning not only behind on sleep, but on everything else you needed to accomplish the day before. it's like life with a newborn, only without the newborn. so not fair.

affirmation: my children will eventually need to sleep. (sigh)

hcm

[Pilgrim]

Good morning all you mamas! 40+3 here, and I've still got nuthin! A close friend of mine, very intuitive, was SURE I was going to go into labor last night or today. My back was killing me so bad last night, I thought she might be right. I've got no inkling of anything though. Another close friend, also very intuitive, has me pegged for next Wed. or Thur.

I'm so thankful DH is home today. I'm not moving at all if I can help it. Every little motion produces big pain! He's already brought me breakfast and got laundry going. He's sooo wonderful!!

[bizzibee1]

Morning everyone! I am currently 39w 3d. I was up and down last night with menstral cramps that started around 5am and kept up until at least 10am. Braxtons and pretty regular too. I keep hoping something starts today, even though it is DH's Birthday, he is home and not at work, an hour away. Wishing labour vibes to everyone

[svmaine]

I'm officially at 40w today, happy due date to me? I really didn't want to make it this long, oh well. I went over with the other 2 so I guess I'm doing the same now, ugh. Still no contractions, no water leaking, plug still intact, and wanting to be comfortable again:! I think I'll wait another week until I start the list of labor starters, I think...

The idea of caring for 3 is also a bit intimidating but I can't take much more of this huge belly!!

[charmedbeing]

Checking in.... I'm 39+4 days. Contractions have been happening since Friday night 11:30 and continued all day Saturday. I've had a few today but their not amounting to anything. I do have intense pubic pain.

Wishing and hoping that something wonderful happens today.

[Surfacing]

Chavaleh - glad to hear you're gonna get your lovely Southern Fried chicken etc. Yum yum yum!

othersomethings - Making truffles? Mmmm. Good on ya! Hope your friend's shower goes well.

Starry_Mama - I shall risk being annoying and ask if you've tried any natural labour inducers? Glad that your mom is coming to help now.

HCM - I sooooo feel for you with the sleep deprivation. It can make you such a miserable soul. I think it's wise for you and dh to get some rest, and have the kids with the in-laws for the day EVEN IF they're not the ideal childcare solution. I hope things turn around for you soon. It's so frustrating when you're trying to understand and meet the underlying need but it's not apparent. Sometimes the kiddos don't even seem to know themselves. Have they been getting enough exercise and fresh air time? That seems to help dd get a decent night's sleep. Just a thought. :

Bizzibee1 - how exciting! Wouldn't it be sweet if your babe was born on dh's b-day?

To all other mamas in waiting.....

I've been having lots of strong menstrual cramp-like feelings and some strongy zingy BH. But still waiting. And waiting. I'm tired. That's okay.

Affirmation: My body and mind are strong enough to birth this baby. I will let go of my need to control what happens. I can focus on my body, my birth and my baby, and do what we need to do in order to have a healthy experience.

[muttix2]

Care to share that link Stacymama

HardCoreMom my kids do this often also. They sleep in their own room but when they can't sleep, they are up with us. I've found that when they hit a pattern like this the best way to handle it is running them ragged during the day. I bring them to the park in the afternoon or evening and let them play and run as much as they want. It is especially helpful if I bring a ball and keep "missing" when I throw it to them and they have to chase it down (they are only 4 and 2 so they don't get frustrated at this). I also have them race and things like that. They tend to crash that night and their sleeping pattern gets better.

Last night I was minding my own business, walking past a mirror when I caught a side profile of myself. I am HUGE! At my 36 week appointment I measured 33 weeks so I know that I'm not measuring bigger than I was with my boys, it is just that I am carrying so high. It is a bit discouraging that she is still so high and I'm 38 weeks. I'm going to try to get a chiropractor appointment for this week but I doubt I'll be able to get in.

[AngelaB]

Hi all,
I have been so busy lately and havent posted much. I just got over the stomach bug thats been going around and have been nesting like crazy. I asked baby to stay put until I felt better and until I could get a few more things around the house done. Baby can now come any time now. My dp lives about 7 hours away and he trains mixed martial arts fighters and they have a show on the 26th of January with about 5-6 guys fighting and I know that I come first but I know they need him to be there as well. So if baby came a bit early it would work out for all of us but baby is the boss!!!

We might go to the zoo today. My family bought us year long passes for us to go to the zoo, science center and living history farms. The walking would be nice but the chasing of children seems daunting. I think I will do my belly cast tonight too.
Angela

[mb122]

38 weeks. had some stomach issues last night which led to another night of BH ctxs coming at regular intervals. i knew it wasn't anything, but it made it hard to sleep. with DC#2, i had several nights of patterned BH ctx before labor kicked in (at some point, the BH stopped going away, and then turned into real ctx). it's hard not to compare labors since i know each one can be so different.

also, i have no idea what position the baby is now. head down, but i think it flipped from it's back on my right side to completely posterior.

it sounds like a few of you are getting close! i bet we have a few babies here over the next couple days.

[MamaFern]

39 and..2? NOTHING. arg. im frustrated because i feel like i rushed to get here only to sit and wait. its like being in a dr's office. get there ontime, maybe even a bit early and what do you get for it? a 2 hour wait.
anyways.. enough grumbling. i should be grateful. im healthy baby is still growing, which isn't ever a bad thing.. everything is mostly ready... i had some good early morning sex to get things going..not a contraction to be had
im thinking of going for a long uphill hike somewhere green and beautiful..

happy due dates happymama & svmaine!

all of you past dates mamas, lots of labor vibes to you!! :

i want to read some birth stories!!!!

[To-Fu]

37+1 today. Not much to report. Uncomfortable. The baby doesn't seem to have gotten the memo about limited space because he's still moving around like he's pole-vaulting through an Olympic-sized gymnasium in there. Some days I feel like I have a belly full of eels!

I slept for 8 hours last night (not consecutively, of course), which is too long to be lying down regardless of the number of position changes or pee breaks. Now my back, hips, and shoulders feel like they've been pummeled. Yow.

I'm grouchy and have no affirmations yet today. Perhaps I'll be back later with some.

Hang in there, mamas!