Gunter
11-05-2005, 03:33 PM
Hi ladies,
I woke up at 5:30am to contractions...nothing like the little mild menstrual cramps I have had randomly. These were coming in intervals and were rather more intense. No idea what kind of intervals, b/c I was kinda asleep. So, I woke up to pay attention. I went from not knowing what a contraction was last week to having them all morning long!
They were low and felt like waves for sure. They would last for about a minute every 8 minutes. Thank god I learned to breathe via yoga!!! I was so awesome to just breathe through every single one. I needed stonger deeper breaths with some rather intense ones. Around 7-7:30am, I called my mid-wife, mother in law and doula. They all said to keep an eye on them and write down how long they lasted and how far apart they were. They went from five minutes down to three minutes apart but were not lasting as long by then, only lasting about 30 seconds. At one point, a few were only a miute apart.
I left a message for my mom, too. My mid-wife suggested I take a bath and drink a glass of wine to slow things down. I am 37 weeks 1 day. She said it would be fine if the babe is ready to come to day but let's try to keep these at bay for a while longer if possible. Then I called my massage therapist friend to come over.
I got in the tub, ate cereal, took hawthorne to keep my BP low and just kept breathing through them. My massage friend sat on the deck with Dh and I rubbing my feet (carefully avoiding my inner ankle trigger points) and laughing. I was so happy and though what a great way to be in labor! They had gone back to 7 minutes apart for about 45 seconds long. A few were strong but they were totally managable. Then we went inside for a massage with lavender oil. It went so well that she suggested I stay laying there when she was done. :throb I asked DH to hug her for me. He did and she left. Then I was super hungry so we made spaghetti and rolls. Called everyone back after eating and the contractions were about 10 minutes apart by now and lasting 20-30 seconds. A few were 15 minutes apart. This was at noon.
It felt like they were subsidding. Mentally I even felt different, too like the babe wasn't going to come right now. I spoke with the babe and said, "If your lungs are ready to work and you are fully healthy, you can come today. But if you need some more time to grow strong, then would you please stay in there?" Being only 37.1 weeks and having a HB, I want the babe and me to be at our best. Dh and I laid down to take a nap.
We did have sex last night and think that must have triggered this onset. We also think we have an awesome babe on the way who is kind enough to prepare us for it's way of arrival. It's so great as a first time mom to have gone through this practice run and totally feel confident and happy in it. Even when I had a couple thoughts of, "Can I take Advil?" and felt like a huge wimp, I was able to work through that. I know I didn't really need or want drugs to interfere. A neighbor I talked to reminded me that at 5 mins. apart, most people go to the hospital. I said, Okay. Thanks. There was no need for me to spend my energy telling her the many reasons why I don't believe that is right. Great lessons to learn. I feel really honored to have a babe teaching us these things about laboring. Must be a kind and thoughtful soul in there! :love
I just woke from a two hour nap. Have had a few very light little contractions that I will keep aware of. The coolest part is that I was CALM the entire day. I never started flipping out or getting worried. I just took it all in stride. I am so happy about that! DH was awesome in so many different ways. We talked about not asking me questions during an actual contraction. Nice to learn that in advance, too, eh?
Thought that you all would want to hear this. I did think of how fun it is to share my life with all you ladies across the world. I felt totally connected the strength of natural, gentle birth that you all give!
I woke up at 5:30am to contractions...nothing like the little mild menstrual cramps I have had randomly. These were coming in intervals and were rather more intense. No idea what kind of intervals, b/c I was kinda asleep. So, I woke up to pay attention. I went from not knowing what a contraction was last week to having them all morning long!
They were low and felt like waves for sure. They would last for about a minute every 8 minutes. Thank god I learned to breathe via yoga!!! I was so awesome to just breathe through every single one. I needed stonger deeper breaths with some rather intense ones. Around 7-7:30am, I called my mid-wife, mother in law and doula. They all said to keep an eye on them and write down how long they lasted and how far apart they were. They went from five minutes down to three minutes apart but were not lasting as long by then, only lasting about 30 seconds. At one point, a few were only a miute apart.
I left a message for my mom, too. My mid-wife suggested I take a bath and drink a glass of wine to slow things down. I am 37 weeks 1 day. She said it would be fine if the babe is ready to come to day but let's try to keep these at bay for a while longer if possible. Then I called my massage therapist friend to come over.
I got in the tub, ate cereal, took hawthorne to keep my BP low and just kept breathing through them. My massage friend sat on the deck with Dh and I rubbing my feet (carefully avoiding my inner ankle trigger points) and laughing. I was so happy and though what a great way to be in labor! They had gone back to 7 minutes apart for about 45 seconds long. A few were strong but they were totally managable. Then we went inside for a massage with lavender oil. It went so well that she suggested I stay laying there when she was done. :throb I asked DH to hug her for me. He did and she left. Then I was super hungry so we made spaghetti and rolls. Called everyone back after eating and the contractions were about 10 minutes apart by now and lasting 20-30 seconds. A few were 15 minutes apart. This was at noon.
It felt like they were subsidding. Mentally I even felt different, too like the babe wasn't going to come right now. I spoke with the babe and said, "If your lungs are ready to work and you are fully healthy, you can come today. But if you need some more time to grow strong, then would you please stay in there?" Being only 37.1 weeks and having a HB, I want the babe and me to be at our best. Dh and I laid down to take a nap.
We did have sex last night and think that must have triggered this onset. We also think we have an awesome babe on the way who is kind enough to prepare us for it's way of arrival. It's so great as a first time mom to have gone through this practice run and totally feel confident and happy in it. Even when I had a couple thoughts of, "Can I take Advil?" and felt like a huge wimp, I was able to work through that. I know I didn't really need or want drugs to interfere. A neighbor I talked to reminded me that at 5 mins. apart, most people go to the hospital. I said, Okay. Thanks. There was no need for me to spend my energy telling her the many reasons why I don't believe that is right. Great lessons to learn. I feel really honored to have a babe teaching us these things about laboring. Must be a kind and thoughtful soul in there! :love
I just woke from a two hour nap. Have had a few very light little contractions that I will keep aware of. The coolest part is that I was CALM the entire day. I never started flipping out or getting worried. I just took it all in stride. I am so happy about that! DH was awesome in so many different ways. We talked about not asking me questions during an actual contraction. Nice to learn that in advance, too, eh?
Thought that you all would want to hear this. I did think of how fun it is to share my life with all you ladies across the world. I felt totally connected the strength of natural, gentle birth that you all give!