saturday

the joys of early labor include:

the moment of recognition that "early labor can last from several hours to weeks"


I think I had so many violent and energetic contrax on Thursday b/c the doctor was measuring my cervix and as a friend noted, "They kind of like to get you started by moving things around up there"


Well, it worked. Today, the contrax are mostly died down except all last nite I was woken every hour, bizarrely ON the hour by heavy duty contrax and then babythrashing. Not a recipe for rest.

We walked around some today, and I'll climb the stairs. I can see what people are talking about in that "bringing on labor" stuff. Having not been thru this w/my son it is a WHOLE new world. we tried to induce him ourselves when I was overdue, and activities included some serious (I mean 4 hour) hikes up our local mountain. Spicy food, spicy intimacy, etc.

Nothing worked. So I had a 14 hour labor w/pitocyn drip, fetal monitor, the works. To go from zero to birth in 14 hours was brutal and my doula told me afterwards that 14 hours is typical w/pitocyn and that it's really tough. So if my body is taking its time in this labor process.....then so be it.......Today is my official due date, btw.