I am the Mama

This time it was for me.  Yesterday during church I was having an awful lot of contractions that were fairly painful.  So we came straight home and I called the Labor & Delivery unit to ask what I should do.  I was ordered to drink water and lay down for an hour, then call back.  That quieted the contractions some, but then I started having these sharp stabbing pains that were a little scary so they told me to come on in.  I was monitored for a while and then released with orders to keep myself well hydrated and rest more.  The last couple of weeks have been busy between the trip to Knoxville, the zoo, and my son’s birthday.  He’s back to school now, so I expect to have a little more time to do that!

I have never been in labor so the chances that it was preterm labor were small, but it’s always better safe than sorry, especially at 25 weeks.  I was having Braxton Hicks contractions which are supposedly painless, but that’s a load of crap in my opinion.  They definitely were painful to me and I had to breathe through a couple of them.  Maybe it’s a good thing I’ve never been in labor, because I’d probably be a big baby about it!

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This baby is one feisty little girl.  I started feeling her move very early.  I’m sure nobody believes me, but I am certain I was feeling her by 10 weeks.  Always in the same spot, and she stayed there for quite a while.  But now I get kicks everywhere!  I’ve even seen my belly moving quite a few times already.  So far my husband hasn’t been lucky enough to feel her, but mainly because he’s not right there when she performs her acrobatics.

She kicks my bladder quite often.  I have come very close to having accidents a few times when I had been avoiding a trip to the bathroom when we’re out or first thing in the morning when I’m trying to squeeze out a few more moments of rest.  If I have anything that presses on my belly, she kicks it mercilessly until it’s gone.  That means seatbelts, clothing, her big brothers, my hand, if I’m laying on my side and that happens to be the site she’s hanging out on…all of those trigger quite a reaction.  A couple of weeks ago at my midwife appointment she kicked the doppler at least 4 times in the few seconds the midwife took to check on her heartbeat.  She dances to the beat of the music at church.  She gets excited when I take a bath.  If I lean forward while sitting at the computer, she lets me know she doesn’t appreciate it.  Amazing stuff!

I honestly expected to have less movement if I ever had a girl.  So many people told me that boys tend to be more active in the womb.  My first son was very active, so I believed it whole heartedly.  My second was less so…but we found out later that he was really wedged into an unusal position.  (Which necessitated a vacuum assisted c-section and caused his head and ear to be misshapen!)  This child is so active that I’m beginning to doubt whether she’s actually a girl!

I also have wicked heartburn no matter what I eat or drink.  I suspect she’ll have hair, just like her brothers.  Yes, I believe that old wive’s tale.  So far it’s been true for my other 2 kids.  Of course, that might just mean they have a genetic predisposition to having hair at birth and that I tend to suffer from heartburn while pregnant.  Either way, the odds are on my side, right?  I’m starting to get uncomfortable, too.  It is best if I don’t think too often about how far away relief is…

This child is definitely going to be a character.  Not that my other 2 aren’t (and those of you who have met my oldest surely know what I’m talking about!) but this one may beat them both.  Lord help me if that’s the case!

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