Birthing on the Brain

I suppose after a weekend of extra of walking (which kicks the cervix pressure, braxton-hicks stuff up a notch like it ain’t nobodeez bidnez), and reading Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, and watching The Business of Being Born with my housemates, it’s not very surprising that I’ve got, among other things, my upcoming birth on my mind.

I don’t want to think about it too much, because with my last pregnancy, I felt like this just sloooooooowed down when I thought about it. If a watched pot never boils, you could say I had a barstool parked up next to the stove for weeks. Lil’ E was nearly 2 weeks “overdue” and I had tried everything to get him moving, all of which resulted in either frustration, fatigue, diarrhea, and/or a bladder infection, which came a few days after the midwife “stripped the membranes” and was sited for the reason of my eventual Pitocin induction.

The weekend before I went into labor (both synthetically and naturally induced on a Sunday night), my step-mom and I searched high and low for herbs to aid in the start of labor, even asking around the flea market for the “herb lady” to see if we could get our hands on some blue or black cohosh. Ha! At least I can laugh about it now.

Okay, so here I am, 36+ weeks, and my nose would totally grow if I said I don’t care if the “overdue” thing happens again. I care – albiet much, much less. I try so hard not to speculate, to let Verity and my body predict when she’s due to arrive. It’s hard though, because I feel so tired and the last month of pregnancy just drags on and on, it seems. It’s like the last 200 yards of your first 5k run. You just want to sprint it and be DONE!

I’ve read up on ways I can aid in my bodies readiness level, and plan to implement everything from a tea mix containing red raspberry leaves and blue cohosh root, to evening primrose oil, to sex, to walking 30 minutes a day – but I know that while these things might make all those yummy mommy parts of my body soft and strong and ready for labor – ultimately this thing is going down on its own time, and manipulating it is only bound to produce the opposite of the desired result.

Today the midwife and her “team” of two made a house visit, and for the first time we discussed the nitty gritty like – when should I call her? What do I need to have on hand for the homebirth? So on. I ordered my “Homebirth Kit” shortly thereafter, complete with delicious sounding supplies like: maternity briefs, underpads, perineal irrigation bottle, sterile gloves, gauze, and plastic backed sheets. Mmmm. If that doesn’t make ya think about the lovely process of birth, I don’t know what will! As far as the appointment went, we opted for no internal exam because, really, it won’t mean anything anyway. I am measuring small but she said that’s because Verity is already so low. I’ve gained a pound in 2 weeks (so far a total of 25 pounds, nice!). I have consistently “perfect blood pressure” and everything is “perfect perfect perfect”.

Oh, and another nice thing is that I tested negative for Group B Strep- something I was positive for with my last Florida birth and which prevented me from being allowed in the hospital birthing pool, prevented me from anything less than a 48 hour stay once the baby was born, and required me to be hooked up to antibiotics during labor. NOT FUN.

Well I just downed a larger-than-average bowl of shrimp etoufee, followed by some carrot souffle, and I’m beat.

Um, yeah, so… back to work