Notice how this title is not, “Patiently Waiting on Baby #2”.
I normally consider myself a patient
person but pregnancy the second time around has been extremely different than
my first pregnancy. In my first pregnancy, everything was so la di da. I never
had morning sickness, didn’t mind sleeping on my side, and never had bladder
incontinence. I did not suffer from “labor pains” at 36 weeks but was actually
pain free and quite comfortable till the day I went into labor. With this
pregnancy, I have experienced changes in my body and my psyche that even Philippe
is unsure how to react to or assuage. I desperately try to involve
him in every part of this pregnancy and so I often find myself giving him a
play by play of what is happening to me throughout the day in relation to the
pregnancy. I don’t filter and I honestly do not think he is caught off guard by
anything that comes out of my mouth anymore. Hey we are in this together right?
My original due date would be four days from now but from
the beginning of the pregnancy I have been measuring about a week ahead of
time. I do not know what to believe anymore but I do know that I am extremely
uncomfortable. The discomfort and crying at the drop of a hat fortunately
contained itself until I got through my final exam. And once that stress was
off my shoulders it is like my body and mind was able to relax and absorb what
was going on and really accept that now is the time to bring this amazing new
person into my life.
So these last few days I have been reading up on natural
ways to induce labor and I have tried almost all of them that I feel
comfortable with. I am not going to try drinking castor oil because I don’t
feel that I am in control of results from that. I have driven around my old
neighborhood full of speed bumps, tried to walk as much as possible, and had
Philippe do his share of baby inducing….no more detail needed on that one. I
have had multiple massages and though they haven’t worked, they have been
extremely appreciated. I considered the self-massage on my nipples but I read
one too many articles that it actually can lead to a more painful labor
experience and even endanger the baby, so that option is out. Yesterday I tried acupressure on two key
spots. One on the webbing between my thumb and forefinger and one that is four
finger widths above my ankle bone. The instructions for the ankle bone pressure
point was to rub on the area until a contraction comes on. I was doubtful but
after thirty seconds of applying pressure on this area, I actually started to
have a contraction. It was creepy so I stopped right then and there. A friend
of mine sent me a recipe that supposedly induces labor and it includes dates,
coconut flakes, and pineapple. That is on the menu tonight so we will see.
 |
| 38 weeks |
I just do not think I can take another night of waking up to
pee eight times. Yes, last night I awoke eight times to use the bathroom. And
its not like I can just sit and urinate. I am now so big that my bladder has
probably shifted around because I actually have to change positions in order to
completely empty my bladder. It is not sexy at all….
In the long run I know that waiting for my little man to
come on his own time is the right way to go. With my daughter I was told at 38
weeks pregnant that she needed to be induced because she was not thriving in
the womb. I told them that she just was not ready to come out and that I needed
an order like that to come from my doctor. My doctor never agreed to this and I
went on about my life and waited for 40 weeks to come around. I got a phone
call sometime before my 40th week and when I listened to the voice mail it went something like, “We just wanted to inform you that you missed
your scheduled cesarean…” They made it sound like I missed a hair appointment
or something. I never know how that was mis-communicated but it doesn’t matter
because Valentina came on our her time which was 40 weeks and 1 day.
 |
I am so grateful that I waited for her to come around when
she was ready because this has been the foundation of how I have chosen to
raise her with Philippe. We have never rushed her to do things like meeting her
milestones, or giving up her pacifier, or getting potty-trained. She has always
done things when she is ready to do them. We also do not push her to do things
she is against. As much as she loves to dance and her dance class, there have
been a few Friday nights where she says she doesn’t want to go to dance class
the following morning because she is “scared” and “shy”. And if that morning
she is still against it, we let her skip it but make sure to be back the
following week. I do not know if this is the right way to do things as a parent
but it feels right and her response has continued to be positive when we give
her the time she needs to progress.  |
| Here she is with her new big girl bike which we told her was her "brother's idea" |
 |
| A "shy" moment at her dance class, one week prior to her dance recital |
As I write this I realize that I am feeling okay with
waiting a bit longer for my son’s arrival. I savor these last few days with an
only child, with my little girl. Her world is about to turn upside and she has
no idea. I watch her sleep at night and I cannot get over what a big girl she
is. It makes me want to relish in every moment of my son’s young life as well because time really flys with them.
So here is to being somewhat more patient than I was before
writing this and enjoying the last few days of what could be my last pregnancy.
