After I published my 37 week post last Wednesday, things started to get interesting!
Let’s rewind to last week for a moment. Last Thursday, I woke up in the middle of the night with a very strong pain that wrapped around my entire lower back and front. I’ve read about real contractions feeling like a “ring of fire” (among other things) and this was exactly what it felt like. I also had this weird shooting nerve pain that made it difficult to walk. I thought this could be the start of early labour. I stayed in bed and monitored what was happening for a bit. The pain wasn’t cyclic, coming in intervals, or getting more intense with time, so ultimately I figured it was just another “test run”. I was probably awake for an hour or two (while Eric slept in blissful ignorance) and then I eventually fell back asleep. I woke up in the morning and the pain was gone, but I continued to have a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions and menstrual-like cramps for the next 3 days. Things settled down after that and I’ve had barely any prelabour symptoms at all, aside from just more frequent Braxtons. The body is a mysterious thing at times!
As it turned out, I had my weekly appointment with the OB the next morning, so I told him all about my experience on Thursday night. As usual, he didn’t think it was anything out of the ordinary, but he seemed excited that things were getting ready. I also found out that my Strep B test came back negative so I won’t need to be hooked up to antibiotics. He ended up checking my cervix and found that I was 50% effaced with no dilation. At this week’s appointment, I was 60-70% effaced and still not dilated. Nothing surprising at this stage in the game, but interesting nonetheless. The doc says things can change in a matter of hours, so while baby girl might be cozy in here for another week or two, our guess is as good as any when she will come.
We had a lot of baby-related events over the past week and a half! The first was a meeting with our doula where she went over natural pain relief techniques with us. I’m skeptical as to how much these techniques will help when the pain is really severe, but we’ll see. I’ll try to keep an open mind about the whole experience. We were talking about contractions and I said something to the effect of “when the contractions get worse” and she encouraged me to re-frame the way I think about contractions. Rather than calling them something negative, why not use the word “stronger” rather than “worse”, or “expansions” rather than “contractions”. I like it. She also said to think about each contraction as one contraction closer to getting to meet our baby. Wise words!
Our car seat inspection was last Saturday and we also pre-registered at the hospital. I’m not a big hospital person (is anyone?) so when we were walking through the maternity ward I started to feel quite nervous! It felt much more real. I couldn’t believe that our big day would be here so soon and I would be occupying one of the L+D rooms. Total butterflies. Anyway, it was good to see it in person before the big day because I can mentally prepare myself a bit more. It’s the same hospital my sister delivered in too – although when I was there last it was under much difference circumstances!
We also met with our lactation consultant for a breastfeeding session this week. It was super informative, and also a bit overwhelming if I’m going to be perfectly honest. The package with our doula includes 2 visits from the lactation consultant after the baby comes too, so she stressed that I didn’t have to remember everything on the first go and she can come to the hospital if I need extra support. I’m so thankful that we have both of them. As my due date approaches, I’ve started to feel more anxious about taking care of a newborn, but I try to remind myself that we will take it one day (or one hour) at a time. People have been doing this for a LONG ass time. hah.
On the work front, I’m keeping myself very busy preparing blog posts and working on the new business. I’m also freezing soups and meals whenever I have a spare moment. The freezer is officially bursting at the seams! It feels good after 2 months of many lackluster, renovation “meals”. This weekend, we’re moving everything back into the kitchen (finally!!) and things are slowly but surely coming together after a long 2 months. I can’t wait to have the house back in order.
I’m still going on my daily hour-long walks and I hope to keep walking right up until labour! And hey, even during early labour if I can. =)
Food: Two words – Honeycrisp apples. Oh my gahhhh. Baby is a huge fan and gives little kicks of joy when I eat one. I’m also craving sweet, comfort-food baked goods like crazy this week. In case you couldn’t tell by my recent recipes! It must be fall, the end of pregnancy, and the joys of having an oven again. Other foods I can’t get enough of: pepita seeds, almond butter, cereal (2 bowls a day), homemade almond or hemp milk. No nausea to speak of right now and my appetite is very strong….whohoo.
Aside from the increase in BH contractions and menstrual-like cramps, I’m feeling great and have no other signs of impending labour right now. I’ve been a lot more emotional over the past couple weeks though – must be another shift in hormones. I’m reading birth stories every night (obsessed) and also a lot of “how labour started” stories. I find it so fascinating!! I seem to be retaining a bit more water than usual. Everything just looks a bit puffier. My nails continue to grow at a breakneck speed. I can’t believe how much I’m trimming my nails each week!
Well, that’s all to report this week. It’s crazy to think that baby could come before my next weekly update or that she might even be here by this time next weekend.
Speaking of labour starting, if you’d like to share your own “how labour started” story, feel free to do so below!
thank you all so much for your comments & stories!! Definitely tearing up over here. So beautiful.
When things seem most difficult, remember there is a grand prize at the end. It’s a great focus during the difficult part of L&D to have a pic in your head your husband snuggling sweet baby girl all swaddled and comforted and breathing easy in her daddy’s arms.
And please don’t fret about caring for a newborn. Sometimes they just cry and eventually you will know what the different cries mean.
Baby fingernails: I had special baby clippers which were handy, but when the babies were so new, I was petrified about clipping their sweet tender skin and causing tears. I admit, at times it was easier for me to use my teeth to trim nails. I know, gross, but at least I could be confident I wasn’t clipping skin.
Relax and go with the flow in L&D, you won’t have any choice but to finish it. It’s a miracle of an event.
You are a great Mama already! Good luck!
Hi Angela,
I was obsessed with reading birth stories before my first (and only so far) daughter was born 16 1/2 months ago. I went into labour at 39 weeks and 4 days. I woke up at 2am with what I can only describe as menstrual cramps. I feel mine normally in my back and they felt EXACTLY the same. The only difference was that they had an unmistakable start and end. They were about 9-10 mins apart and I stayed up totally excited and terrified about what was happening. By 6am I couldn’t wait anymore and I got my husband up. Until that time the contractions were completely manageable. They lasted for 30 secs and were still 7-8 mins apart. By 10am I was struggling more to get through them. I tried all kinds of positions but in all honesty, nothing helped except gritting and breathing. I called my midwife at 10:30, when they were 4-5 mins apart and had been for about 45 mins straight. She told me to get in the tub, and that REALLY felt better. I had to call again at 11:30, when the contractions were lasting about a min and had progressed to being 3-4 mins apart (there were a couple of 2.5 mins in there that felt scary!). She came over at noon and assessed me and I was already 6cm dilated. We headed to the hospital immediately, and let me tell you that was the worst car ride and wheelchair ride of my life. By 4pm I was completely dilated. And labour was HARD. I’m not going to lie. As a marathon runner I can assure you that nothing compares to the exhaustion I felt near the end of my labour. I didn’t take ANY pain meds because it all happened pretty fast and my midwives would assure me it would all be over soon. When I finally decided I couldn’t deal with it anymore, I asked for the epidural, but it was too late in the game.
My daughter was born at 8:15pm, and nothing else mattered from that point on.
Yes the pain of a “natural” birth is as unbelievable as you hear. But your doulas advice is excellent- every contraction is one step closer. In the end it wasn’t the pain that overwhelmed me, it was the exhaustion. Because yes the contractions hurt, but they don’t last the entire time. You get breaks between them for almost the entire labour (except for that nasty end part, but then you’ve got your friend adrenaline working for you). It’s a mental endurance challenge. You think, “I can’t do this anymore” but your support partners are there to tell you that you can and that you will. And yes, everything they say about the pain disappearing the moment you lay eyes on your babe is also true. Words can’t describe. I’m very excited for you. It’s magical. However it happens-induction, c-section, epidural, all natural- none of the stuff we all obsess about beforehand, matters much when the baby arrives. Good luck! All the moms and moms-to-be are cheering you on.
Jill, this brought tears to my eyes….SO beautiful. I appreciate your honesty and encouragement! I will be thinking of yours and others comments during my labour.
Jill, thank you so much for your perspective! I am a mother of a one-year old girl and also a labor and delivery nurse. So many times I see moms come in with a set idea in their minds of how they want their labor and delivery experience to occur. Some are so focused on how they want things to progress that they experience extreme disappointment and powerlessness if their plan doesn’t happen. It’s great to have a plan beforehand but so important to keep an open mind too. Like you said in your post: “However it happens….none of the stuff we all obsess about beforehand matters much when the baby arrives.” Thanks! :)
So exciting that you’re so close now! And that’s great that you’re so on top of things. It will definitely come in handy to have a stocked freezer once the little one arrives!
Since you’re into birth stories right now, I posted mine on my old blog. I had a homebirth and really loved the experience–and the way it all started was a little crazy, so that’s always fun. ;) It’s here if you’d like to read it: http://www.gfinthecity.com/2013/05/my-birth-story-part-1-water-water-everywhere.html
Enjoy these final days of pregnancy and try not to stress too much–you’ll be amazing!
Beautiful birth story! I am also planning a home birth with my first (due in 2 weeks) so loved reading this. :)
My little guy was born last January, and I was due the 11. I remember a friend saying to me that maybe our sons would share the same birthday–the 20th! In my mind I thought no way, he’s coming early! But he was 10 days late. I had the same period like cramps for three weeks before labor started and about a week of regular BH contractions. Sometimes, they were quite painful, and I wondered if they were labor contractions. They would start in the evening, and then be gone by the time I woke up in the middle of the night with a baby on my bladder! One night, the pain sensation was quite a bit more intense, and I couldn’t sleep. We went to the hospital because they were 4 minutes apart. When we got there, I still was only a centimeter dilated, so we were sent home. I woke up at 5 am the next morning with contractions I could not ignore. I couldn’t stand through them. After four hours of laboring at home, with contractions at 4 minutes apart, we went in–this time to stay :)
Hopefully, your doula will come to your house and help you labor at home. I’d try to stay home as long as possible, but people told me the same–ha ha! It’s just so hard to know what to feel when you are having your first child. So maybe, in addition to trying to labor at home, be forgiving of yourself when your own labor takes whatever course it will. No matter what, it will be one of the most powerful & amazingly beautiful experiences of your life!
Oh, wow! How exciting! Those menstrual-like cramps are how labor with my second started but there was no delay…contractions began an hour after the cramps and water broke an hour after that. Labored at home for about four more hours, was six centimeters dilated when we got to the hospital. I kept moving, rolling on the birthing ball and when I began transition I sort of draped myself over the side of the bed and swayed my hips from side to side while my husband rubbed my low back. I found making noises like I was a ghost in an old-time movie helped….think Ohhhhhh…..Ohhhhhh….OHHHHH…haha. It was a tip from our natural childbirth instructor and I thought I’d feel totally ridiculous doing it but it felt so natural and help with those strongest contractions. I finally climbed into the bed, was fluky dilated and pushed for about 20 minutes. Total labor time was right at eight and a half hours, half as long as my first! Labor is labor…it’s hard work, and yes, it can be very painful…but no one has ever died from the pain of birth. It really will depend on your own personal fillings about it, your level of pain tolerance and how relaxed you can keep your body. Husbands can be such a wonderful help with this, along with your doula. However, while natural birth is beautiful, ALL births are blessed, miraculous events that YOU achieve. Doctors are great but only you can birth your baby because only you have carried her all these amazing months. However she makes her appearance will be one the most incredible, life-changing moments of your life. You’ve kept her safe and both of you will learn the caring for part as it comes. You’re going to do great!
My first daughter came at 37 w 3d. My water broke at 6pm and I showered , ate, and headed to the hospital. I’m so glad someone told me to eat a good meal , because once you are in the hospital and checked in they don’t let you eat. Also, my water broke and the flood gates opened. I filled my husbands bucket seats full and my clothes were drenched top to bottom by the time we hit the hospital. I was not prepared for that. My labor went all night and all the next day until 2pm when my daughter was born. I was almost 100% effaced but wouldn’t dilate past 3cm so had to have pitocin and then lots of waiting until I could get my epidural.
When my 2nd daughter was born I went into labor at 38w 2d and started having contractions that sent me to the hospital immediately. My daughter was born 3 hours after we arrived and 1 hr post epidural. The 2nd birth was much quicker and so much gentler on my body. I think it had to do with being in active labor 3-4hrs vs 20 hrs. My recovery with baby 2 was a breeze, but baby 1 did a number on me. Everyone’s story/recovery is different. Just focus on the prize!!!
I went into labor at 38 weeks and 4 days. I’d been uncomfortable for a few days (sore hips and back) but that Tuesday morning, my mucous plug came out and then contractions started a few hours later while I was at work. Story here: http://thereseandross.blogspot.com/2014/06/39-weeks-end-and-beginning.html?m=1 Labor was nothing like I thought it would be. I loved it!!!
Hi Angela,
Love your website, made carob freezer fudge and doing your creamy tomato mushroom pasta tonight! Like you, Iam craving comfort food too! At 30 weeks pregnant I am right behind you and love hearing your weekly updates and you keep me inspired to write to my little one each week as well! Just wondering where you read the birth stories, as I want to start doing that as well? Thanks for the wonderful vegan recipes and baby posts! xo
Congrats on your pregnancy Laura :) Glad you are enjoying the recipes!
As for birth stories, I usually just search “birth stories” in Google and see what comes up. I find there are a ton on the Babycenter websites.
Has your doctor checked to see if you might be having round ligament pain? Sounds an awful lot like that, especially if it’s more common when you’re relaxed.
Oh, and I love hiking so I pictured each contraction (7 very long slow labors=lots of contractions) as a mountain that I would climb up one side and slide down the other. Weird but it worked. But I should say I pretty much ignored my contractions till I absolutely couldn’t anymore- none of this endless timing for me.
Hope you enjoy your last weeks!
This is the kind of thing I think really works too, and I barely timed contractions either. Just a few out of curiosity, but I think its pretty unnecessary.
With my son. I went to a doctor’s appointment two days before my due date and had NO progress. At 3 am that night my water started breaking. (It was a continual trickle throughout labor. ) So just goes to show it really can happen anytime. :D I had scattered weak contractions in my back until I got Pitocin which picked things up a lot. I ended up having an unmedicated birth.
My daughter was 5 days late and my water BROKE at 4 am. This time it was that crazy rush of water people always talk about. My contractions started a few hours later and they kept having me lay still on my side to monitor her because her heart rate wasn’t quite what they wanted. Going through labor while lying still on my side was impossible so I got to 6 cm and got an epidural. It was magical, lol. :)
hah love both stories! It’s amazing how different they can all be.
With our first I woke up at 6 am feeling BH type tightening, but it felt ‘for real’ some how, I just knew it was different. Every few minutes my bump would get really tight and then stop and I would be fine. We went to the hospital around 9pm, when my contractions were 5 minutes apart and feeling very… um, ‘strong’. I was only 1cm dilated : ( I labored at the hospital forever. I recommend staying home as long as possible! Its so nice to be able to move/ sit/ kneel, whatever you need to do during your labor and not have people interfering or feel like you are being watched or judged. Our little guy was born at 3:15 am, 21 hours after I started feeling contractions… He was worth every second. Times 100!
Our second little man was a totally different experience. Labor started around noon, same kind of all over tightening, my belly would get super hard and tight for a while and then relax. Not too much pain really. But, labor went much faster and and the strong contractions started to roll in around 4 or so. I called my husband and we headed to the hospital. But, when we got there this time I was fully dilated! Our baby boy was born a little over hour after we got to the hospital.
This labor thing is like a long training run. When you start out you will be nervous about having to run so far, and will be unsure if you can do it. But you start any way and you find your rhythm. You’ll hit a time where you think you can’t keep going. Yes, its painful and you want to stop, but your still 10 miles from home and you don’t want to walk the rest of the way, so you keep running. You’ll hate the hills, they’re horrid but you keeping going up them. Somewhere along the way you rise above the run and just move, not really thinking about it. All of a sudden you’re a few blocks from home, you start to visualize all the things you want to do when you get there. You’re super excited about getting your shoes off, stretching, a hot shower, maybe some chocolate. And then you’ve made it, you ran the whole way.. and you know what, it wasn’t that bad. Now you feel amazing, you’re a rock star.
Keep putting one foot in front of the other and don’t worry about how long it’s taking or how far you have to go. It will be over before you know it. And your sweet baby girl will be the best finishers medal you ever get! We are built for this, you are built for this. You can do it.
What an interesting description, thanks for this post!
Very excited for you and your husband! I love your recipes. One question: I am sensitive to chia seeds, most tree nuts, and just wondered how to modify those recipes that include those items?
Thanks so much!
Hi Jenny,
Thanks for your excitement!
As for subbing seeds and nuts, it really depends on the recipe. My advice would be to check out my nut-free recipes; http://ohsheglows.com/categories/recipes-2/food-allergies/allergies-nut-free/?posts_per_page=40
And then if you have any specific recipe questions let me know and I will try to help!
Can’t wait to hear the baby announcement! I’m a grandma and not as young as your followers, but I love your blog, recipes and gifted your book twice to friends! What will your beautiful girl call her “Grammies”??
With my first child, I woke up (at the scheduled 3 am potty break!) and my water broke whilst on the potty, 13 hrs later my boy was in my arms! My 2nd I woke up at 4am on the morning of his due date, with “HOLY MOLY THAT HURT LIKE HELL” contractions and 4 hours later my boy was in my arms. My 3rd I woke up 11 day early with the HOLY MOLY contraction and 4 hours later she was in my arms. My experience I CLEARLY knew I was in labor! I was thankful for that, I was always worried about the “How will I know?”. Blessing to you!
My little one decided to stay in there a whole week after her due date (womp womp). I was a bit worried I was going to have to be induced (I had heard some not so nice stories from friends about how intense this can be), but on a friend’s recommendation I went to an acupuncturist and I went into labour THAT NIGHT! Maybe it was going to happen anyway (who knows?), but if your little miss decides to hang out a little longer than her date, it may be worth looking into – it can’t hurt! :). I had a long and slow labour at home, and I really appreciated being in my own space to move however I wanted (hanging over the ball, sitting on the ball, leaning on my husband, sitting on the toilet, sitting on a stool in the shower etc etc – although I am sure you can have most of the same freedom to move in the hospital), and I found it really helpful to make very low and loud moaning noises (which sounds ridiculous, but was awesome). Eventually things picked up and we welcomed our little girl into the world in our bedroom at home after 25 minutes of pushing (total labour time was about 20 hours). It was definitely painful at the end, but it actually wasn’t as bad as I thought (I think I ramped myself up so much that there was no way it COULD have been as painful as I thought), and when I started pushing it felt so much better. It was easily the most profound and amazing experience of my life (although the first time I heard her laugh is a very close second!). I honestly really surprised myself, because until the very moment she came out, I didn’t think I could actually do it. Women are amazing, and our bodies are insanely awesome. All the luck in the world to you and your husband. You’ve GOT THIS!! :)
Firstly, I love your site and cookbook. I have never made a recipe of yours that wasn’t awesome, so thanks so much for sharing your ideas. And I’ve really enjoyed following your pregnancy experience. The pictures are great! I wish I’d done the same – it will be nice to look back on them.
Birth story: my son was born 2 and half weeks early and was 8 pounds, 2 ounces, so I’m glad he didn’t wait until the end! My labor started with my water breaking at about 6am. We called the midwife, who advised us to wait a few hours and call them back. However, both of my mom’s labors were very short (90 minutes and 45 minutes), so they decided we should come in anyway. It took at least an hour or two before I even started having contractions, and 22 hours later, my son was born! There were some difficulties with the birth, but it worked out just fine and I wanted to tell you what I learned about labor pains. I think that normally pain is scary because it means something is wrong, that you’re sick or injured. But labor pains don’t mean that – they mean that your body is helping your baby to be born. So yes, it hurts like hell and sometimes it’s overwhelming, but it’s nothing to be scared of. Focus on one contraction at a time, rest when you can, and it will be over when your daughter is ready. You’re going to do great!
I walked 4 miles the morning of the day I went into the hospital! I love walking and did it the entire pregnancy :) I was obsessed with listening to Pregtastic podcasts about birth stories… I wanted to just walk and walk so I could listen to all of them :)
Glad to see you are still feeling well Angela! Your energy levels for posting and cooking up a storm are amazing! My waters broke when I was in the supermarket holding a carton of milk…I was 30 weeks and 3 days pregnant and it was a ridiculous terrifying shock. I gave birth 6 hours later (amazingly it was a normal vaginal delivery). My precious little girl was resuscitated and intubated, I got the briefest of cuddles and then she was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit, where she stayed for 85 looonnngg days. She is 8 months old now and doing quite well but we have no idea what developmental problems she may have. When I see/read anyone’s pregnancy journey that has reached greater than 30 weeks gestation I feel so happy for them and the future of their baby. ( that said the outcomes at 30 weeks are remarkably better than earlier gestations-it gets to a point where each day in utero is so precious). Anyway I didn’t mean this to be a grim story I just wanted to share my joy that your little one is full term and wish you much patience in the weeks that follow- becoming a mama is such a overwhelming, wonderful, important and scary thing. Can’t wait to ‘meet’ her. Xx
Thank you for sharing her story! It’s amazing how strong the human spirit is. Sounds like she is a fighter!
My water broke while I was working at home, I was 40 weeks plus 1 day. I had gone to use the bathroom around 1pm, when I realized that just wasn’t a normal amount of fluid. So I did the sit/stand test to see if more fluid came out, and when it did I realized my water actually broke. Since I wasn’t having any contractions I could feel, I called my midwife and made a plan to come to the hospital at 6pm or call sooner if contractions started. I called my husband at work and told him the good news- requesting that he bring me home a smoothie so I could drink it on the way to hospital. Then I tried to “rest”, but I couldn’t I was so antsy. So I just started cleaning the house, doing dishes, and getting ready for the visitors that I knew would be staying at our house while I was in the hospital. We arrived at the hospital an hour early so we could take a nice walk and snap a few photos- I still can’t believe how big my bump was on that day! (Make sure to get this photo if you can!) Then upon check in at the hospital it was a whirlwind of things going on around me, but one of the most amazing things ever. I tried to think of my contractions (or should I say expansions) as wave and just ride them out. My husband says I just went into a “zone” and was so focus. We had a healthy 9lbs 3oz boy with no issues- and I even got to pull him out once the midwife made sure his shoulders cleared. We actually didn’t know what we were having…and I kept asking my husband because I couldn’t take my eyes off his beautiful face, but he was crying so it took a minute to find out I was holding our beautiful Cameron.
Best wishes to you…you’ll do beautifully!