Pregnancy Chronicles - Week 30

Week 30, how frightening is that?

Actually not so much. I'm not scared of the delivery, just the labor contractions. You know, the part before the epidural. In the early stage of labor, contractions last 30-45 seconds and come every 5 minutes or so. Books say I'll be able to talk through them, maybe even walk around the house. This could take 6-12 hours.

Yes, that's 6-12 hours of contractions every few minutes. We're not even in the active stage of labor yet.

Shit gets serious now. Contractions are more frequent, longer, and stronger. Here's a quote that I love:
<blockquote>As a general rule, once you've had regular, painful contractions (each lasting about 60 seconds) every five minutes for an hour, it's time to call your midwife or doctor and head to the hospital or birth center.</blockquote>

Active labor typically lasts 4-8 hours. You're expected to do this without pain medication until the epidural can be administered.

This is why I stopped reading books. I'm tempted to watch a few videos on YouTube, but I'm worried that will be even more scary. We'll see what happens in the childbirth class we signed up for.

Meanwhile, I'm now seeing the doctor every two weeks. You know, so they can analyze my pee. Whatever, it's fine. I have plenty of leave at work and zero copays with my insurance. I haven't paid a thing except $10 a month for pre-natal vitamins. The world really does congratulate you for being pregnant.

The crib is assembled! The nursery is painted, curtains hung. Shower gifts are starting to arrive at the house. The dog training is going well. We have appointments at day cares next week.

Mostly, I'm pretty comfortable with my largeness. I still get cramps in my calves, but yoga makes them go away. There's a sharp pain in my rib the doctor called "neuro-muscular". I think that means the baby is pinching a nerve. The pain goes away when I left my arm over my head. I may look crazy but at least I can get relief.

Oh, had to get all new bras again. Hooray for Walmart pricing and Fruit of the Loom comfort.

At the end of this week, we're going on a babymoon to Florida. It's actually for a family wedding, but we booked a hotel on the beach for a few extra days. Poor puppy is in boarding. I'm looking forward to relaxing and reading some books. Maybe some sightseeing if I'm up to walking. I thought about booking a massage at the hotel spa, but $140 for 50 minutes is a little nuts. I can get a Groupon and get three of those at home.