When's my third baby due? Oh right Feb 3 - the Chinese New Year... I have to keep reminding myself because if I don't I'll go crazy. This has been my hardest pregnancy yet and I hear that it is common for third pregnancies to be harder and more emotional than the first two. I also heard that your first labor is long (mine wasn't that long - but it was also induced. Making it only 11 hours), the second labor is fast (3 hours start to finish), and the third...well it started last Wednesday the 26th of January and it is now Saturday the 29th of January.
Wednesday night, after putting our munchkins to bed, my husband and I relax on the couch and have dessert and watch a movie. I am tired from nesting all day so my husband jumps up to clean the kitchen. I start having light contractions.
Wednesday 26th
7:30 PM : I feel light contractions coming pretty regularly
8:30 PM: I decide to call my midwife because my contractions are 3-4 minutes apart and are on average 45 seconds. Erring on the side of caution, my midwife comes because my last labor was so speedy.
9:20 PM: My midwife arrives with her assistant close behind her. Contractions are a little lighter. I am pacing around the house because they start to get strong enough that I can't stand still any more.
Thursday 27th
12:30AM: my husband decides to go to sleep and the midwives stand close by. Contractions haven't changed but are still coming on strong and still 3-4 minutes apart.
1:30 AM: My midwives nap close to me as I watch movies and relax through my contractions. They are just frequent enough and painful enough that I can't sleep.
6:00 AM: I'm rocking on my birthing ball. The contractions have slowed down a bit and have spaced out a little further. Everyone starts waking up - midwives, kids, and husband. The commotion threw me back into stronger contractions so I send my son to grandma's and let my daughter, who is 3.5, stay home because she wants to be close to me and catch the baby.
9:00 AM: I'm checked and only 4 cm. My contractions slow again and my midwife, Des, tells me to take a brisk walk to get it going again. I do and climb about 9 stories worth of stairs. I come home and take a shower with my husband to jump start contractions. They start again and are harder than before.
12:30 PM: My contractions start to slow again. Almost to a stop. Another walk and another 9 flights of stairs. A shower with my husband and contractions are getting intense. My daughter goes down for a nap and I relax through my contractions focusing on having this baby. The midwives leave my husband and I alone. Retreating to the nearby Starbuck's to see if I need privacy. Contractions slow and speed up alternating for a couple hours driving me crazy. Another shower with my husband. Contractions pick up.
2:30 PM: My daughter wakes and has a freaky crying episode that completely stops my labor AGAIN. My daughter gets sent to Grandma's to give me peace. I'm wondering if I'm really pregnant or if I am just having a bad dream....
4:00 PM: Midwives come back and check me. I'm at 7 cm and I have a cervix that is definitely in labor. The midwives decide not to leave and I start bleeding heavily after a good stretch of the cervix. Labor kicks into gear. I am fully focused and moaning. The pool is ready so I jump in and have some pretty intense contractions.
6:00 PM: Labor stops.
6:01 PM: I laugh and think - this has to be a freaking dream.
6:30 PM: I get checked again. Still 7 cm but nothing moving. My midwife, another midwife, and an assistant camp out again in my living room.
7:30 PM: kids come home and we put them to bed. Midwives go out to eat and my husband and I order out. What the crap is going on?
8:30 PM: I go to bed hoping to wake to contractions.
11:30 PM: I wake to......nothing! I go downstairs because I want to get my labor started. My midwives give me black and blue cohosh to take alternately every 30 minutes for the rest of the night.
Friday 28th
5:00 AM: Nothing.
5:30 AM: I am checked again and my cervix went back to a stretchy 5 cm.
5:31 AM: deep sighs.
6:00 AM: midwives leave
Am I ever going to have this baby? My midwife calls me to see how I am doing. She said it is text book Third Child Syndrome - completely unpredictable and unlike the first two labors I've had. All in all, I remain light hearted about it. I have to. I have to tell myself - The baby will come when the baby is ready. God's time - not my own.
Saturday 29th
Still nothing. Light Braxton Hicks and a little back pain but nothing. Oh and I am pretty darn emotional. He said even Hallmark is getting embarrassed. My husband thinks it is because birth is closer than I think but I think it's because my hormones are crazy and can't decided whether or not it wants to go into labor again.
We'll see. I'll keep you posted...
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