39 week Doctor's Appt:
I guess some of my natural induction methods took effect. Don't get too excited (is what I keep telling myself) but we have some softening of the cervix, people! No dilation, but he said that it is dimpling... I am not entirely sure what that means, but I am assuming that we are making progress towards dilation. Also, he said that I have experienced some "lightening" and that Jack has FINALLY come down a bit.
A few hours after my appt I started to feel flu-like symptoms (achy muscles, sore back, nauseous and very tired). I often think that at my appts that the doctor is sneaking a little procedure in where he tries to strip my membranes. Last week, after my visit I felt really crampy after and I felt the same way this time. I decided to lay down and take it easy. I rested for about two hours and then woke up and drank some tea and had some toast. Around 7:00 Pat and I headed out to run an errand. After walking around the store, we got back in the car and drove around (Pat was avoiding school work and I enjoy looking at houses). At 8:24 I noticed some very sharp, very intense cramping across my entire abdomen. They were consistently getting worse for about 25 min and then...stopped. They were so bad I had to "breath" through them. At which point I realized out of all the books I've read I know nothing about how long early labor contractions last or the signs of them. Awesome. I came home and stood around for a little while I read up on what the heck early labor contractions are like. I still am not sure, but they went away. I am assuming that means I am not in labor and that they were just "practice" contractions. Neat.
Sounds like your body is starting to get ready! So exciting! That being said, I had "practice" contractions for almost a month, but you are so close to your due date!! Very exciting and keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteYay!!! I think anytime the doc does an internal exam, it leaves you crampy & uncomfortable. Something about poking around where they don't belong. :) Hopefully this poking will set you in motion.
ReplyDeleteWhen my labor started it felt like very intense menstrual cramping, and it came in discernible "waves" every 6 minutes or so. Some women will experience that sort of thing for a full 24 hours before they increase in frequency and gain intensity, but after an hour of that I was in full-on every-3-minutes mode, and the contractions were so intense that I naturally started "breathing through" them just to cope. I was 6 days overdue and afraid that I wouldn't know when labor began, but when it finally did, there was no doubt in my mind what was happening. Everyone said "you'll know when it's real," and it turns out they were right.
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't go way overdue! And if you do, keep on those natural induction methods. I think it was the long walks that finally did it for me. It was only two months ago, but it already seems so distant... Try and write down as many of the details as you can before you forget. Even with a 16 hour labor, it felt like it went very fast. Best of luck!