Week Thirty-Six. In pregnancy, that’s the week your privacy starts being invaded to see if you’re “progressing” at all.
With Lij, this brought false hope: I was 3 cm dilated at 36 weeks! And I was 3 cm dilated at 40 weeks. I quickly learned that dilating early only means that you have the potential of being in labor for an entire month. Tiring thought, no?
With Dylan, I was curious to see where things stood at 36 weeks. After all, we women aren’t equipped with a turkey timer that pops up when our bun is done. However, I was determined to not get my hopes up this time around. And I was right not to. Very little was happening at week 36. By week 40, I dilated to a 5 and I still went nearly three days over my due date.
So today, with baby Whoever, I was not expecting much. I feel doomed to be one of the many who have full-term babies. Not that it’s a bad thing. I mean, don’t get me wrong. By all means, get ‘um here healthy and to term. But I could stand a few days early just once.
So far, no such luck. My doctor says that nothing is happening.
With my previous two, this statement would not have surprised me. In fact, I was surprised to find I was dilated to a 3 right of the bat with Lij. I was surprised because those pesky Braxton Hicks contractions you’ve heard all the pregnancy books complaining about? I don’t feel them. At least not until now. Now I feel something. Almost nonstop.
I am not one of those women who enjoy the movements of her fetus. I feel a little like one of the poor saps on Aliens right before their chest explodes when the “little bundle” starts squirming. I could due without the moving is what I’m saying. So, I’m not sure if it’s just the moving that’s worse this time (actually, I am sure the moving is worse this time) or if I’m finally feeling those “practice” contractions everyone’s always talking about. Either way, I’ve been feeling something for awhile now.
But apparently, just as 3 cm at 36 weeks means nothing, neither does several weeks of painful abdominal movements.
And so we I wait…
(By the way, Happy 100th post to me!)
4 comments:
I have a song in my head. "SO CLOSE YET SO FAR AWAY..."
While I was reading, I felt sympathy "roll-overs" right under my ribs for you. I like the first movements, but by the time the baby is 8 pounds, it's just not fun anymore. Uggh. I maintain that the last four weeks of pregnancy is longer than the first 8 months.
Sorry you have to go full term.;) It's worse going two weeks over...I started giving myself "prizes" for every day over the due date (which I knew was not miscalculated)...it helped, but not much. :)
Happy 100th post! I'm sorry you haven't made any progress yet. I understand about those "practice" contractions - I had them a solid week with Tom before I went into "active" labor. I couldn't sleep. Ugh.
I hope it goes quickly and SOON for you! Baby may surprise you.
Hey, This is my first comment to you, but I love your blog.
I too am 36 weeks along with my second child and I've been at 2cm for 2 weeks now.
The braxton hicks contractions suck for me, I get one an hour and apparantly they arent making me progress. I feel like I could go anyday because of them, but I am open to the possibility of being 40+ weeks again. I'd love to sleep thru at least one more night before this baby gets here.
Maybe your baby is a stretcher like mine. He likes to push his butt up and his foot out my left side. For a while before he rolled, I thought he was trying to come out my belly button. Now he stretches and since his head has dropped down, its even more uncomfortable when you can feel it in your special place, KWIM?
{{sending you early labor vibes}} Hope you dont have to endure the uncomfortableness much longer, I know how it feels to be in labor for weeks!! LOL!
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