Bliss of Life

Last night, when Ben was trying to go sleep, I started feeling some different kind of contractions. They wound up just being more Braxton-Hicks, but because the baby is so low now, I wasn’t sure if it was the beginning of the real deal. Needless to say, Ben had a hard time falling back to sleep last night after the excitement of maybe having a baby. I’ll admit that was relieved. I would like to get at least one really good night’s sleep before the baby comes, and just in case you’re wondering, last night was not a good night’s sleep.

This morning I had to get up earlyish because some friends were coming over to see me. (It is a yogic custom of sorts to visit a pregnant woman when she is close to having her baby, because after the baby is born she will need private bonding time with her new baby and immediate family.) So I visited with my friends on the front porch, so Julian, my friend Dev Saroop’s son, could play with his construction trucks in the yard. As we were saying goodbye, Dev Saroop, accidentally locked Julian, in the car with the keys.

At first, we weren’t too, too alarmed because the car was running and the air was on, but while Dev Saroop was on the phone with the locksmith we realized that sweat was running down Julian’s forehead. It turns out that the air was on, but the A/C button wasn’t pushed, so the car was circulating hot air. Poor little guy. In true mom fashion, Dev Saroop was calm and reassuring to her son as she called the fire department. I did everything I could to resist the urge to throw a brick through the window and unlock the car, which included drawing with chalk on the windows to distract him. It worked, until he figured out what I was doing. Kids are smart. I watched his little face and later, his entire body fill with panic.

When practicing yoga and meditation, one of the first things you become acquainted with is the relativity of time. If the body or mind is in a state of discomfort, a minute can feel like an ten. Ten minutes can feel like and an hour. Today, I experienced six minutes that felt like eternity. To the locksmith’s credit, he showed up before the fire department, had the door unlocked in less than a minute and a half, and didn’t even charge for his services. The fire department arrived seconds after the locksmith, and a police car trailed behind it. When it was all over, it was about 12:15 in the afternoon. I went inside and took a three hour nap. That’s a lot excitement for a very, very pregnant woman.

I don’t have much to blog about today. I went to lunch with some friends who just returned from a retreat with Sai Maa, my spiritual teacher. Normally, I would be disappointed about missing another retreat, but I’ve got a little something going on in my life right now that trumps even the most spiritually uplifting of retreats. That being said, it was nice to see them buzzing and glowing from their experience.

Last night, I was able to knock out and organize a large portion of the stuff that was in the baby room that still needed a home. I had hoped to finish the last of it today and get the changing station put together, cloth wiper warmer and all, but I was pretty wiped out. Instead, I did a little reading and worked on threading in the ends of the baby hats I knitted. Maybe tomorrow I’ll finish setting up the baby room.

First things first, the Strep B test results finally came back, and it is negative! Whoohoo!!! This means I don’t have to worry about taking antibiotics during labor. Everything is good to go. I’m ready whenever the baby is, which means that I am pretty much at the waiting part of the pregnancy. I feel like I’ll make it to the due date, but probably not much further than that.

One thing I’ve noticed in the past week is that I am feeling oh so much more emotional now than I was during the earlier parts of my pregnancy. The slightest bit of criticism from Ben can lead to a full blown sob session. Poor guy. Send him your sympathies. The annoying part is that I realize my reaction doesn’t really fit the situation, but there is just no holding back right now. My body is just so tired. Simple actions like rolling over in bed require Herculean strength and synchronized breath.

One of the things that keeps me going is the feeling of the Little Mung Bean’s feet stretching back and forth across my ribs. It goes beyond words. I like to feel around for the baby’s bony little heel and rub on it. Usually, this starts a game of Mung Bean foot chasing, but sometimes the baby will push back against my hand, so I can really get a grip on it. The baby is so big now, I feel like she is sitting right in my lap, which happens to be pulsating to the beat of the baby’s hiccups as I type.

This weekend was kind tough in some ways. Yesterday morning, I woke up to find that I was nauseous and the world was crooked. Any little movement made me feel like I was going fall, even just trying to sit up in bed. Thankfully, it was a Sunday so Ben was around to help me get to the bathroom and get some food. I called my midwife and she seemed to think that it was blood sugar related. It was. Apparently, the Little Mung Bean is going through what is probably her last growth spurt before the big day, and for the first time in this pregnancy, my appetite it not matching the baby’s growth. Throughout the past few weeks, my appetite has gone way, way down. I’ve actually started losing weight, not that I can tell. All I can see is belly, which is the nice thing about being 9 months pregnant. It doesn’t matter how big my thighs are, they look tiny compared the baby belly I’m hoisting around with me, but I’ve gotten off track…

My instructions are to eat more, especially in the middle of the night, just in case I should go into labor the next morning. This kind of caught me off guard in the best of ways. I haven’t felt any issues with my blood sugar in the past couple of weeks, and I kind of forgot that plummeting blood sugar during labor was one of my earlier fears. Obviously, it’s not anymore, even after yesterday morning. I just gotta remember to eat.

I just watched a documentary called The Business of Being Born. It was really amazing. I realize that I am going about my pregnancy and the birth in a completely different way than all of the women in my family. I also realize that a lot of members of my family read this blog. So if there are any family members or just curious friends who are interested in why I, or any woman for that matter, would choose a natural birthing experience outside of a hospital, then I suggest watching this film. You can watch it online at http://quicksilverscreen.com/watch?video=45525

In other news, I had another midwife appointment today. Everything looks good. I’m still waiting for the Strep B test results, but in the meantime, Ben and I are going to attempt what will probably be our last date night as a twosome.