One week ago today my water broke and we knew it was time to meet our little girl!
A full detailed birth story is coming as soon as I have the time to write it, but this post can be described as my birth story prequel. These are some of the things that I felt or experienced in the days leading to Macie's arrival.
If I had written a 38 week update, I would have said that I was a see-saw of emotions. I was at the point where I knew the baby would be arriving soon, but it felt like she would never come. Some days I was resolved to wait it out and enjoy the last few days of pregnancy. Other days I wanted to cry at the seemingly endless days ahead of me.
Physically, I experienced more energy. I continued to run and exercise. One morning I sat down in the floor to fold laundry and when I finished, I had no trouble getting up and putting it all away without help. (In the preceding weeks, lifting myself out of the floor was a mental exercise and I always asked the kids to put the laundry away for me.) When we went out shopping on the weekend, I noticed I could push the shopping cart standing straight up, though the week before I had leaned slightly over the handle to take the strain off of my back and for easier breathing. I wondered if Baby was settling into a better position.
I alternated between wanting to be social and feeling the need to hibernate. We kept things on the calendar on purpose-- inviting friends to dinner, small trips, date nights, birthday plans-- to keep from living on baby watch, but on my grumpy days, I wanted to sit alone and read or watch TV.
After spending the entire pregnancy craving healthy, nourishing food, I started craving junk food. While I still wanted (and ate) spinach and eggs and cabbage and steak and beans and nuts...I also wanted (and yes, ate) onion rings and ice cream, too.
Listening to or reading birth stories was encouraging. These were my sources:
If I had written a 38 week update, I would have said that I was a see-saw of emotions. I was at the point where I knew the baby would be arriving soon, but it felt like she would never come. Some days I was resolved to wait it out and enjoy the last few days of pregnancy. Other days I wanted to cry at the seemingly endless days ahead of me.
Physically, I experienced more energy. I continued to run and exercise. One morning I sat down in the floor to fold laundry and when I finished, I had no trouble getting up and putting it all away without help. (In the preceding weeks, lifting myself out of the floor was a mental exercise and I always asked the kids to put the laundry away for me.) When we went out shopping on the weekend, I noticed I could push the shopping cart standing straight up, though the week before I had leaned slightly over the handle to take the strain off of my back and for easier breathing. I wondered if Baby was settling into a better position.
I alternated between wanting to be social and feeling the need to hibernate. We kept things on the calendar on purpose-- inviting friends to dinner, small trips, date nights, birthday plans-- to keep from living on baby watch, but on my grumpy days, I wanted to sit alone and read or watch TV.
After spending the entire pregnancy craving healthy, nourishing food, I started craving junk food. While I still wanted (and ate) spinach and eggs and cabbage and steak and beans and nuts...I also wanted (and yes, ate) onion rings and ice cream, too.
Listening to or reading birth stories was encouraging. These were my sources:
- The Birth Hour podcast
- Natural Birth Stories
- Birth Stories @Mama Natural
- Share Your Birth Story @Intentional by Grace
- my own birth stories (here, here, and here)
I stayed organized and kept the house tidy throughout my pregnancy, but I got a huge nesting urge at the end. At first I thought it was normal get-ready-for-dinner-guests behavior, but when I found myself on the floor vacuuming the baseboards and then washing every set of curtains in the house, I knew nesting was to blame!
I didn't know it, but it was almost time...
I didn't know it, but it was almost time...
Oh, the suspense...for you waiting for Macie and now for me waiting to hear about her birth ;)
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