Pre-Labor (I hope) Update

So on Tuesday, my due date, I got acupuncture, and I definitely felt like it started something. Since then, I've been having Braxton-Hicks contractions non-stop, and I'm pretty sure I lost my mucus plug or some bits of it over the last day or two. I've also been feeling increasing pressure on my cervix.

Last night I was desperate enough to try taking a long walk--I wanted to harness the power of these Braxton-Hicks! Plus, my Dad has been pushing the walking for a week now. So James and I went to UConn and I waddled around at top speed and raced up and down many sets of stairs. I will say that this had the effect of making the contractions I was having more painful. However, if we would stop for even a minute, they would stop being painful, and once I returned home, that was it. They might have been been painful because I was asking my poor abdominal muscles to hold up a 30 pound uterus while I jostled it all over.

Anyway, I couldn't fall asleep last night, partly because my back was hurting, and partly because I drank caffeinated tea all day yesterday. I eventually fell asleep on the couch watching Harry Potter 4 and with my ribs belted together.

And now it is Thursday the 18th--the last day of my prediction window that I felt was incredibly realistic. ::snort:: Anyway, honestly, if it wasn't for the acupuncture, I would have little hope of giving birth before 41 weeks. But my friend claims his patients are more or less "on time", within a couple of days.

So I have another acupuncture appointment today at 1pm and considering all the pre-laborish stuff I've been having for two days straight, I'm feeling good about the possibility of going into labor tonight. Please send little James all the evacuation vibes you can possibly spare!! ;-)

(False?) Labor

I woke up maybe an hour ago to go pee, but then I couldn't fall back asleep. I was having horrible biley indigestion (tofu pup) burps (ewwwwww), and I could NOT get comfortable in bed and was having some sciatic pain, and also a lot of feeling tightness in my chest and unable to breathe . . . and Lil James had the hiccups and I was also having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions . . . since I couldn't fall asleep for more than a half hour, I ended up looking at the clock and realized that I was having contractions kind of regularly . . .

So I decided to get up since the indigestion is awful and I thought I could sit up, drink some water, and at least not be uncomfortable in bed.

So I opened up the contraction master website and started timing contractions, and they are coming every 3 1/2 mins on the dot and about a minute long! Ahhh!!!

I really don't feel like this is really it but I also don't know what to think. I wish I knew that he was still head down and I would feel way better about this whole situation. Siiiiiigh. I'm 35 weeks exactly today and we're not supposed to do the home-birth unless I am at least 36 weeks. Based on my last period I would be 35 weeks plus 2 days, and based on my 18 week ultrasound, I would be more than 36 weeks (I was measuring 9 days ahead), so my midwife might let me go at home if he IS actually head down and everything else seems normal.

But really honestly this doesn't feel like it is it to me! I was just telling James a few days ago that I don't feel like he is getting close at all, and I am sure we'll go to our due date or nearly . . . ak!!

I guess for now I will continue timing and see if they get stronger/longer/closer together, and then call my midwife if they do. I can't believe this!!