40 weeks tomorrow

This morning I visited my midwife for my 40 week check-up. After a lovely chat and making some last minute arrangements, she taught me her special nipple stimulation technique so I can try to encourage things along and not end up needing to go down the route of monitoring in the hospital after 42 weeks.

It was quite funny actually as my friend (and student midwife) Mel was there and Joy suggested she try it on her own nipples so she could feel her body respond and understand what the mother may feel (sort of- without feeling her uterus contract around a giant baby). So we were all sitting there stroking our nipples together and having a good old giggle. We were very pleased to see that my uterus responded very quickly with a nice strong contraction and I had three more before I left. All seems well. My blood pressure is 110/70 as usual. FHT= 140. Position feels good and the head is down nice and low now.

John and Molly went op-shopping while I was there (Molly bought a birthday present for the baby... very sweet) and when they picked me up we headed back across town toward home. We decided to make a quick detour via the Abbostford Convent bakery to get a delicious pie for lunch. I really didn't feel like getting out of the car so John ran in and we ate our lunch in the car before heading home. On the drive I felt all spacey and glazed and really couldn't wait to get home into my nest.

There has been the nicest feeling in the house since we got home. John and I sat down to have a cup of tea and enjoyed sharing a piece of lemon slice and a florentine cookie. I decided to try the nipple thing and it started working immediately. John left me to it while he helped Molly tidy her room.

For the rest of the afternoon I have only needed to stimulate about one in five contractions. They are starting to become more pronounced but still not painful. I just had the most wonderfully hot shower (finally, it's cool enough weather to enjoy one!) while John took Molly for a scoot down to the park and I have just really enjoyed the alone time, sitting on my bed all warm from the shower with some beautiful candles burning, feeling my body prepare itself for the work ahead. I have decided to have a break from trying to make them happen while I have dinner and see if my body decides it wants to keep them happening.

I am really excited to meet our baby. Will it be a little boy or a little girl?? We have names ready finally!

Not getting my hopes up as I have had a lot of prelabour and I know that it could all stop before the night is through. Right now I am just enjoying the stretching, pulling, crampy sensations that signal that our baby may not be far away from meeting us.

We shall see...

Would you like to contribute?

So I have officially gone from feeling like the birth is some distant event in the future to feeling like I really need to get myself organised as it could be 4 weeks away (it also could be 8 but let's not think about that!)..

I would like to start thinking about getting my bedroom feeling nice (ie. like I would want to give birth in here) and also to organise a space on the wall where I can put up some pictures, quotes, words etc for me to look at in the lead up to and during my labour.

A while ago I asked my Twitter friends if anyone would like to make something to contribute to my space and quite a few people said they would love to! So I am putting the same request out here...

Would you send me something encouraging to put up on the wall in my birth space?

Leave a comment with your email address and I will send you my postal address.