38 Weeks with Zelie in My Belly

Still pregnant. 

Or nah?

Feeling like one of those people who takes mirror selfies at the gym.

Black is really slimming, ya'll.

I guess I still have a sense of humor re: my enormity, so perhaps that's a good sign. I'm 38 weeks and, as of 12:11pm today, officially the most pregnant I have ever been in my whole lifeeee. Little Will was induced two weeks early for high blood pressure, and somehow that fact makes the wait much worse now. 

I've been dealing with contractions the past few days that I don't want to admit are prodromal labor, but I'm pretty sure are prodromal labor. I'll have a few painful ones in a row where I get my hopes up a smidge, and then… three more painless Braxton Hicks contractions. Yesterday morning I woke up to painful contractions at 4 in the morning. They were about 7 minutes apart and I couldn't sleep through them, so I went downstairs to consume Cheerios and watch the news. I dozed off again on the couch only to be awakened yet again by two painful contractions in a row. Then they continued irregularly all day, but never picked up. So annoying. But I guess I'm not desperate enough to do the ole nipple stimulation (sorry, Dad, if you're reading) or walk for hours on end, etc., so maybe that's on me. 

Yesterday I had a checkup. My BP was nice and low (111/62, I think? Lowest it's been in a loooong time), however, I found out I am GBS positive (womp womp). I was 3.5cm dilated, 70% effaced, and homegirl is at -1 station. My doctor proclaimed, "Yes, she is even lower, -1 station, no wonder you are having uncomfortable contractions!" Yes, doctor. I am aware. Fortunately, the stupid, no fun, fakey not-labor contractions I'd been having did stop, and I was able to sleep much better last night. But really she is so low that I can feel her slightest movements against my bladder. Lightning crotch is more like thundershower crotch. They aren't quick zaps of pain, but last for seconds (which feels like an eternity). Those will keep you from sleeping too, FYI. 

I took Little Will back to Flip n Play today in an effort to see if I could get some contractions going again. I bounced around on some equipment and challenged Little Will to some races. (He beat me every time.) It didn't quite have the same effect on me, besides feeling like I realllyyy needed to pee the whole time. Though if he ends up taking a 3+ hour nap again (we're almost at 2 now!), it's all worth it! 

Today would just be too convenient a day to go into labor. Will could leave work a little early, childcare would be easy to arrange over the weekend, and the clock on Will's 10-day paternity leave wouldn't start until Monday.  

It's so weird being all WHEN WILL LABOR BEGIN!? I never really got to experience that in my last pregnancy. Will was about to go TDY for nine weeks, I was so anxious to start labor that I was doing everything suggested by the Internet to get labor going. I was so stressed out. It probably led to my blood pressure problems. Either way, I had the date of our elective induction in my mind (at 39 weeks), so there was a definite end in sight. This time, I'm a lot less proactive about starting labor. I mean I just do not have the energy or willpower to be walking curbs or pacing up and down the stairs, no matter how fervently little Zelie wants to prod my bladder. To be honest, I'm more stressed about leaving Little Will to go to the hospital and getting there in time to not have a driveway birth than I am about when the shebang will go down. It's more of a joyful anticipation (if not still penitential, because, ahem, thundershower crotch), but still hopeful anticipation nonetheless. Remind you of another certain season we are in? Life is interesting like that.