This time last year, I was having a very lazy, relaxed day. The most I remember from that day, is taking a long walk. I remember I could hear every little noise in the woods on my walk, every squirrel and bird, every rustle of the leaves and trees. Everything seemed bright. My awareness seemed to be heightened. At the same time, I had given up on waiting and my awareness of waiting had gone away. I forgot that I could go into labor at any moment. The previous few days, I was very preoccupied with when labor was going to start. On this day, the day labor began, I wasn't thinking about it at all.
A few days before, on Saturday we went to Calvary, Ga for Mule Day. Our friend has a country house out there with 25 acres and we go to this house every year this time. We went on several hikes on his property, all the while I was having contractions. I kept thinking, is this the night? Will I wake up in the middle of the night tonight and will labor start? We went on a bumpy, hayride that made the contractions intense! I thought for sure labor was going to start that night!
Nope.
I guess technically labor did start that night, pre-labor, early labor, prodromial, whatever you want to call it. I had contractions Saturday night till about 2am when I finally fell asleep. I wanted Penelope to come that night so bad, so my friend Molly would be there and be my Doula.
Molly had to leave the next morning, we helped her pack up her things and then we went to the mall to walk and walk and walk. All the while having contractions, but as soon as I laid down or took a bath they went away. That night I went out with friends and had a great time. My back ached the whole night, like bad period cramps. I thought for sure Sunday night was going to be the night!
Nope.
Monday, my due date, a hurricane was coming through. I thought, great! A low, pressure system will get me going!! What does Peter want to do? He wants to go surfing in Panama City Beach. So I thought, shit, well I haven't got anything else to do, might as well go and take my mind off impending labor.
The car ride there, I had painful contractions the whole time, must have been the way I was sitting in the car, that made Penelope's head press against my cervix and sacrum. Once at the beach, I stood and watched Peter surf and they went away. All the surfers coming and going stared at my ginormous belly and asked when my due date was. When I replied, today, they laughed and asked if my husband was in the water surfing. Yup, he was. If you are a surfer in North Florida, you know you gotta get the waves when the gettin's good, because who knows when the next swell will come through.
On the way home, I thought my water broke, looking back, I am pretty sure I just peed my pants a little. But it was exciting! Things were moving along in the right direction! The contractions got even more painful. I kept thinking, if I have to give birth in the car in between Panama City and Tallahassee, I am going to freaking kill Peter. I needed something to cope with the pain, and listening to Outkast was what I wanted. Their ATLiens album, the song Millennium to be exact. I wanted to listen to it over and over and over again. I think its pretty funny that this specific song is what I wanted to listen to, because that song used to be one of my favorites in 10th grade, when I get stoned with my high school sweetheart. Whatever. It worked.
When we got home, I took bath and then again, NOTHING.
By Tuesday, I was O.V. E. R. it. I had given up. I had surrendered control. And sure enough, that is all it took.
You can read the rest of my birth story here. And here are few early labor pictures. These are from Saturday night after coming home from Calvary.
We had to empty the water the next day, but it was convenient to have it set up in the living room for a few days, because when labor really began all Peter had to do was fill er up!
Oh so pregnant and ready. Drinking my red raspberry leaf tea.
Last Penelope pregnancy belly shot ever.
