OT: When will this baby come?

mrselder · 02-15-2006, 11:54 AM

Hi everyone!

This is my first pregnancy. The time seemed to have been going by pretty quickly until recently. Now it just seems to drag by. My hands are so numb that I can't knit for very long any more.

Did anyone else find that the last few weeks seem to go by really slow?

Ready for Baby,
Jen

Jax3303 · 02-15-2006, 05:10 PM

All 3 of my pregnancies were the same way. Just sped along until the last 5 weeks, and then it just lagged on......and on......and on..... each day seemed like it should have been a week. Just do your best to keep occupied, go for waddles...err...walks, play games, I know it's hard but rest and cherish the alone time. Nap whenever you want.....i miss being able to do that.LOL

Julie · 02-15-2006, 05:37 PM

HEE, yes, I think it's always like that. The first trimester drags, the second flies, then the third can feel endless, especially when you get to the uncomfortably-huge part.

Hang in there.....go to the movies, go yarn shopping, all that good stuff that will be a little more complex once the baby arrives. :D And congratulations!

candicane · 02-15-2006, 05:44 PM

Yes! I thought the last three weeks were horrible! Suddenly none of my clothes fit. Luckily, our little bean arrived a week early.

Candice

margie · 02-15-2006, 07:00 PM

I was 2 weeks late with my first son. I worked until the week before my due date- thinking that a week off would be nice to do things around the house, nest a little, rest a little, etc- I didn't think about the fact that the one week could end up being 3 weeks!! I felt as though he would never get here. I gained 50 lbs, and my hands were so swollen that my fingers looked like sausages. So worth it in the end, though!!

knittingdoula · 02-15-2006, 07:14 PM

On a personal note, I can totally relate. Plus, my second baby was overdue (by 3 weeks!) and I ended up moving things along with castor oil. (#1 was right on time.) I know it can seem endless.

On a professional note, I can also relate. Most of my clients have commented on how endless the last couple of weeks seem. Up to and including all of my friends who are doulas, midwives and childbirth educators. You'd think, what with doing this for a living, that we would be chilled out about the whole thing. Not.

Be careful not to let your impatience or exhaustion dictate your care, i.e. inducing the baby just to end the pregnancy (which can introduce a whole host of problems neither of you need) . Babies generally cook as long as they need to, and there's lots of neurological growth going on inside that we're not privy to.

Take some long walks, write in a journal, talk to supportive women who won't tell you labor horror stories (I can't stand it when women do that), perhaps create something. Spend these last few alone days with your hubby/partner.

In just a short time, you'll begin to feel contractions. And then, shortly, you'll enter the most special of all clubs. Being a mother will change your whole life - nothing else in my life compares to my accomplishments as a wife and mother, as old fashioned as that sounds.

Feel free to PM me if you would like to commiserate more or get a heads up over what to expect once the baby is born. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have. Hey, have you thought of hiring a doula to help you and your husband/partner/SO during the birth? (I just have to put in a plug for doulas whereever I go!

)

Best of luck,
Alison

Lisa1216 · 02-15-2006, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by margie

I was 2 weeks late with my first son. I worked until the week before my due date- thinking that a week off would be nice to do things around the house, nest a little, rest a little, etc- I didn't think about the fact that the one week could end up being 3 weeks!!

This was me with my second. I was due in July and had enough of no air conditioning and the swollen legs and varicose veins. But those little ones will make their grand entrances when they are good and ready. Hang in there

and before you know it you will be holding you own 'Little One'. Good luck and I wish for you a quick and speedy labor and delivery!!

gardenmommy · 02-15-2006, 07:56 PM

Hang in there! Yes, that baby will get here!

One indicator also is your mom's and even grandma's history, as in to how on-time they were with their babies. If the women in your family tend to go overdue, then you might too, but if they are usually right on time, chances are good you will be also. Doesn't always work that way though, but can be a general guideline.

I was born on my due date (and my mom's first!), and she said the most she was every overdue was 34 minutes with one of my brothers, and each of my own four were born either 5 days before or on their respective due dates.

Darhain · 02-15-2006, 08:00 PM

Yep. By the end of my pregnancies, I was SO miserable and SO ready to just get on with it! A friend of mine says she thinks it's God's (or the Goddess or whatever diety you believe in ... or even the cosmos) way of preparing you for the baby, making you so miserable at the end of the pregnancy. Otherwise, none of us would ever actually choose to go into labor.

I absolutely second (or third) the idea of resting, relaxing and enjoying your last few weeks of "you" time!!! Once the baby arrives, you'll forget what it was like to go shopping without spending an hour and 45 minutes loading up the diaper bag with diapers and three changes of clothes (for you and the baby

) and a couple of small toys and some water and snacks, warming up the car, dressing the baby, redressing the baby after s/he urps all over whatever beautiful outfit you had them in, undressing the baby and changing yet another diaper and then redressing the baby AGAIN, attempting to shower and dress yourself while the baby suddenly decides s/he needs your EVERY ATTENTION RIGHT THIS MINUTE ... and you haven't even left the driveway yet. AND SLEEP IN NOW, cause one thing everyone forgets to tell you is that you'll probably not have another chance for at least five years or so, as kids are awake when they're awake, and so are you!

Hope the end of your pregnancy and your delivery are smooth and joyful for you, mama!

quirky · 02-15-2006, 08:25 PM

I was so consumed with how miserable I felt it never occured to me to think the pregnancy was taking a long time lol

Hang in there! Try a nice soak in a warm tub with epsom salts. Really helps those swollen parts!

But ya know - this is where pregnancy is most awe inspiring too. My son was a frank breech. He never turned. One night I woke up and my hand was on my stomach - and I could feel his hand under mine. I could feel 4 of his tiny fingers. I think thats when he really became real for me.

Bless you both!