Well, is it or isn't it?

[ailbhe]

So, it's 5 am, and apart from one almost-clear hour, I've had painless contractions regularly since 8 pm yesterday. That's 9 hours. By regularly, I mean every 20 minutes, with a couple of 10 minutes, a couple of 25 minutes, and a few 15 minute intervals. So I suppose I mean often more than regularly. All this and you want coherence too?

It's appallingly lousy timing, because whether or not this is early labour, we have a very dear friend - family, really, though not blood-related - arriving from a transatlantic flight at about 11 am today and I can't cope with the idea of another person in the house. There's me, Rob, and my mother, and that's quite enough. I especially can't cope with the idea of a female who hasn't had children in the house; I think I'm afraid of advice, since I've already had a gutful of that from people with lottle or no personal experience of living in my body, and no professional qualifications. This is unfair, because the arriving guest isn't stupid enough to give advice on a topic she knows nothing about, but I'm putting it down to hormonal paranoia.

At 2:30 am Rob called the friend's mobile and left voicemail asking her to please call before leaving the airport in case we need to make alternative arrangements, so hopefully she'll do that. I really hope she can accept the irrationality of my current state of mind; I don't want to offend her, and I still can't handle the idea of another person in the house. I also called the hospital then and told them the pattern od the contractions and they said it sounded very like early early labour, and that I wasn't a paranoid hypochondriac freak, and that I should try to doze between contractions if possible. Well, that hasn't been possible, but I'm no longer crying from the stress of it all, which I was when I called them.

I got Rob to give me his laptop and go to sleep; at least one of us ought to be partially functional, I think, or try to be. I will wake him at about 8:30 and ask him to call someone who might be able to accommodate our friend for a day or two while I work out if this baby is or isn't coming; I know I'll feel a lot better if she has an alternative place to stay, because no way can I just close my door to her - not possible. Need to sort out alternatives.

Waffle waffle. Here comes another contraction. The weird thing is, these don't hurt - but nor did fracturing 5 bones in my arms, at first. I can't trust my pain-sense to tell me when I'm in pain unless something else does too. I almost always feel pain when I see an actual wound in me, for example.

Am I making any sense? It's 5:15 am and my stomach is all sick and queasy and I haven't had any sleep and I think I'm having a baby, in a laid-back slow-movin' never-gonna-happen kind of way.

Gosh, suddenly I love my baby a whole lot more than I did a minute ago. Wow. Maybe it will be born, after all? I was beginning to think I'd just stay pregnant forever.

I think I should shut up and post this. I bet I regret it after a sleep and desperately want to delete it. I can't tell whether it reads like a drunk post or a loopy one.

Comments

Re: Well, is it or isn't it?

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

it reads neither drunk nor loopy to me, and i have no experience with birthing children, other than having watched it a fair bit while working in hospital.

it sounds perfectly sensible, actually. it's a big, huge, honking event, giving birth. and it's understandable that you don't want anyone else in the house. it sounds like your family friend will probably understand this. heck, most people i know have had times when having one more distraction around them would have caused a screaming fit, for their own personal value of "screaming fit". and that's without a baby getting ready to be born.

be good to yourself. do what you need to do. i hope all goes well with the birth!

you're not a freak. you're a sensitive, intelligent person.

[kiya]

Take care of yourself, hey?

[wandra.livejournal.com]

It sounds perfectly sensible to me too. Sending love & good thoughts for the birth, and for all surrounding circumstances to go as well as possible.

[uitlander]

Right. If this is *the* event, don't worry about ai731 - there's a spare bed here, and she is welcome to have that for as long as its needed. Similarly she can come with me in the car to Bath tomorrow morning. If you need me I'm on 0779-9881532.

[uitlander]

Oh, and *good luck*

[ailbhe]

Thank you for this, and for the good luck wishes. We have no way of knowing, at this stage, if it's *the* event - it could be a 14-hour-long false alarm. But I've had an hour's sleep now so I feel better. Her plane has landed.

[tiggsybabes.livejournal.com]

Good luck :) Early contractions don't hurt at all, it's all just exciting knowing you're going to see your baby properly very soon :)

[booklectica]

Ooh, exciting. I kind of bypassed that stage so it's very interesting to read about. Will be watching LJ breathlessly...

[taimatsu]

Good luck!

[liadnan]

Cripes. Good luck and best wishes. Guess I'm unlikely to see you tomorrow then.

[nex0s.livejournal.com]

you don't sound drunk or loopy. you sound like you're getting ready to have a baby, and women having babies need their spaces the way they need them. and that's it. :)

good luck! i know you will be amazing, and i will keep you in my thoughts today.

*a hug for when you are ready for hugs*

n.

[perdita-x.livejournal.com]

ohh! Good luck! If I don't see you before that is.

[therealocelot.livejournal.com]

Don't feel bad asking for your space. I really regret not insisting on mine. koyote had a visitor who showed up a few days after my baby was born (planned visit, the baby decided to show up early). Bad bad bad idea.

The baby's and your needs come first. This includes emotional needs. Anyone who can't understand this needs a serious attitude adjustment.

[sashajwolf.livejournal.com]

Best of luck!

[hfnuala.livejournal.com]

ooh, how exciting.

Good luck.

Mazel tov!

[calieber.livejournal.com]

I gotta get back to Usenet, I didn't even know you were expecting.

[radegund.livejournal.com]

No, not drunk or loopy - in fact, remarkably coherent in the circumstances.

You have a rock-solid right to make decisions about how many people you want in your house at the moment. Playing hostess on top of everything else would be ... well, a fairly tall order. I'm sure your visitor will understand.

Another *hug* on deposit for whenever you feel like it, agus go n-éirí an t-ádh libh araon!

[Ooh, forgot to say: *jumps up and down excitedly and squees a lot*]

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

All good luck!

[kightp.livejournal.com]

You are the Pregnant Lady. Now, if never again, you get to have things your way, and nobody gets to argue. Those are the rules (as told me by my friend Tori, the mother of four and stepmother of two).

Very good wishes for your transition from Pregnant Lady to Mommy, and for the baby-in-waiting.

[mittelbar.livejournal.com]

Hooray for a baby! How much scary and wonderful!

Ain't never going to happen, until it happens.

[dr-lovely.livejournal.com]

Good luck. I've been reading your diary for a while now and really really hope it all goes the best possible way for you. xxx

[submarine-bells.livejournal.com]

Good luck! Not sure what else to say, but that at least seems appropriate!

flybabies wish you well

[(Anonymous)]

Great to read your post - your body is definitely getting ready for the big moment! take great care, and as much rest as you can. All the UK and flychat flybabies ask about you, and wish you well,
love Dizzy