No news from the front

[ailbhe]

I haven't stopped having contractions, and I haven't started having the serious, active contractions. And I have a horrible headcold - my sinuses are pretty badly congested and it feels like it's starting to spread to my chest. The due date is Wednesday or Thursday, depending on whether we acknowledge the leap year or not.

I missed the most important wedding of the decade for this. It better be worth it.

I'm drinking lots of fluids, and because it's finally Monday, I've made an appointment to see a GP to find out if there's anything I can do to nuke this cold. I've been taking paracetemol to help me sleep, as otherwise the pain of breathing through my mouth wakes me. I've been hanging over basins of steam and sleeping on a tissue covered in tiger balm. My ears are ringing and it's hard to breathe through the contractions.

The contractions, by the way, are really weird - it's painless involuntary muscle movement, and quite strong. It's tiring, unavoidable, and makes me think of those machines for toning your abs while you sleep.

Pregnancy, by the way, is a lot like making popcorn. You put the corn in the pan, and the oil, and wait for it to get hot. You watch. You watch and watch and watch. You wait for the first pop. The first pop comes. You bound around the kitchen, squealing in glee, thinking "Soon I will eat mounds of yummy buttered popcorn! With salt, and maybe a glass of milk... Yum yum yum! Wahey!"

Then you wait for the second pop, and eventually it comes. Then two or three more.

Then there's a long, boring period when it pops ... once ... every ... so ... often, so you can't leave it alone and go to the bathroom, you have to keep watching, in case something happens, but it's boring, and there's no sign of enough popcorn being popped to dump it in a bowl and start cramming it into your mouth, and you're tired of the whole idea of popcorn, and you need to go to the bathroom, and you want to do something else.

This slow popping goes on, and on, and on.

Then suddenly there's a massive flurry of popping, when you've decided to give up and eat toast instead, and it pops and pops and pops and pops and pops and pops and the lid comes off and it spills all over the kitchen and pops and pops and pops.

If only it were more like a microwave dinner, where you can time it to the second and it goes PING when it's ready.

Comments

[mittelbar.livejournal.com]

I think you're one of those people whose amazingness multiplies when she has a child.

Looking forward to more. You make me pretty happy.

[megabitch.livejournal.com]

Sex. Sex helps. *g* Seriously, there's a hormone in the semen that stimulates real labour (not the false contractions that can start any time up to 6 weeks beforehand) if everything is "ready to pop". Your GP will probably mention it, I know mine did.

[ailbhe]

People keep recommending sex (and Braxton Hicks contractions can start as early as 20 weeks). I've discussed the possibility with Rob, and if we can work out some way of managing it (which we haven't been able to do for about 7 months now) we're willing to give it a try.

I suppose there's always turkey basters... they're narrow, at least.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Have you tried raspberry leaf tea? It helps with the contractions (in the 'turning them into productive ones' sense), and would probably also help how your cold is feeling (it smells nice so inhaling the steam isn't unpleasant like 'proper' inhalers can be e.g. eucalyptus).

Other than that, curry, sex, fresh pineapple, using a breast pump (but you have to do it for a long time to induce contractions and most people don't have the patience), or making elaborate plans to do something complicated (like rearranging all your furniture) are all rumoured to work. Don't ask me though, we tried everything feasible (I'm allergic to pineapple) and I was still induced at 41+3. Your baby knows when it's ready and it'll let you know. No point hurrying it IMO, the rest of the next year will feel way too hectic. You might as well relax and enjoy these last few days.

[epi-lj.livejournal.com]

I have no useful advice on pregnancy whatsoever, but I'd like to recommend microwavable popcorn. :)

Re the headcold...

[arwen-lune.livejournal.com]

I don't have any useful advice on pregnancy either, but I do have some tips against the headcold!

Mainly it's onions. Lots and lots of them.

Eat onions. Make a sandwich with cheese, sliced tomato and lots of onion. Steam with hot water and onion rings in it. Sleep with a washcloth of chopped onions in your neck or on your pillow. Yes it smells icky, but it really does work and it's harmless for all but your sense of smell. Good luck, headcolds aren't any fun at the best of times...

[radegund.livejournal.com]

Eep! Hurry up baby and go away horrible headcold! I'm afraid I have no concrete advice to offer, other than the more or less completely useless "be good to yourself". Steam sounds good for the cold - possibly steam with stuff in it. And raw garlic, if you can stand it. You could try cutting a clove into pill-sized pieces and swallowing each one with water.

The popcorn thing: you're so right. I'm now at the pop ... pop ... pop ... tumbleweed ... pop stage (Week 23). I keep reading up on the later months and thinking "hooray! soon I too will be going through this", and then another few years pass and I've progressed by, like, a fortnight. I always thought I was patient! And I'm not even ungainly yet :-)

[blasphemyisay.livejournal.com]

Good luck with your baby. I read a post you wrote 2 years ago and linked to here.

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

I missed the most important wedding of the decade for this. It better be worth it.

*preen*

It will be. Far more important than G. and me doing something to formalise a relationship that's been established for four and a half years.