38 weeks!!!

Never thought I would post for 38 weeks but here we are.

So...today was our 38 week OB appointment! I was feeling very nervous before the appointment but could not work out why. After all, in terms of the babies health and development I have had a perfect preggo (just me and bits of me falling off!). Everything has been fine but I had a nagging feeling of something about this appointment.

Bug was with me because we both want to wait until I go into a natural labour over being induced and knew that the docs would be keen to induce me on Wednesday. We managed to hold them off until Friday which is not long but by then I am hoping that over 13 pounds of babies, 3 pounds of placenta and lots of amnio weight should start a natural labour. Bug has been the best advocate for a lot of this pregnancy, he has got me help for the HG and here he was much firmer than me in not being persuaded into medical convenience.

Our reasoning in based on my mum. My mum went into a natural labour with Liz and I at 38+4 days and we collectively weighed nearly 11 pounds so I may just do it! Inducements are also very, very painful compared to going into labour naturally. Imagine running a marathon. The ideal way would be to use all your 9 months of preparation and then slowly start your warm up. Muscles can stretch and warm up slowly, into a trot, a jog and a then a run, you are perfectly in control of you physical state. Good hey! PB even! However, take an induction, unexpected, not as well prepared, suddenly you have to go from standing still and cold into a marathon length sprint - your muscles will hurt, rip and you will be very uncomfortable.

That is why I want a natural start! (Plus the natural release of oxytocin for when I see the little juniors for the first time).

That procedure was 19 hours ago. I had started cramping for a while afterwards but nothing that consumed me and then they faded!

So, with no labour to start we went to our last Twins, triplets and more (aargh!) class over at ‘The Foot’. The class only had half of the usual bunch but it was a great atmosphere last night and I learned some really valuable tips so actually made some notes. This was all post partum information about baby care and mum care. As usual the dads were hilarious. They had to pick objects out of a mum’s post partum bag and explain why we would need it. One man picked breast pads and he had no idea why we would need them! When he learned why he exclaimed ‘leaking from there too! They leak everywhere!’ Our teacher said that even the sound of someone else's baby crying some distance away can make your boobies leak! Going to be avoiding the downtown playgroup when the juniors are born as I can always hear babies wailing from that establishment!

So now I am on the final countdown to being a mum and Bug a dad. It is daunting, it always was but anticipation (of labour pain, of looking after them and no sleep) is always more dramatic than the real thing so I refuse to ponder scenarios and imagine feelings. I insist that we take it day by day and hour by hour when they arrive. We are prepared, have read lots, have a doula and are pretty mature, certainly in age! In the past three months we have expected preemie babies so to have full term heavies will literally and figuratively feel like a huge weight has been lifted.

Roll on labour, juniors, no sleep and leaky boobies!