December 09, 2005

contractions and coconuts

mum came over around noon, still worried. showed her the blood, which she’s never seen before in pregnancies. her own pregnancies went by uneventfully, she said.

meanwhile, the contractions HAVE begun. i think. from early this morning, even before izad has woken up for work.

what do they feel like?

exactly like menstrual cramps, or segugut, just like the doc, mum, and everybody else has described it. how amazing that this biological phenomenon is so… universal.

it comes like an intense, sharp cramp at the lower part of the abdomen and around the back of the waist… then passes by, fading away.

my last recorded time sequence:

2.12 pm
2.20 pm
2.31 pm
2.42 pm
2.52 pm
3.01 pm
3.12 pm
3.20 pm
3.38 pm
3.49 pm

so… that’s an average of ten minutes apart, yes?

i’m just waiting it out. it’s pretty bearable for now. don’t want to be staying at the hospital too early.

meanwhile, he bought me something to drink. “they” say it’s for the baby to come out cleaner, or with lesser vernix, the waxy white substance that covers a baby’s skin at birth.

macam-macam air saya minum.

Posted by hana at December 9, 2005 03:53 PM

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i’m gonna backtrack a bit these few days leading up to The Big One and dig up some old posts from our archives exactly a year ago (THANK GAWD we still have them!).

am feeling… nostalgic.

December 09, 2005

labour drill

been having slight brownish tinges on the panty liner since yesterday, and this evening, i noticed blood mixed with mucus when i wiped myself with toilet paper after bathing.

“izad…” i called, so very calmly that he hardly bothered to respond. finally he showed up, and i showed it to him.

so *that’s* the bloody show. how bloody exciting!

we were getting ready to have my birthday meal out, so we stuffed the rest of my “important” bits in the hospital bag and brought it along with us.

it was like a fire drill, but with less drama. you can call it a labour drill.

we were scarily calm coz i knew the real action wasn’t going to take place just yet. i was still having only braxton-hicks, not the cry-out-loud-in-pain contractions. in any case, we called the doc for advice. he said it could still take some time for labour to begin since i wasn’t having contractions yet, and if still in doubt, i could drop by the clinic tomorrow. as long as the baby is still moving, i’ve nothing to be worried about.

the birthday meal went by, with my mum looking very worried that i wasn’t looking worried.

when we got home (with our hospital bag in tow haha), i checked again.

looked kinda familiar. you know, like light menses on the first day?

sms-ed a reliable source of info who assured me that hers *was* like menses, and true contractions may happen only 36 hours later, or even a week.

a quick google check confirmed it:

Bloody show: Loss of mucus plug

During pregnancy, a thick plug of mucus blocks the cervical opening to prevent bacteria from entering the uterus. When your cervix begins to thin and open, this plug may be discharged. You may notice stringy mucus or a thick discharge. It’s typically brown and sometimes tinged with blood.

Losing the mucus plug is a sign that labor may begin soon, but it’s not a guarantee. Labor may still be a week or more away.

MORE waiting! hah.

the plug itself hasn’t come out, this was just a preview. i think.

meanwhile, the space between my boobies and abdomen is now TWO handspan wide. googling is very useful, coz i now know this is called ‘lightening’. and i can literally feel peanut wiggling his way further down.

let’s make 10th or 12th our target dates, ok boy-boy?

they’re nice even numbers, see…

Posted by hana at December 9, 2005 12:53 AM

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