impatience — mamawearpapashirt

How to distract yourself while waiting for natural labour

After some eight months, you’ve finally hit full term. You’ve just about had it with the extra 10kg of weight, constant need to pee, water retention, endless kegels, mid-of-night cravings, mood swings, Braxton Hicks, and…

Sometimes being pregnant can feel like you’re running a full marathon. Huff…puff…”When am I going to reach that finishing line?”

As I write, I’m painfully aware of the moment. I watched two mummies get admitted yesterday for labour, and I could only look on with envy.

I know it’s silly, but this kind of belly-heavy-emotions just can’t help it. Particularly if you stare at your swollen shape everyday…

So, I’ve been looking out for ways to distract myself while I wait. Here’s how I try to make my days go by quicker:

Spend quality time with your older kids, at the same time preparing them (or better still, involving them) for the arrival of the baby
Read motherhood forum pages / parenting websites and blogs which you’ve always been keen to dive into. If you’re a first time parent, this is a good time to store up practical information on stuff like breastfeeding, storing breast milk, caring for newborns, etc.
Schedule a meal / coffee with friends (or colleagues if you’re like me…already started maternity leave)

What are some ways you distract yourself in THE BIG WAIT?

Playing the waiting game – pregnancy week 38

I officially hit week 38 today in my pregnancy journey. At the gynae’s today, I was told that my cervix was still closed and tight.

I felt quite depressed after that.

Then I heard that baby is now 3.1 kg. (Quite heavy.)

As my first delivery was a c-section (due to a failed induction), I have an impending deadline, i.e., natural labour has to begin by due date (2 weeks time). It doesn’t help that baby also has a cap to his weight (anything above 3.3 kg is too risky in my doc’s opinion). FYI, he was 2.85 kg last week.

[Let me backtrack a bit. I'm aiming for natural birth because if I ever want to conceive again, going through a second caesarean now would mean compulsory caesarean for the third child. Also because of a quicker recovery period by natural, increased mobility, etc, which will allow me to still be able to play with Vera, my 2y.o. toddler]

So now, it feels like I can’t wait any longer. “Baby, come out now! Pleaseeee?”

Times like these, it’s good to put things back into perspective.

My opinion of waiting: a period marked by restlessness and not being able to focus on anything else but the object of that waiting. “I WANT IT NOW!”

A better perspective of waiting: God’s timing is best, and sometimes it may not match with yours. And we have to trust that He’s in control and that He loves you.

Even though it seems like He’s late, He’s never late.

So I just have to keep waiting, and keep hoping.