38 Weeks 4 Days: AKA Baby Jail

I had another centering group appointment with the midwife yesterday. We found out that one of our group members had her baby this past weekend, a week or so early, which turned a lot of our thoughts to the big day. There are four of us that are clustered around the same due date (August 15-17th), which led to many last minute questions about the hospital stay. Up until this point, we've focused mainly on pregnancy issues and managing labor and birth, but yesterday was mostly focused on postpartum care and newborn procedures at the hospital. We also all waddled up to the 12th floor of the hospital to take a peek at one of the empty rooms on the maternity ward. I feel pretty much at ease, knowing that we have chosen a pretty great group of midwives who are in line with a lot of the wishes that I have for labor, delivery, and treatment of Baby G in the minutes and hours after birth. 

As for the baby, he is still very active and according to the midwife, "is hanging out very low". What does that mean? Nothing. Some babies drop weeks before delivery just to torment their mother's aching bladders. However, we did have to wait for a minute or so before she could find his giant butt (that smashes my right lung most days), because I was having a pretty long and strong contraction. The contractions still aren't uncomfortable, but are noticeably more frequent and longer in duration. So, it's just a really agonizing waiting game for us and the baby. He fidgets, stretches, and rolls off and on all day, making my belly a lopsided freak show. His most dramatic movements resemble a golf ball rolling from my hip to my ribs over and over again. I like to imagine him suited up in a little striped jumpsuit dragging a tin cup over the prison bars of my womb (my ribs). 


Only 10 more days (give or take 10). I am so ready!