39 Weeks 2 Days: Get Out! Get Out!

Look! The towel rack almost disappears from the enormity of my belly! That news is about as interesting as it will get until the baby decides to make his appearance. Most of my days now revolve around spurts of light activity followed by long rests on the couch. The one major thing that needs to happen is packing that pesky hospital bag. Oh, and me teaching J how to use the digital camera so he's not fumbling around trying to turn it on when it's time.

J and I have been practicing relaxation techniques this week in preparation for labor and I have to say they work pretty well. I find myself rehearsing by relaxing various parts of my body during the day when I'm bored or stressed. For example, yesterday while waddling over to the photocopier at work, I realized that I have really been holding in my abdominal muscles while walking. That's probably a good thing, otherwise it feels like the baby might just sag to my knees. However, one of the main things that I read over and over is to not fight labor, it will only make it worse. Total muscle relaxation is key. So, as I picked up the stack of papers from the photocopier, I really relaxed my belly. Woah! Hello cranium on my bladder! I quickly tightened up (what's left) of my abs and went about my day. While brushing my teeth last night, I decided to try letting go of the belly again to the same effect. The Baby G started punching me and I had a pretty giant contraction. I'm thinking this relaxation stuff just might work.  

Today is my last day at the office and I'm only planning to spend a couple of hours to tie up some loose ends. I will then drive myself home, waddle upstairs and put on my lounge clothes. For the rest of the day, I plan on letting my belly hang loose and maybe gravity will help things along.