Thursday, at 41 1/2 weeks, my little Addison was born. It is pretty lengthy, so the rest is on my blog with pictures! http://melissataylorphotography.com/?p=484
Prodromal labor. I first heard of it about one month ago. I first experienced it four years ago. Loosely defined, it’s “a start and stop labor,” that doesn’t go by the books. It’s not
false labor! The body is truly doing something, but is not always seen as textbook cervical progression or dilation. Essentially, I had four weeks of strong, timeable contractions. I’m a bit bored of talking about it, but it’s a huge part of my story, and something that not many people have heard of. I don’t feel right skimming over it.
With the first two babies, I thought there was something wrong with my body. With my first, I spent four weekends in a row at L&D, and as soon as I’d arrive, my contractions would stop. I’d sob on my forty-five minute drive home, feeling broken, looking back at that empty car seat, and spend the next few days depressed in bed, fearing I wouldn’t know what real labor was like. My second baby was much too similar, and even stopped once I hit 3 cm, and stalled for over 24 hours before I hit active labor again and delivered.
The real issue lies more in the emotional factor. You begin to distrust your body. You are unable to plan. You labor for hours and still have no baby in your arms. It’s exhausting for you and your close ones. You’re utterly out of control.
This time was a little easier. I planned on the start and stop labor happening, and knew the timing was not in my hands.
When the dreaded Prodromal Labor reared it’s head at 37 weeks, a friend brought up the term “Prodromal.” I did a web search, and found pages and pages of normal women who labor just as I do, and was relieved just in that alone. I also read about certain factors that may be triggering it, such as fears and mis-positioning of the baby. I was pretty certain that she was not in the wrong position, but it felt like something I could actually have some form of control over. I spent lots of time trying out some Spinning Babies positions (
www.spinningbabies.com) to help her have the best position possible. This included going on all fours with my butt up, and face and chest on the ground for over twenty minutes at a time, then squatting up against a flat wall to let her head engage again.
Anything to have some form of say in the matter!
5-21
Then I went overdue. I really didn’t mind her baking longer, since not every baby develops at the same rate. I knew she’d come when she was ready.
5-24
Thursday, three days after my due date, was my son’s fourth birthday. I began having contractions the night before, fairly far apart, but consistent. That morning, we decided to do his birthday celebrations, just in case we wouldn’t be there later that evening. My husband ended up leaving work early, and by 2 pm the contractions were five minutes apart. We decided to leave the kids in my sister’s care, and head home to pick up some things, and labor at home, because the contractions were quickly intensifying.
There are a few things that separate prodromal labor from active labor, and put my mind at ease. Wine, sleep, and baths. For a mother of two toddlers, it’s safe to say that I couldn’t always use these tests as often as the contractions came.
The day of my son’s birthday, I took a shower instead and did not try the wine. I was overdue, she had to be coming, right?? Wrooong. The contractions petered out in the car, and when I got to the birth center, the stress and worry that they were going to go away, and that I was missing my son’s birthday actually lead to me regressing in dilation. Every contraction was one step closer to meeting my sweet baby, I reminded myself. Though I felt like an old car, sputtering, trying to start up, I really felt like all this work would make my active labor more efficient, and faster.
But the third child is the wild card, right? That made me more nervous....
The rest is here:http://melissataylorphotography.com/?p=484
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