Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Lady in Waiting (or, Ticking Time Bomb)

This morning was my weekly appointment with my OB/GYN. It was time to see how far I had progressed toward the baby's arrival. I was anxious to hear what she discovered, given the news last week.

Last week, I was 80% effaced and one centimeter dilated (the measurement of the cervix opening). What does this mean? My cervix had thinned out (the cervix is 100% effaced when a woman delivers a baby)and was preparing for the big moment.

This week, my cervix was still very soft and thinned out and I was dilated to nearly three centimeters. For those of you who have had a child, you know that three centimeters is generally to where a woman progresses during the first phase of labor. The doctor described me as a ticking time bomb...I could go into labor at anytime.

Her description certainly put it all into perspective for me. They always tell you that you go into labor when the baby is ready, but it really sank in for me today. This is not something I can plan around. This is not something I can put on my schedule. It brings to mind an image of me sitting in a plane, door open, waiting for my turn to skydive into the blue when I get the signal.

My contractions could become rythmic and strong, sending me into labor, within in a few minutes of posting this blog or two days from now.

This is one of those moments in my life when I realize, I have no control over nature. Kind of like being pulled under by a wave while swimming in the ocean. You can try and fight it all you want, but you need to wait until the wave passes to swim to the surface. Ride it out. And, that is what I am doing today.

I worked from home a bit to see what my body would tell me. It is telling me that the baby is certainly coming and my body is getting ready. It is also telling me that I am a lady in waiting and I need to deal with it.

I am excited and also filled with a bit of anxiety -- the little one we have been waiting for these nine months is going to be here very soon. Very soon! I cannot wait to see my son or daughter for the first time. Anxiety comes into play when I think of how I will deal with labor. I have gone to classes and prepared myself, but just like jumping out of a plane, you never know what to expect when you get out there. Thank goodness I have a wonderful partner to help me along.

We are almost to the next leg of our new journey. But, in the meantime, I am dealing with the fact that I am either a mild mannered lady in waiting, looking out to the future with anticipation and a smile, or a ticking time bomb that is about to jump into the next phase of my pregnancy.

I would like to think that perhaps I am a mixture of both -- a Jane Austen character ready for adventure and the unknown with zeal, but we will see when the time actually arrives.

I will be sure to keep everyone posted.

p.s. The mystery was solved and we now know the wonderful couple who gave us the high chair last week. The thank you card is already on the way.

1 comment:

StacyB said...

It's so exciting! I can't wait to meet the Dragon!