False Labor and Numb Hips

Well, only 1 weeksleft to go now until our little family becomes a family of 4! To the heartburn/indigestion I'll add false labor and numb hips to the joys of pregnancy I've been experiencing as of late.

Saturday night I started having contractions around 5:30 pm and I wasn't sure if they were contractions, real or falsies, or what was actually happening. They came on stronger the second round at about 7:45 pm or so, this time shooting across my lower back and radiating into the rest of my pelvis. Pure bliss, let me tell ya! After groaning on the couch for a bit I decided to call one of my best friends since I would consider her a pro at childbirth, having 4 kids herself and assisting many other friends with home deliveries. We talked about what I was experiencing and from what I could tell her she figured I was either in false labor, or early labor. Her advice to me was to start walking as much as I can if I wanted to have the baby. Laughing a little, thinking "I live on a farm, where am I going to walk?" I bundled up in my boots and jacket and headed outside to the farm yard. I walked for about 20 minutes until my legs were a little too chilly to keep going and nothing else was happening. I had a less intense contraction around 10 pm, and that's when I figured that the baby was in no hurry to arrive tonight and that I should try to get some sleep, just in case things progressed later on.

I had 2 more contractions coming nearly exactly 2 hours apart at 12 am and 2 am but after that they stopped. Surprise, surprise, no baby yet, just "false" labor. I don't know what's so false about it, the discomfort is real enough for me!

If sleep isn't already hard enough to come by, no my left hip is completely numb. I try to rub it, or have Mike rub my lower back to see if the feeling will come back but it won't. I am hoping this is sciatia and that it will return to normal after I have the baby because it sure is inconvenient to say the least.

I am praying that either labor will come again and Audrey will arrive before Christmas or that there will not be any labor and we will just walk into the hospital on our scheduled delivery date and have the baby then. Only one more week of waiting...

These days my thoughts are drifiting more towards wondering what Audrey will look like. Will she have lots of hair like Harrison did and look more like Daddy? or will she be bald and fair haired like Mommy when she was a baby? How much will she weigh since Harrison was a whopping 9lbs 12 oz (but I had gestational diabetes with him, not with her). What color will her eyes be? Will they be anything alike in personalities or complete opposites? Will she eat well, will she sleep well? Will breast feeding be easier the second time around? Will my recovery be quicker this time? I'll finally be able to sleep on my tummy again (insert happy dance here!!)

I am also more anxious than last time to be able to start exercising and walking again, once my c-section is healed enough. I've definitely had enough of this pregnancy weight literally hanging around. It makes me a little sad about not being in Texas over the winter since we can walk outside without jackets, mitts and boots, enjoying the fresh air. I am having a hard time adjusting being back in Alberta in that way for sure. Thank goodness Mom & Dad have a treadmill so at least indoor exercise is feasible.

I keep counting down to the baby's arrival and I have been forgetting all about Christmas! Christmas Eve used to be such a big deal for our extended family - a time when I knew I was going to see all my cousins at my Grandma's house, eating amazing Hungarian food, and stay up late so we could open one present on Christmas Eve. I am excited for the new traditions that we'll be able to create with our own little family and with my brother's children when that time comes. This year will be quiet and that's ok. Different, but still ok. I hope all that are reading have a wonderful time with friends and family this holiday season. It is my prayer that you take time to remember the real meaning of Christ-mas, the arrival of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

Blessing to you and yours!!
The Burnetts