She's Finally Here!!!

Teresha: This is just a quickie post to let you know that our BEAUTIFUL daughter Marlie is here! She was delivered via natural birth and is happy, healthy and strong! I will be posting her birth story is a few days on the new blog Marlie and Me so head over there and subscribe/follow.

39 Weeks and Still Sharing One Body

Teresha: So much for predictions...Marlie is still holding camp. I can't believe I lost my own baby's birth date pool. Shouldn't a mommy know these things? All the expectations for an early delivery just set me up for disappointment. Luckily, I have a blog to vent my frustrations and a good sense of humor to see how silly I was being.

Baby girl is proving to be more like her daddy and less like me. I am someone who is always ahead of schedule. I don't even need an alarm clock to wake up in the morning. I throw back the covers and leap out of bed ready to start my day. My husband sets an alarm and proceeds to hit snooze at least two times. He definitely is not an early bird. Imagine my horror when I had the two false starts over the weekend...it was like she knew it was time to come out, but kept hitting snooze! I have another procrastinator on my hands! I think she is so cozy and comfortable, that it might take magnitude 5 earthquake to shake her out. At this point, I would be thrilled if she were just on time. My irrational fear is that she decides to take up permanent residence, and I wind up perpetually pregnant like Bonnie from Family Guy. LOL!
Please subscribe by email to the new blog Marlie and Me so you can get notice when she makes her debut!

My Version of the Stages of Labor

Teresha: It is generally believed that a pregnant woman goes through three stages of labor: early labor, active labor, and birth (some believe delivery of the placenta to be a fourth stage). Anyways, I have found these "stages" to be lacking in emotional context. So, here is my version (based on the 7 stages of grief):

1. Eager anticipation: you are 38 weeks and your baby is fully developed. You get excited every time you feel a Braxton Hicks contraction or show signs of pre-labor (i.e. loss of mucus plug). Even though you are two weeks away from your due date, you secretly wish (s)he will come early. You won't entertain any notion that your baby will be overdue. Example: When people ask, "when are you due?," I start to answer "any day now" instead of saying "two more weeks."
   
2. Nesting: you will start cleaning and organizing like a woman possessed. You check and re-check the birthing bags. Everything has to be ready because it could be any day now, right? Example: I woke up at 3:00 am one night with a deep desire to sweep entire first level of our house.
   
3. Taking matters into your own hands: you literally try to make a deal with your baby. You promise him or her a pony if they will come out. If that doesn't work, you try physical encouragement: exercise and constant movement, sex, drinking herbal teas, eating black licorice(?!). Example: I drove over the speed bumps on my block at full-speed.
   
4. Misery: The days, hours, minutes, seconds tick by. You and baby are still sharing one body. Your belly is stretched beyond its capacity, your pelvic region is sore, you have contractions that don't seem to go anywhere. You just feel discombobulated. Your distress is compounded by the fact that you have been tricked into believing that you were in labor a few times. Example: After a walk on Sunday night, I started having contractions that were stronger, closer together and lasted longer. I thought this was it and jumped in the shower to get ready only to have them stop suddenly.
5. Disillusionment: you are confused by all the false alarms and starting to distrust your instincts when it comes to your own body. You might even start thinking that you'll be pregnant forever. You get annoyed when people inquire if the baby is here yet. Example: I stopped checking email and answering my cell phone on Sunday because I was tired of having to tell people, "not yet."
6. Consulting: You start seeking advice. You get reassurance from some wise women. They tell you to relax and get plenty of rest because that will be a luxury you can no longer afford soon. You decide to take their advice. Example: I sleep for four hours on Monday afternoon. It was bliss! When I wake up, I stop fretting over my bump and resume my life (which consists of emailing, texting, blogging, chatting on the phone). After all, a watched pot never boils.
   
7. Acceptance: the gradual realization that your baby is going to come out when (s)he is good and ready and not a minute sooner. You stop stressing over the when and start focusing on the now. Example: By Monday evening, I was over trying to rush the process and resolved to live in these last moments when I have her all to myself before I had to share her with the world.

Please subscribe by email to the new blog Marlie and Me so you can get notice when she makes her debut!

Please, Baby Baby, Please!

Teresha: I thought for sure that the next time I posted it would be about sweet Marlie's birth story. Alas, she was not a full moon baby. My Friday visit to the midwife revealed that I was continuing to show signs of an early delivery. But when? I need a date and time! (I know that's not how it works). She told me that she'd be surprised if I made it to my Wednesday appointment. My mother-in-law arrived yesterday. Maybe Marlie was waiting for her grandma to get here? I started having more regular contractions last night that kept me up, but still nothing. We went to church this morning, despite my exhaustion, to witness our pastor baptizing her daughter. It was such a beautifully moving experience and tied in with the message of what children can teach us about spirituality. I can attest that the process of being pregnant and becoming a mother has brought me closer to God. I have been humbled by carrying new life. I find myself letting my guard down and letting go of the hurt and distrust or what Pastor Courtney calls "cleaning out the chambers of the heart." Now I feel ready to experience the unconditional love that is Marlie. I am so ready! So, come on Marlie! Please, baby baby, please! Maybe she knows mommy needs more lessons in patience. :-)

38 Weeks...Still Pregnant, but Full Moon Tomorrow!

Teresha: Before you Twi-hards get all excited about the mention of full moon and think I have some scoop from the movie set, I am talking about the lunar schedule. This is the week my midwife predicted our baby girl would be born. It also happens that the next full moon appears tomorrow. It is a long-held, old-wives belief that many full-term pregnant women will go into labor on the night of or shortly after a full moon. From what I gather it has something to do with atmospheric pressure and the moon's gravitational pull that can cause the amniotic sac to break. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence (stories from maternity nurses about overcrowded delivery rooms) and some unscientific research to back this up. I found that this article, The Moon's Effect on Natural Childbirth, sums it up best. So hopefully, our next post will be about Marlie's birth story! If it happens, I'm going to get that T-shirt!

Damon: There are a lot of old wives tales about the full moon (click here). While I don't know if Marlie will decide to break camp tomorrow, I am excited that she will be here soon. I have also heard the babies are covered in hair - so maybe there is a link to the full moon.

Cat Metaphors and New Blog Coming...

I am so giddy and ready to burst (literally and figuratively). But before I delve into the excitement, I have a confession...I do not like cats. This may not come as a surprise to those who have read about our dog Butters who has his own Facebook page and is a star over at MomLogic (yep, that's him in the photo). He is our best friend in every sense of the word and a lot like a child to us. But back to my disdain for cats (and I beg my bloggy friends who are cat people to hear me out). First, I am allergic to them. Second, I find their demeanor creepy. Third, I can't grasp the kitty litter thing. My feelings about cats, however, have been challenged by the discovery of an abandoned kitten in the crawlspace of our house. I first heard his pitiful mewing on Thursday evening. My hubby pulled back the grate and there was this tiny, apricot-colored feline just all alone and so adorable! Usually, I would have left the kitten to fend for itself, but my heart melted and something switched on in me. On Friday, I started emailing neighbors and calling no-kill shelters and found a foster home for him with some neighbors who are coming for him today. Meanwhile, it rained all night, and I kept getting up to go check on him to make sure he was staying dry. When I finally got into bed, I asked myself why I cared so much about this kitten when I don't even like cats. It struck me that kitty is a metaphor for my impending motherhood. This kitten was sent by the Universe to tell me something. What does it mean that I suddenly cannot abide seeing a kitten in distress? Is it a reassurance that I am ready to be a mommy? Interestingly enough, this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly devotes an entire article the whole Internet cat video phenomenon and what it represents culturally. The article isn't up on their site yet, but here is a link to the report card the best cat videos on the web.

Now for the exciting news! I am launching a mommy blog to continue documenting my journey into motherhood. It has a different blog address and a fabulous new design thanks to Diana Rambles at Custom Blog Designs. It is still under construction while I transfer some stuff over and set up widgets, but I figure it's not too early to start building my readership there. Please register for an email subscription so you can get the announcement of the big unveiling. I don't want to lose any of you! I am planning some cool things for the blog launch, including a giveaway, after Marlie arrives. I'll see you on the flip side real soon!