Check out this comic before reading the rest of the post! I should have really combined Anecdote Mondays and TMI Tuesdays in one post :)
Giving birth is probably the scariest thing I have ever willingly considered putting my body through. This baby has to come out of where?!? But watching how beautifully my body has handled this pregnancy all on its own accord, I have a newly found confidence that it actually knows what it is doing and that it is fully capable of birthing this baby as well.
I am not kidding myself though: I know it will be painful. I have been having some intense Braxton Hicks for weeks, and although my uterus will be pushing much harder when it comes to the real thing, I can tell it has become quite powerful already.
Unfortunately, unlike preparing for an exhausting and intense sporting event (like a marathon), labor is not exactly possible to prepare for ahead of time. Between the contractions being fully involuntary and their strength being unknown to me ahead of time, I am not sure how realistic it is to prepare physically or mentally.
But it doesn't mean I can't try. Kegels, of course, are a must, and I have been trying to work on my transverse muscles as well (which technically should help with pushing). I am also counting on my running experience helping me push through the pain, control my breathing (I had to learn pretty good breathing control to make my running possible without severe pain in my stomach), and persevere through hours of a physical activity.
"Relaxing" through the contractions sounds more difficult, though. I am pretty good at pacing myself and not panicking, but I don't know how realistic it is to actually relax when one is in pain and not in control of one's body. I am pretty good at zoning out, though: years of school have taught me how to shut off my brain pretty much entirely when it is overloaded (that's not what they taught you in school? really? ;). Maybe this will actually be handy when it comes to labor? If so, I will add it to the list of "useful life skills learned in grad school" list. I'll let you know in a few weeks ;)
P.S. The little one is full term now, so the doc greets me with "Any week now" at each appointment. To my surprise, these comments make me more excited than scared, and I am looking forward to the day she will make her appearance. I guess this means that I am "ready" despite the long list of things I would still like to get prepared for her :)
Giving birth is probably the scariest thing I have ever willingly considered putting my body through. This baby has to come out of where?!? But watching how beautifully my body has handled this pregnancy all on its own accord, I have a newly found confidence that it actually knows what it is doing and that it is fully capable of birthing this baby as well.
I am not kidding myself though: I know it will be painful. I have been having some intense Braxton Hicks for weeks, and although my uterus will be pushing much harder when it comes to the real thing, I can tell it has become quite powerful already.
Unfortunately, unlike preparing for an exhausting and intense sporting event (like a marathon), labor is not exactly possible to prepare for ahead of time. Between the contractions being fully involuntary and their strength being unknown to me ahead of time, I am not sure how realistic it is to prepare physically or mentally.
But it doesn't mean I can't try. Kegels, of course, are a must, and I have been trying to work on my transverse muscles as well (which technically should help with pushing). I am also counting on my running experience helping me push through the pain, control my breathing (I had to learn pretty good breathing control to make my running possible without severe pain in my stomach), and persevere through hours of a physical activity.
"Relaxing" through the contractions sounds more difficult, though. I am pretty good at pacing myself and not panicking, but I don't know how realistic it is to actually relax when one is in pain and not in control of one's body. I am pretty good at zoning out, though: years of school have taught me how to shut off my brain pretty much entirely when it is overloaded (that's not what they taught you in school? really? ;). Maybe this will actually be handy when it comes to labor? If so, I will add it to the list of "useful life skills learned in grad school" list. I'll let you know in a few weeks ;)
P.S. The little one is full term now, so the doc greets me with "Any week now" at each appointment. To my surprise, these comments make me more excited than scared, and I am looking forward to the day she will make her appearance. I guess this means that I am "ready" despite the long list of things I would still like to get prepared for her :)
6 comments:
Your body has been preparing for this for 38 weeks now. If you took 38 weeks to write a grant, it would be great, don't you think? There are many labor-tolerating mechanisms many first time Mom's aren't counting on. 1. contractions only last 1 minute. 1 minute is not that long, really. think about your running; if you ever hit a "wall" during a marathon event you know it takes much long than 1 minute to run through that.
2. Your body and brain manage the pain for you, if you just let it. The relaxing through the contractions makes sense becuase you aren't relaxing your uterus and birthing muscles, but your shoulders and arms too keep yourself from a feedback loop of pain "ah! it hurts, I get tense! my proprioceptive system says I'm tense, I must be in pain! Ah, it hurts!".
Well, I will write for your bloggy thing, but in case you go into labor before- have confidence in your body!
Great that you trust your body like this. Mine already has trouble getting pregnant, let's see for the rest (if we get there, which I hope very much).
Good luck for the next weeks!
I do remember the Braxton-Hicks, and they could be quite powerful. I've never been through full-blown labor, because I had all c-sections. The closest I came was with F1-2, when I was having contractions every 5 minutes for a day and a half. But everyone I've known says that although it hurts like hell, they've all lived to tell the tale, and quite a few have had more than one kid. So, to look at it on the bright side: if it was really so bad, everyone would stop at one kid after a natural birth.
This may not put your mind at ease, but I believe that you'll be fine. You have the right attitude, and you're practicing. That's a great start!
From what you describe, you are in great shape and I bet that will really work in your favor. Good luck!
Good luck to you too, Amelie.
I second what EGF said. And I think the grad school ability will come in handy. ;)
PUI prof - 38 weeks of preparation is a good way to look at it, thanks for pointing that out! I am amazed in what my body has done so far, so I have all the reasons to believe it will do great, and I will be even more amazed! Thanks!
Amelie - thanks for the well wishes! And trouble getting pregnant doesn't have to mean any further physical problems; I will be hoping for the best for you on both fronts! Please do take care of yourself and your significant other emotionally; I have chosen not to blog about this, but if you ever need an empathetic ear, don't hesitate to email me!
Makita - are you sure it is not just amnesia? ;) I know billions of women have given birth and, odds are, I will do fine as well, but it is tough to be totally relaxed about it. I am trying, though, so thanks for your encouragement!
EGF - thanks, that is the hope! Being in good shape certainly helped me have an easier pregnancy, so fingers crossed!
Amanda - I was only partially joking about that :) If it is an advantage, I will be sure to blog about it ;)
Post a Comment