I am now officially 38 weeks and have been experiencing what could be termed prodromal labor for the past week. In a nutshell it is being stuck in early labor for a really long time. I have times of regular strong contractions that match the description of real labor contractions not braxton hicks contractions. For me these contractions have come at regular intervals and don't subside with rest or staying hydrates like typical braxton hicks contractions. The longest run has been around 36 hours with contractions coming every 10 to 20 minutes. The difficult part of prodromal labor is it does not progress like your text book labor where the contractions get closer and stronger until the baby comes. With prodromal labor contractions can just stop. Laboring like this is both physically exhausting and emotionally exhausting. I have had had only intermittent nights of decent sleep because of the discomfort of contractions and as for as the emotional aspect goes I feel like a yo-yo. Am I an labor am I not? This could go on how long? The OB refuses to intervene until 42 weeks unless baby is unhappy or my water breaks or something along those lines (in reality probably a good thing). Maybe this time I will get a baby out of this discomfort? You get the idea of all the thoughts that run through my head.
The potential positive of laboring in this lovely fashion is for some women it means active labor can be a lot shorter and easier. That part sounds good to me. Last time my active labor was about 16 1/2 hours. I also can look at this as another opportunity to rely on God and turn to him. Sadly like many people it is not something I do often enough unless life is uncomfortable, and let me just say right now life is pretty uncomfortable. So instead of whining and crying I am going to make the conscious effort to stop and pray. Not an easy thing to do, but God is bigger than my pain. He will only give me what he can handle and he has handled way more than what feels in the moment like never ending pointless contractions. So my goal is to paste a smile on (because sometimes when you force a smile you end up feeling a little better), to remember pregnancy is not a life sentence (Thank you God), to thank God that my baby is healthy, to remember there is a purpose to all these contractions and there is progress being made towards delivery (every day is one step closer), and to cry out to God in those oh so frequent moments of defeat and frustration. I will muscle through contractions to keep my household running and make it a peaceful restful place for my family while balancing those efforts with adequate rest. I will do this because I love my family and as a Proverbs 31 wife I will serve them to the best of my ability with a happy heart. I will also remember that my current capacity for work is diminished, but that is okay because completing x number of things does not make me the perfect wife or mother.
If you notice lots of typos or sentences that just don't quite make sense keep in mind I have not really slept in several nights, so communicating my thoughts clearly has been challenging.
Oy. And I thought my two days of prelabor was bad. I feel for ya hon. Every finger and toe crossed that it does mean a fast and easy true labor for you. I am sending wishes that you guys can't come to Evelyn's party because you have a new little one at home, not because you are too uncomfortably pregnant still to want to get off the couch. I remember that feeling all too well. :)
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