40 Weeks and 1 Day

I've been hearing my fill of other people's stories lately of how they went into labor, what "caused" it etc. I've also been told so many times, when I'm saying I'm not sure how to tell when it's started, "Oh, you'll know!!" This is always said with great emphasis.

The truth is, it's not so simple, and all of the stories I am hearing are starting to confuse me.

I woke up at 2 AM with very strong cramping and I KNEW labor was starting. I had a temporary burst of nesting as I got up to clean the kitchen and whatnot. I finally went to bed around 4 and felt the cramping start again. I couldn't wait until morning.

When I called my midwife around 7:30 she said it sounded much more like pre-labor than early labor. We went in for an early appointment and confirmed... labor had not started. She said it could happen later today. It could also happen in a week. We don't know anything more yet.

We talked for awhile about how normal and safe it is for the baby to come later than now. That you only really ought to push it when it becomes unsafe for the baby to not be born yet... like when the placenta starts to deteriorate. But for now, I'll just continue to wait and learn from that whatever I need to.

Incidentally, when I got up in the middle of the night I pulled from my "cards." My devil card said "pain" and my angel said "joy." I thought for sure that was a sign, but I guess not as immediate as I thought.