12 days or less. 10 days or less if you use my estimated according to my last cycle vs. the doctor's measurements. Both of these numbers seem inflated. It's hard for someone who had an early baby last time (37 1/2 weeks) to fathom going the full 40 weeks. And not just an early baby, but a big early baby. Myles was nearly 8 pounds at 3 weeks early. At the standard gaining rate of 1/2 a pound a week, he would've been nearly 9 1/2 pounds! This baby seems a teeny bit smaller, but not by much. The older he gets, the bigger he gets.
Not that I mind. It's such a gift to have an easier gestation than last time. Always worrying about him staying in. That's why I feel conflicted when women in my baby groups complain about "wanting it out!" Yes, we're all uncomfortable. Yes, we are in shooting distance of our due dates and having healthy babies that will need no NICU time. But it's best to be a good host and let nature do its thing.
I guess last time, not only did I have a shorter cervix, but I had a big fibroid, the evil twin as I called it, sharing space. Myles probably ran out of room in there. This time, Cole has more of that space to himself. I still see the fibroid hanging around - much smaller this time, but still present. And when it outgrew it's blood supply and started to die, it didn't disappear, so the shape is still visible when my stomach shrinks into a hard ball during Braxton Hicks. Speaking of which, I didn't even know what they were last time. I asked my sister and she had no idea what I was talking about - which is pretty much our pattern. I ask her about stuff, or she volunteers up stuff that are faint memories from 29 years ago. Only slightly more useful than my mother's foggy memory would be if we were on speaking terms. And our experiences are so different from each other's that it's hard to compare. She was a healthy, older teen, probably not really worrying about the minutiae, moreso the grand scheme. I'm in my late 30's with ONLY concerns about the physical stuff. I'm not worried about husband or housing, just my ability to house a little one for 9 months.
Some of it's logical and correct and some is just programming because OBGYNs have pounded it into our head that any pregnancy after 35 is high risk and complicated. And if I didn't have the fibroid, I don't think that'd be true. I've had a fairly easy pregnancy this time. And I think picking one blanket age for egg degradation, when all women didn't start their period at the same age doesn't make sense. Someone who started menstruating at age 9 and someone else at age 16 have a 7 year gap in when their egg supply stopped. So how could we all be identical at 35 all of a sudden?
Last night, I had severe cramping that I thought wasn't any of the usual impostors of pregnancy: constipation, gas, Braxton-Hicks. It lasted from about 1 am until at least 5:30, when I finally was asleep deeply enough to not care. Positive that I was in early labor, I thought about what would have to be readied (my bag is packed, but some things still in use are not in there) the next day. I was sure that since it was a steady pain and not pulsing contractions that I wasn't very close and that it was okay to go back to sleep. Imagine my surprise this morning when I woke up to Mark's alarm. I'd slept the whole night through and no labor or water breaking. No labor.
I have an OBGYN appointment today, so we'll perhaps see what that was all about, but usually it's not much help. It's just a guessing game. Experience is the best teacher and I think it'd probably take about 3 pregnancies to really be a pro at understanding it all. But I'm not planning on a third pregnancy, even if I wanted a third child. It's demanding on your body and spirit. I'm not sure I could withstand a third. And I'd be so much older by the time I was ready for another child that it'd be even tougher physically. Imagine trying to take a nap with 2 young boys? Yeah right.
We keep speaking to Myles about his brother coming. I'm not sure what he understands, but we're trying to ready him for the concept of a new baby coming into the house, and my beloved belly going flat. He loves the bump. He kisses Baby 'cold' all the time. Hopefully, he'll learn how to pronounce Cole soon enough.
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