Weeks 34 & 35: Prepared...Mind, Body, and Spirit

I was never a Girl Scout, but I’ve lived my entire life by their motto, “Be Prepared”. I was the 8-year-old who, three weeks before summer camp, already had my packing list finalized. And it included everything but the kitchen sink because, hey, I had to be prepared for every possible eventuality. As a student, my backpack was always filled with two of everything a week before the first day of school. As a teacher, I’m always the one with extra student rosters on every field trip and a bag filled with sunscreen, water bottles and extra sweatshirts. Well, this little personality quirk of mine has come out full force in the face of pregnancy. From the day we found out we were expecting, I’ve read every single book and article I could get my hands on. I read safety reviews on carseats before we even had the pregnancy confirmed by a doctor. I had the nursery decorated in my mind months ago and the actual tasks of furniture assembly and decorating have been done for weeks now.

I’ve been steadily preparing my body for the rigors of pregnancy, labor, and birth in many ways. Everything from prenatal yoga to pelvic tilts, squats, and, of course, Kegals have found their way into my daily routines. I’ve been walking about 4 miles each day and practicing all the relaxation exercises we learned in our Bradley childbirth class.

I’ve also been preparing my mind for labor and birth by reading everything I can about natural childbirth, relaxation techniques and the ins and outs of the entire process. Eric and I have even done several labor rehearsals where we practice timing contractions and dealing with possible contingencies.

Last, but certainly not least, I’ve prepared my spirit for this entire process. I’ve spent a lot of time praying over the little tiny girl growing and dancing inside me. I have a sense of peace about the labor, birth, and our journey into parenthood because I know that it’s all in the Lord’s hands.

Well, I’ve run into a little problem with my obsession with preparedness. That is that I’m over-prepared WAY too early!!! Every last essential item (and a lot of non-essential items) has been purchased, unwrapped, washed and found a place in the nursery. Not only are all the newborn clothes washed, folded, and put away, but I’ve even purchased and organized clothes all the way up through the 24 month size! Every book has been read. Every relaxation technique has been practiced again and again. I’ve started filling the freezer with meals for the postpartum weeks. My labor playlist is loaded onto my iPod and, yes, I even have the packing list all done for our trip to the birth center. Yet, we have at least three weeks, if not six or seven weeks before Molly is likely to make her grand entrance. What’s an over-prepared girl to do with her time? My days are spent reading, journaling, napping and, now, watching Wimbledon. But, the time just seems to creep by at an infinitely slow pace. Everyone tells me that Molly will be here before I know it, but it just seems to be so far away. I just can’t wait to meet her. I want to kiss her little hands and stroke her cheeks. I want to watch her sleep and see her dance, rather than just guessing at her activities based on the bulges moving across my belly. I know she’ll come when SHE’S ready, but Molly, I just want to let you know that your mama is ready for you anytime you want to come!

At 35 weeks, Molly probably weighs about 5 lbs. and is about 18 inches long, although the midwife is convinced she’s longer. My uterus is measuring one week ahead of gestation in length because Molly’s taking up so much space. Her head is crammed all the way down into my pelvis but her little tiny tushie has found its way right up under my ribs, which puts her feet right in my stomach on a regular basis. If the midwife is right, we may be in for a tall girl who takes after her Poppy Schillinger. Her physical development (liver, lungs, kidneys, etc.) is complete. Most of her time now will just be spent putting on weight and adding folds and neurons to her developing brain, a process that will continue throughout the toddler years. Sounds like you’re done cooking to me, Miss Molly. Whenever you’re ready to meet your family, we’re prepared for you…perhaps over-prepared :-)