Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Ready

I have seven days left until my due date, so labor is truly looming now. Rob and I were talking last night about the unnerving inability to make solid plans for the next couple of weeks. Can we go out to dinner tomorrow? Can we catch a movie this weekend? It’s hard to say, since I could be in the hospital later today if the baby decides it’s time to come out.

Most of the time, when someone asks me if I’m ready for childbirth, she’ll ask in an excited tone of voice that implies this: “Your life is going to change in the most wonderful way!” But she’ll have a look on her face that implies this: “Labor is scary! Aren’t you terrified?”

For the most part, I’ve gotten over my fear of labor and delivery, but my confidence does occasionally get chipped at when people remind me that childbirth really, really hurts. That’s why it was refreshing to have a conversation with a work-from-home mother yesterday, in which she said, “Don’t worry too much about labor; it’s really not that bad. And when it’s all over, you’ll be amazed with yourself. You’ll be like, ‘Holy $#%@, look what I did!”

That was exactly what I needed to hear.

I’m ready to be amazed. Let’s get this show on the road.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Even though I've never been through labor and delivery, I also thought that was the easy part. Things get hard AFTER the kid arrives.

Heather M. said...

Oh yes, I have a whole other set of fears for what happens after I bring the baby home.

Anonymous said...

Albert worries about college tuition - and we don't even have a baby on the horizon!

Anonymous said...

I hear that seven days can make one weak - hang in there.