An exciting day today!

Indeed an exciting day…I lost my mucus plug! And then promptly threw up. 🙂

The Set Up
Pema is moving to SF. We have a history of 20+ years of tandem events in our lives. This time it’s of dreams fulfilled– each of us. The night before she left (last night) we just hung out and talked, watched movies and ate chicken wings. It was perfect. When we said goodnight, she said, “I feel like it’s Christmas Eve or something.” She was right. Something special was in the air when we woke.

The Discovery
It’s daylight savings “fall back” day and making it through the night is rough enough but adding an extra hour last night made it longer and rougher. My hips and shoulders hurt greatly now as they are bearing just so much weight when I sleep on my side (the only way I can lay now)… not to mention the turning over pain in in my pelvis and the constant numbing. Finally, at 6:30am (which was 7:30 to my body), I was so happy to finally have the night be over– I got up out of bed and wobbled to the bathroom. I felt lots of “juice” down there and thought, “Wow, my pregnancy just keep getting juicier.” But after I peed and wiped, I got a huge glob of well… the mucus plug. It was so obvious to me that’s what it was even though I’d been so curious and asked every woman I know, “What’s it look like?” I took a close look at my own, wide-eyed, smiled and said out loud, “uh-oh…” I saved it on the toilet paper, setting it gingerly on the back of the toilet top.

The Sharing
I hoisted myself up, went back to the dark bedroom summoning Gina awake on her one day off in the last 15+. I was obviously hesitant to wake her but knew we’d gone to bed early and she would NOT want to miss this.

“Gina,” I whispered.

“Mmm hmm.”

“I lost my mucous plug.” I sounded more like a giddy school girl that just got kissed for the first time.

“NO WAY! Really?” Her head popped up like a little turtle. I could see her silhouette in the early morning dark.

“Yah. Wanna come see? I saved it for you.”

“Of course!” She was already sitting up, throwing on a long-sleeved T.

We went in together, I looked again and started to gag, “Oh, God,” I choked, shot out of the bathroom into the kitchen and puked whatever bit of bile was in my tummy. At least I’m consistent, eh?

Pema woke up with all the fuss and came to look too. There they stood in the bathroom, staring closely at this big giant blob that mostly looked like snot. It was fun, hysterical and totally memorable. Clearly, we’re all newbies here.

Then What Happened?
I have been so uncomfortable lately, the night before I had begged Gina and Pema to take me to Kennedy School the next morning to soak– I just really needed to get some weight off my belly. But I’d heard that when you lose your plug you sometimes shouldn’t soak or even bathe (the plug is designed it keeps bacteria from getting up there in the uterus). So I texted my midwife and told her I lost the plug and asked if I could still soak. She texted back with a series of questions, told me it was okay to soak and then called me.

“I think you need to be ready to have these babies in the next 24-48 hours, my dear. I was just at a conference this week discussing multiples and 37 weeks really is term… you are right there. All is well if they come. Really. Get your bags packed and things sorted… be ready to go.”

She’s normally so stoic but now she sounded super excited. It was very sweet. G and I sat on the edge of our bed and just stared at each other with excitement and awe. We hung up the phone, hugged and said, “We’re gonna have some babies here soon!” Then we immediately got into gear. I got a huge burst of energy!

The Soak
After packing our bags, doing some laundry, eating some breakfast and stumbling around all excited, Pema, Gina and I made our way down to the soaking pools at Kennedy School. It was a spectacular Fall day– blue skies, crisp air, sunny with oranges, reds and yellows on the trees and grounds everywhere. There were almost ALL kids and parents in the pool that morning and when I came in with my big belly, it sure demanded lots of smiles, attention, conversations and of course a few “Can I feel?” from the kidlets.

In essence, it was surreal being there this morning, knowing it could be our last outing without our girls on the outside AND that this was perhaps our last special time with Pema living here in P-town. She was leaving in only a matter of hours. That hour in the pool was divine.

I spent the rest of the day, well…. resting. Gina and Pema taking good care of me. Tears abound when we said good-bye to Pema but it wasn’t all sad knowing she’s going to follow her heart, to follow love. And, she’ll be back in December and once a month after that… largely in part to be with us and our girls.

What Now?
Now, all that said, women can lose their mucus plugs weeks before labor starts… and we hope we make it at least until 37– this Wednesday. Losing the plug simply means that I’m dilated enough that it (the plug) couldn’t hold up there anymore. The passage got too wide, if you will and some women are dilated 2, 3, 4 cm for weeks before labor comes on. Still… change is in the air and we are ready. We’ve been instructed to time contractions and when they get about 10 min apart consistently, to go in. They are coming everywhere from every hour to every 20 minutes so nothing too serious yet.

Grateful
I just told Gina last night, standing in the shower, that I hope I get to either lose my plug or have my water break. I want to get to feel some part of labor if I don’t get to go through the whole thing. Voila! Lucky me. I’m so grateful to have even this one little natural birthing experience/milestone and so happy to have these girls choosing when they are coming as opposed to a date on a calendar and just showing up to surgery with nothing having happened to my body to indicate it’s ready. I’m so giddy it’s hilarious.

Oh and Pema? She arrived safe and sound in SF this evening… with her sweet boy kitty, her two 50lb bags of luggage, and into the arms of a man who loves her dearly.

Better than Christmas day. Dreams fulfilled.

Below are a few pics… some just measuring my belly a week ago, some at the Kennedy School soaking tub this morning and lastly a pic of my swollen hot feet being wrapped in ice…ahhh, relief!

P.S. Two friends pinged me this morning and this afternoon to tell me they had premonitions that my labor process was starting. Trip out, eh?

P.S.S. We sold the Volvo! Woot woot!