The Waiting Game

Welcome to the "Waiting Game", where all moms play, all moms win the jackpot but no one knows when the game begins. Sounds like a terrible B rated game show on T.V. And I have just entered to be a contestant. My due date is January 26th. Dr. says he thinks the baby will be here by the 11th. I am finishing off this week at work (1 more day to go I am off on Friday) and then on-call all next week depending upon how I am feeling. I just have to put the diaper bag, Dan's and my hospital bag and my birthing ball in the car and sit and wait until Sophia gets here. I have to tell you the "Waiting Game" is no fun to play that is for sure. Waiting for a mucus plug, waiting for water to break, waiting for more contractions closer together and far worse on the pain scale. Sounds like those terrible side effects that they talk about on those drug commercials: may cause blindness, may cause erectile dysfunction, can cause heart attack, you can loose a limb, may kill you, may make you crazy, may make you bark like a dog when the door bell rings, etc. etc. etc. Jeesh!!!!

And then from my friends who have delivered before, "It only gets worse from here, Hon". Apparently the Dr.'s don't tell you everything in your regular visits and want it to be a "surprise" once you go into labor about what exactly to expect: vaginal vs. Cesarean, I.V. Drugs vs. epidural, hours upon days of labor, delivery of baby "BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE" delivery of the placenta (and by the way the contractions don't stop till after the placenta is out....lovely), "To episiotomy or not to episiotomy, that is the question" (this one comes with stitches either way...ouch!), breastfeed or no breastfeed (and if you do breastfeed, most likely the baby wont latch on so you think you are doing it wrong and are starving your kid), the dreaded Epi bottle and cold packs (girls you know what this is for), and on and on. Yup I am a soldier. I signed up and enlisted for the one thing guys can't do, have babies. I got little training, killed my body, carbo loaded for the journey, went through the obstacle courses of baby stores, signed my life over when I pre-registered at the hospital, and now its time to bring on the war.

This is my bottle, there are other bottles like it, but this one is mine!