Uncharted Territory

Today I am 36 weeks and 5 days pregnant.

This is officially the longest I have ever been pregnant.

When I was pregnant with Caden, the doctor removed my cerclage and then warned me that I was unlikely to go into labor right away. (Statistically, only 11% of women who have had a cerclage go into labor within the first 48 hours of having a cerclage removed.) Our doctor thought that I might need to be induced in a couple of weeks because he was measuring big. Lo and behold, 15 hours later I was having regular, painful contractions. Less than 48 hours after my cerclage was removed, Caden was in my arms.

When my doctor removed my cerclage yesterday, she again warned me that it was unlikely that I would go into labor right away. And this time, it appears to be true. Scott and I thought it would probably happen pretty quickly, because I was having painful contractions on the way to the hospital. But since then, these contractions have slowed down considerably and show no signs of becoming regular yet.

Don't get me wrong, it is very clear to us that I needed a cerclage in order to stay pregnant as long as I have. As soon as it was removed, I instantly dilated. But I guess my body has decided this whole being pregnant thing is okay after all.

I don't know what to expect anymore. Before we left for the hospital, Scott picked up the house, we packed a bag for the hospital, we packed a bag for Caden and sent it with my mom to her house, my mom took the dogs ... we were all ready for an imminent delivery. But now that it appears this baby is going to wait a little while, I'm not sure what to do next .... Sure, I still have a ton of stuff on my to-do list that needs to be addressed, but I was kind of in the mindset that it would have to wait until the baby came.

I'm not complaining by any means. This little respite has already been fantastic. Yesterday, I was able to pick up Caden for the first time in months. He laughed and asked me, "What doin', Mommy?"

As far as I'm concerned, I will do my best to enjoy the days (or weeks?) I have left before this baby comes. I'll take my son to the park. I'll organize my house. And I'll go on walks. And I'll just enjoy the sensation of being a (relatively) normal pregnant woman for as long as it lasts.