Getting Through Early Labor

So I have been in Early Labor since Sunday and I feel like I am going CRAZY!!!!

• Menstrual Cramping: I mean serious cramping. Like a bad period.
• Back pains: This is more in intervals and radiates down into my butt.
• Increased & Changed Discharge: Its more clear and stringy, sometimes watery, since I lost my plug on Sunday and pretty constant. I keep a pad on down there. I know it's not my waters breaking yet though. 
• Pelvic Pressure: O am I surprised there isn't a head sticking out down there. When I went in to my midwife Tuesday she could feel the head of the baby and didn't want to check how dilated I was in fear of promoting labor.
• Nausea: This seems to come in intervals too. this morning I woke up and RAN into the bathroom because the pelvic pressure was so intense I thought I was going to throw up.
• Diarrhea: This has actually calmed down the last two days (PRAISE GOD!!) but lasted about 2 weeks.
• Irritable and Emotional: I was kind of rude to people at church last night, but I really was NOT in the mood to talk to people. There is a storm... No A HURRICANE going on in my body and I just want to cry, yell, throw a temper tantrum... well you get it
• Sleeplessness, yet Energized: I am NOT sleeping, yet I feel pretty energized for the most part. It's hard to explain.
• Heartburn: Thought this was supposed to get better when baby dropped??

So all this to say I am so miserable and I am going to whine about it because this is my blog.

Here are some things you can do to keep your mind off the above:

• Get Netflix/ Rent a TV series: I am currently into White Collar which is really good and keeps me occupied as long as I can bear to sit that long
• Organize Photos and Videos: Every year I make a family year book so I have arranged the one for this year and placed our photos in it up until July. You can also put together a family video of all your home videos. Go through all those prints you have in a box and look up different projects you can do with them.
• Bake!: Make some granola bars for the hospital stay and put them in the freezer. Heck, make a few meals and put them in the freezer. You can pace the kitchen and sway your aching hips and practice breathing through contractions while you stir and measure.
• Go through the other kid's things & Downsize: I LOVE to get rid of things. I went through all the kid's clothes and downsized a TON! Also went through their toys and got rid of the broken, nasty, useless toys and cleaned off the decent ones.
• Get into a book: With Hayven's pregnancy, and I think the twin's pregnancy I read several of Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti's books. This pregnancy I am flying through my Bible. I think I have read about 3/5 of it since January. I should finish it soon, if I keep up with it.
• Start planning/Packing: Pack your hospital bag and the other kid's overnight bags if they are going to be staying with family/friends for a few days. Make phone calls and set people up to help if you go into labor at 3am or 11pm. 
• How will you get a hold of your husband/whoever is bring you to the hospital?
• Where will your kids stay? Who will bring them there?
• What if it's 3am? What if it's 11pm?
• What if your planned people don't answer their phone? Who is back-up?
• Have a LONG phone conversation/ Invite people over: I spent about an hour and a half on the phone with my step-mom the other day while I was sitting on my exercise ball wanting to just crawl up in the fetal position from cramps and nausea. Before I knew it, Alex was going to be home soon! How wonderful!! 

Somethings that just make things a little easier:

• Kids + TV = Relax: I NEVER am one to turn to TV for my kids to zone out on. However, my husband told me: "Look, you're a great mom. Don't feel guilty about letting them watch more TV then normal over the next month. You need it." He's right. They will be watching educational things... mostly... but it's only for a season.
• Splurge A Little Where You Normally Wouldn't: Paper Towels. Disposable Diapers. Store-bought dish soap. Chipotle and Jimmy Johns. Starbucks after those sleepless nights. Prenatal Massage. Get your nails done. Go see a movie in the theater. Go out on an extra date with your man. Go to a pool and swim.

Some women don't have early labor like this. Praise the Lord for that! But if you do, HANG IN THERE! (I am telling myself this mostly). The longer your early labor, in my experience, the shorter the hard labor. (I have no evidence or scientific basis for this... it's just what has happened with me). Your body needs time to slowly dilate and efface and move the baby into position and get things ready. Just try to stay distracted and comfortable.

If you remember, please pray for me :)