23 weeks (and down to the hundred teens on the Babycounter!)

Baby Lentil (aka Lentila) and I are entering the viability zone! It's astounding to me. I don't feel pregnant enough at all to entertain the thought of a baby on the outside. Of course, she would be barely, only possible viable... I don't like to think about it, really, but it's cool to think she's that big that it's possible. While still keeping her securely inside. (She's now 11 inches long and just over a pound, according to Babycenter.) I think I will be in double digits on the Babycounter when I return from my spring break trip to CA!

Today, while walking briskly a few blocks, I had a Braxton Hicks contraction. I've had a couple before, but this was the first time I had one with activity -- it made me wonder if I needed to slow down? The thing was, it felt so good to walk briskly and stretch out my legs. I need to do more of this, not less. It was hard to slow down.

I spent the weekend in DC with my wonderful friend Liz and her husband and six month old daughter. Liz and I went to the summer camp as children, though I was older -- I was only peripherally aware of her existence, and she, apparently, looked up to me and thought I was cool! How funny. Then, later, we were matched to become co-counselors of the same cabin of twelve year old girls... and thus experienced possibly the most blissful summer of my life. Ever since then, I've just adored her. What an amazing person she is.

And now she has an amazing husband and baby. I'm not envious at all, just so glad for her that she found someone that fully appreciates how spectacular she is. And now they have a smiling, cooing, never-crying, gorgeous baby girl.

It was great to hear Liz's birth story. When talking about it, her description of the pain is more or less, Ehh. Of course it hurt. But that wasn't the hard part. And I don't have a high pain threshhold, or a hero complex. The hardest part was just the bewilderment, understanding that this thing was going to come out of my vagina."


Basically, she went into labor at 3 am, had contractions every 2-3 minutes for about eight hours before going to the hospital (despite the fact that her conservative OB practice wanted her to come in much sooner)... and found out that she was only two centimeters dilated. Luckily, her fabulous doula was with her, and had warned her ahead of time that she might not have dilated very much, despite Liz feeling very much like she had been in active labor for a long time. Liz was very grateful for this warning. She and her husband headed back home, and her doula went to her own home to cancel the following day's appointments. After a little while at home, labor changed and got more intense, and she wanted to sit on the toilet... and while her husband called the doula to update her, Liz suddenly realized she wanted to, and indeed was, pushing.

The doula shouted, "tell Liz not to push! And get in the car RIGHT NOW and meet me at the hospital!"

Liz got to the hospital (after blowing raspberries the whole time in the car, to keep from pushing) where the nurses took one look at her and threw her in a hospital bed. An hour later, her darling daughter was born.

All this to say... let's remind ourselves not to get discouraged when the going looks rough. And that yes, maybe the pain, and we, really will be okay.