Mace's birth story, part 1

Carmen was born two weeks early, on the due date predicted by my LMP (40 weeks after the first day of your last period).  My second pregnancy was basically identical to my first, so I was more or less expecting to have a baby around my LMP-determined due date.

For the record, my LMP due date was May 4.  My ultrasound-adjusted due date was May 11 (Carmen's birthday.)  Mace's real birthday was Monday, April 23.  He psyched us all out!!!

the week before Mace was born:
Facebook updates in italics:

April 16 - Did massive quantities of nesting activities today. Even washed some baby clothes! I feel much better now.

April 17 - Filled out the hospital's online preregistration form and had my first Braxton Hicks contractions today. Exciting? Still got 3 weeks left!

In the middle of April, I started feeling sick like I had eaten too much junk food.  I also started having some Braxton-Hicks contractions, so I got the feeling the time was coming soon.  Of course, I had a hard time telling anybody because they would just think, "Oh, you silly girl, there's no way you can predict when your baby comes based on how you feel.  Just wait until it happens." but I wanted to scream, "No, wait!  It's silly, but I seriously feel like I'm probably going to have a baby this weekend!  I'm willing to wait until my due date and beyond, but I've just got this feeling!"

So, darn it, I told the Jehovah's Witnesses.  "I'm feeling the same way I felt the week before Carmen was born.  We'll see if it means anything!"

April 19 - Started my "medical hold" at the gym today. Carmen has so much fun at the day care - I almost feel bad picking her up! Today she was having a tea party with another little girl, and it was sooooo cute!

April 21 - Funny how sinus infections sneak up on you, then suddenly hit you in the head like a baseball bat.

comments under this post:

Dana- No not funny. :( I hope you feel better.
Robin- get better!
Rebecca- Ugh, just what you needed!
LuAnn- whenever I was pregnant I would always get horrible sinus infections. I saw my ENT more than my OB-Gyn.
Kamis- Irony, Murphy's Law, or God's Cruel Sense of Humor dictates I'm probably going to go into labor while sick. (Oh, man, I hope not!!!) For the record, Rhinocort is amazing. Apparently it's the only pregnancy-approved drug of its kind, and for once I don't feel like my sinuses are going to explode! Yay, steroids! Yay, allergy doctor who preemptively gave me this prescription 5 months ago!
April 22 at 7:16am
Check out the date on that comment.  I am so psychic.

Some of Mark's friends asked if our family wanted to go to Lion King on ice (I think?) at the end of April.  I would have loved to go, but I didn't want to commit to anything just in case the baby came.  Instead, we decided to get together at a park on Saturday.  I ended up developing a nasty sinus infection that day, so Mark took Carmen to play with their daughter at the park and I spent the day in bed.  Several months ago, an allergy doctor gave me a prescription for Rhinocort aqua, the only pregnancy-approved nasal spray ... so I used it and felt amazing.  Oh man.  I didn't realize how much the inflammation affected how miserable sinus infections are.

Beefed up by Rhinocort, I went to church on Sunday.  Some people asked me how much longer I had left, and I told them it was about 3 weeks to my due date.  How am I feeling?  Fine, who knows when this baby will come.  They needed a substitute pianist in Primary.  I play the piano for Relief Society, but I volunteered to fill in for the first hour.  A good friend of mine is the Primary Chorister, so it was nice being able to spend some time around her.

By the time Sunday ended, I was exhausted.  I was looking forward to planting Carmen in front of the TV for a little while in the morning so I could catch some extra sleep.  Darn that sinus infection.

I woke up in the middle of the night, as usual, because I wanted to roll over or something.  I lay there quietly for a few moments and tried to go back to sleep, then felt ... a pop.  And my water broke at 3:46 am.

Oh, crap.  I thought.  So much for sleeping in today.  My second thought was, Hurry, get to the bathroom!  You didn't get the sheets wet!  GET UP GET UP GET UP.