Stand-By

Quick update....

We have been in active labor since 4:30 am this morning! Praise God!!! I woke up to strong contractions that were consistently 10 minutes apart and more bloody discharge. I waited it out till about 5:30 am and then decided to call Brian and ask him to come home a few minutes early (his shift ends at 6 am normally).

Since then, my contractions have been any where from 5 minutes to 12 minutes apart (depends on my position). I have been feeling exhausted and when I lay down and sleep between contractions they seem to come further apart; although that stinks, the "shut-eye" between contractions is wonderful!

We talked to our midwife around 7:30 am and she said that this stage of labor could last all day (fun fun fun!) and that we are to call back when the contractions are 5 minutes apart for 2 straight hours. She said we most likely will not need to come to the birthing center until I am contracting every 3 minutes.

Brian is asleep right now and has been since about 9am - Thankfully!!! He worked a 12 hour shift last night and I know he is exhausted. As my labor coach, I am really going to need him later in labor, so I wanted him to get as much rest as possible. I am so very thankful for the free online Contraction Timer - I can easily keep track of the contractions, frequency and duration, without having to look at a watch or write anything down. This allows me to focus on my relaxation techniques and work through the contractions.

I can't guarantee that we will write another update before we leave for the hospital, but hopefully we will have real baby news in the next 24 hours!!!

Please keep praying for a safe and speedy delivery! Love to all!

***You can always check my sister's blogs, they may have more updates this evening - Kirsten or Katie