Christ puts the most amazing people in my life. These are words from an email sent to me earlier today!

Jackie since this is your first baby, please allow me to give you some information about how to determine if you are in labor or just having false labor. As I said last night, Braxton Hicks usually involve only some of the uterine muscles. The uterus is made up of many muscles. Some run around your uterus, they serve to squeeze the baby during labor. The others run up and down, vertically -- belly button area to top of pubic area, length wise. These muscles push down as the labor pain occurs. With a braxton hicks contraction these muscles usually don't contract, only the "around" muscles. Also, the around muscles only seem to involve a specific area, like you last night - one specific region. Down below, one or both sides, that sort of thing. The cramp in inward rather than downward. More like very bad menstrual cramps. They may be felt more in the back as the region of cramping involves the back rather than the front. So, what happens when the real deal sets in? Well ALL the muscles get involved. The Braxton Hicks contractions are merely reaction to the uterus being overstretched. s Labor is a reaction to hormone levels that come together to trigger a steady process that begins and doesn't let up until the baby is out! Well, there are some variation in a few cases, but we are expecting a normal labor for you. Anyway once it starts there is not stopping the progress. Early labor, for most first babies, starts slowly and the contractions are mild and may be confused with Braxton Hicks -- you just don't pay that close attention until you notice, hey they are 1) becoming regularly and slowly these contractions last longer and longer and 2) getting stronger slowly contraction after contraction (instead of Braxton Hicks which seem to be strong at the start and slowly weaken and go away). 3) the cramping, the contractions seem to involve the entire uterus and now a new feeling may occur to you --cramping that is at the very top of the uterus pushing in a downward manner along with the contractions that go around the uterus. There is a reason for this -- the uterus uses all its super powers (it IS the strongest muscle in the human body, yes stronger than any muscle a man has, tell your boyfriend THAT!) to squeeze in and push downward to assure that baby gets pushed out. A woman in a coma can give birth vaginally, that uterus WILL push a baby out even if you don't focus on pushing (though pushing helps to move it along better!!!). In early labor you will notice a change in pain level. At first it may just be more deeply aching, something like you have now with the braxton hicks. But as they become more regular and last longer and start to become stronger and slowly more painful. The pain become sharp instead of achy. This is the first part of the first stage of labor. The labor pains may not be extremely regular, but ABOUT every 15 to 20 minutes apart and they will last 30 or more seconds, the tightening and pain starts easy and builds to a peak then slowly lets loose -- tighter, tighter then releases slowly. You can go about your activities at this stage. Walking helps some women to speed it up. Others prefer to talk to other between pains or watch TV. This part can last for hours! It is not considered "active labor" though it IS labor and a necessary part to get things loosend up down there. If the head is not already engaged in the pelvis (should be by not, did your doctor tell you that yet, if it is engaged?) these contractions hopefully get that that accomplished. After a few or a lot of hours, this labor will build into the "active" portion. This is when it is time to go to the hospital. But how do you know that it is time? Well, during the less active portion or even hours or a day prior you will pass your mucus plug. Has the doc told you about that? It is a kind of bloody, mucus like discharge -- like a big period blood clot but more snot like to be gross -- and it is blood tinged, pinkish or red streaked. This signals labor is near if you have no contractions and it tell you labor is the real deal if you are having regular contractions. The active stage is when the pains become closer and closer together, more regular and last for a longer time. When the pains are 5 to 10 mins apart AND lasting at least 60 sec AND so bad you can't walk or talk when in the midst of them, get packing. In the non active stage the pain is much less painful. And they will be more powerful, they are HARD knots that stay at the peek longer before letting up. If you doctor has not ordered you to the hospital by this point (call him when you know you are in the early part of the first stage described above, if he hasn't yet told you when to go to the hospital, he will tell you then on the phone. He may want his patients there before the "active labor" hard part begins. At any rate, as soon as you have pains 5 minutes apart for at least half hour and they last at least 60 seconds and the pain at its peak is so painful you can't answer questions until the pain lightens up, you must go to the hospital. They will check you and hopefully you will be 4 or more cms. dilated and the cervix will be thinned out so the head is dropping down well. You can have an epidural at this point and bye, bye pain! The doctor may elect to break your water at that point to help the labor progress quicker. As the water is expelled the baby slides down at least a little and the contractions become more powerful. With the epidural aboard you will be able to rest; you will need it for the pushing phase. The pushing phase is the second stage of labor -- the baby entering the birth canal and exiting body. With the first baby this phase typically last a couple of hours. Some like Ileana luck out and it last only minutes! I hope you remember what I said about effective pushing -- fill those lungs deep with air then focus on your abdominal muscles pushing downward and push hard. Most first time moms make a BIG mistake by pushing in a way the pressure in in the face and neck, more gritting than pushing. This does little good. Focus, focus on you abdomen and bottom, think opening up and pushing out -- put the power those areas NOT THE FACE!!! Things will move along better. Some women are "good" pushers, they push using the abdominal muscles and they push hard even when tired. The epidural will definitely help as most or all the pain is gone, but not the pressure. That pressure will help you push better, your body will help you know what to do then! The third stage of labor is the small cramps that push out the placenta. Most women don't seem to pay much attention to this part as they are focused on the baby who is likely on her chest at this point! This is pretty much the lecture I gave my students in child development college courses! Read and re read this and then ask any questions you still have! Hope this helps! Take care and let me know tomorrow if you guys can come Sat. or not. Listen to your body it will let you know if you need to rest on Sat. But remember we don't need very many photos on Sat. And you must tell, if you do come, if you are too tired to complete the short shoot. Even if we get only a few shots that will at lest mean you will get at least one or two photos of you and your guy from it! Either way I am totally satisfied with the maternity shots we got! The results exceeded my expetations.

Babee Shower 9/17/2011

All I have to say about our bee themed baby shower is it was amazing!
We're truly blessed with an awesome family and amazing friends.
We were definitely showered with tons of love.