"Oh My"

Note: This post contains words like "cervix." Continue at your own discretion.

That's the second time my midwife has said "Oh, my" to me. The first was when she discovered there were TWO little embryos on the ultrasound at my first appointment. The second was today, when I had my first pelvic exam, and she informed me that I'm at 4 cm, 80% effaced, and Andrew is at a -1 station.* I suspected I was getting close to delivering these babies, but I didn't expect to be this close!

The midwife said it could be any time. I might possibly be able to hang on for a few more days if I pretty much do absolutely nothing, but if I'm up and around much at all, these babies are coming. She also said that when they come, they will probably come very fast. Patrick was a quick labor (4 hours from water breaking to baby out), and it sounds like the midwife anticipates something similar with this pregnancy. She encouraged me to go in pretty early to the hospital (like when contractions are 8 to 10 minutes apart), so maybe not a lot of laboring at home with this time around.

The doctors all seem impressed I've made it this far. I'm at 36 weeks, 5 days. So, for those who have been asking "how much longer?", the answer is NOT MUCH. I would really, really rather the babies not come on Halloween, and still have this vague hope of holding out till November, but four days never seemed quite so long.

We're going to be a family of six soon!

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*For those who don't know what that means.... you have to get to 10 cm & 100% effaced to be ready to push baby out. Generally active, we're-not-stopping-this kind of labor starts when you're around 3 to 5 cm dilated, and the rest of the dilation happens in a matter of hours (you can be a few cm dilated for weeks without going into active labor). Effaced has to do with how thin/soft the cervix is (which allows the dilation and for the baby to come through the birth canal). The measurement of "station" has to do with where the top of the baby's head is relative to the pelvis. A -5 is the furthest away from the pelvis, and a +5 means the baby is crowning and just about out.