39 Weeks

 Yesterday morning, I experienced my first "false alarm". I woke up at about 4:15am feeling like I had really bad gas. The feeling stayed for a couple of minutes, then faded. At 4:22, it happened again, and at 4:29, 4:35, 4:40, 4:45, 4:50, 4:55, 5:00... Stephen and I neither one got any sleep all that night so I knew he was awake. I told him I had been cramping off and on for the previous hour. We decided to go get checked out at the birthing center just in case it was labor. We got ready and off we went. I got checked in at 5:45am and had to wear a contraction monitor and a fetal heartbeat monitor. My cervix was checked immediately and was at 2-2.5cm. It was checked again an hour and a half later (rather roughly I might add... ouchie), there was no change. The nurse left the room to contact my OB and returned to tell me that I could go home. The conclusion was that I was experiencing cramps and some Braxton Hicks contractions, but not real labor. She also mentioned that it was good that I came to get checked to make sure it wasn't real labor and that I should not have felt guilty for coming in.
I am still getting a few cramps here and there but otherwise there is nothing to report. I am a little curious to see how I will handle labor. I am not the "double over in pain" kinda gal. I wonder if there is a possibility that just like these cramps, the early labor wont bother me a whole lot and I may not know I am in labor at all. I guess I am hoping my water breaks at home just prior to contractions so that I will know for sure that I am truly in labor.

There are several online sources that states that eating fresh pineapple can help the cervix get ready for labor. Well, I went to the supermarket which just so happened to be running a sale on pineapples. I grabbed one, took it home, and sliced it up. I ate about a fourth of it. So far, the only thing I have to show for it is happy taste buds, stinging lips, and a nice skin rash on my hands from the juice. But, I figure if nothing else, it is always good to get a little more fruit in my diet. I love pineapple. I'll keep nibbling on it, about a fourth of it every day until it is gone and see if it helps. If not, a little extra vitamin C certainly could not hurt.