The buzz is gone. It left when I went to bed, which gives support to Trena’s theory that loopiness can be the baby cutting off the blood supply to the brain. It was fun while it lasted.
This morning I’m crampy, as I have been for a couple of days, fueling my constant “Labor?…….labor?…….labor?……” soundtrack. I’m also feeling less excited and more nervous. I’ve been so impatient for the c-section date, counting weeks and days and saying things like “This is the last day of the calendar week before the calendar week the baby will be born in! Yay!,” and now there are two days left and I am feeling a little queasy.
Today I had my pre-op at the hospital, to which I had to drag three children. Lucky anesthesiologist, asking me important medical questions over the din of Edward naming everything he sees (and continuing to name it again and again until I repeat it back to him), and Elizabeth protesting the whole concept of the stroller. Meanwhile I was signing the paperwork, which says basically that I know I could die during the c-section, and that if that happens I totally understand. Sign here.
Tomorrow, then, will be my last day of being able to do anything. On Thursday I have to leave the house at 5:50 in the morning, so Thursday is not a day to be finishing up the laundry or baking a final batch of muffins. All there will be time for on Thursday is gathering up the last-minute things: my pillow, my journal, the book I’m reading; my face lotion and my brush. Main fret: that I will forget to set my alarm, or that it will not go off. For my last c-section, I set three alarm clocks and a kitchen timer.
The school nurse called and asked me to come get Rob, and I did. The school nurse wants me to have him tested for whooping cough. WHOOPING COUGH. Do you think it’s okay if I choose not to freak out about this? I feel as if I am at full freak-out capacity, and can’t add one more issue. Not only is whooping cough dangerous to small children and especially not-yet-vaccinated newborns, but if Rob has it he can’t come to the hospital when the baby is born, and he is so excited to do that, and he would be so disappointed, and also, frankly, it would be a hassle to figure out what to do with him instead. So I am just going to pretend that all this can possibly be is a cold, and that I am taking him to the pediatrician this afternoon just to be a completely responsible person who pursues every possibility. Because I think that is in fact the case: I think he is very unlikely to have whooping cough, and that all the appointment will do is set my mind at ease. So I would like to set it at ease now, instead of spending the whole afternoon pacing and worrying. And I would like not to think about the school nurse, who, when we picked up Rob, asked if any of the other kids were coughing, and when I said no, but that Elizabeth had a runny nose, said soberly, “Yes, that’s how it starts.”
Gosh, it seems unlikely that they’d have whooping cough if they’ve been vaccinated, especially being so young. We’ve had some outbreaks in our part of Ohio, but never in kids younger than junior high. A roommate of mine in college had it (you know who you are, hi!) and I started to sing her a camp song about whooping cough before realizing that it ends badly for the blue jay. That is a really long way to say I think the vaccine can wear off eventually, like in 10 or 12 years.
I have been thinking of you so often and if the blog is quiet and I’m not seeing your comments other places we both read I start wondering “labor?” as well.
We’ll be anxiously waiting for baby news on the blog, though probably aren’t as anxious as you!!!
(Oh and waiting to hear that it is not, in fact, whooping cough.)
Kelsey: That’s exactly what I’m hoping: that if a child has been vaccinated (which he has), that he’s very unlikely to have it now. They’re having a little outbreak at his elementary school, and I suppose that’s why the nurse is skittish. And making me skittish. “Before realizing that it ends badly for the blue jay”–ha ha ha!
I think you’re right not to freak out now. IT’s probably just a cold.
(((side note – my mil had the MUMPS the weekend O was born. And so she couldn’t come. [not that she was invited…] Was that divine intervention or what?!)))
I think it’s common in much older people, but not kids. I’m sure it’s just a cold or nothing. Probably nothing.
I know how you feel about feeling a little queasy now that your day is getting so close. The night before my induction I changed my mind and decided that I wasn’t ready, and what the hell was I thinking having another kid in the first place?! I was sure d would hate me, the baby would be impossible to handle and that I could never mother more than 1 child. Now it’s more than 67 weeks later and we’re all still alive so I guess we’re doing ok.
We can’t wait to see pics of the newest little one!! And a name! WOO!!
oops – that should have said 6 weeks, not 67. :)
I had Whooping Cough this past winter, and my 2 boys (5 and 3) did not catch it from me. My Dr. said that since they were vaccinated it was super-highly unlikely that they would get it, even if I didn’t take any precautions.
So, that’s probably not what he has :-)
“[The nurse] said soberly, ‘Yes, that’s how it starts.'”
Oh, please. Like kids don’t have runny noses all the freaking time for hundreds of reasons. Way to make the very pregnant woman worry about something she doesn’t need to be worrying about, lady.
I’m sure it will all be fine. We’ll be thinking of you!
Boo to the evil nurse for wielding her power to frighten! That’s just crazy; what are the chances a vaccinated kid would have whooping cough, THIS week of all weeks? I am sure your pediatrician will set your mind to rest. The fact that there are still outbreaks happening makes me wonder what is up with all these parents who DON’T VACCINATE their kids, though! Thanks, guys!
Oh best wishes swistle! uh…I don’t know what the correct congratulatory/wishes kind of thing is for a scheduled C, so I hope that will do. I didn’t want to say “good luck” because that would imply there is bad luck to possibly be had.
Sometime in the future you will have give us your thoughts on C-sections and your take on the whole emotionally charged issue of c/s vs the vagina route, since I’m guessing you’ve experienced both and you seem pretty well adjusted to the idea of repeat c/s, which not every woman can claim.
I love how you can make me laugh about whooping cough. I will be thinking very good thoughts for you over the next few days re: whooping cough and c-sections. I know you’re ready to have this baby but I’m not ready for you to take any breaks from blogging. :) And, of course, it is all about me, right?
So, based on the symptoms of young Rob that you described, I can guarantee that it’s not whooping cough. Okay sure, you didn’t really say a lot of his symptoms, but I just have a feeling it isn’t. And my feelings are always correct. Good luck with Thursday!! :)
Yikes! Just in case life wasn’t already complicated enough, huh? Good luck on Thursday!!!! I’m so excited to hear about how it all goes!!!!
As if you needed to deal with this NOW! Good luck tomorrow!!