Me, my baby, and Moses (my sister-in-law’s dog) watching TV
A few weeks ago I wrote about how I couldn’t stop thinking about labour and people reached out with the most inspirational, incredible advice. They reminded me that my body knows what it’s doing, that I will just get in a zone, that it’s all about the prize at the end, not how I get there – and most of all – it’s just pain, not suffering! And I can say now that my head space is in that insanely positive place where I am READY for labour, and I am ready to transcend into that animalistic, other-worldy, rhythmic zone that will lead me to my babe.
BUT, as I learned when I took my pre-natal class (and the movies don’t tell you!), is that there is a strong possibility for a first labour that PRE-LABOUR (basically early labour) will last quite a long time! I’ll have contractions, but they won’t be unbearable, and this could last 5, 10…15 hours! Obviously I will do my best to sleep/rest to gear up for the big show, and eat and drink fluids, but beyond that…I may need to find something to occupy my time/distract me!
SO, my main question now is, what is appropriate/the best thing to watch or do during this pre-labour time!?
Here are some ideas I’ve come up with, but I’d love to hear yours:
1. TV SHOWS/MOVIES – Obviously shows like The Killing, Broadchurch, and anything that starts with a murder of a child are off the table, but I can’t help feel that watching an entire season of House of Cards would help 10 hours of pre-labour FLY BY and take my mind off of pain temporarily! But what TV show or movie is appropriate to help bring my child into the world? If there aren’t any new shows that fit the bill, I may just re-watch Friday Night Lights so Coach Taylor can talk me through labour.
2. COMEDY SPECIALS – In my pre-natal class we were told about a woman who “laughed her baby out”. I would like that to be me. I have purposely not watched Aziz Ansari’s new netflix special so I could SAVE it for pre-labour. Know of any other great stand-up specials? Let me know!
3. DANCE ROUTINES/MUSIC VIDEOS – My sister watched music videos during pre-labour, and as we’ve established I love to dance, so this seems ideal. I’ve tasked Chris with making a labour playlist so I can get my groove on, but if you have song suggestions to add to the labour DJ set – please share.
4. BOARD GAMES – Some pals recently told me that they had a friend who played Settlers of Catan during pre-labour! If I’m not feeling the urge to move my bod as much, this seems like a great way to distract the mind.
5. BAKING – One of my nearest and dearest had PLANS to bake cookies during pre-labour, but hers went so quickly that she never was able to. Out of all the tasks though, at least this one would lead to delicious treats at the end of it! And perhaps combining this with #3 would be a good combo.
There are a million options! Go for a walk. One pal of mine watched Almost Famous. My mother-in-law went to a Grey Cup party! The crazy thing is I find very few people talk about what they did during this time, so PLEASE share any stories about this time! I find it fascinating and encouraging to hear every single one.
