Waiting

In case you are wondering, I am still pregnant.  I am 38 weeks and 5 days along.  As much as we (me) would love to deliver our little boy right now, we hope he waits until my mom gets here in 4 days!  I thought yesterday might be the day since KB and I made the bad decision for the whole family to walk about a kilometer to the pool in the heat of the day.  My goodness!  My somewhat painful 4-6 minute apart Braxton Hicks contractions did not calm down until after I went to sleep last night and even then they still woke me up.  With both of my previous deliveries, my Braxton Hicks just transitioned into labor - there was no clear beginning.  My labor is sneaky.  I once hoped my water would break so I would know for sure when I was in labor, but seeing that I delivered DB less than an hour after the doctor broke my water, I am now leaning towards medically starting my labor to avoid any potential emergencies.  

My doctor keeps telling me to just call an ambulance when I go into labor, but to me it seems a bit dramatic to call an ambulance if you are in non-emergency stage of labor.  She told me she did not want me to have my baby on the street while waiting for a taxi.  That does not exactly help me when I try not to think about that scenario as well.  However I understand her concern for us to get a taxi, and just getting a taxi does not guarantee a speedy trip.  Bangkok traffic can be a beast and sometimes going only a mile (the distance to the hospital) can take 30 minutes.  Also getting a taxi in the first place is no small accomplishment since first we have to walk about 200-300 yards in Bangkok heat...I understand this does not sound like a long distance, but when you are in labor (or 38 weeks pregnant), it really really is.  Then we have to find a taxi that will actually take us to the hospital.  Since the hospital is so close taxis do not make much money of us by taking us there and often reject us.  However is a bit of a hazardous walk and it comforts me that even the locals do not seem to attempt it.  I have thought about this - I am very quiet while in labor.  In fact, most people would never guess I am in labor, but this time I might have to go outside of my comfort zone and make a woman in labor scene so we can scare a taxi driver or any driver for that matter into driving me to the hospital.  I mean, who refuses giving a ride to a woman in labor?  Anyways, I sure hope we can find someone other than an ambulance driver to get me to the hospital.

Also, if I deliver in the next 4 days, what on earth do we do with our 2 older kids?  We are staying in a guesthouse where the other guests are constantly coming and going.  Everyone we meet is super nice, but they are all very new acquaintances and it is quite the thing to say, "hey we could go into labor at any time and we need someone to watch our kids, maybe even in the middle of the night.  Would you be willing to do it?" Plus most people are here for a purpose that occupies them for the majority of the day.  Also, our DB is not potty trained, nor have we even attempted it.  So whoever is willing to watch our kids, must also be willing to change an almost 2 1/2 year old boy's poopie diapers.  Kind of gross.  We have a couple of friends who live across town that we can count on, but it still makes us nervous.  

Whatever, I just hope my mom gets here soon.  The hospital has a kids room in the L&D area, so if it is during the day my mom and the kids can hang out there.  If not we will see them all in the morning.  

On a different note, last week a friend stopped by our little apartment at the guesthouse for turkey sandwiches (yes friends living overseas I said turkey sandwiches and they are just like I dreamed they would be).  Small world.