I mean you’re pushing a person out of you that is bigger than the exit. From everything that I’ve read, the biggest pain reliever from labor seems to be arming yourself with confidence. I know, that sounds completely stupid but bear with me.
If you go into your birth feeling out of control and terrified, it’s going to exacerbate the pain, but if you arm yourself with the knowledge that this is what your body is supposed to do, you’re going to have a much easier time seeing past it.
I’ve been in labor twice and it hurt. Not unbearable pain, but “yeah, this fucking hurts, I’m going to take you up on that epidural now” pain. Plus, I have to be one of the most pain-phobic people on the planet – I get drugged to have my teeth cleaned. And you know what? It was fine.
Some people love to recount their horrible labors, so you’ll probably hear a horror story or two, but labors are like fingerprints and no two are alike. You’re going to have a great birth and you’re going to love that beautiful baby at the end of it all and there’s nothing to gain from thinking otherwise.
Even if you want to be drugged in the parking lot and have an elective c-section, my advice is to read up on everything. Read about water births, home births, hypno-births and everything in between.
Even if you absolutely know that none of it is for you, it will help that primal part of your brain to kick in and say, “Hell yeah, I can do this, and my baby and I are going to rock this birth.”
Look, there is no easy way to get a kid out of you, but always keep in mind that your body is set up to do just that. You’re going to be amazing.
27 Weeks Pregnant Cheat Sheet:
- Your baby is about 15 inches long (or 38 cm) and weighs about 2 pounds (820 grams)
- Your baby is beefing up and taking its muscles for a spin with kicks and punches.
- You have around 91 days before you give birth.
How many months is 27 weeks pregnant?
Twenty-seven weeks is 6 months and 3 weeks pregnant. (Almost 7 months.)
This week’s to do:
Safe sleep. This is a good time to get to know all the ins and outs of safe baby sleep. Here is a fantastic post on Setting Up a Safe Sleep Space and a post on Safe Sleep for Babies: Good, Better, Best if it all goes out the window. (I don’t want you googling this shit at 3 am while holding a screaming newborn.) Also, pass those posts along to anyone else who is going to be interacting with your baby’s sleep.
PJs or loungewear. Consider getting yourself some fresh loungewear and/or pajamas for those first few weeks after you’ve given birth. If you’re anything like me, it will feel like a 24/7 perpetual day AND you’ll feel gross. Having something fresh and comfortable to put on is small but I found it helped. Check out Storq, Kindred Bravely and GAP for ideas.
How are you feeling this week? Let me know here.
