Unpredictable Marriage.

Chapter 450 - Labor Signs

As weeks passed by, Chen Lihua had a week and few days before her delivery date, and she was living a good life.

She was well taken care of by her two mothers. She was eating well, sleeping well, reading, resting, exercising, and having fun. 

Her mind was at ease as she has been speaking with Liu Longwei every day since he traveled.

She was having leisure time to herself.

Her Sisters-in-law back from their business trip, and they were currently keeping her company and taking the bed out on walks.

Chen Lihua had expected to see Liu Longwei come home with them, so she was a little disappointed when she got his call and received some information from him.

But then again, she became happy since he promised to be back in three days.

All she needed to do was to wait patiently. It's just three days, and that's all it was.

Each time Chen Lihua stared at her abdomen in the shower, she just imagined how a child would grow in there.

These days, Chen Lihua could feel the weight of her baby pressing on her pelvic bones. Her baby is getting into position and ready to exit.

Because of the baby's new position of pressing on her pelvis and pushing down on her bladder, she has been more frequent in the bathroom (going for bathroom breaks more often).

Her cervix has already started to dilate (open) and efface (thin out). At her weekly check-ups in the home stretch of her pregnancy, her doctor came over to run some tests, and measure and track dilation and effacement via an internal exam.

Although Chen Lihua was having leisure time, she was not all that comfortable. As this was her first pregnancy, she normally felt some crampiness and pain in her lower back and groin as labor nears. Herr muscles and joints are stretching and shifting in preparation for birth.

Liu Longwei wasn't around to massage her back anymore so she had to manage. But when she couldn't tolerate the pains, she had to report to her both mothers, and they offered to massage her back.

Old Madam Liu invited herself over to come and take care of her granddaughter-in-law.

She was good at massage, and Chen Lihua could attest to that. And this made her remember that Liu Longwei once told her that the old lady was in good in massage.

These days, Chen Lihua could feel her joints start to feel looser.

Throughout pregnancy, the hormone relaxin has made the ligaments loosen up a little (it's also responsible for potential bouts of clumsiness this past trimester).

(At this stage of pregnancy slightly before you go into labor, you may notice that the joints all over your body feel a bit less tight and more relaxed. It's just nature's way of opening up your pelvis for your little passenger to make his way into the world).

Just as the muscles in Chen Lihua's uterus are relaxing in preparation for birth, so too are other muscles in her body — including those in the rectum, and that can lead to diarrhea.

That pesky labor symptom (symptoms of diarrhea) she may well have experienced at other times during pregnancy. Now, she was experiencing them in full swing.

Chen Lihua found the particular labor sign to be so annoying, even though it was completely normal. But she made sure to follow her doctor's advice to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water.

When she complained a lot, her doctor said to her, "Mrs. Liu, it is completely normal, in fact, it is a good sign."

That sentence made Chen Lihua speechless, she had nothing to say anymore.

Weight gain often levels off at the very end of pregnancy. Some moms-to-be even lose a couple of pounds.

This is normal and won't affect the baby's birth weight. He's still gaining, but the mother is dropping due to lower levels of amniotic fluid, more bathroom breaks, and maybe even increased activity.

When Chen Lihua learned from her doctor that it was nearly impossible for her or the baby to put on some weight at this last stage, she didn't need to bother about watching her weight anymore, so she was happy.

She started by finishing the packet of chocolate Changying bought for her. She didn't forget to give some share to Cherry and Little Apple.

When I said Chen Lihua has been having leisure time, this is what I meant...

She feels extra tired or always had this urge to rest.

That sized belly, along with her compressed bladder and other organs, can make it tricky to get a good night's sleep during the last days and weeks of pregnancy. So, she followed her doctor's advice a few months ago, advice to pile up those pillows and take naps when she could, and if at all possible.

And she has been doing that.

During this period, some moms get a burst of energy (also known as the nesting instinct) as their baby's birthday nears, and can't resist the compelling urge to clean and organize everything in sight.

But that's okay too, as long as they don't overdo it!

This happened to Chen Lihua after she went baby shopping with Liu Longwei.

She made sure to organize everything they bought that day, and she didn't feel tired or satisfied till she has everything in their right location.

Today, just as Chen Lihua was getting ready to bathe, she noticed the loss of her mucus plug — the cork sealing off the uterus from the outside world. It can come out in one large piece (it looks similar to the mucus in one's nose) or lots of little ones, though one may not get a glimpse of it at all and some women don't lose it before delivery.

These last days before labor, Chen Lihua observed an increased and/or thickened vaginal discharge, and this thickened, pinkish discharge is called the bloody show and is a good indication that labor is imminent.

(But without contractions or dilation of 3 to 4 centimeters, labor could still be a few days away).