A simple walk through town

With less than 2 weeks to go I’m feeling ready to have this baby. Whereas last pregnancy I worked until 5pm on the day I delivered (water broke at 5:30 – very punctual) this time things are a little bit different. My palliative care job requires me to be a bit more diligent about follow up so I’ve had to officially hand over in good time, which is great for my cranky placenta but not so good for my mental game. With work being virtually done my brain has gone into full on mommy mode and every day that I wake up not in labour I grow increasingly impatient.

I had the perfect solution this weekend. Come Monday, my plan was to drop the kid off at daycare and then go for a good long hike to get things going.

You can imagine my disappointment when my well-intentioned friend informed me that there was no way she was participating in a big hike with me being 38 weeks pregnant. A simple walk through town was enough.

I TRIED to convince her that I was FINE and that a lame old walk through town was COMPLETELY DEFEATING the PURPOSE of our outing but she managed to sway me with promises of Starbucks coffee and good conversation so I succumbed. (By secretly deciding to venture out on a REAL hike by myself the next day.)

And so we trudged through town at a leisurely pace, lattes in hands, debriefing our Christmas vacation. At one point she suggested we turn around. I kindly complied. We arrived back at our cars not having broken a sweat but thoroughly content and off to do some grocery shopping.

I was barely past the produce section when I realized my legs were a little wobbly. By the bread section I was parched and coming around to the meats I started to feel dizzy. That’s when I slowed my pace, leaned forward on my cart and decided a slow paced shuffle to the canned goods was in order.

I don’t really know what transpired over the next five minutes. I was discovered by the same friend-who-wouldn’t-let-me-go-for-a-real-hike-that-day incoherently shuffling through the canned vegetable section desperately searching for mushrooms. She had been calling my name for the past minute or so but I hadn’t noticed.

“Lyss!” she rejoiced at finally catching my attention, “What’s WRONG with you?”

When I looked up at her, a fuzzy glazed look in my eyes, all I could manage in response was, “Uh….I…uh…can’t find canned mushrooms…”

She left me there, after a consoling smile. (She’s far too kind of a friend to use the term “I told you so” despite the fact that it would have been COMPLETELY appropriate in that instance).

I never DID manage to find those mushrooms, but thankfully made it home in time to collapse into the deepest sleep I’ve had in weeks, only to wake up two hours later and literally FALL out of bed as my wobbly overworked legs gave way.

Needless to say, there was no big solo hiking today. My back and legs are still recovering and I’m disappointed to say that, despite the dramatic toll a simple walk through town took on my body, it did nothing to hasten me into labour.

I’ll keep you posted…