Today started off just like every other day. 39 weeks pregnant and still waiting… But then something strange happened that will (hopefully) make this day stand out as a little different from the others.
A couple of my girl friends were in town and they wanted to meet us for lunch. We settled on Cafe Express at noon. Tarzan didn’t really feel like getting dressed, but I persuaded him to go and am glad that he went.
Anyways…
Lunch was great! I enjoyed my huge greek salad with chicken and Tarzan enjoyed his sandwich. We told the Craigslist story about my pregnancy anxiety to some of the girls that hadn’t heard it yet and we were all laughing. Good times for sure!
When it was time to leave, I had to make a stop at the bathroom. No new news there. But it’s what I saw in the bathroom at 39 weeks pregnant that makes this story just a little different from going to the bathroom every other time.
When I was finished peeing and about to wipe myself, it felt a little different down there. Maybe more moist, if you will. Usually when I wipe, it’s toilet paper to vagina. This time it was toilet paper, a slimy feeling, then vagina. Totally different.
Then I looked at the toilet paper to see what this slimy feeling was and the paper was full of mucus-y stuff and blood. Naturally I glanced in the toilet, but did not see a mucus plug, and since there was more blood than mucus, I figured it was the bloody show.
(Being that I’ve never been pregnant before, I purely make guesses on these kinds of things.)
Immediately I had a huge smile on my face. Perhaps the stripping of my membranes on Friday at my 39 weeks pregnant doctor appointment and the spicy stir-fry last night did the trick. I washed my hands and headed out to share the good news with my husband.
Of course I got a bit distracted by the desserts though. We talked about getting a chocolate chip cookie and then he suggested we go next door to Border’s to get a rice krispie treat. Yum.
While we were walking I looked at him and said, “So guess what? I think the bloody show just happened!” (I seriously said this with excitement in my voice.) He stopped dead in his tracks and was like, “What? Do we need to get you home now? Do we need to call the dr.?”
After I stopped laughing, I told him no. I wanted to go to Border’s and walk around. Plus, while I am hoping that labor and delivery starts soon (like today), I’m also well aware of the fact that it could take another week or so. No getting my hopes up just yet.
He asked me why I thought it was the bloody show and I told him because there seemed to be more blood and a little mucus instead of a plug. (I’ve totally googled “mucus plug” and have a good feeling that I know what to expect and that’s not what I saw on the toilet paper.)
We went into Border’s and started to twitter about what was going on. It was like a natural high almost. I feel so great and really hope that this means something. Tarzan, on the other hand, seems a lot more nervous. And I mean a lot. I’m thinking it’s a typical response from a dad-to-be.
We got some goodies at Border’s and then went to walk around outside. I wanted to keep on walking because I know that it can help to induce labor, but it was really hot, so we cut it a bit short and headed toward the car. Tarzan kept on saying that he wanted to go closer to home (we were already close to home) to make sure that we could get the hospital bags in the car, have a plan for our dog, blah, blah, blah. He also kept on saying that he just had a feeling that my water was “going to explode” at any minute and he wanted to be prepared. LOL.
I gave in and we headed toward the car. I told him that since we were going home we were going to have sex to try to induce labor. He didn’t seem so sure about that. He said something classic like, “If you had a penis, would you want to put it in a hole full of mucus and blood?” Oh Tarzan.
I reminded him that we have always had sex whether on my period or not, so what was the difference? I think his nerves were getting the best of him really. He said that he was feeling really overwhelmed and here I was cracking up with laughter. I’m just so calm about this whole process and he isn’t. Poor guy.
Before he would let me get in the car, he put down a beach blanket on the seat. I told him that it wasn’t necessary, and he responded with “at least I’m not putting down the garbage bags too“. Okay, okay, point taken.
We drove home with me sitting on a big, comfy pink beach blanket while telling him that we were having sex and him seeming extremely nervous. Nervous or not, I love this guy. It’s so sweet to see him so excited about being a father, but so vulnerable and nervous at the same time.
When we got home I had to go to the bathroom again. He was right there and as soon as I finished wiping myself there was a “plunk” on the toilet seat. Yes, my friends, some kind of mucus-y bloody thing that didn’t make the toilet paper came out of my vagina and landed on the toilet seat.
The toilet paper was full of mucus and blood. Tarzan and I examined it (I even wanted to take a picture because it fascinated me, but he said that would be disgusting) and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s probably pieces of my mucus plug falling out at each bathroom break. I need to google the difference between mucus plug and bloody show because I’m not completely sure of the difference.
C’mon baby T! Let’s get things moving and me to the hospital to meet you!! Can. Not. Wait.
And now… here’s the perspective from Tarzan:
Jane's pregnant belly at Pregnancy week 39
My sweet little 39 weeks pregnant wonderful and beautiful wife Jane wanted me to write on this post as well, to document how the day went for me (so far – the craziness might just be getting started!)
I’m sorry if some (or a lot) of this is a repeat to the above, but this way you’re getting both sides of the story. I didn’t read Pregnant Jane’s post above at all before writing this – so I have no idea what she wrote and she has no idea what I wrote. So here goes…
Well, when Jane walked out of the bathroom I noticed she had a HUGE smile on her face. I know something was going on. When she told me that she thought she had her bloody show, I immediate thought about my recent blog post about wanting to ban that word and change it to the “stop sign” or “the show stopper”!
I then felt my stomach beginning to get tied into knots. “How do you know?” I asked. Jane replied and explained what had happened in the bathroom.
OH MY $&*@^! GOSH!
I’m thinking we’re going to have to rush home ASAP and get our bags ready when Jane says, “Mmmmm, I want a cookie from the cafe in Borders.”
W H A T ?!?!?!
“Are you serious!?” I asked. ”What if your water breaks while we’re walking there? What if it breaks while we’re in the bookstore?” Jane wasn’t phased a bit. Why in the hell is she so $#&%* calm and I’m the one beginning to feel like I’m about to have an all-out panic attack and flip out!?
We walked into Borders and Jane ordered her cookie, actually, a cookie and a marshmallow square thing and a drink. We then walked around the store a little and said it would be good for us to come home so we’re closer to the house. Jane was fine with being out and about. She wanted to be. WTH!?!?
Jane then said she wanted to take the long way to the car and I was 100% positive that I was going to hear the “plock” sound and then “whoooooosh!” water was going to be spraying everywhere from Jane’s vagina like a broken fire hydrant in front of hundreds of people walking around town.
As we were walking, Jane was updating her Twitter profile with the play-by-play and we were laughing at some of the responses from people.
As we were getting closer to the car Jane said, “Oooh, I feel a lot of pressure down there.”
“WHAT!?! Pressure? Is it the baby? Is he coming right now? Oh my God. We need to get to the car. I’m going to put garbage bags and towels on the seat. This is crazy. Wow. We need to get home and be close to our bags!”
I’m flipping out, but trying to be calm and Jane is as calm as could be. IN FACT, during this long walk Jane was walking 10 times faster than she has ever walked since getting pregnant! I was having trouble keeping up with her! Usually I have to walk really slow with her and take my time.
But today I felt like we just entered a speed-walking marathon and 39 week pregnant Jane was in the lead by a mile. She was on a mission. She was happy. She was excited. She was walking so damn fast!
We finally get to the car and I quickly grabbed a beach towel and forgot the garbage bag. ”Hurry, people are coming!” I quickly put the towel down and Jane jumped in the car… literally.
While driving home Jane mentioned she wanted to have sex when we got home to help further bring things along.
I excitedly thought OK… but then had a mental image of the bloody show and mucus plug. Urgh. I was frazzled. Jane’s water could burst any moment and now she wanted to have sex? Huh? I don’t remember exactly what I said, but in my frazzled state said something like, “How would you like to stick your penis into a hole filled with mucus?” Or something like that. That cracked Jane up and that helped lighten my freaked-out frazzled-I’m-going-to-be-a-father mental state.
We made it home without any water shooting out all over the inside of our car and Jane went to the bathroom. “Tarzan, I want you to look at it so you can see what it looks like.”
I just stood there at the door of the bathroom in shock with our house alarm still beeping from when we walked in the door, and within a few seconds the house alarm was about to go off. ”Turn off the alarm!” Jane shouted and I said, “Oh yeah”, put in the code, and turned it off.
Jane went to the bathroom, wiped, and T H E R E I T W A S.
As far as what it was, I have no clue in the world. It was red and chunks of stuff and snotty looking stuff that reminded me of the fat you sometimes see in a whole chicken or turkey when you are cutting it. It was nothing like what I expected. The hairs on my neck and arms began to raise and I shuttered with a quick chill that overcame my body.
“What in the &%$* is that!? Is that your mucus plug? What is that!? Whoooa! Ewww.” I said. At that moment I realized that my weak stomach is going to have one hell of a test coming up soon when we’re in the hospital. (NOTE: We don’t think it was the actual plug, just pieces of… ummm.. it or other stuff or something.)
So here we are. Jane wants to have sex. My stomach is still feeling nauseous. Seriously. I’m not feeling too good right now. I don’t know if it’s something I ate for lunch, or all of that excitement and my adrenaline kicking into high gear combined with being shown some bloody oozy pieces of who knows what that I have never seen before!
For the first time in Jane’s pregnancy, sex is the last thing on my mind.
Right now I need to eat some Tums and relax….
I can say that I would have never expected any of this! From Jane becoming “Super Jane” and walking 100 miles an hour, to wanting to have sex now, and then wanting to clean the house after (WHAT!? UH OH!), to me getting all worked up and feeling ill now.
What a day. Once my stomach feels better a nice cold beer or wine sounds VERY good.
So stay tuned… Jane tells me that this could be the beginning of something – or that this may be nothing and we’re still a week or two away. Uhhhh…. I don’t know how many days like this my stomach could take!
Tarzan
You might also want to read:
- Bloody show. Mucus plug. Lightning Crotch. Pregnancy and Labor Terms I Really Could Live Without Hearing!
- Signs of labor during pregnancy: Bowel movements, cramping, and spotting, oh my!
- 36 weeks pregnant: Checking things off of my “to get done before baby comes” list
- Jane’s contractions at 39 weeks pregnant and we appreciate all of you. (Especially last night!)
- 39 weeks pregnant: Aerosmith concert vs. labor and delivery
Loved this post!!! Been loosing the plug now for 4 days and been getting contractions for 19 hours.. BUT NO BABY!! In fact the contractions get going.. then just stop :( I soon can't take it.. but your story reminded me how each one of our stories are so different. I just need to be patient and listen to my body. But these contractions surely get intense.. I just wish my water would break already!! So now tonight I'm gonna eat the spiciest food I can find and try to have sex through these contractions... need to call my midwife and make sure that it's safe to do while having irregular contractions. Thanks so much for sharing your story!!! Best of luck wiht your new baby!
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