The missing 'eight days to go' post

I ought to have written this yesterday, if I was properly intent on keeping a ten-day countdown to the due date. But on day 9, lots of you gave me fab advice to stop being so anxious and just chill out.

So I did.

And you suffered because you were unable to share the mundane details of the 8 days to Baby.

A quick recap: the curtains for the nursery still haven't arrived. The inland revenue paperwork continues to be in progress (eta today). The study is more or less filed away, with about 30 minutes more to go. And I went to visit the midwife for my weekly check up.

Last week's midwife couldn't tell which way my baby was facing, despite about 20 minutes of prodding and patting my belly.  "Not sure" she said. Isn't a midwife's expertise in knowing about babies? "Might send you for a scan" she grimaced. A scan? A scan?  No wonder the NHS is short of resources. (that's my grumpy pregnant lady side coming out.) This midwife identified some important milestones. But she had a terrible snotting cold and kept blowing her nose.

Some thoughts I've had: maybe I express more anxiety than I'm actually feeling? Maybe my fingers and mouth run away with anxious words? Anyway, am trying to hold back.

Maybe life continues pretty much as normal after the baby arrives, except there is a baby to take care of? (as in: i'll still write emails, I'll still go shopping, I'll still chat to my friends n the phone).

Some nice things that happened: a lovely young woman trained in hospital chaplaincy offered to support me after the birth. Completely spontaneously. How nice is that?

And I had a very strong image that I was participating in the hajj, standing outside the kaba. I took this as a very positive sign that the birth will be a spiritual journey, a special invitation to participate at an important event. A blessing.

For those who are not Muslim, the hajj is an occasion where you have your soul purified, and it is a blessing to be part of it.

For those not into the whole sixth sense thing, well, it was a very positive feeling. It's going to be tough (hajj is very tough) but good things will come, inshallah.

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