DEFINITELY head-down

It was reassuring to discover as per my 34 week prenatal appointment yesterday that, coinciding with my instincts, Rachel is in deed head down. I felt so myself. In preparation for the birth, I have begun listening to my Hypnobirthing c.d. and practicing deep relaxation. Despite the fact that I have done this so many times before, I never fail to experience a little bit of performance anxiety prior to labor- in fact, I think that is what gets me through it. Labor is something you definitely don't want to be caught off guard by. The way that I see it is like this- you can fool me once, but you can't fool me twice. I know all too well what's in store for me, and I don't know whether that is a help or a hindrance. It's kind of like taking your kids in to the doctors for their shots- the first time around you can convince them that it's not going to hurt that bad, and it usually doesn't. But by the second or third round of immunizations, they will usually cry and cling to you because they know what is coming. Your attempts to convince them otherwise are to no avail. I am very familiar with the sensations of transition and a crowning baby. It's not something that gets easier over time, or that you ever grow accustomed to. That's not to say that a natural labor is not worth every ounce of effort that goes into it, but it is definitely a test each and every time. Nothing in life surpasses the power of labor, or the rewards thereof.