Understanding pregnancy

This pregnancy thing is not easy on a woman. Mary, who up until a few weeks ago was marching through the process like a champ, is starting to feel very uncomfortable. She's not whining, still works full-time, and takes classes toward her nursing degree, but the baby that used to give Mary a cute little pooch is just getting too big for her belly. Last night she was honestly wrestling little BoomBoom's leg back into position because he/she kept kicking Mary in the ribs. Mary would push down on the leg, the leg would creep away... and then WHAM! another shot to the midsection. Another problem with Mary's pregnancy is the swelling that she gets in her feet and legs. Every night for the past two weeks Mary's hands fall asleep while she is sleeping. Last night she woke up in real pain because her fingers were so swollen she couldn't make a fist. Click on the photos of Mary's swollen fingers for a few images of Week 36. Things get better during the day but I can tell she isn't excited to get into bed at night because she knows she'll wake up feeling like a plumped up penguin.

I suppose a woman's experience with child birth is for a woman to know and not for men to try to understand but I'm really curious about what the contractions will feel like. I've asked Mary and the midwife we see weekly and both of them kind of smirk and tell me there is nothing I know of to relate labor to. The midwife said that it feels somewhat like the worse abdominal cramps I've ever had with diarreah. Well, believe you me, between my time in China and the pain of giardia in Nepal, I know what that feels like. But still it just seems like I need to accept the fact that I will never know what it feels like. I'm sure all the mothers reading this are thinking "why in God's name would he want to know". Believe me, I'm glad I don't have to endure the pain of labor, but still there is a part of my curiosity that wants to know what its all about. Well, hopefully in four weeks I'll see firsthand what it's all about. And helping me to understand what she is going through is going to be the last thing on Mary's mind. Here we go... less than one month to go!