32 weeks, birth, and labor

Sweetpea is 32 weeks today. Yesterday, we had our OB appointment with the nurse practitioner, and she confirmed that Sweetpea has her head down already. We suspected it was so because I feel her hiccuping on the lower part of my tummy, and I'm feeling very stretched. That and also the more frequent visits to the comfort room. Again, our measurements are right on target. It was strange when the nurse practitioner was feeling around my tummy because she really dug her hands into the different areas of my tummy and actually told us where the baby was (the head, the foot, etc); daddy stared wide eyed and surprised because he was afraid for Sweetpea since she is still fragile and developing, but the NP assured us that the technique is tried and true and doesn't hurt the baby.

After our appointment, we gathered information from childbirth center about the TENS unit as a way to assist in non-medicated labor and delivery. For those who haven't heard about it, it is basically electrodes that you attach to various areas on your back, and it sends pulses to help distract you and make the labor pains more manageable. By no means does it eliminate the pain, and the reading material seems to indicate that it is more effective before the transition part of labor but can also be used to help with pains after the labor. Apparently, it is used commonly in the UK and is non-controversial. We discovered the baby boutique in the hospital and spoke to the sales clerk who rents out the unit to patients of the hospital. She said that different women have different experiences with it; some say it helped while others said it didn't make any difference at all, but overall, it is starting to be used more frequently there at the hospital. In fact, there are at least two OB patients who check the unit out each week. I may consider trying it and hydrotherapy as part of my coping mechanisms (not together of course).

Yesterday evening we also had our second labor and birth class. During the class, we practiced a second, faster, breathing technique for one minute (about the length of a contraction). After we tried it once, the instructor gave us each a bag of ice to hold onto while practicing the technique (both dads and moms). We tried once with the breathing and once without any breathing techniques, alternating the hand holding onto the ice. It may seem petty but I wanted to cry afterwards as thoughts crept into my head of "what if I can't do it? what if I can't get through it naturally?" How can I endure labor pains if I can't even stand the sharp coldness of ice on my hands? Daddy actually encouraged me, almost right on cue, after the exercise and said I can do it. For him, he says he thinks he can endure dull pain longer than sharp pain. I'm not sure what kind of pain labor is since I haven't been through it yet; is it sharp or is it dull? Anyhow, while doing the exercise with the breathing, I just kept telling myself, I can do it, I can do it. We will be practicing at home just to prepare. I know it will not be easy, but I really hope I can do it when the time comes.