Decisions

For the last few days, I've been feeling contractions, the baby's head grinding down, and pain when I stand or walk around. I know it's all typical, but coupled with the recent accounts of pre-40wk births and my mountain of pre-leave responsibilities at work, I'm generally a bit anxious.

Which makes reports of a hurricane looming even more threatening. From this graphic, you can see that we're not only in the cone, but at the end of the projected path, like a fuse being lit to it's inevitable watery bomb. The Roadrunner and Coyote come to mind, with their ongoing feud with ACME products as the weapon of choice. But I know too well...it's no joke. No matter where this sucker makes landfall.

In my head, I'm thinking of Katrina, 3 years ago Friday, when we evacuated with Ana and Elliot, only 3 weeks old. And here I am now, 3 years later, with a baby shortly on the way...and faced with evacuation. Grid-lock labor, and the thought of it, is enough to make me want to move forever.

One friend and fellow blogger evacuated 2 days before her daughter was born, driving home and going into labor (forgive any inaccuracies, CR). I may not have the timeline or details completely right, but her stressful feelings surrounding the context around the baby's arrival have stuck with me. Less than ideal is an understatement. She advises that we stay.

Almost everyone else advises the opposite, with tips on reducing our travel time, secret places to stay, the danger of not having medical care (what IF the hospital 2 blks away shuts it's doors? what if there's no potable water, or the river levees are toppled, or x, y, z).

We have never prepared for a hurricane, beyond packing our bags.

I don't know if I have it in me. The staying or the going.

I have an OB appt. tomorrow, and will talk with her about where I am in this pregnancy, and what options I should consider as viable. Until then, I remain harried and cranky as all hell.