Teacher asked our birth class if any of us had noticed Braxton Hicks contractions yet. I was the only one that raised my hand. After I described the feeling--a general sort of tightness in my belly, like it wants to stay in sitting position even after I've stood up--she confirmed that that's definitely it. I'm chocking it up to more hyper awareness of my own body. Like how I could feel Child Person moving way earlier than is usual for a first timer and how I could feel uterus muscles changing even before that. So I'm guessing I'll be right on it when I go into real labor. I don't know if that'll make it seem even longer than it's already sure to be. I mean, if you're oblivious and don't notice right away, then there's potentially a big chunk of time you don't have to be fretting!

Then again, my general healthiness and awareness has certainly made this a relatively easy pregnancy. I haven't had the classic sore lower back issues because if I sense even the littlest bit of tension, I know how to stretch and get relief. And I've avoided the stereotypical clumsiness due to your changing center of gravity because of dancer's posture. I'm sure the intermittent leg/arm swelling I have been experiencing would be much worse if I wasn't stretching and moving to get the blood flowing again. And of course I drink tons water; that definitely helps keep the swelling at bay.