Laboring in My Dreams

No, no, no...nothing lofty like Dr. King's "I have a dream..." I'm talking about dreaming of birth labor.

This second pregnancy is quite different from my first. My morning sickness lasted longer (5 months!), I'm ballooning big quicker (I look like I'm in the 8th month of my first pregnancy while I'm only 6 months pregnant now), and time sure passes much faster this time round. Also, in many ways, I'm much calmer and not obssesed with reading every detail about being pregnant, since I sort of know what to expect. However, the knowledge about labor also gives me too much information to think about, hence my labor dreams. Hearing too many stories about how the delivery second time around is usually much faster doesn't help either. Anyway, these are my top three:

Dream #1
It was the middle of the night and I was fast asleep. All of a sudden I was awaken by a whimpering cry that sounded like a baby. I woke Matt up, "Did you hear that?" Matt mumbled in his sleep, "It's Luke...I'll go get him..." Then I felt something moving between my legs. There's my baby! I've given birth in my sleep!

Dream #2
I was in the hospital. Labor pangs were unbearable (the pain was remarkably real in my dream). I asked for an epidural. While anasthesiologist was injecting the wonder drug into my spine, baby popped out and I screamed (and woke myself up)...

Dream #3
I was in the hospital. Early stage of labor. Not feeling any pain yet, but based on my previous birthing experience in dream #2 (yeah, dream within a dream, brilliant, ey?), I asked for an epidural anyway. Anasthesiologist came with this big needle. I trembled at the size of it and was going to opt for waiting a little longer before I was sure I want it...Oh! Too Late! Sharp pain shot up my back - Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!