Signs That Baby Is Coming

And, oh no, this baby is not making her debut anytime soon, at least, that's what I thought until today, when the nesting instinct started to kick in..  There have been a few clues that she's on her way, but other missing clues that tell us that she's got some baking time left:

Imminent birth signs I've seen:

1. Baby dropping lower: Lily started dropping down into position a couple of weeks ago, and she's continued to get a little lower.  From what I've read, baby can start to drop in first-time moms a few weeks before birth.  Otherwise, the baby can drop as late as during labor for subsequent pregnancies.
2. Softening of stool: This started three or four weeks ago, not long after I started taking evening primrose oil and an herbal labor prep that the birth center recommends pregnant women start at 34 weeks. According to my midwife, this happens, because the body is making room lower in the body for baby.
3. Increase in vaginal discharge: This started three weeks ago.  According to my midwife, we gotta make it ready for the baby to come out!
4. Stronger/more Braxton-Hicks contractions: There has been more tightening in my abdomen, and some of these contractions have been happening lower, more like menstrual cramps.  Some of the tension has been in my back.

Imminent birth signs to come:

1. Nesting instinct: I am just starting to see this today.  I cleaned my room, and I will not leave anything not put in its place.  This is a sudden burst of energy that causes mom-to-be to clean everything in preparation for the baby, put the crib together, etc.  My mom, who moved down here from Ohio and has been a stay-at-home-preggers-caretaker has done everything, so I don't have much to do.  Next: thank you cards.
2. Bloody show: Some red spotting.  This is an indication that the cervix is starting to dialate, and that labor is imminent in the next couple of days.

Regardless, I am going to wait to see when baby Lily is ready to poke her head out.  The body, and maybe even baby Lily, know when it's time for her to be born.