Don't Panic

No, I am not referring to the reassuring words on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I am quoting from today's Pregnancy Calendar on iVillage.com. And if the quote were simply "Don't panic" I wouldn't be writing about it at all. It is, however, "...but don't panic unless you also have contractions."

The context: what to do if your water breaks (apparently, unlike what television and movies show, only 10% of women have their water break before labor begins). The way I understand this advice is that you are not to panic if your water breaks and you have no contractions. On the other hand, if your water breaks AND you have contractions, PANIC!

Panic, after all, means "sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety, often causing wildly unthinking behavior" which is exactly the behavior you want when you are about to have a baby.

Perhaps we are in need of a Hitchhiker's Guide to Pregnancy.

-maman