Daily Short Blog #16

According to my most recent third-trimester ultrasound, my estimated due date (EDD) was 27 May 2022. However, based on the first day of my last menstrual period (LMP), my due date was 4 June 2022.

So, which one was the real due date?

Honestly, I wasn’t sure either!

While writing this blog, I didn’t feel anything particularly new or unusual aside from the familiar false contractions I had been experiencing almost every day. Because of that, I didn’t have the feeling that “D-Day” was going to happen that very day.

Still, with two different dates in mind and my pregnancy getting closer to the finish line, the excitement—and nervousness—was becoming more intense.

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Waiting for D-Day

About a week earlier, my obstetrician had performed a membrane sweep. During the examination, we also found out that my cervix was about 1 centimeter dilated.

After the procedure, I experienced a little vaginal spotting that lasted for only a day.

Two days later, I noticed that part of my mucus plug appeared to have come out.

Of course, I immediately started wondering:

Is this it?

Is labor finally coming?

But as I would soon learn, these signs don’t necessarily mean that labor is going to begin immediately. Every woman’s body and pregnancy journey is different.

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The False Alarm

Four days after my membrane sweep, I experienced something that felt much more serious.

I started having strong contractions in my abdomen along with back pain, and they lasted for approximately two to three hours.

At that point, I wondered whether I was finally going into labor.

Instead of lying down, I decided to get up and walk around because I thought movement might help me feel better.

And surprisingly, it did!

I walked approximately 3,000 steps, and after moving around for a while, the pain gradually disappeared.

That made me think that what I had experienced was probably Braxton Hicks contractions, also known as practice or false contractions, rather than active labor.

Of course, at the time, I was still learning how to tell the difference between normal late-pregnancy discomforts and the real thing.

And honestly, it was a little confusing!

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Still Waiting

Five days had passed since my OB performed the membrane sweep, and I was still pregnant.

Everything seemed to be calm.

No dramatic contractions.

No sudden rush to the hospital.

No D-Day.

And that’s okay.

I wasn’t really worried.

If anything, I felt more excited than nervous.

I knew that I was getting closer and closer to meeting our baby girl, and that thought made the waiting much easier.

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Two Different Due Dates

At this point, I personally considered 4 June 2022 to be my due date because it was based on the first day of my last menstrual period.

The ultrasound had given us the earlier date of 27 May, which made the situation even more interesting.

But one thing I already understood was that a due date is an estimate, not a guaranteed birthday.

Babies don’t always arrive exactly on the date written on the calendar.

So, whether our little girl arrived in May or June, we knew that the wait was almost over.

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“A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.”

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When Do I Think My Baby Will Arrive?

If I had to guess, I was leaning toward 4 June based on my LMP.

But realistically, I knew that our baby could arrive before or after that date.

At this point, all we could do was wait.

She could come tomorrow.

She could come next week.

She could even take her sweet time.

And honestly, I was okay with that—as long as she was healthy and everything remained safe for both of us.

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Preparing for D-Day

While waiting for labor to begin, my husband and I were doing our best to prepare ourselves.

We had already started preparing the things we would need for the hospital.

Our Hospital Bags

We actually had two hospital bags:

• One for the baby
• One for me and my husband

We wanted to make sure that everything would be ready in case labor started unexpectedly.

Having the bags packed also gave me peace of mind.

At least one thing was already checked off our list!

Staying Active

I was also continuing with some gentle exercises as part of my daily routine.

I wanted to stay as active as I comfortably could during those final weeks while also listening to my body and not pushing myself too hard.

At 38–39 weeks, I was becoming much more aware of every sensation.

A little cramp?

Could that be labor?

A stronger movement?

Is the baby getting ready?

Back pain?

Is this it?

It felt like my body was constantly giving me little clues, and I was trying to figure out what each one meant.

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Preparing Emotionally and Mentally

Physical preparation was only one part of getting ready for labor.

I was also trying to prepare myself emotionally and mentally.

I fully understood that our life was about to change.

Being parents for the first time meant that everything would be new.

We would have new responsibilities, new routines, less sleep, and a tiny person depending on us for almost everything.

Honestly, that thought was both exciting and frightening.

There were moments when I became emotional and teary-eyed just thinking about the huge change that was coming.

I also knew that postpartum emotional changes could happen after giving birth, so I wanted to remind myself that it was okay to ask for help and talk about my feelings when necessary.

I didn’t expect myself to know everything immediately.

I simply wanted to learn as we went.

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Becoming Parents Without Our Families Nearby

One of the more difficult parts of our upcoming transition was knowing that our families were far away.

Our parents were all in the Philippines, while my husband and I were living in Dubai.

Of course, we completely understood why they couldn’t simply leave everything behind and travel to us.

They also had responsibilities and important things to take care of back home.

Still, emotionally, I wished they could be physically present.

I knew there would be moments when I would want to ask my mother something.

Or perhaps my father.

Or simply have someone experienced nearby to reassure me:

“Don’t worry. You’re doing fine.”

Thankfully, technology has made distance feel much smaller.

Even though our families were thousands of kilometers away, they were still only one video call away.

And somehow, that made everything feel a little less scary.

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Still Working Full-Time

At this point, I was still working full-time in the office.

Thankfully, my job wasn’t physically demanding, which made working during the later stages of pregnancy much more manageable.

I was grateful for that.

I couldn’t imagine how challenging it must be for women whose jobs require heavy lifting, prolonged standing, constant walking, or strenuous physical work.

I also didn’t plan to begin my maternity leave early unless my baby arrived.

I wanted to maximize the leave available to me after delivery so I could recover from childbirth and spend as much time as possible caring for our newborn.

At that point, the UAE maternity leave rules I was working under provided 45 days of paid maternity leave and 15 days of half-paid leave.

Those days were extremely important to me.

I wanted to use that time not only to recover physically, but also to adjust emotionally and learn how to care for our baby.

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“Birth takes a woman’s deepest fears about herself and shows her that she is stronger than them.”

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The Takeaway

As my due date approached, one thing remained certain:

Everything was still unknown.

We didn’t know exactly when our baby would arrive.

We didn’t know exactly how labor would unfold.

We didn’t know what the first few days of parenthood would feel like.

And, honestly, we didn’t know whether we would immediately feel confident as new parents.

But perhaps that’s what makes becoming a parent such an extraordinary journey.

You don’t need to know everything before your baby arrives.

You learn.

You adapt.

You make mistakes.

You try again.

And you grow together.

My husband and I were both nervous, but we were even more excited to finally meet our little princess.

We wished our parents could physically be there to guide us through those first moments of parenthood, but we also knew we could do our best on our own.

And whenever we needed advice, they would be just one call away.

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“Sometimes the greatest journeys begin with the smallest step—and the biggest changes begin with a tiny heartbeat.”

“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”
— Psalm 127:3

Final Reflection

As I looked at the calendar and counted down the final days, I realized that I was standing at the edge of one of the biggest transitions of my life.

For months, my husband and I had been preparing.

We prepared the baby clothes.

We packed the hospital bags.

We attended appointments.

We researched labor.

We talked about parenting.

We worried.

We prayed.

And now, there was very little left to do except wait.

The funny thing about waiting for a baby is that you spend months wondering what she will look like, what her personality will be, and what it will feel like to finally hold her.

But you can never truly know until the moment arrives.

At this point, all I could do was trust that everything would unfold in its own time.

Whatever happened next, one thing was certain:

Our lives were about to change forever.

And even though I was nervous about the pain, the uncertainty, and the responsibilities ahead, I was more excited than afraid.

Because on the other side of those contractions, sleepless nights, and countless unknowns was the little girl we had been waiting for.

Soon, the waiting would be over. Soon, our little princess would be in our arms. ❤️he baby will come in God’s right time, our baby will be delivered naturally on a very healthy condition.

Being pregnant means every day is another day closer to meeting the other love of my life.

My First Pregnancy Journey
Natural Ways To Prevent Stretch Marks During Pregnancy
My First Pregnancy Journey: Feeling My Baby Move And Kick
My First Pregnancy Journey: Having A Full-time Job
My First Pregnancy Journey: My First Birthday as a Pregnant Mom
My First Pregnancy Journey: Preparing for Labor And Delivery

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Originally Published: May 2022
Updated: August 2026