Dreams, or Premonition?

Since the beginning of my pregnancy, I've had dreams about Baby B. Not uncommon by any means, but a bit...creepy. I knew from day one (hour one, even) that Baby B would be a little girl. I always had that "feeling" pregnant woman describe where they just know. It never crossed my mind she'd be a little boy (until after painting her nursery and purchasing all her clothes - though even then it was more pregnancy-induced panic than actual doubt). While I can attribute this mostly to premonition, part of it was the dreams.

About two weeks after finding out I was pregnant, I started to dream of the baby. In every single dream I had, Baby B was a beautiful, snow-white, teensy-tiny little girl. This only served to reinforce what I already knew to be true. What always got to me, though, was that in every dream where she was born (with the exception of one particularly cruel dream where D was the one in labor - wouldn't THAT be awesome!), she came early. And not a few days, or even weeks, early, because let's face it - once you hit full-term at 37 weeks, you are READY. But rather, she came at seven-and-a-half months. I was never certain exactly when, or what day, or even what exact week I was in, but she was always early, born before I hit my eighth month. I tried to block out this part of the dream, seeing as how it could easily be attributed to fear and anxiety, as I was so often concerned about how on Earth I'd be able to manage carrying Baby B to term. But in my 17th week, when they confirmed that she was, in fact, a little girl, my mind felt a little red flag raised. Again, I pushed my worries aside, knowing that most pregnant women fear pre-term labor, and that there was no reason why I should be worried about Baby B.

I continued to push these thoughts aside when at 22 weeks, I started having noticeable Braxton-Hicks contractions. No big deal, I was told, but early to notice them, and that I should "keep an eye on it". They've continued, and gotten more...intense. They're not painful, but they are more regular. I brought it up at my 28-week appointment three days ago, and my extremely laid back doctor seemed slightly caught off guard. He checked me to make sure all was well, which it was, and left me with instructions to call ASAP if they become painful, more regular than the 10-15 a day I have now, or are accompanied by leaking of fluid or blood. While I still feel I could easily overreact and am trying to stay calm, I am caught off guard by their continued intensity as I head now into my seventh month.

I had yet another dream last night. I was having painful contractions, the kind of pain I knew immediately warranted a call to my doctor, and would up in L&D dialated 10cm within the hour. Baby B was born completely healthy, which is all anyone has ever wanted, but also tiny enough to warrant a lengthy NICU stay. I would let this frighten me, but I also dreamt about painting my toenails and taking a trip to NYC, both things I've had on my to-do list lately, so it could very well just be my mind's way of trying to reconcile my fears. So often, dreams are. Either way, I'm feeling quite shaken up this morning. As much as I'm dying to meet Baby B, it's too soon. She's viable, I feel certain, but please, pretty please Baby B, stay in there at least 9 more weeks, ok? Mommy isn't the type to bark orders at you, young lady, but in this instance, it's an order, ya hear?