Yes, I know that Labour Day is supposed to be a day that celebrates workers and trade unions (by giving salaried employees a day off while most low-wage and shift-work employees actually still have to work..). But for an expectant mama in her third trimester, Labour Day is feeling a little different this year.

Throughout my pregnancy I’ve made a point to try and equip myself with the knowledge I need to approach labour feeling confident, informed, and flexible. I’ve shied from making a set-in-stone Birth Plan because in my experience, life rarely goes according to my detailed strategies, leaving me feeling disappointed and anxious that life has deviated from what I was expecting. Instead, I’ve compiled a birth “wishlist” that we’ll use as a guideline within the constraints of whatever circumstances we’re given. I’ve read a lot of positive, realistic birth stories, asked a million questions of everyone I know, hired a doula, read a few recommended books, and then tried to push it (no pun intended) to the back of my mind.

But with a Halloween due date and our muggy summer heat transitioning into cozy Autumn weather lately in Vancouver, it’s creeping into the forefront of my thoughts more and more often. Every time I see leaves falling, Halloween candy on sale, or costumes in store windows, I’m reminded how close I really am to the end of this pregnancy. While this heightens my constant excitement to meet the baby, it also makes labour feel less like an abstract concept looming in the distant future and more like a real event that I may actually have to experience, like, soon.

So here’s to learning to let go of those thoughts, to trusting my body and trusting the baby and to not having a panic attack in the next nine weeks.