I have put off writing this post all week, because I had no idea if I would actually be making it to my due date or not! But I am writing this at 3:00 pm the day before, and I would say it is a pretty good bet that I’ll still be pregnant tomorrow (update: I am posting this on my due date, and, yes, I am still pregnant).
Happy due date to me! My entire pregnancy, I have been trying to focus on 41 weeks rather than 40 weeks, because I know that a due date is really more a guess, and that very few babies actually come on their due date. However, in the past week or two I’ve had a lot of pre-labor symptoms, my midwife told me that baby is incredibly low and engaged, and guessed I would go into labor this week. All that made me hope this whole week that I would wake up with contractions. So much so, that I didn’t schedule anything. All week long I just focused on cleaning up the house every day (so that it was ready for when I had to leave for the hospital), rearranging furniture, going on long walks to the park with Gid, and sleeping a lot.
Spoiler alert: I got very bored, and I didn’t go into labor.
Still pregnant, and kicking myself for obsessing so much about my symptoms this week.
Now that I’ve actually made it to my due date, I am giving up the wait, and just going to start living my life again. I’m heading to the midwife for my appointment on my due date, and we have a fun Saturday planned. No more obsessive house cleaning for me. 😉
What is baby up to? Baby is fully developed, and ready to go! I can’t wait to find out why this baby is, and what he/she weighs!
What are your symptoms? Some trouble sleeping, pelvic pain, occasional sciatica pain, Braxton Hicks, and general grumpiness towards life. 😉
How is mama doing? You know, I am doing okay. Physically, I have plenty of uncomfortable symptoms, but I’m not miserable, for which I am grateful. Emotionally, I am ready to just get this birth started so that I am actively doing something rather than just waiting, and obsessing about it.
Have you packed your hospital bag? Yes! It is about as packed as it is going to be until I go into labor. I packed up newborn clothes, a swaddle, and my nursing pillow. And I packed some of my clothes, and my fully charged DSLR camera. Then I wrote a little list of the things I want to grab at the last minute (toiletries that I can’t pack ahead of time/snacks/Hubby’s things). And it is all in a duffle bag in our bedroom. There are so many things I can’t pack ahead of time, but even just having it mostly packed, and having a list so I won’t forget the other things, gives me peace of mind.
What are you craving? Still craving ice. Also, baked goods. All week long I wake up, and think of some bread item that I’d love to eat (pancakes, coffee cake, waffles, etc…). I argue with myself that I should just eat something super healthy like eggs (my usual go-to breakfast), but then I say “girl, you are a million weeks pregnant, and if you want waffles then you are going to have waffles!”. Then I make waffles. My inner voice is very bossy.
Anything left on your to-do list? We still need to nail down a middle name for both a boy or a girl. I think we finally decided on a boy name (we’ve had a girl name since the very beginning of the pregnancy).
What are you looking forward to? Oh so many things! I am looking forward to getting my VBAC, the relief of it all being over, introducing baby to everyone, settling in at home as a family of four, getting a double stroller, not being pregnant anymore, enjoying a snuggly newborn again, getting through the newborn stage and getting back into a routine, starting to run again! There are so many fun things around the corner, but this baby needs to come out first!
Do you think you’ll make it to 41 weeks? You know, I honestly don’t know one way or another! I fully expected to go into labor sometime this week, and since I haven’t, now I just don’t know. Ha! I really hope I do have this baby before 42 weeks, because if I don’t then we’ll have to discuss our options. I am really grateful for midwives, though, that “let” VBAC mamas go the full 42 weeks. I know there are so many providers out there who randomly insist that VBACers go into spontaneous labor by 41 or even 40 weeks or else they schedule a repeat C-section, which isn’t evidence-based care, and would be so stressful!
What are you afraid of? I have been really nervous about my water breaking before I start labor. I know that your water breaking starts a clock (since your risk of infection increases), and I really want to labor at home as long as possible before heading into the hospital. I’ve read that only 10-15% of women experience their water breaking first, and I’m hoping I’m not one of them! I am also nervous about the hospital in general. I would vastly prefer to birth at home, but that just isn’t an option in our state (it is illegal for midwives to assist home births here). I am wary of the hospital and all the interventions, and hoping that I can labor at home until the last minute, but then we live over an hour away from the hospital, so I can’t put it off too long! Timing is a bit scary too, then. I’m just trying to remind myself to focus on one thing at a time: one stage of labor, one contraction, one decision, etc… and choose to trust my midwives (who have been awesome so far).