10 Months Pregnant with my "Good Boy"

I learned in our Bradley childbirth education class that most babies, especially first babies, arrive a little late. 41 weeks and 1 day was the average pregnancy without interventions, we learned. So throughout this pregnancy I have told myself to expect to be a little overdue. But I also on some level, being competitive and a perfectionist, expected my baby to arrive exactly on his due date, as any good baby would.

Most of you know that our July 8th "estimated due date" has come and gone, and even that date gave us an extra three days from our original July 5th date (the first was based on my cycle, and the second on an early ultrasound when I was spotting at six weeks). I believe many women would have been induced by now, but I have resisted induction consistent with our desire for a natural birth with as few interventions as possible.

But, as the days have ticked by (we are now at 11 days past EDD), we have been forced to consider what happens if the baby is not born by 42 weeks, which is Sunday. The issue is that by the time the 41st week ends, the birth center is legally obligated to "transfer my care". The implication for us is that if we are not in active labor by 7:00 pm on Sunday (5 cm dilated and contractions every 3 minutes), then I am required to report to Shands Hospital in downtown Jacksonville, likely to be induced immediately.

Obviously, this is not our preferred method of birth. Although, I am reminding myself that by Monday I will have my precious baby boy in my arms, and that fact is far more important than how he arrives. But we are still doing what we can to encourage his arrival before Sunday.

We had an ultrasound and non-stress test early this week, and both mine and the baby's numbers were great. The most exciting part of that process was when I was hooked up on the monitor and the technician told me I was having a contraction three different times during the 20-minute test. That was awesome news to me and confirmed that the uncomfortable tightness I had been feeling for the past two weeks were indeed contractions!

Then yesterday (Wednesday), I had a final weekly visit with my midwives. This is where we discussed the process of transferring care, if needed, and I have to just say how much I appreciate the midwives caring for me and their approach and compassion. We talked for almost an hour and I asked dozens of questions, and Katie (the one I saw) answered each one with the utmost patience and respect for me and my preferences. We also talked about options to naturally induce labor during the next few days. Again, each of these was presented as an option and it is totally my (our) choice how we want to proceed.

To be fair, if you don't want to know personal details, you should probably quit reading. For the rest of you, I'll be blunt and honest about where we are. The first option was doing a vaginal exam, which I hadn't had yet, and if possible stripping my membranes. We agreed this was a good idea, and we were all beyond thrilled to find that I was 2-3 cm dilated. Katie was shocked and said this was very rare for a first time mom who was not yet in actual labor. This also was enough to allow her to strip my membranes thoroughly. She also noted that she could feel me contracting during this procedure, which elated me to have a second medical professional confirm that I am indeed having contractions. I knew I've been uncomfortable and sometimes in a bit of pain, but since there has been no pattern, and it has been happening for almost three weeks now, and it's not progressing, I have questioned their legitimacy.

After this appointment Bob and I went to the mall and walked for awhile, which we've done several times, to try and keep things moving. I had more intense contractions at the mall and for the early part of the evening, but like before, nothing progressed.

So here we are on Thursday afternoon, but it's exciting to me that we have a plan moving forward. I go this afternoon for another non-stress test, and then tomorrow we are going to start some more aggressive natural induction techniques. Again, these were presented as options, so Bob and I are calling the shots, but this is what we want to do. On Friday I will engage in nipple stimulation. If you're unsure what that means, I will actually connect to my breast pump for up to three hours to try to get contractions to begin/intensify. The nipple stimulation releases the hormones oxytocin and prolactin, which in turn cause the uterus to contract. I can do this for two separate sessions on Friday, if needed. I also will get my membranes stripped again on Friday.

Another shout out to the midwives. Katie is the one who happens to be on-call this weekend, and she happens to live near me. So, on Friday or whenever I need her, she offered to come directly to our house to strip my membranes or check me so that we won't need to drive to the birth center (about 35-40 minutes away) until we are certainly in active labor.

Okay, so forward to Saturday and if none of these techniques have worked, the very last resort is castor oil. I'm a little unsure about this method and honestly haven't decided for sure if I will utilize it or not. It is generally effective but also has some potential side effects, so we will make that decision later, if needed. I'm still hopeful that this little guy will be born before we have to!

So that's where we are. Very sadly, my mom has to leave by Saturday at the very latest because she has a commitment at a camp next week. She'll come back afterwards, but we're all sad that she won't be around. Lisa was diagnosed with bronchitis earlier this week, so we are thankful she has been on antibiotics and will be feeling better when little man comes home. I'm generally uncomfortable, but still doing pretty well. Just today I've had a sore throat and a bit of a cough, so please pray that I will stay healthy. Bob thinks going into labor this weekend is perfect because if we're up at odd hours then we can all watch the British Open together.  :)

Some final thoughts -- I have been referring to this sweet baby of mine as stubborn for the past few weeks, but my mom has reminded me it's my body that's not pushing him out yet. True. Well, during my appointment yesterday, Katie was very pleased with everything about the baby. He is positioned perfectly, his head is very low, his heart rate has continued to be perfect, etc. At one point she was talking to him about all these things, and she said "You are such a good boy." And surprisingly, that phrase really struck me. I suppose the mothering instinct kicked up a notch, and I thought how dare I call this sweet baby stubborn? He has been absolutely, completely perfect for the whole ten months he's been cooking. And so my perspective has changed a bit, and I'm no longer calling him stubborn. I just want to hold this baby of mine, this "good boy", in my arms and love him. He is a good boy and he's going to be perfect.

I've been trying to imagine what that's going to be like, and I know I can't fathom it. The closest thing I can imagine is my wedding day, which was the happiest day of my life. I remember the night of my wedding, lying in bed, and just feeling elated about the day and all that had happened and the precious memories and the way we had celebrated with our families and closest friends. That feeling was unlike any I had known before, and I have never forgotten it. I expect that having my baby in my arms will feel something like that, and perhaps even better. I'll know soon, one way or another! 


Thanks to all of you for your love, support, encouragement, and prayers! Bob and I are blessed with a fantastic support system, and we can't wait for you to meet our baby boy. Soon!