Tick Tock

You know that thing called a due date? When they tell you your baby is coming and you sit around waiting for that day, only to find that the longest day of your life has just passed you by and there's still no baby....

I'm getting a little stir crazy here. My baby was due November 14th and it's now the 17th. I've barely had any contractions or anything, so I'm guessing I'm still pretty far off. It's very depressing when you've waited 9 1/2 months for something (I don't know why they tell you it's 9 months because it's definitely longer!). It's especially torture when you're too big to even roll over in your sleep (or sleep at all for that matter).

I have to admit, I'm being a complete hypocrite here, given all that I've learned about pregnancy and childbirth over the last several months. Being the anxiety-ridden person that I am, I immediately started worrying about labor and childbirth the instant I found out I was pregnant. I knew it would hurt, but I also knew I would freak out if I got a giant needle in my spine that would eventually make my lower half numb. How would I manage the pain without an epidural? I found out about a childbirth method called "Bradley" and signed up for the classes...

I loved these classes- and I'm not a hippie. It's a natural childbirth class that teaches you about managing pain through relaxation techniques, having a supportive coach, and making the best decisions when faced with non-ideal situations. It's all about feeling prepared and knowledgeable about what's happening to your body and expressing your preferences to your doctor or midwife.

So one of the main things we learned was that mother nature works her course differently on different women. Some may start labor in the 38th week, others in the 42nd. Inducing labor is really not ideal because the baby might not be ready yet. I was in complete agreement... until now. I know that I don't want to be induced, but I'm getting so impatient.

I'm also really nervous now that the process is so close and so real. How is this all going to pan out? Will everything go smoothly or will the baby's shoulders get lodged and stuck in my pelvis? Will I be forced to induce and go through a lot more pain than what I would in a natural delivery? It's all so unknown and scary. I just keep thinking that there will be a beautiful baby at the end of this journey, so I should just keep my focus there.

By the way, we're going to be surprised about the sex. I think it's really one of the only true surprises you can experience in life, so why not :)

So, here I am, sitting on my couch trying to convince myself that it's ok to be lazy when your practically 10 months pregnant. I've already read every baby book in the world so I'm on a TV rampage, watching every pathetic reality show that exists- because day time television is pretty limited. I'm not proud of myself- I hate when I watch a lot of TV, but hey, it is what it is...

I look forward to sharing the birth story with you-- if it ever happens!