41 weeks
So it is after midnight, which makes it officially Tuesday and me 41 weeks pregnant. I can’t say I’m all that excited to see this particular milestone. We’ll never know when I would have gone into labor with Devin, had he lived, though I was prepared to go overdue, being my first and all. Kate too, I was prepared to go overdue but had her in the week before my due date. So who would have thought that I’d be going past 41 weeks with Ember? Not I, not I.
The problem right now is that we are having a heat wave this weekend – hot and muggy and of course BBQs to go to. Den has been taking most of the toddler-chasing duties, but I still was getting food for us, trailing along after, chatting with family. It’s not as if I ran a marathon. Hell I sat most of the time. But my feet? Still pretty pissed at me. Just standing to do dishes make them hurt like they did after an 8 hour shift working at Subway (way way back in the day). I am hot and sweaty. And the amount of energy left in my body is approximately none. Kate asks me for something to eat, meaning I have to get off the couch to get something, and I kind of want to cry a little. I just want to stay laying down. Forever. With my feet up. And it would be really great if I could do those things without Kate jumping on me. Mommy is NOT a trampoline.
I do feel considerably better now that Kate has been asleep for a couple of hours, but there is no AC installed in our bedroom yet so I’m kind of roasting. I have no idea how I’m going to sleep tonight.
My interactions with people I don’t see very often quickly go from amusement when I tell them my due date was last week to annoyance when they ask when my induction date is. Because clearly no one goes past 41 weeks without setting an end-by date, right? They may be scheduling an ultrasound or non-stress test, which is fine with me, but induction is still not in my horizon. At some point the baby will trigger labor. It’s just a matter of waiting. (And it really shouldn’t be long now!)
Of course I am not exactly having any pre-labor signs. No coordinated contractions (and even the braxton-hicks are still random throughout the day and pretty infrequent), no cramping, no losing my plug or any of those other things people say. So unless you count getting very cranky as a pre-labor sign I’ve got nothing. I am still waiting for this one to start with a bang. (Hopefully not with my waters breaking, though.) I just hope to wake up in the middle of the night in full blown labor. That would be great.
Not only has this been a lesson in patience, but it’s also a lesson in how some things in life can’t be planned. Every day that went by would be, “Oh, May 18th is a great day.” “May 24th is a nice number.” “May 25th?” “How about the 28th, that would be good.” Okay so now we’re past the 28th. In fact we are looking squarely at June, something I didn’t even consider. (Which is only bugs me because the girls have a cousin whose birthday is within the first few days of June.) My plans? Clearly irrelevant. I swear everything about this pregnancy has been contrary to my plans and expectations. I ought to expect that by now. So yes. A lesson on letting go of plans and expectations, to be certain.
But baby? You can come out now. Please?
Please push for the NST and u/s.
I’m sure they will want to do monitoring, and I will bring it up if they don’t. We of course want to make sure Ember is doing well in there.
I went overdue with Amalia and my OB kept telling me to do simple things that could trigger labour (well,sex and walking basicly lol).I wasnt in the mood for either and my ankles were the size of small melons (I even got stretch marks there!),but I did both after months of doing nothing anyway.Has your doctor mentioned anything you can try?
Finally,my OB set a date to induce me (a monday) so I went for a VERY long walk on the Sunday night,totally desperate to avoid that,and wouldent ya know,I went to bed,and my water broke ;)
I had gone overdue by almost 2 weeks.
I´m sure you´re being very well taken care of by your doctor and that she´ll keep a very close eye on you due to your history,so I honestly wouldent worry..lets hope Ember stays this laid back after she´s on the outside so that momma can get some rest once she´s here ;) lol
As for your feet,do you have a foot spa? I had one and I´d fill it with warm salty water to help with the pain.Hang in there Nat ((hugs))
No, I don’t have a foot spa or anything. But I may head over for a pedicure or something (even though I normally hate pedicures). I’m glad you got to avoid your induction! Though I’d really prefer my water didn’t break first thing, lol.
‘My interactions with people I don’t see very often quickly go from amusement when I tell them my due date was last week to annoyance when they ask when my induction date is. Because clearly no one goes past 41 weeks without setting an end-by date, right? They may be scheduling an ultrasound or non-stress test, which is fine with me, but induction is still not in my horizon. At some point the baby will trigger labor. It’s just a matter of waiting. (And it really shouldn’t be long now!)’
*applauds* Seriously though – I was three weeks late. Outside of being a teense dry, I was fine. I am incredibly repulsed by the rush for induction so many people go for these days. It just… no. Let the kid comes when it comes. So while I hope Ember doesn’t keep you waiting too much longer, I definitely wanted to express my pleasure at your stance. :)
Thanks. ;) Did you have a homebirth, or am I thinking of someone else entirely? It’s just not the norm to wait out the end of pregnancy. :(
Yes me too!! I’m really glad that you don’t plan on getting induced. I also agree firmly that the baby will come when it is ready!
Itsallaboutthehat.blogspot.com went to nearly 43 weeks with bot her kids. You can read her cool birth stories at her site. Hathor the Cowgoddess also went ‘late’ with her four kids. I read and reread her book Simply Give Birth in May 2011 while waiting for my IVF baby.
Oh thanks for the links!! I will check those out for sure!
“I am incredibly repulsed by the rush for induction so many people go for these days. It just… no. Let the kid comes when it comes.”
I agree 100% with this.If the baby is doing well and everything is in order,then I see no reason to induce at all.Years back,women werent induced,and some went past 42 weeks which was the “norm”.These days,you get to 38 weeks,and suddenly people seem to panic and asume that the baby is never going to come out.It´s pretty sad really.
Yeah, it seems like no one has patience anymore! I can certainly understand being anxious and excited. But it frustrates me when doctors want to induce so early.
A friend of mine went to 40 weeks + 6 days with twins. She didn’t want any intervention, actually, would have done the home birth thing as she’d done with her previous baby if she’d been able to have her choice. But because she was having twins, the pregnancy was high risk… more so because the first baby was breach.
Anyway, she got mostly what she wanted – no induction, no C-section. She did have them in hospital, but they came when they were ready – and she did it her way rather than being hooked up to machines etc.
Hope things start to happen soon.
Wow, that’s very impressive for twins! Good for her, I’m glad it went well on the babies’ time. Though that must have been a hard wait for her!
Oh, how I remember that feeling. In Washington you have no choice but to be induced at 42 weeks. I got to 41w 5d and was sweating bullets, and boy, those extra tests were no fun. I almost punched a grocery store checker when he asked if I was on my way to the hospital (not his fault, but since I wanted a homebirth and was terrified of induction, the mere mention of the hospital turned my eyes into red spirals of rage.)
Hang in there, man. :)
Seriously, you have to be induced at 42 weeks? That’s bizarre and just plain frustrating! I can only imagine how stressed out you were.
I think what you’re doing makes sense. Induction can get complicated. I think technology is great in terms of allowing us to monitor, and of course it’s great for genuine emergencies. But aside from that, if Ember is healthy, wait. I hope you feel okay, though, and that you don’t have to wait too long.
Thanks. :) I agree, I think it’s great to have the options if it’s needed, and the monitoring is very reassuring, but if the baby is just hanging out doing fine then I certainly prefer to let nature do its thing. I don’t like to meddle too much with labor.
Wishing you a speedy labor and delivery…you must be so uncomfortable…I had twins last June 29th and that last hot month was awful…..(I had a c-section at 37 weeks and although I did not like having a c-section, I loved knowing that the end was near). Good luck and cannot wait to see pics of little Ember. Also Kate is so big and so adorable!
Thank you! The heat is horrible at the end of pregnancy…. I must say this is the first time I’ve been hugely pregnant in a heat wave. Not my idea of fun. Right now the idea of being hugely pregnant mid-summer is not at all attractive!