Weeks 39 and 40 and. . .Still Pregnant
Every time I read this post, I think I should delete it all and just have happy smiling pregnancy photos of myself. But I just can’t bring myself to do it. So, probably you should just skip this and go read something about kittens and baby polar bears. Consider yourself warned.
It is really hard not to get grumpy about having an overdue baby.
Not because you are mentally thinking you should already have a baby (I was somewhat prepared for a late baby after Ella’s birth, eight days after her due date), although it’s not exactly pleasant to still be pregnant in a month you were truly hoping you would NOT be pregnant in.
But because your entire life becomes about the fact that you HAVE NOT HAD THE BABY YET. Every text message is asking where your baby is (safely inside my apparently way-too-hospitable womb). Every conversation is about how if I’d just take a long walk, I’d go immediately into labor (no. I will not. I went for a four-mile brisk walk yesterday with a couple of friends and didn’t have a single solitary contraction). Everyone is asking why my doctor won’t just induce me on my due date (because a due date is not like a stone marker of when your baby is ready to be born).
And, look, I know, logically, everyone means well and is just excited, blah, blah, blah, and not trying to make me tear out my hair with their “helpful” suggestions about how to put yourself into labor (my strong medical opinion is that you cannot put yourself into labor. If your body is ready to have a baby, you can do things that might move things along, but you cannot just force your body to go from “totally not ready” to “grab the bags and let’s head to the hospital” by virtue of spicy food/pineapple/castor oil/sex/walking/running-up-stairs). Logically, I recognize that everyone’s questions and comments about this baby and her late arrival are well-meaning. But it’s pretty hard for me to feel logical about this when the barrage is never-freaking-ending.
Are you feeling so incredibly sorry for Bart who has to live with me ranting endlessly about this? You should be.
The moral of the story is, I will clearly never be one of those women with a 40 week picture where I’m holding a newborn.
On Friday, when I hit 41 weeks, this baby will be induced.
And then I shall have a little tattoo done on my arm to remind me to never ever speak to an overdue woman unless it is to suggest we go out to lunch.
So glad she made it safely and so happy you aren't pregnant anymore! I feel your pain – my THIRD child was 11 days late and was born in June instead of May. I thought I was going to have to rip her out myself.
I am with you! I have had 2 "past due" babies, one induced. And I will happily, gladly, with a smile on my face go 14 days past my due date before I ever get induced again. And no, I didn't have a terrible, terrible induction experience but waiting til that baby is good and ready is SOOO worth it for baby and mom. Congrats on your sweet baby, she's beautiful.
I went through that with my first 2 as well. Both late and both ended up being induced. Everyone bugging you all the time. Scott was born in March instead of Feb. In short, I agree – it sucked. I'm sure it would have happened the 3rd time around too if I hadn't had a medical need to be induced a week early!
I feel you pain. I was 11 days over due with my daughter and was induced kicking and screaming and still had an emergency c-section. I may lie to the doctor about my last period date just to not go through that again!
I'm so glad there's someone to commiserate with! I worked out most days of the last 41 weeks so I don't know what to tell people when they say I just need to walk one.more.time (I ran up to 38 weeks and that didn't do anything, apparently).