[1sttimemomma]

It's June 11th and today is Baby N's due date.

I am just so excited to meet him/her. I am very excited about our plans for a homebirth. I have everything ready. I'm ready. Only problem is that baby is not ready

,

Honestly, I thought that once I got ready, things would progress. You know, the mind body connection.

I haven't had many contractions. In the past few days they have picked up...mostly at night. It's almost like my uterus takes a few practice contractions, decides (if that's what uteruii do) that it's not time yet and stops

.

I so want this baby in my arms I can taste it! I am so excited for the experience. I want to feel the sensations of my uterus contracting. I want to feel everything beginning to end. I am soooooo ready.

Alas

UGh. It's so frusturating.

 

[MamaSoleil]

Okay. This is your first baby? Take some long baths. LONG showers, enjoy your last days of being just you. I'm serious! It's the most beautiful experience becoming a mother, but pamper yourself....get as much sleep as you can.

I'll send you labour vibes in the meanwhile

 

[Chiromom]

I think almost every mama on this board can sooo relate to how you are feeling. That final stretch of waiting is so frusterating. Something that I have tried with great results (labor began within 12 hours both times) is sex with DH. If baby is pretty much ready it may "do it" but if baby is not ready.....I won't bring on labor but will maybe get your mind off things for a little while!

I'm sending you warm fuzzy laborland vibes!

mar

 

[sweets]

I also recomend sex with DH. Our little man was born with in 12 hours of having sex. It was also a beautiful way to connect with dh before jumping in to the world of parenthood. Two years later my dh still boasts that this "natural induction" works. Hang in there!

 

[anothermama]

I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN, MAMA!!!!!!!!!!

My daughter was nearly three weeks late, and my son was even a few days late even though I KNEW he'd be early! Especially with my son, it was TORTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!

The bonus, though, was that with my daughter, the last two weeks of my pregnancy with her were the easiest and most comfortable for me physically.....I actually enjoyed the pregnancy for the first time. It was kind of nice. I ended up really liking having her in there that extra time.......my body was so calm I feel like it gave my mind some time to focus on my emotional health rather that stretch marks and sciatic nerve pain.

With my son, I found it helped for me to keep saying "It could be any time now.........".

Good luck.

 

[georgia]

It is sooo hard to let go of our preconceived plans and ideas about when/how/etc. our babies will arrive! For me with my first, the last month or so was really a lesson about the complete and utter lack of control we have over the powerfully mysterious and miraculous natural process. It was a time of turning myself over to the unknown---and embracing it.

So often in our culture it seems that modern medicine forgets its past and looks only to the machine. Technology is predictable---birth is not. All babies and mamas are different. We find comfort in knowing what to expect and when--but we can also find comfort in letting go.

I hope that you can bask in these last few weeks (or days, or minutes

) and enjoy this very special time. For many of us, being SO over being pregnant is really part of the process of giving birth---releasing and welcoming the next phase of your life together. Whenever that is.

May you have a gorgeous birth experience!

 

[1sttimemomma]

Thank you so much ladies!

Whew. I worry excessively. It's nice to know people who have gone through the same thing successfully. Most of the people I knew who had uncomplicated and basically natural deliveries were early.

I am going to enjoy this time!

. My hubby has been resisting having sex with me for months. I have been bascially begging him. I think it's finally got through. We'll see.

My body is starting to prepare...thankfully. I'm having contractions (most of which i cannot feel). My cervix is 60% effaced and I'm between 1-2 cm dialated at this point. The baby is really far up (-3 station) but I guess that's progress. It could be worse...he/she could be foating

.

My midwife mentioned something about NST and ultrasounds. She scheduled an NST for Friday. This is making me a bit nervous. I'm trying to calm down though. I suppose we will be ready in our own time.

I am very much looking foward to this very beauitful experience.

 

[cottonwood]

According to Henci Goer's research, first-time moms' *normal* length of gestation is 41 weeks.

 

[2+twins]

I was just going to add what blueviolet just said - the average length of a first time pregnancy is 41 weeks and 1 day, so try not to stress. I felt the same as you both times, to the point that I honestly started to feel like the baby hated me or something. I'd say "I just don't understand why the baby doesn't want to meet me. He/she must not love me and wants to stay inside." I was very hormonally irrational in those last days. LOL Also, keep in mind that all the practice contractions that you're doing now are really doing some benefit towards your labor. You won't have to do them again when the "real thing" hits, so consider yourself lucky! Let your body get as much of the early stuff done in advance! That's a wonderful thing! Good luck and *do* rest up like everyone else said. Oh, and the sex thing never worked for me - at least it didn't initiate labor. That baby will come when he/she is good & ready!