Still Awaiting My Little Miracle

Here I am 40 weeks & 6 days pregnant & still no baby! I've never expected this pregnancy to last this long. It would be a lie if I said it has been easy emotionally. In fact, it has been an emotional rollercoaster. I've experienced feelings of anticipation, excitement & acceptance, but also disappointment, sadness & even anger. Some days it felt like I've been expecting Christmas, & it never came. I also had anxious thoughts of something being wrong & my body possibly failing me. I started to imagine the worst case scenario of never starting labor on its own & having to go to the hospital for an artificial labor induction with Pitocin. A possibility of having to say goodbye to my dream home birth after all the preparation & having to come this far was really hard to think about.
According to The Center for Unhindered Living, mother's emotional condition can prevent labor from starting. Examples include anxiety over not having everything ready for the birth, wanting to subconsciously hang on to the pregnancy, fear of childbirth experience, dissatisfaction with caregivers/birth place/marital situation, fear of motherhood, or experiencing too much stress. I don't feel like any of the above examples apply to me unless I am subconsciously feeling anxious about not having the birthing pool inflated. :-) I have been nesting for weeks. The house is organized & clean, birthing supplies are in order, & I have a freezer full of delicious meals. On a spiritual note, according to the same website, in order to make sure the baby is born with the necessary personality characteristics to carry out his planned earthy existence, he will often hold up being born until he can be born into the correct astrological sign. Hmmm, interesting idea...
On a positive note, I feel grateful again for having chosen a midwife instead of a conventional OB/GYN for my obstetric healthcare needs. There is no worry about being pressured into labor induction unless I pass 42 weeks AND the ultrasound looks abnormal. I am also grateful for not being the typical Baby Center Mom who gets induced at a drop of a hat because she failed to do her own research & left all decision making up to her doctor. I have faith in my body & trust Jacob to be born when he is ready.

Desenho Artístico by artist Itaiana Battoni (thanks to Mother Health International)

It has been emotionally helpful to adjust my due date. My due date of November 22nd was calculated using the commonly used Naegele's Rule. It turns out a more accurate way to calculate the expected due date is to use the formula by Mittendorf et al.: Multiparas (women who've had children before) start with the date of LMP (last menstrual period), substract 3 months & add 10 days. The Mittendorf et al's calculation changed my due date to December 1st!
A homebirthing Mom, Dr. Nancy of Your Birth Coach, encourages women to be relaxed with their due dates & add 3 weeks to the 40 week due date to decrease feelings of frustration & sadness. As far as safety is concerned, the risk of a stillborn baby is the same at 37 and 43 weeks (!). Giving birth between 37 & 42 weeks is even NORMAL according to ACOG (the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists).
So the plan is to relax, take naps, read books, go for nice walks, listen to hypnobirthing CDs, think positive thoughts & enjoy my last few days of relatively carefree time!

The Birthing Dance

Come to me, My Child
Secret longing of my inner heart
Breath of spirit
Wandering the cosmos
Choosing your next lifepath
Seeking sanctuary in my wonb
Visions of you stir my dreams
Your gentle essence drifting inward
Merging into matter
Coming into consciousness
Birthing into being
Your tender wisdom speaks
The ancient knowledge
of a mother's power
Our bodies grow together
Two as one
Turning round, in birthing dance
You lead me
Opening the circle corridor
Descending into unhindered ecstasy
Into my arms

Judie C. McMath

Additional Resources:

1) The Lie of the Estimated Due Date (EDD): Why Your Due Date Is Not What You Think by Misha Safranski

2) When Are you Due? by Dr. Nancy from Your Birth Coach

3) ACOG: Post Dates is Past 42 Weeks by Birth Without Fear

4) ACOG Releases Guidelines on Management of Post-term Pregnancy by M. Neff from the American Family Physician

5) How To Avoid an Induction by Julie-Anne Mauno

6) The End of Pregnancy...Positive Thoughts by Birth Without Fear

7) The Last Days of Pregnancy: A Place of In-Between by Jana Studelska

8) Letting Labor Begin On Its Own by Amanda Schewaga from the Birthing Site

9) Due Dates by Stand and Deliver

10) Labor Induction, Choosing What's Best For You & Your Baby, and The Low Down on Natural Approaches: Part 1 by Aviva Romm, MD