When Are Babies Actually Born?

Hello all,

So my little ticker above says I have about two days to go. But how much longer do I really have?

When it comes to childbirth, it becomes less about it being a waiting game and more about it being a statistics game. For example, how often do mothers deliver on their due date? According to Parents.com, and I've seen this number before, only 5% of babies are born on the calculated due date. How about how often your water (or membranes) will break before labor begins? Whattoexpect.com states fewer than 15% of women will experience this. How about when the majority of babies are born (in relation to their due date)? Not surprisingly, most babies are born between 39 and 41 weeks according to my doctor but most doctors will not let you go beyond 42 weeks. I know there are a couple reasons for this: the placenta starts to age, women become impatient and cranky, there's no "benefit" (as my doctor put it) to waiting, etc. (Officially, about 80% of babies are born between weeks 38 and 42 according to Parents.org.)

My doctor had given the due date of July 9th but the ultrasound technician, the official "is-everything-okay" visit, gave me the due date of July 7th which is the date I stuck with. Many people place bets on when babies will be born, but so far the baby is still quite inside of me. No Fourth of July baby, no June baby. Most people have felt I would deliver early but that did not happen. I said my ideal time to go into labor would be between July 1st and July 11th but I personally believe that the baby will be born the 6th, 7th, or 8th of July. Yes, that means tomorrow is a possibility. Regardless of when the baby is born, I'm still within my personal time frame and I'm incredibly grateful.

Of course, there are ways to "naturally" induce labor, from drinking castor oil (I have NO clue who thought that was a good idea), to bouncing on a yoga or birthing ball. I prefer the beyond natural approach, let the baby decide when he wants to come. I'm not going to begin pressuring him already. And let me state this: I will NOT be induced.

I had always heard that women hit the proverbial "pregnancy wall" when they just CANNOT wait to get the child out of them. They would do anything. I read something online that said that could be the brain's way of mentally preparing the body for childbirth. I told the lady at a store my fiance and I frequent I would not hit that wall to which she replied I would. I know myself pretty well. I am not going to get to that point. I will however say that I don't want to be pregnant anymore... but I was sort of saying that from the time I found out I was pregnant. It's weird being a science experiment.

Then there are pre-labor signs. There are many websites that provide lists of pre-labor signs and symptoms but some of the most common include: increasing Braxton-Hicks contractions (the painless tightening of the uterus), cramping, the passing of the mucus plug (the plug that sits in the cervix until it starts to thin and dilate), nesting, exhaustion, and the baby dropping (specifically for first-time mothers).

How do I feel at almost 40 weeks? Tired. Very tired. Whenever someone asks me how I'm doing I say tired because it's the truth in so many ways. I'm physically exhausted because I'm carrying a small child in my body on top of nourishing him, I'm mentally exhausted because of all the baby things I have to think about plus being asked all the time whether or not I'm excited, and I'm emotionally exhausted because I'm scared and don't want to have to go through childbirth. Inevitabilities are not fun. It's like an ultimatum. No one likes those.

So do I have any pre-labor symptoms? Actually, I do. I've been cramping a bit and it's becoming more frequent, I've been completely exhausted as stated above, and sometime within the last 48 hours, the baby dropped. He's definitely lower than he was before. I have other signs and symptoms too but those are noteworthy. I mean, I am almost 40 weeks pregnant, I'm bound to have some signs!

What do you do when you're playing the waiting/statistics game? Distract yourself for one. I have just received a new puzzle from Heye, picture below. I look forward to putting it together although I'm not sure if I will try to risk assembling it before I go into labor. I have little coloring pages which will be cut out and used to decorate my car... summer theme! I'm still working which is a great help for my brain because I truly love to work and it's good for me to move around (walking also is a "natural" way to "induce" labor... I find that whole concept odd though). Plus I have re-discovered my liking of Victorian-era things... I'm trying to find a nice Victorian style cameo necklace, something not made with gold or brass, I'm a silver jewelry wearer. Etsy is great for that kind of thing and an example of a necklace can be found here.

The picture is by Jane Crowther and is called Cats Silhouette. Made by a German company!

And so ends another blog post. I might be posting my birthing blog post next... who knows? Life if definitely a funny thing. Anyway, until next time!