Yes, you read that right, I am 41 weeks and 1 day pregnant. Let me nip your questions in the butt right from the get go, because I am sure I can guess them: any contractions? Nope. Dilation? We have yet to check.. Am I getting induced? Nope. Have I dropped yet? I have no idea How's the baby? Healthy and really liking it in there apparently!
Being overdue is a curious thing in 2019 in the United States. It is practically unheard of, or at least that's how it feels. It seems like if you are having a hospital birth, as soon as you get past 39 weeks they schedule an induction for sometime around week 40. So, regardless of the fact that I think that's ridiculous, lots of the people around me are a little bit confused. The level of confusion varies from wondering why the baby is not here, to surprise because some did not even know going past 40 weeks was an option. But here we are, and for us, waiting is a very safe option.
Why are we waiting? Well the biggest reason is that, obviously, if I want to have a home birth (which is very important to us) then Pitocin or traditional medical induction is simply not an option. My midwife can't do that, and no one should do that at home. Most importantly though is that there really is no reason to at this point. Our little girl has been measuring healthy but small the entire time. Is it because having PCOS means that we have no idea how long my cycle is? Is it because I was so sick that she just needs a little more time to grow? Could it be the crazy weather we have been having here in Michigan? Could my body just need longer to grow a full term baby? Sure! Yes, to all of those things, but the thing is, none of those things are detrimental. None of those things are hurting her, or hurting me so, we're giving her the extra time that she needs.
Now, giving her the extra time that she means does not mean doing nothing. We COULD do nothing, my midwife is completely comfortable with that, for us though it just means not immediately turning to the hospital to be induced, as seems to be typical. So what's the plan? Well starting today I am excited to say that we are beginning a series of natural techniques that we hope will bring on labor, and there is a lot to do, so I am just going to type out the schedule which began yesterday, February 7th with my midwife appointment.
February 7th: Cynthia came out to the house for our 41 week appointment. As we had discussed at my previous weekly appointment, we talked about some natural options for inducing labor and how to proceed. She could check to see if I am dilated, she could do a membrane sweep, I could start taking evening primrose oil, I could start taking some herbal supplements, I could get adjusted at the chiropractor, I could get acupuncture, or we could do nothing. So on this day, we came up with a plan.
February 8th: I'm going to start taking 1500 mg of Evening Primrose Oil every night when I go to sleep to soften the cervix. I was also already planning to go to the chiropractor, so while I am there I am going to mention to her that I am hoping to go into labor, that way she can give me an adjustment to help that.
February 11th: Cynthia comes back. My prenatal appointments go up from once a week to twice a week at this point. At this appointment we have made the decision for her to check my dilation. Checking for dilation is something I have really hoped to avoid because it is uncomfortable, stressful, and even if you are dilated, that could still mean little to nothing. Ryan and I have talked about it though and we think it is a good idea: that way, we can have a benchmark to see if any of the things we are doing are working.
February 14th: This is 42 weeks exactly. Cynthia will come back out, I will have her check me again to see if there is any improvement and depending on the results, we may decide to go ahead with the membrane sweep. At this appointment we will also schedule a non-stress test at the hospital sometime between that day and Sunday which Cynthia will accompany us to, just to make sure our little girl is still doing well. If the test goes well, we will continue with the pregnancy at home.
February 14-20: We will try something new each day this week to induce labor we have not yet decided on what those things will be, but they will probably be some kind of combination of acupuncture, chiropractic care, herbs, caster oil and other things that we will discuss when and if we get there.
February 21st: This is d-day. We basically have to have a baby by then in order to have a home birth. If we get there, we will probably have to be induced at the hospital, BUT hopefully and probably we won't get there.
That's a lot right? Physically, emotionally it's a lot to deal with, so how am I doing? Well I'm doing okay. Especially after last night. See, I was going crazy, I was really going crazy and I think Ryan was starting to get a bit concerned, not about the baby, but about how I was coping with still being pregnant. I was spending so much time bouncing on my birth ball, speed walking around the grocery store and searching every nook and cranny of the internet looking for induction techniques. Yesterday was helpful though for a few reasons: 1, Cynthia has like 4 other clients who are all overdue right now, so I am not the only one (that's where my, maybe it's something to do with the weather idea comes in, haha) and that makes me feel significantly better.
Then, if you have not figured this out about me, I AM A PLANNER. I love to plan, feel most comfortable when I have a solid plan and I THRIVE having a written out schedule of what to do. This runs so deeply within me that once, when I was in the 4th grade I even came up with a plan, ride by ride and meal by meal, of what we would be doing throughout the whole day on a trip to an amusement park. I LIKE TO PLAN. And now, we have one. I know what I have to do today, tomorrow and I have a really good idea of what the rest of my pregnancy could look like. So today I am feeling much better.
Ryan and I are going to Olive Garden tonight because what helps being 41 weeks 1 day pregnant more than unlimited soup salad and bread sticks? We're trying to plan little things to help me stay sane and have other things to look forward to before she comes.
So if you're wondering how I am doing, I will leave you with this: good, because tonight, the bread sticks will be infinite.
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