And Still We Wait...

First off, today's Tyson's and my 6th wedding anniversary!!! I can't believe it's already been 6 years. What an adventure it's been. We didn't make any special plans for tonight - we were thinking we'd be the foggy, sleep-deprived parents of a newborn plus a 4.5 year old by now.

So this feels familiar. We're still waiting for GodotDeuce to decide to join us on the outside world. Today is Week 40 Day 3.

This time I've taken extra steps to try to ensure that my body would be ready to go on time. I don't believe in rushing things, but we hated staying at the hospital last time, and once again, I tested positive for Group B Strep, which means a 48 hour hospital stay post-birth, so we're really hoping to go into labor before we "risk out" of the birth center. Delivering at a birth center instead of a hospital drastically decreases the risk of c-section and other often unnecessary medical interventions, and is a more family-oriented setting than a hospital - a bed that fits two adults AND an infant, for one thing. I still fail to understand why on earth they kick people out of the birth center for going past 41 weeks, when the average length of a first pregnancy is 41 weeks and 1 day. Midwives are supposed to be about letting nature do her thing, but since the birth center is overseen by a medical entity, it seems they have to comply...

But last time I didn't know about the 41 week rule until 40 weeks, 5 days, so I started late on the home remedies. This time, I was prepared. The things I've done differently are:

1)  Used family planning charts to convince the midwives to re-calculate my due date based on ovulation, instead of LMP. This changed my due date from November 1st to November 6th, buying us some extra time that we wouldn't have had otherwise.

2) Started drinking Raspberry Leaf Tea at 34 weeks, 2-3 times a day.

3) Started taking Evening Primrose Oil at 37 weeks, 2 times a day.

4) Made a conscientious effort to leave my work and go for an hour walk multiple times a week, averaging 3 miles per walk, and at 38 weeks, slowing the pace down to approximately 20 minutes per mile.

5) Waking up at 5:15am 4 times per week to do an exercise video that includes Middle Eastern labor dance techniques, sustained squats, and yoga exercises. Tyler would often come out and be angry at me for doing the video instead of being in bed - he prefers to come cuddle with us each morning. "Mommy! You don't do this video at night! Only in the morning!!! It's still nighttime!" Sometimes, he'd sit and watch. He declined to participate, however.

6) Eating 6 dates a day. I started late - 38 weeks? That's when I read a study that seemed pretty simple yet promising that women who eat 6 dates per day for the last month of their pregnancy are far more likely to go into labor spontaneously, and much less likely to need their labor augmented, as well as decreased postpartum hemhorraging. However, it was a small study, and it failed to cite WHEN they go into spontaneous labor. I don't know how far past 40 weeks women in Jordan are allowed to go before they're pushed to induce...

7) Started the downward qi style acupuncture at 39 weeks instead of 40. Second session at 40 weeks. Third session scheduled for 40 weeks, 5 days...

8) Started black cohash at 40 weeks, 5 doses over 4 hours each day, walking during part of that time.

9) Stopped working at 40 weeks. Except I worked from home for the entire morning on Week 40 Day 0, and didn't get it all done, so worked a couple more hours on Week 40 Day 1. When I finally set my email to send automatic out of office replies, I suddenly felt low back pain, similar to how I felt the day I went into labor with Tyler. I thought with excitement, "Bring it!" But alas, it subsided.

10) Dancing with Tyler to Gangnam Style throughout the pregnancy. Bouncing around with him is great fun. He comes to drag me off the couch whenever he hears/sees it.

11.) Switched to sitting on a stability ball at 40 weeks, 1 day, at the request of a midwife. Supposedly gets the baby into the right position for labor. The couch supposedly does the opposite.

12) Started eating spicy foods at 40 weeks.

13) Went for a 6 mile walk with Emery at 40 weeks, 2 days. Technically, 5.8 miles. We left the kids with their dads. We ambled. For a long time. Until we got a text from Tyson, "Where you guys at? The kids have murdered the dog, and cut off one of Chris's legs, and they are eating it, I'm locked in the bathroom, HELP!!!" So I texted back, "C u soon." Then we decided to hang out some more (Chris and Tyson had gone on a 32 mile bike ride before Emery and I went on our walk) so we ordered takeout Indian food - good spiciness, good company.

14) On 40 Weeks, 3 days, rearranged our bedroom and set up the pack and play for GodotDeuce to sleep in. So now GodotDeuce's bed is all ready, the room is all clean. We recleaned the house (I'd cleaned it on Friday/ 40 Weeks 1 day. But I think a clean house helps.) I also got a bunch of great music ready, and started listening to it, music to labor to...

15) Spending lots of special time cuddling with Tyler and making this weekend extra special for him.

Clearly, despite my intentions, I am a long gestator - I cook my kids till they're well done! Ultimately, it's not just my body that has to be ready. Maybe GodotDeuce is putting the finishing touches on his/her lungs, or brain...At any rate, still we wait. Waiting for Godot...Deuce.