Hey everyone...still pregnant here at 41 weeks. Although it sounds crazy, I still feel healthy, happy, and active as I await Baby Avery's arrival. Now although she's making us wait a bit longer to meet her, I know that she will come when she's good and ready. We met with our midwife last Monday and she said everything looked great. My blood pressure was good, Avery's heart rate was good, and she was positioned with her head very low in my pelvis.
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| 41 Weeks! |
Granted it has almost been a week since we last met, and according to my earliest due date I'm a week late, but just as I've mentioned before I know things are warming up. Each day I feel new sensations and new changes that let me know that her birth is just around the corner. For example, two days ago, I really felt her drop even lower (didn't know that was possible!) and it since then there has been a lot of pressure right above my pelvis that I can feel quite frequently now as I'm walking, moving, or even laying down. On top of this, there is sometimes a pinching type feeling that stops me in my tracks as Avery moves around that sure feels like things are really getting ready for labor. I also still have a crampy, upset stomach type feeling on nearly daily basis which usually hits in the early afternoon and seems to only feel better when I eat..maybe just the hormones getting ready? Another feeling I have each day that reassures me that everything is just fine is that I still feel Avery moving around as she normally does. She's usually pretty active after I have my morning smoothie, after dinner, around 3 AM, (and even right now as I'm writing this post!). So it feels good for me to know that all is well with her.
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| My pants can't get any lower here! |
One thing I've done to help me cope with the waiting game I'm going through right now is to come up with an analogy to help me trust that my body and baby will be born when they are ready, which I call the "Baby Avery Party Planning Analogy". It's basically the idea that my labor and delivery will be like a party (like the positive spin I've got on that?) and although I'm invited (I'm actually the host), I am not allowed to help with the set up and party preparations. You hire people for that right? Well, who have I hired? My body and my baby, of course! Here's how I see the scene, they're rushing around getting things ready table arrangements, food, decor, etc. and here's little ol' me asking, "Do you guys need help with anything?" Their response, "No Ashley, go chill out and relax..we've got this under control." A few minutes later I check back in, "Hey do you want me to help put something out or go hang these decorations?" And they again reply, "Look Ashley, we're pros...we've got it under control...trust us. Just go relax!" That's how I feel right now as each day passes by, I want so badly to control the situation (or to help get ready for the "party"), but there is literally nothing else for me to do...except to sit back and let my body and my baby do the rest. And when you're a bit of a control-freak like myself, this task becomes a pretty difficult. On top of that, well meaning family, friends, co-workers, and even strangers out in public constantly asking if I've had the baby yet, if I'm going to induce, is everything okay, etc. get's a little bit overwhelming.
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| The "Baby Avery Party Planning Committee" meets here! |
Key words for me in this quote..."Trust the Process!" I find it hard to believe that if I've had such a healthy, normal, natural pregnancy thus far, why would my body fail me now and not know how to get this baby out? I know that some women need help jump-starting their labors, or need to be induced for other medical reasons and I totally do not judge against that...everyone and every baby is different. I just have a really hard time understanding why it would be needed for all women? I have no idea what labor and birth have in store for me, and maybe I'll need some form of induction, I don't know. But I'm trying to stay optimistic and just trust that my body and baby know exactly what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. Truly, letting go of wanting to control this and just "trusting the process" is one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I know that in the end it will be worth it.
We meet with our midwife tomorrow night, if I haven't had Avery yet just so she can do a few tests and make sure all is still well. Be sure to check back later this week to see when our "party" has started...until then I'm going to sit back, relax and let my "party planners" do their thing! ( :