So here we are. 40 weeks and 5 days and still no baby. I hear the average first baby comes at 41 weeks and a day. If the average holds true, we’ve got a few days left.

The nursery is decorated, the laundry is done, our hospital bags are packed, the freezer is stocked, the apartment is cleaner than it’s ever been … I ran out of projects two weeks ago! I’ve spent the last two weeks sleeping in late every day, reading lots of books, doing whatever small cleaning projects I can find, doing LOTS of walking, and spending a lot of time reflecting on what is to come in the next couple of weeks.

Perhaps the thing I’ve most realized over the last couple weeks is how thankful I am that we did the incredibly hard work of finding a new doctor about 20 weeks ago. From very early on we knew we weren’t completely comfortable with the thought of delivering at a hospital where the caesarian rate was over 40%. Our OB/GYN practice seemed impersonal and we were afraid our childbirth experience would be very similar. After much conversation and prayer, we began our search for a new practice. One that would help educate us about both natural and medicated childbirth. One that would encourage us when we got discouraged along the way. One that would believe in my body’s ability to carry and birth the precious child growing inside of me.

We put together an incredible team of people to help us have the best possible birth experience we can have. As the days go on, I wake up a little bit discouraged and disappointed that I didn’t go into labor while I was asleep. And every day someone from the team sends a message that helps pick up my spirits.

If there’s anything I’ve learned about the final days of pregnancy, it’s that you need a good team of people to surround you. So, you might ask … who’s on the team?

• Spouse. I have the best husband in the world. Hands down. He has supported my crazy desire to go all natural from the very beginning. In an attempt to help me wrap my head around it, the first baby book he read was Raising Baby Green. The “crunchy” side of both of us has come out and although there have been a couple of times when he looked at me like I had two heads, he is always willing to figure out what would be best for both of us. He has sat with me through 40 weeks of morning sickness, researched the best essential oils to help with nausea and swelling, made me feel beautiful no matter how huge I feel, and has truly been my hero for the last 10 months.
• Midwife. Switching practices mid-pregnancy was perhaps the best decision we have made. Last week I was so fed up with being pregnant that I just about begged her to induce me. Had I stayed with my old practice, they would have scheduled a date right then. But not Janet. She just calmly reminded me that no one stays pregnant forever and that my baby would come when she was ready. She talked through natural things we could do to help get labor started and walked us through what would happen if she doesn’t come by 41 weeks. As we left her office I turned to D and said, “We picked her for a reason. I don’t really want to be induced. But I was desperate. And instead of letting me cave to my uncomfortableness, she talked me out of it. Gently. I’m thankful for that.” She has been a rock for me during the last half of my pregnancy. I’d recommend her to anyone. {This is Janet Fedullo with Alpharetta Women’s Specialists} Continue reading »