Lucy - 42 weeks

I never thought I'd be 42 weeks pregnant.  I thought "post dates" was something that only happened to other people.  Why did I think that?  Well, because it's never happened to me before.  My other two were both within 4 days of my due dates.  Here I am 14 days later still pregnant with Lucy.  I was excited to perhaps have a smaller baby this time - and by smaller I meant more like 8 1/2 lb - but alas, I don't think that will happen.  I'm expecting a 10 lb baby, which is fine, she will come out, but I thought maybe if she was a bit smaller, I wouldn't tear.  Who knows, I should stop expecting things!  The only thing I really know is I'm expecting a BABY, and for all I know, the ultrasound could be wrong and Lucy could be a boy.

Two nights ago, I woke up FOUR times to go pee, whereas I had been waking up just once most nights.  Trend continued the next night.  Lucy is now engaged.  Walking is uncomfortable because there is a baby head between my legs.  My pelvis hurts by the end of the day.  Contractions have been stronger, although never regular, for the past 3 days or so.  

I am now seeing my midwives every few days.  Lucy and I are doing fine, so I have no plans to induce labor.  One of the first things I ever learned the first time I was pregnant was that the fetal death rate goes up when pregnancy extends beyond 42 weeks.  I'm not really interested in that statistic because I don't base my life on statistics.  I have no idea how those studies were done and don't really care to find out.  What I care about is making sure Lucy and I are healthy.  Logically, it makes no sense to induce labor in a perfectly healthy woman with a perfectly healthy baby based upon dates.  (If it ain't broken...)  That's basing a decision on fear, which as a rule, I do not do, unless the fear is intuition.  If either my health or Lucy's was in danger, I'd immediately do whatever was needed to get her out safely, but that's not really any different than earlier in pregnancy.    

So anyway, more watching and waiting it is.  Her being engaged in my pelvis is a sign that things are progressing.  Hoping for a 2012 baby!  That tax deduction would be nice.

Yesterday, Gabe asked why she is taking so long to come out.  I've been telling the kids for so long that she is "almost ready to be born."  He must remember when I had the miscarriages and told him that those babies had to go back to heaven.  He said, "Lucy's too big to go back to heaven, isn't she?  She's going to come out?"  I just told him yes that she will come out, we just don't know when but it will be soon.

Susanna is constantly making room for Lucy in her play, saying how she will help Lucy do this or that.  She  makes a point to say, using her hands to gesture, "...and she'll have a diaper on so she doesn't poop on me."