30 & overdue

As you can all attest, it's a huge surprise that our daughter is deciding to make a late entrance considering she comes from two always-punctual parents!

So, so much for the midwife's prediction; she seems eternally comfortable in there and my body seems oblivious to the knowledge that it must perform any sort of big event any time soon. I have started to feel a few painless Braxton-Hicks "practice" contractions, but by "a few," I mean perhaps half a dozen or less in over a week - which is what most women start feeling at around 6-7 months. By these calculations I am convinced that my biological clock is planning our baby's arrival sometime in August.

Unfortunately, the medical establishment isn't too comfortable with 12 month gestations. They are set on inducing me with the evil drug Pitocin when I hit 42 weeks (May 11). That day also coincides with my loss of Birth Center eligibility, which would be incredibly disappointing. So, in the meantime we're trying to walk the fine line between letting her come when she's ready and "encouraging" my body to pick up SOME signs of impending labor!

In addition to the usual home remedies, I will be going to have my "membranes swept" (separating the amniotic sack from the uterine wall) on Thursday (yes, Brent's birthday, but if the baby hasn't arrived by then, he'll be at work) in the hopes of either putting me into labor or giving me a few hours of contractions which will hopefully move me closer to natural labor in the days/week to come. If that, acupuncture and caster oil all fail, our last-ditch attempt will come the following weekend when they'll try to break my water at least 24 hrs before I hit 42 weeks. The only issue then is that I will be on a 24hr clock to deliver, which may mean the dreaded Pitocin...

BUT that's all still 12-13 days away, so we'll take things as they come and hope that none of this is necessary!!! Who knows, maybe she'll come tonight?

Other than that, someone had a 30th birthday on Saturday...

And while I completely forgot it was my birthday multiple times in the weeks & days leading up to it, my family and Brent made sure I was well celebrated (though my current state of mind is that birthdays should be for celebrating the mother!). Brent made me his infamous whole wheat mixed berry and banana-chocolate chip pancakes from scratch, with a smoothie and cardamom coffee for breakfast. Mom, Lindsay and I had a girls' treat (we don't know why Brent and Dad didn't want to join!) of mani-pedis & a shopping trip. The day finished with Brent taking us out to a surprise dinner at a swishy sushi bar then back home for cake. I wish the rest of my 30's could be this spoiled!

Other than that, Mom, Dad, Lindsay and I have been gallivanting around and trying not to think about the baby's lack of arrival while Brent's been busy at work most days. The rest of the photos are from a hike in Mission Trails park, which was lots of fun but alas, did not start labor!


Hope you're all well,

Jen, Brent and the large, heavy bump!