Pregnancy Update: 40 Weeks + 3 Days

Well...my due date has come and gone.  I honestly thought I was going to have this baby a few days early.  I was 3cm dilated and 75% effaced at my 38 week check-up....nothing has changed since then.  Boo.

Yesterday we had a doctor appointment to see how things are progressing (or not) and make a plan for how long we're going to let this stubborn baby cook.  I wanted to go a week over at most, Brad wanted two weeks, my doctor thought 10 days was a pretty good number (easy to say when you're not the one who's pregnant!).  The hospital couldn't fit us in on Friday, the 19th (Really?  What if I go into labor that day?!?!), and my doctor didn't want to do Saturday if she could avoid it.  So April 18th is the day.

Yes, I have been trying everything to get labor going on its own, from eating pineapple, bouncing a hundred thousand times a day on the exercise ball, to eating spicy food and mall walking, and everything in between.  I haven't done castor oil....I don't think I'm desperate enough yet for that.

My doctor really doesn't want to induce me, and I'm not in love with the idea either.  She thinks if the baby's not ready it increases my chances of needing a C-section, which I DO NOT want, but I'm kind of glad to have an end-in-sight.  Hopefully this boy will come out on his own sooner (the doctor thinks he will), but at least I have a final date if nothing else.  My doctor thinks the major problem is that his head has been kind of high up, and she thinks maybe at a weird angle.  She encouraged me to do as much walking (it's been raining for four days straight...) and bouncing on an exercise ball as I could.  I have been bouncing pretty much nonstop, and it must have helped, because yesterday she thought he felt much better positioned.

The baby's heart and my blood pressure and everything were still fine.  Next Tuesday I have to go for a nonstress test (I guess they do that when you're a week overdue to make sure the baby is okay).  If everything is okay, then we'll wait until Thursday to induce labor.

Brad and I keep joking that we're going to go broke because we've been going out to eat almost every night, thinking it could be "our last chance for awhile."  Well, after Monday night at Parkside, Tuesday breakfast at LeReve and dinner at Jake's Burger, and last night at Rudy's....I think I'll be okay without going out to eat for awhile.

In the meantime, our bags are packed and we're literally just sitting around waiting for my water to break or contractions to start.  Today Brad decided to work from home - he woke up and said, "Man, I just DID NOT think I would have to be going to work today!"  It's really tough to stay patient and know that everything is in God's hands, because I'm just so excited to meet and snuggle this little boy!  The school that our church supports, Brookfield Christian School, is having their annual auction (which we LOVE) tonight.  And when you had to reserve your seat months ago, we thought - no way will we be going this year, because we'll have a week or two-week old little baby by then...  But it's crazy how things work out, because we totally could have gone!  I can't even tell you how many texts/calls/emails/FB messages I get each day asking me if I have a baby update.  So many friends and family are just dying waiting for Baby Gabrielse to get here (including us)!!!

We do know that every day Baby stays in there he's growing and getting smarter and staying healthy...but it's tough to wait because you have this magical date in your head forever, and then it comes and goes and no baby...  Please keep us in your prayers - we need LOTS of patience and trust in God's plan as we wait to meet our little one.