huh?

Although one is not truly "overdue" until 42 weeks, there is a certain protocol that goes along with the baby cooking along past 40 weeks. Today at 41 weeks 2 days, I hit a couple milestones: my actual last day of work before the baby shows up. Yes it was supposed to be a couple weeks ago, but I'm really quite glad I kept working. Now it's Thanksgiving and if I'm still prego on the 29th you can bet I won't be at work, I'll be regrouping for whatever is coming.

The other thing(s) I had to do today included a biophysical profile - I can't remember if I already explained this, I think I did - and a weekly midwife visit. The BPP went just fine, would've been stellar actually if the doc had kept his goofy looking mouth shut. But instead, he walked in and the first 30 seconds went like this:

"Hi I'm Dr. So and So and just so you know at this point nothing good comes out of being pregnant for this long. I would hate for you to have a healthy baby who ends up either dead or neurodevastated because it stayed in too long."

I seriously wish I was kidding you.

I also wish I was quicker on the fly with my responses...I thought of a whole grand list of expletives to call him. I mean seriously - who SAYS things like that to a pregnant woman except to scare the fire out of her? Like I PLANNED on being in his office today instead of snuggling with my baby at home? 

He at one point made some comment about how most women this point HAVE had their babies...and really, everything about him made me OH SO GRATEFUL that I've chosen to stay out of the high-tech medical model of birth because more than anything really I'm appalled with the notion that women's bodies have no idea what they're doing. If you go past your due date, doctors and the general public INSTANTLY jump to "well, when are you going to be induced?" like that is the normal thing to do. The normal thing to do is WAIT. Not schedule an induction for 4 days after your due date because that's just what your doctor and the rest of the world does. It is maddening how skewed the American view of what is normal in terms of birth has become. 

I called my doula and we called him all sort of nasty names and planned his ultimate demise, and then I was off to the midwife, where I found out, in short, that the baby is just noooot ready. Without getting into the details, there's a positioning issue. Not breach or anything, but, if the baby were in a more conducive spot for laboring, I'd have him or her pretty quick. But, he or she is hanging out kind of inconveniently, so I've been given orders that include lunges, stretching, power walking, and of course a chiropractic adjustment. I'm glad it's the holiday and I can focus all my efforts on getting this baby out. So if Monday rolls around and the baby is STILL cozy coze, we're going to talk about castor oil. 

So yeah - send those prayers and vibes SPECIFICALLY for the baby to scoot into the right position. We need all the help we can get.