Bethany's Blog

Yesterday (Thursday) I had a non-stress test and little baby looks and acts wonderfully healthy and has more than enough fluid to swim in. David and I also got to chat with the midwife Beth for quite a while about all our options, since I'll be 42 weeks on Tuesday.  Yes. I discovered since my previous, cynical post that according to my first and most accurate ultrasound, I really was 40 weeks on December 17th. The only logical conclusions are that 1) I either take longer to make babies or 2) some kind of deeply embedded fear is keeping me from going into labor (Ina May). David's mom put it well when she said that I have been "striving" a lot in this pregnancy, fighting for a VBAC. Reading and researching and persuading and explaining to friends and family... Also dreading possible fights with either a Dr or nurse during delivery or at appointments.  Above is me at the appointment, in my favorite humongously tacky Snoopy shirt. Anyway about my appointment yesterday. Be...

I wish I wouldn't have let our mixed-up obstetrical care system squeeze me into their mold from the beginning of this pregnancy. Some random German OB decides in the early 1800s that all pregnancies last 40 weeks, and today's OBs still go by that? And apparently all they need to do is spin a little wheel made of card stock paper and they know the exact day baby should come or when baby will be too late; when baby has to be "saved" by ironically unhelpful interventions of artificial hormones and medically unnecessary inductions. First of all my cycles were always 32-40 days in length, since I was 12 when they started. When charting a few years ago, I never ever ovulated before day 18 of the cycle. Further, it varied with each cycle so much that I never knew when the next was coming. I don't even know for sure when my last cycle started before I got pregnant this time!  Thus my due date for this pregnancy is WAY off! What's worse is that it's been pounded in...