Mr. BWF had to call his boss to tell him I haven’t birthed yet and to keep him off the schedule for next week (told him that would happen). His boss asked, “So, is she getting induced?!” Mr. BWF said, “No, we do things naturally and let her body and baby go into labor on their own.” His boss wasn’t too happy, but I was.
Now, it’s still hard in these last few weeks to stay patient, especially when being ‘post dates‘. This is the 4th time out of 5 pregnancies that I have found myself here. You might think that I am used to it and that it’s no big deal. After all, I am “Mrs. BWF”! Right?
Wrong! I don’t think I’ll ever get used to being pregnant for 42+ weeks (by the way, yes, I do know when I conceived/ovulated, etc).
My pubic bone pain has been at an all time high the last few days, my pelvis won’t hold an adjustment and my body has been warming up and experiencing prodromal labor since 37 weeks. So, this morning when I woke up still pregnant, I felt despair.
I chose to take a nice hot bath by candle light and meditate on my thoughts to recenter myself. One day at a time, right? This is what I realized today:
I am on the outside with exhausting thoughts and emotions. With aches and pains that bring me to tears. With the world throwing their “knowledge” and opinions at me like shards of glass. Some get through my outer layer of defense, piercing my confidence. They sting and hurt a little bit until I can rid of them.
BUT, my sweet baby is inside of my womb, protected from all of this. Baby is happy, comfortable and safe. Most importantly, the veil is thin for my baby and his/her wisdom is infinite. Regardless of how I feel, I know this as truth. I trust that God, my body and my baby are perfect. They are not cluttered with the “knowledge” of my mind. They are pure.
Today is still proving to be a hard one for me, but I have the love of my husband and Paradise Bakery chocolate chip cookies to get me through! Thank you for all the love, thoughts and prayers you are sending my way. They are needed, accepted and appreciate. ♥
Recommended Reading
Natural Hospital Birth {Support is Essential}
5 Quotes to Remind You Not to Induce
6 Questions to Determine the Right Support for Your Birth
2 Videos of Twins and Triplets Born Naturally!
Proud of My Scar
33 Things You ALWAYS Want to Say to (or Do for) a Pregnant Woman
Positive Support for Pregnant Mamas with Breech Babies
“I Pooped My Baby Out on My Hands and Knees!” – My Birth Story Without Husband or Midwife- A Baby Who Cried: Birthing Without a Plan
Vaginal Hospital Birth of TRIPLETS
38 Comments
Mara
Beautifully and honestly written. I have never gone past 40 weeks (give or take a few days) just out of plain luck, but I can still empathize. Kudos to you and your wonderful hubby for trusting in the process. Can’t wait to hear the update soon that you are holding your beautiful baby!
loz
Much love to you BWF one of the huge joys of letting nature take it’s course is knowing that any day could be ‘the’ day and even the most comfortable with that have days of despair, of waking up and cranking it with the world because last night wasn’t the night you were to bring baby earthside.
I know you know the sayings but I am going to say one anyway…
The time is closer then ever before for your baby to come earthside on his or her terms remember this in these last days/weeks of pregnancy <3<3
Ashley
I love your pure honesty and how you keep it real (100%)!!! I pray that as you go day to day with your pregnancy that God will give you the strength you need to make to the time you meet your 5th blessing!!! If you need to vent do so no need to hold anything in… Keep up the good work no matter if you do have haters on the blog/BWF fb pg. You still have a number of supports which outweighs your haters!!! You are still 100% human and no one knows how you feel but you. I will continue to bless you and your family with prayer and good support.
{HUGS}
Morgan
You are so brave!!! I know how you feel getting towards the end of your pregnancy and being so uncomfortable you just dont want to do anything! Be patient Mama your baby is worth it! Most women would say “induce me!” but you’re so much stronger than that! Keep us posted on the BWF facebook page!
Virginia Maddock
how lovely that your baby can choose his/her own birthday instead of some “white coat”. trust that they know the best time to come.
the following article may (or may not) make you feel better:
http://www.joyousbirth.info/articles/drcommentsonpostmaturity.html
elliecan
<3
Allison
Well done, you. You are a powerful woman and an inspiration! Thank you for sharing your journey.
Stephanie
Awww! We love you!!
Jennifer @ Natural Parents Network
I love your strength and honesty about trusting your body, and admitting it isn’t always easy. I think it is important to share that, as it allows us to know that aiming for that goal isn’t always perfect. Thank you for sharing yourself.
Jenni
You are amazing, Mrs. BWF!! You are an inspiration and your blog is a joy to read. I so know how you feel going “post dates” it’s enough to cause prenatal psychosis! You will get through this season and your birth and baby will be an amazing reward!
kate
Hang in there Mama. Your child is blessed to have you, so wise and trusting.
Crystal - Prenatal Coach
Hang in there mama! You’re doing great! Keep trusting your inner intuition 🙂
Kate T
Your baby is so blessed to have you as his/her wise mama. Out of all the mamas in the world, this baby has chosen you. I was 19 days “overdue” and I finally learnt to surrender. This too shall pass. Sending you magic sparkles of love and light.
Amanda M
Keep doing what your doing Mama! You are strong and it wont be long until you have your baby in your arms and this will just be a memory! You are so Lucky to have such an understanding wonderful husband (who brings you COOKIES!!) lucky girl! You are an inspiration to me and I <3 you! ( i know i know… i dont "know" you… but I still love you!)
I will keep you in prayers and keep on sending you those Birth Vibes! .. oops.. Labor vibes! Your baby knows exactly what s/he is doing!
I cant wait to hear his/her story!
Love to your family!
Mel
I’ve never gone over 40 weeks, but I tried every natural induction method I came across (other than castor oil) with no luck whilst pregnant with my second. It was only when I let go, stopped listening to family members who kept going on about how I was going to go into labour any day now (we all have approx. 38 week gestation cycles) and accepted that I was going to go until at least 40 weeks, if not longer, that I actually went into labour at 38+5. Thank you so much for your blog and your Facebook page. I love the encouragement that you provide for mamas and dads. 🙂
rae
Where is the “like” button? Nuthin’ better than choco-chip cookies!!
Tara
Thank you for sharing yourself so bravely! I am currently 41 weeks, 2 days and receiving pressure from my caregiver for testing and induction. All this despite the fact that all four of my previous children were born after 41 weeks. I am trying hard to ignore all of the well meaning concern of friends and family and stand firm that I will. not. induce.
Reading your words today gave me a boost. Thank you!
And I know you and I will both be holding your precious baby any day now, at the time they know is right. 🙂
Tiffany
i love this blog entry SO MUCH. and i also LOVE paradise bakery cookies!
Kristy
French obstetrician and author Michael Odent likens gestation to apples ripening on a tree: ‘You wouldn’t pick them all on the same day, would you?’
<3
Holly Wilson
Lord, I pray that you will bless Mrs. BWF. I pray that you will let your love and your light radiate through her today so that she may know how much you love her and this precious little baby she carries inside her. I pray that you will give her peace and comfort as she goes throughout her day today and for all the days of her life. Amen.
Mrs. BWF
Thank you Holly. Your prayer is beautiful. And today would be a great day to birth a baby! 😉
Holly Wilson
And just for the record, I said today would be the day (since it’s my baby sister’s birthday! Here’s to hoping I’m right and you’re almost done!
KrystalTheArtist
You are SO not the only one who goes super-late. My last two babes came at 42+6 and 41+5, and my husband’s boss wasn’t happy about the “ooh, it could be labor!” for 5 solid weeks, either…!
YAY for you being patient!! Sending you happy labor vibes, whenever it does finally happen ~*~*~*~*~
MamaBennie
With my first daughter I was forced into an induction. I was young and stupid and trusted the medical community at that point. I wish I hadn’t consented to it. I felt like I had failed. I was 41 1/2 weeks when I was induced. It was either that or a c-section which I WOULD NOT consent to by any means. I no longer see that doctor obviously, but I wish I had known of forums and blogs like this 3 years ago. It would have saved me the heartache of feeling like a failure. Anyway, I am sending good laboring vibes your way. Hope it is a peaceful and wonderful birth.
michelle
new to this site today.
1st article i’ve read.
INSPIRING!
Emily
love your honesty! With my twins i waited a month being dialated and arguing with docs who wanted me to induce at 36/37 weeks. but I knew that nothing was or had been wrong during any point in my pregnancy and nothing was showing in the NST’s so i was WAITING! I am totally against pit and other forms of inductions. I know that my baby will come when it is ready and I trust God will keep me and my baby safe! Everything was perfect and they were still pushing the induction, i told them wait another week and they did (they had no choice) and that next day my twins came at 38 weeks and 6days. Perfect in every way, vaginal birth for both which shocked my doc even more! i knew it would be fine, and it was more than fine, it was the best birth yet! My first i had pit with and it was the worst and they lost his vitals and NEEDED to get him out, it was long, hard and not fun! so i said never again. You are totally right, the baby knows when it will come out, it wont be in there forever and has to come out eventually! lol why put more of a risk on the baby by inducing and be given too much pitocin and then put them indistress? is this good for the baby?? i dont think so!
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Holly
Just hang on! When I was just this much post term with me second baby- I chose to induce myself with castor oil because I’d just had enough! With my mother, my mother-in-law and ALL these outside forces…but only now I look back and realize I should’ve been looking at the INTERNAL forces and from the very moment I’d induced my labor I knew it was the wrong thing to do. It all went ok and still had a natural birth etc… But I’ll always regret it and feel I would’ve had that wonderfully pure and natural birth (as my first one had been) if I hadn’t interfered and tried to rush him. Birth regret is a horrible thing!
Kerry
Good work, Keep strong, Such an inspiration to all my clients! Thank you got sharing it!
Melanie
Beautiful. No other words.
Jessie
Thank you for this. It’s given me the confidence to wait on our Sophia, for her timing, and renewed my faith, just a little. As time draws near for our rainbow baby to join us, I am getting impatient. I want her in my arms so bad! But, I know that God’s timing is not my timing, and that helps me to wait. Thank you for such honest posts. They have helped me through this, my first pregnancy to go past the first trimester.
Sue
Thank you for posting this. I’m 33 weeks and already have people urging me to have an induction date incase I go late, a couple people have even told me I should schedule for a week before my date! I don’t see the point. My family tends to carry late & have very healthy kiddos. I’m bookmarking this so if I go past the magic date I remember, kids first always. It’s a good Mom’s job to put the kids long term well being first.
Jamie
This really helped me feel better today. I’m 42 weeks & 1 day today. We’re struggling to make ends meet because prodromal labor at least once a week since 36w4d had us figuring that i wouldn’t go “post dates” and I took off work at 40w1d (unpaid since I am a nurse and had to use most of my PTO covering low census days that I was canceled). I am also bread winner for our family, so being “post dates” now is hurting us financially. We’re holding tight to natural physiological birth, at home. It’s hard when there’s pressure all around you, especially being a medical professional, it comes even from my job and coworkers. The saving grace in all this is knowing as a medical professional that it’s what is right, and healthiest for our baby & me. BPP showed an active baby with good fluid and reactivity. I know induction is more dangerous than continuing a healthy pregnancy at this point, but that doesn’t change the feeling that this should have been over already.
Meg
Jamie I am right there with you now – I’m 42 weeks and 2 days, and tried a castor oil induction yesterday that doesn’t seem to be working. I’m so discouraged at this point, I feel like we’ve tried everything natural that we can and this baby just isn’t coming. I’ve had multiple BPPs at this point, and they always show that the baby is healthy and there is a healthy amount of fluid. The baby kicks all the time and I just feel like he is healthy and taking his time, but I feel so much external pressure to induce or to get the baby out of there in a timely manner (not the least of which is that my in-laws have booked a cross-country flight for next week to meet their new grandbaby), and I feel so conflicted – I don’t know what to do! I want to continue to “gestate in peace” but going beyond 42 weeks is something that no one seems to do anymore. My grandmother reminds me that she was 3 weeks late with my dad, but I have nothing direct to compare it to as my mom had 3 c-sections and no natural births. I want to try to stay strong, just keep an eye on the baby and let him do his own thing, but I’m so scared that my body just might never go into labour on it’s own – it’s hard to make a decision when I feel like I don’t have all the information. How did your pregnancy/labour/baby turn out? I would love to hear the end of your story 🙂
Charlotte Simm
I’ve just read this and I’m so grateful for it, I was ‘due’ on the 19th December but I haven’t had baby yet. My consultant ( Im in the uk and we can’t really choose our caregivers) has bullied me for the last 9 months to have a csection, my previous birth I was induced with drip and they broke my waters I had a horrific labour and ended up with emcs, I didn’t have all the information and I regret that decision immensely, I’ve spent this whole pregnancy dealing with the emotional impact that my previous birth left. Thank you for this post, I can and will birth this baby on my own and on his/her terms.
Jessie Johnson
Thanks for this post. I’m currently 41 weeks and 2 days and keep stressing myself out like there is something wrong with my body and part of me wants to crack under the pressure of everyone asking “when are you going to have that baby?” I just keep saying only God knows. I want so badly to have a natural birth and want to 100% trust my body that it will go into labor when ready. It definitely is hard every morning still pregnant with absolutely no signs of labor. Last night I prayed to God to let me trust my body and him and thank him for this blessing growing inside me.
Ashleigh
Thank you for this. Currently 40+21 and losing heart. Must remind myself my body knows what it’s doing it has grown this baby for this long and spontaneously gone into labour with my daughter before. When the time comes it will be because we are both ready not because a calendar says I’m overdue and that’s as long as I’m “allowed” to go.
Hannah
I see this is an old post—but I can’t tell you how much I needed this today! I’m ‘past due’ with my second baby- a little boy-and the pressures are closing in. People stopping by, calling, texting, Dr. talking ‘Big Baby’, induction, etc.
Thank you for being strong and vulnerable–it helps the rest of us!!