If you are around 37.5 weeks pregnant, you are probably ready to sprint to the hospital at the first sign of any contractions. I know I was! I am one of those moms who was sent home multiple times, even with my third pregnancy. You’d think I would know what labor was like by then!
I have been thinking about the long third-trimester a lot lately as I have been stalking facebook daily to check on the status of count them 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 mothers-to-be! And they are all future-Florida Gator babies!! Wowee! I have to say all of the babies have come several days after their due dates. At least this spring, that seems to be pretty common.
If you are playing the waiting game, I just want to send a little bit of encouragement your way. Know that your sweet little lemon drop will eventually be in your arms. Don’t feel inadequate if you aren’t dilating or effacing or leaking or having a bloody show or any of the other “signs” quite yet.
But it is sooo hard! With my first child my belly was a cone-head
(and I would soon learn that I always would carry like that) so around 7 months in I had people asking me whether I was having twins. And strangers shaking their heads and saying it’ll be any day now!
So imagine my surprise when I ended up being induced at 41+ weeks and it still took about 2 days for my son to show his darling face. Sometimes I think I would be walking around with an eight year old inside me if I had not induced.
Now, two more babies later, I can see a little more clearly that babies come when they come and then time speeds up to fast forward. If I could go back to my younger self I would say, “hold on you don’t need that induction just yet.” But my younger self would probably say, “shut up!”
So as you wait, may God bless you with a healthy baby boy or girl VERY VERY SOON!
Newborn Love 