One Week

My post at 5 Minutes for Parenting today is about the calm before the storm, how life tends to pop with color for me the days just before a new baby arrives.

And we are, literally, days away from that blessed event. If Baby Boy doesn't decide to come on his own this week, he will get his eviction papers next Wednesday, May 12.

Why an induction, you might ask? It's a fair question, one I don't think I've addressed very well on my blog.

So here you go: The background story for why I will most likely be induced next Wednesday. (Attention male readers who are also related to me: Stop reading now. You might want to check out these Jesus cookies instead. Have a pleasant day.)

1. I have medium-sized babies. Natalie, my firstborn, was 8 pounds, 11 ounces at 41 weeks. (That's one week overdue for those of you not fluent in pregnancy.) Connor was 8 pounds, 3 ounces at 39 weeks (one week early). Teyla -- sweet, tiny Teyla -- was 7 pounds, 4 ounces at 39 weeks. I realize for those of you who grow 11-pound babies (cough, Heather, cough), those are feather-weight newborns. But for me, they are substantial enough to warrant some watchfulness.

2. To my great surprise, I dilated early and consistently with Connor. At 36 weeks (the first time most OBs or midwives check "what's going on down there"), I was at 2cm. At 37 weeks, I was at 3cm. At 38 weeks, I was at 4cm. At 39 weeks, I was at 5cm. (And this was all without painful contractions.) "Woo-hoo!" I thought to myself at the time. "I'm already halfway there." What I didn't know is that ...

3. ... Early and consistent dilation often means lightning fast active labor. Connor was born approximately 30 minutes after Corey and I screeched into the ER. (His birth story is here and here, if you're bored.) It was crazy and hectic and completely drug-free. Which was completely against my birth plan, by the way.

4. When I was pregnant with Teyla, I again started to dilate early and consistently. To stay ahead of the curve, my wonderful OB agreed to induce me around 39 weeks so we could better control what was going on AND (this is the important part) I could enjoy an good epidural for the first time ever, as God intended.

5. Teyla's birth was miraculous and beautiful and peaceful and (dare I say it?) fun. Because I was already dilated to 4cm, we didn't even use Pitocin. My OB just broke my water and -- whoosh! -- we were off. It was such a positive experience, I looked at Corey when Teyla was about 10 seconds old and said, "Oh my word! I could do this again tomorrow!" (Which was NOT what he wanted to hear. But you know. It was that easy, compared to the births of Natalie and Connor.)

6. And that brings us to today. Once again, I'm dilating early and consistently. My body is following the same pattern set down by Connor. And the sheer size of my belly makes me think this baby is not going to weigh less than Teyla. Put it all together and you get a highlighted date on the calendar for May 12.

7. One last thing, that I can't overlook: Scheduling an induction also simplifies the whole who's-going-to-watch-the-older kids aspect of giving birth -- and my OB, having three kids of her own, sympathizes with that headache. Ever since False Labor Monday, Corey and I have instituted a Plan B in case I break out with a case of real contractions. But Plan B, by its very nature, tends to be a little hectic and crazy. Having an induction scheduled means my parents can drive from Colorado and be here to stay with Natalie, Connor and Teyla while I'm in the hospital (and lunches will be made ahead of time and outfits put together and everyone will know Teyla's nap schedule and what times the kids need to be at school, etc.). It's incredibly freeing for a control freak to know the plan is being followed.

So here we go: One week. I'm off to enjoy a few more days of big belly "freedom." It's all about to change.