less than 2 weeks...but she'll come when she wants!

People keep asking what my "due date" is, and it's getting somewhat exhausting to explain to people that traditionally "due dates" are just an arbitrary number that was developed by doctors in the early 1900's to describe what they thought was the "correct gestation" period of a typical fetus. We prefer to call it our "guess date". What research shows is that average gestation time for a first time mom is 41 weeks 1 day....AVERAGE! Which means that people go longer and shorter. Unfortunately, many babies are considered "late" after 40 weeks and unnecessary inductions take place as a result. Sadly, inductions lead to increases in epidurals, failure to progress, cesarean sections, and other unnecessary complications. Also, so many people are induced due to "suspected big babies" but there is no research to show that this is necessary or accurate. Read a great article about big babies HERE.
There is virtually no way to tell how big a baby will be in utero, nor are ultrasounds an accurate description or weight or size (they can be off by 2 lbs. in either direction!) My heart really goes out to people who are uninformed, and scared into unnecessary induction due to having a "big baby."
I feel so blessed to be working with a midwife, who will not even speak of induction until I near 42 weeks, nor pressure me to have my baby. I feel relaxed and confident that my baby will come when she's ready. I finally packed my bags last night, and I am slowly getting things done. I know not everything will be done before she arrives, but honestly I'm okay with that. I'm excited about letting labor happen naturally, and am looking forward to finally meeting my daughter in the near future...whenever she decides to come. Can't wait to introduce her to the world!