40w6d

Big surprise, I'm still preggers.

The hospital is having me do formal kick counts from here on out and I am very happy to report that Maya has so far exceeded her kick quota on all counts thus far. Thank goodness.

The contractions I was having yesterday (from the second membrane stripping) have more or less tapered off completely. I have felt a few here and there this morning, but barely noticeable.

I can't help but wonder what would happen if I was pregnant, say, 50 years ago. Obviously, I wouldn't be pregnant at all back then because we conceived by IVF. However, let's say I was pregnant... Just how overdue can a baby go on it's own without induction? My aunt was apparently pregnant for an extra month. Another person I talked to said they went three weeks overdue. At some point, does the baby always come out, or can they stay in forever? I realize my measly 6 days overdue is nothing compared to how overdue some women go, despite the fact that I feel like the most pregnant woman ever to exist. But I do wonder, with no medical intervention, just how long would this go on?

I have pretty much given up hope of having this baby girl the way I had imagined, and have resigned myself to the idea that we'll probably have induction. I had a bit of a cry about that this morning, just because this is probably going to be our only child and this is not the birth experience I had wanted or expected. I had always dreamed of a natural birth, with minimal intervention. Letting go of my attachment to my ideal birth experience did make me feel sad, but truthfully, as long as Maya arrives healthy and safe, it really doesn't much matter how she gets here. As long as she gets here and she is perfect, healthy and strong, that's all I really care about. Ultimately, my birth experience is small potatoes, and will be quickly forgotten, compared to gorgeous fact that she is coming.

I am lucky and blessed beyond compare; that hasn't changed since the moment I found out I was pregnant.