40 Weeks, 1 Day

I don't have any garnet jewelry, but I have the afternoon/evening to myself. Weird! Epu signed up for an industry schmooze event weeks ago and we laughed about it, figuring he would not be able to go, but he'll be going right after work. Nutmeg is in Wisconsin with Grammy and Grampy. I have Grey's Anatomy, a John Cusack movie, and a big bag of malted milk balls. Who needs to have a baby?

I am strictly following the advice of the head midwife, who told me today that the best way to "help my body have this baby" was to go on long walks -- check -- and then rest a lot and eat well. Not tons of projects or anything that will leave me exhausted when labor finally starts. They tell me it will start one of these days.

My first non-stress test this morning came out fine. My mom came along, and she is much better behaved in the examination room than my usual companion. I was really glad to have the company, because the nurse hooked me up to a fetal monitor, said it would be for 15 minutes, and then disappeared for at least half an hour. The machine almost ran out of paper. For the first 5 or 10 minutes, I was a little nervous because Filbertine was apparently asleep and didn't move at all. The test is watching to see that her heart rate speeds up when she moves or when there's a contraction. The whole time I was on the monitor, I didn't have a single contraction. But eventually she woke up and the machine captured several good movements with corresponding heart rate spikes. When a midwife finally showed up, she pronounced it good, but warned me that each successive test is "easier to fail" and that when I come back for the next one on Tuesday, I should bring my hospital bag with me just in case. Easier to fail? Thanks for the pep talk, eh? I can't imagine I'll still be pregnant Tuesday, but obviously my imagination has failed to accurately predict reality so far.

Anyway, tomorrow a good midwife is on duty. I have a school tour I'd like to go to at 9:15 a.m. In a perfect world I'll go to it, the walking will bring on contractions, I'll come home and make a few phone calls I've been putting off, and be ready for some serious action by the time Epu gets home from work.

In an opposite-of-perfect world, I'll be going in for an induction Feb. 13. I asked today if I could have Valentine's Day instead, since that is 14 days from my due date, but I was told that the practice's policy is to induce at 41 weeks, 6 days. I can't believe they're stealing 24 hours of pregnancy from me!

In other shocking slights, I found out that the reason the midwife who I saw for most of my pregnancy is not on the schedule this week is that she went off to a seminar. She abandoned me in my hour of need! Well, she's back Monday. Maybe I'll still be needy then. Or maybe I'll have Filbertine during the Bears Superbowl. That would be the ultimate expression of my disdain for the local team, no? I am SO uninterested in your Superbowl, I chose hours of vomiting, abdominal pain, strenuous work and possible lacerations of intimate body parts rather than watch it.*

* Whoops. I meant to say, hours of "uterine surges that I can accept and tolerate," followed by "an intense stretching sensation that I will allow." Thanks, Hypnobabies.