Next stop: Week 39

My Baby

By now your baby has likely reached her birth weight (typically between 6 and 9 pounds) and length (18 to 22 inches from head to toe). She's accumulated enough body fat to stay cozy after she's born, and your placenta continues to supply her with nutrients and antibodies that will help fend off illnesses. If you're planning to breastfeed, your milk will supply additional immune-boosting benefits.

Only about five percent of women give birth on their actual due dates, which means your baby could come a few hours from now or not for another two weeks. But you're probably so attuned to the possibility of labor that every little twinge makes you think: Is this "It"??? Labor may begin in several ways: mild cramps (the most common scenario), your water breaking -- or it may even begin in the hospital, with a scheduled induction or c-section.

If your delivery is scheduled, you'll check into the hospital and either be prepped for a c-section or, if you're going to deliver vaginally, given something to induce labor, like a prostaglandin gel to soften your cervix or an IV drip of pitocin (a synthetic version of the hormone oxytocin) to start up contractions. If you go into labor on your own (your water has broken or you're having contractions that are growing steadily more painful) call your doctor or midwife for instructions. She'll probably tell you to wait until the contractions are five to eight minutes apart before heading to the hospital or birthing center. This can take hours, especially for a first birth, so try to get some sleep, take a walk, or curl up on the couch to watch a movie until it's really time to go. You may be itching to get to the hospital ASAP, but you'll be a lot more comfy in your own home (and truth is, many delivery wards don't have the room or staff to deal with you until your labor's further along).

My Body

Once you get to the hospital, a doctor will check things out down-there to see how much your cervix has dilated. Once you reach 3 or 4 centimeters, you'll likely be offered an epidural to help manage the pain. (According to the many women who swear by them, the needle prick of the local anesthetic going in -- before they give you the epidural -- may be the most painful part of your entire labor -- but it's quick.) Or you may be set on delivering drug-free, but no matter what you've planned or imagined, it's perfectly fine to change your mind at the last minute. It happens a lot! Women who swore they wouldn't have an epidural find themselves hollering for one, and those who were all about the pain meds may decide that they don't need them after all.

My Life

You've probably been envisioning what your labor will be like for a while now, but there's a good chance the real event won't be anything like you've imagined. Not that anything scary is necessarily going to occur, but there are a million different scenarios, and you just never know how it will go. Your water might break, but if you're not having any contractions, you might need to be induced, for example. Or maybe your labor will progress so fast that there's no time for an epidural, even though you were planning on getting one as soon as you set foot in the hospital. Be prepared to go with whatever unfolds. And know that even if you do experience a little delivery-day drama -- your husband gets stuck in traffic on the way to the hospital, you leave your overnight bag on the front steps in the rain, or you have 20 hours (or 20 minutes) of hard labor -- it will all become a cherished and often-recounted part of your baby's birth story. For all the stress and pain, giving birth really is one of the most incredible experiences there is. Promise.

So, there's the skinny on week 39. That's the week I'm coming into right now. I am incredibly antsy now, and keep hoping that something will happen to trigger labor. Everyone keeps telling me "Walk around, move, etc." Well, those are all the people that don't know how active I've been! For those who don't know me that well, I am a FIERCELY independent person - I'd rather do something myself than feel like it's not being done to my standards. Maybe it's just that my standards are too high - who knows! But I do know that I spent a good 30 minutes outside re-shoveling part of the driveway that had already been done, just because I didn't think it was done well (sorry honey - not your fault, blame the plows), and I didn't think my car would be able to get over the snow. Last night I didn't feel well, but I am pretty sure that I was just having Braxton-Hicks contractions, because it more just felt like my stomach tightening, and it wasn't a very regular thing. I guess I'm just still hung up on the fact that I haven't dilated at all, and I am SOOO disappointed. I don't think anyone that hasn't been through this would quite understand... it literally made me want to cry yesterday, and today, it seems to be the only thing I can think about.

Anyway, I best be getting ready for work. I need to stop at the bank before I go, so I need to leave a little early.