The Bauer Confidential

I think due dates are the medical community’s rather sad attempt to let us feel some smidgen of sanity regarding the impending arrival of a baby; an event that most of us have little to no control over.  As of right now, all is go for us with an au naturale birth.  Despite a sonogram technician scaring the crap out of me last week.  We went in for a scan to estimate the size of the baby.  Her estimate, 8 pounds 6 ounces, plus or minus a pound (a freakin’ pound).  This puts our little girl in the 86th percentile according to the tech, if the estimate is right.  She said they don’t start to worry until the baby is over the 90th percentile.  And she told me the baby would probably gain a ton more since I was still two weeks from my due date (I later found out this wasn’t necessarily true).  So let me get this straight, your current estimate has our wee one 4 percentile points away from danger and you could be under-estimating by as much as a pound?  And I shouldn’t be worried why?  I have to admit I didn’t care for that technician much, she’d tell us what she was looking at, but wouldn’t tell us if it was normal (apparently it all was).  Afterward I pretty much felt like crap, felt like it was something I had done, despite the fact I’ve gained only at the low end of what is recommended for pregnancy.

Luckily a couple days later I had an appointment with our OB.  She said the baby was in the 78th percentile, did some palpitations and said she wasn’t worried.  She said the baby was definitely bigger than average, but nothing to be concerned about.  Looks like things are progressing, the baby had started moving down by that appointment and I can tell you from my perspective that she’s moved down even farther since then.  I’ll see the OB again tomorrow, but if the baby decides she wants to make her entrance tonight, I won’t be complaining.

Like most women in my position, I’m not sleeping well and basic activities are trying at best.  I’ve been trying to work part days, but after three nights of virtually no sleep, I decided I needed a day of rest today.  If the baby does decide it’s time, I don’t want to be too tired, that will make labor harder on us both.  I’ve come to terms with the fact that it’s entirely possible that the baby will come late.  Pretty much every baby in my family has been late, I was six days past my due date.  Though the average in the U.S. has drifted to a few days before the due date, some how I doubt I’ll be that lucky.  Sometimes I think she’ll be coming any minute, other times I feel like it could still be weeks!  I wonder if every little symptom is a sign that labor is starting, so far, it’s a no go.  So tomorrow I think I’ll go to work for a while, see what the OB has to say, and try not to make myself nuts worrying.