The Waiting (For Baby!) Game

Well, I am at the official "due date" of December 15, 2013, and no sign of baby yet. I have had contractions off and on, but nothing worth taking note of, just the sort that tell me I am forging ahead and that delivery is imminent. I am a no-intervention kind of gal, and do as little as possible when it comes to medical interference in natural procedures. That means no hep-lock iv, no Pitocin, no epidurals, no, no, no, NO, NONONO!!!

Hi, Baby No-Name! See you soon!
You'll look less "creepy" then.

So in the last two weeks of this sixth pregnancy, I reached out and met with a midwife that does home births. I have nothing against the medical establishment, or even military medical folks. They are doing their jobs to the best of their training. I just don't follow the contours of their box and don't want to have to fight that while in labor, nor do I want the White Knight to feel like he has to fight for me when I need him focused on what is going on with my mostly non-verbal cues. 

He knows me so well that I don't have to say anything - he is where I need him at exactly the right time. In a hospital birth, and a military hospital in particular, it is less likely that he would be allowed to maintain that kind of control when the doctors are pushing for this, that and the other.

So what happens with a home birth? Mmmm… So far, much the same as what happens with a hospital birth, and with military procedures all the time: Hurry up and wait. All I can do is shake my head and laugh. This past week, I saw the Widmife (as Buttercup called her) and she looked for the baby's placement - head, feet, etc. - and said, "This baby is so far down there is no head, just a neck!" 

And then due-date-eve, Bruiser asked if I knew exactly what time the baby would come. No. It doesn't work like that. But he didn't want to miss church - it was his week to serve at the altar. Bless his heart. We'll get him there for the next rotation. 

Well, we're well on our way then, huh? But here we are, three full days later, and half a night, with no further advancement. Okay. So I went to an essential oils workshop and had fun with the gals there, enjoyed Bruiser's NINTH birthday, went to see the Hobbit's second installment, and today I got down to business and cleaned up the house to keep it in good shape for when I can't be there to keep it running - i.e.: after the baby gets here. And I've rested. Lots and lots of rest. Boring, tedious rest. 

But I'm in no hurry. Take your time, Baby 6. This little slice of the world is eager to meet you, and all the various webs and branches of family and friends that extend out from our hub await news, but it's not really about us, is it? It is about time. And appreciating that not everything is in our control if we are to follow Nature's course. And when Nature picks up the pace, everything else will not matter - and that is as it should be. 

I'm ready when you are. 

Mama