no baby yet

[walkitout]

We're off to have an ultrasound to make sure everything looks okay.

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my opinion only of course

[walkitout]

But first time white mothers average 288 days since last menstrual period, which would be August 11. Boys average a week longer to bake than girls, so figure another 3 1/2 days on top of that, which puts us between the 14th and the 15th (ultrasound says BOY! and further says everything looks pretty good in terms of adequate fluid, heart working, breathing motions happening and so forth). So assuming you can combine those two statistics in that way (and R. and I cannot imagine any way that those aren't additive), we're not only not unusual, we're not even late yet.

The medical industry has this theory that babies overall (across races, and independent of how many babies mom has had) are born on average 280 days LMP, and will start to induce labor either on that date, or at 41 weeks, or 41.5 weeks or 42 weeks or 43 weeks, depending on who is involved. As insurance companies are involved in paying off midwives and liability insurance gets involved and so forth, birth centers are increasingly not willing to have you around after 42 weeks. So here's hoping Theodore Simon aka "Alvin" makes an appearance on or before next Wednesday.

Since we're still in pre/very early labor, this isn't particularly prolonged or unusual.

Since I'm having lots of contractions (usually 2 of regular, closely spaced and quite strong, but so far not all three at once) and they appear effective/efficient (kid is moving further down as time goes on), R. and I believe the real hold up here is the cervix, which while it is softening, is taking its own sweet time about it. Is this because I am naturally an uptight kind of person? Who knows? It is slowly doing its thing however, and starting last night we're attempting to assist with Evening Primrose Oil. Watch this space for updates as always.