2:30 am update: heading out soon to the birth center – not the hospital – to find relief from back labor in their huge jacuzzi tub.  Keep praying!

When I called yesterday morning to see about moving our delivery date, I was told the next date available was July 18th – 9 days later.  We plan to leave here on the 13th.  I didn’t want to be around when they delivered our goods and when they unpacked my kitchen.  I didn’t want to be hanging out at a hotel room either, with a week old nursling and all that crying (mine and the baby’s).  I tried hard to imagine all the scenarios and what they would really be like, not through rosy-colored glasses, but the harsh realities of those first few weeks post-partum.

The gamble with keeping our original delivery date was that Bill would have to leave Sunday evening (or in the middle of the night) to be there at 8 am the next morning.  The midwife talked of a hospital induction beginning Sunday night, into Monday.  If I didn’t go naturally, Bill would miss something – either the baby’s birth or the delivery of our stuff.

A friend did offer to go down to receive our goods for us, if necessary.  Neither of us was comfortable with burdening anyone with this problem.

Bill was in favor of moving the date, and even extending our time here another week or the rest of the month – cost be durned.  I saw a lost week in getting our house in order.

Yesterday was an angst filled day.  Can’t imagine why the baby didn’t want to be born…

Finally, we decided to take the risk and keep the delivery date.  “We’ve crossed the Rubicon,” I told Bill.  “There’s no going back now.”

“Let’s hope we have the same luck as Caesar,” he replied.

I said I’d see about moving the induction to Sunday instead of Monday.  And we’d hope and pray for this baby to decide it was time.

I woke up this morning, still pregnant, still not laboring.

I spoke to the midwife around 930 am.  I told her I’d come in around 2 pm and we’d see if I had progressed enough to break my water.  Although I had thinned more, I was still only 2-3 cm and the baby was still high and still moving around too much.  The head is down, and the baby seemed to be facing my spine – then.  But as she tried to listen to the heartbeat, the ornery child kept moving away, twisting and turning.  Just now, I’m feeling movement around my belly button – and I don’t feel that hard lump of the bottom anywhere, so I think the baby is facing, again, the front.

The midwife felt uncomfortable breaking my water – worries over a prolapsed cord.  Heck, I wasn’t eager to face labor with no buffer.  She mentioned castor oil – again.  Said it has an 85% success rate in their practice (25 years of delivering babies).  All I have to do is BELIEVE.  I had not tried castor oil this pregnancy because I had done it before and it didn’t work.  But I am desperate, so I was willing to give it another shot.

She had all the supplies there and very specific instructions.  Two doses, two hours apart.  Red raspberry tea.  A Fleets enema.  Fun stuff folks.  But I believe it will work.  Really!  Instead of pixie dust, I just need castor oil, and I can fly!

So, I have managed to take these 2 doses and follow all the other steps.  I am confident that my bowels will begin convulsing any minute now.  Despite brushing my teeth and eating dinner, I still feel a thickness on my tongue and roof of my mouth.  Castor oil, even mixed with juice is so very disgusting.  Lovely burps, too.

And the hospital has me down for 430 am tomorrow morning to come in and begin the induction.  I can call that off at any time, should I go into labor.  Even early labor would be fine.

And an induction would be fine too.  I have accepted it.  Katie was induced, and I actually had a pretty nice birth with her.  The midwife says that she only uses the pitocin until the body gets going, and then she lets the body take over.  I have to do what I have to do.

Keep praying.  I hate laboring in the middle of the night.  I didn’t get a nap today, so that will just make things worse.  Bill will be home from Mass soon with the kids, and I’ll try to rest.

One way or another, I should have a baby by this time tomorrow.