It Came and Went

So, today was my "official" due date, and I am still pregnant, which is fine with me. I am moderately uncomfortable anyway, but I am more interested in going into spontaneous labor than rushing things for convenience or because I can't hold out any more. My disclaimer is, give me a few days and I could be singing a different tune, but for now, let the waiting begin.

I am suprised at how much I learned about pregnancy and my own body this time around, and surprised at how little other people know (including myself before my additional research this time around). For example, it is very common for people to call a birth either a c-section or a "natural" birth, meaning vaginal, but most vaginal births today are not that natural. It's okay, I notice men using this term the most because I don't think they are comfortable saying "vaginal" anyway and since they can't relate to the feeling, medicated or not, they get a free pass to use the wrong term.

It is more natural to give birth vaginally than surgery, yes, but the protocol of medical interventions starting with induction of labor, pain drugs, epidurals and artificial hormones given to women having these "natural" child births is far from the unmedicated real natural child births I have been reading about. I was enlightened to learn about how possible and rewarding it is to give birth starting with spontaneous labor and ending without major or even minor medical interventions. In particular if it is achievable, I look forward to a dramatically different recovery for ME. So, I am hoping for an unmedicated natural childbirth. We'll see....

I think I am prepared for an unmedicated delivery, but since I am still having a hospital birth with a standard OB doctor, I am preparing for the list of compromises: when to induce if I am pressured/forced to, how to induce if at all, how much monitoring during labor, and avoiding the other list of interventions from pitocin to narcotics to epidurals to episiotomies and even pitocin again to deliver the placenta. I admit, however, that I am not as prepared as some would be had I taken a series of natural child birth classes, practiced the techniques more, etc. I could have also gone with a mid-wife or something besides a conventional OB if I wanted better chances of not having to fight the "system". Oh, well. We'll see how it goes.

So, my due date came and went and I am not in labor, but I hope that she comes on her own soon enough to do this my way, and of course I pray for a healthy baby without complications regardless.