Past due, but not for long!

So today, Monday is officially late. We started the "celebration" with a trip to the doctor. The first thing the doctor said was "well, you're past your due date so today we will pick out a date to induce". Oh my. I wasn't really prepared for picking a date for induction today.

I am, you guessed it, still measuring small. By this doctor's measurement, I am actually smaller than I was the last 2 times. (I think Monday retreats and hides inside my body and doesn't come too far out! Sneaky little guy!!) So I have to go in for another non-stress test tomorrow.

We then had the exam and I am progressing. It seems like the aches and pains I have been feeling has been prepping me for labor. I am still around 80% effaced and am now dilated around 1.5cm. With these measurements, and the fact that I have been small throughout, they want to schedule an induction.

The doctor left us for a bit to get dressed and "talk" about choosing a date. Tim and I sat in the room considering dates for next week (surely it wouldn't be sooner) like "if we do it on Friday, then Monday will have his grandfather's birthday" and other such considerations.

By the time the doctor returned, she looked at us and said "well, I went ahead and scheduled you for Friday at 7:30 am". Tim and I were startled. It hadn't occurred to us that the induction date could be as early as this week. We asked lots of questions about implications of induction. Will it make us more likely to have a c-section? (Not with the way I am already progressing, I have a "favorable" cervix for the event.) Is there a reason to go so soon? (Yes - several. 1. He is only going to get bigger and labor will only get harder. 2. I have always measured small, so if we pushed it off another week, then we would have to go back for another non-stress test next week to make sure everything is still fine. 3. Monday is fully baked and so there is no reason to keep him in longer.)

We still left the doctor's office a little shell shocked and startled. There is part of me that was hoping the natural order of things would take place and am a little disappointed. There is another part of me that is scared by inducing as opposed to letting nature do its thing. There is still another part of me that is thrilled that we will head into the weekend as parents and no longer DINKs... the wait will be over!!

I got home and did some online research to feel a bit more comfortable with the whole thing. I also reached out to an OB in my mommy group for a little advice. Research returned without much to worry about, and Tina gave me a lot of confidence in the timing and the process. It's been another whirl wind of a day, but I am now in a good place.... and trying to bring it on by itself!!!

So far today, I have taken 3 walks, totaling around 2.5 hours (come on gravity!) and tonight for dinner we are eating eggplant, spicy food, and deserting on pineapple. If anyone has any other thoughts on how to bring labor on before Friday, let us know!! Otherwise, we'll use the gift that medicine has given us and it looks like we'll have a little boy in our arms before Saturday morning.

Whoa.