Duxford Girl

33 hours until induction. I am so grumpy, swollen and tired. It's stupid but I feel like I'm taking this overdue business personally.

Three days until induction, no baby yet.

Well, here I am, two days past my due date. Just to add insult to injury I've managed to catch a nasty cold so not only do I feel heavy, awkward and tired I get the added bonus of a runny nose and sore throat.

I swear, when I went to the doctor on my due date for my weekly check-up and he told me that I wasn't even a little bit dilated yet I wanted to sue somebody. I don't know who, but I figure that somebody should have to pay for this massive inconvenience.

The day is almost here. Well, that is to say the totally bunkus due date that really means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Thursday, technically, September 10th, is the date my doctor picked spinning his magic wheel. Ah pregnancy, somehow the longest and shortest nine months of my life ever.

Waiting for baby is a unique and horrible experience. Every book says the same thing “you'll know when labour really starts.” I've had a lot of false labour over the past couple of weeks but since none of it has been more painful than menstrual cramps, I haven't bothered to venture to the hospital. The last days have been irritating. I have bursts of energy but soon get exhausted after doing some work around the house. Then I begin to feel generally unwell but none of that has lead to actual labour. My Braxton Hick's contractions have become increasingly more intense, yet they seem to lead nowhere.

Evil Scientist and I managed to avoid the “So, when are you guys going to tie the knot?” question because of our rather whirlwind courtship. In fact, we are well aware of the fact that some people assumed that it was a shot-gun wedding. This confused me, I naively believed that people didn't do such things anymore but apparently, I was wrong. In any case, I think the people who assumed the above were somewhat disappointed when no baby appeared in that first year of marriage.

That lead to years of “so, when are you guys going to have kids?” At first I just lied and said that I couldn't have children but then I realized that I was doing a huge disservice to the women who choose not to have children. I started to tell the truth by pointing out that we didn't want children. At the time, it was the truth. For the record, there was no so-called 'biological clock' for me just the realization that I might regret it if I didn't at least try. For Evil Scientist, it was more of a “whatever happens” strategy.

I recently read this article on the Bust Magazine site, http://www.bust.com/blog/2009/08/05/kid-tested-mother-approved.html. I commented about my feelings about breast feeding and I wanted to expand on those feelings here.

Truth be told, I don't want to breast feed. I think that it's really gross. I'm going to do it because I don't want to be labelled as the worst mother ever within the first weeks of giving birth (I have years to earn that title). I don't intend to do it for longer than 6 months and I will supplement with bottles.

I'm officially at 37 weeks and I've been told that baby can arrive at any time. My OB-GYN told me today to keep doing whatever it is I'm doing as I am healthy and all signs point to a healthy baby and a healthy mum.

Check that: keep eating like a trucker and watching bad reality television.

Baby has turned and his little bottom is the bit that sticks up just under my boobs. I've suspected for a while that when my belly is moving it was because he was doing a little butt-shaking dance. Between that, the little feet jammed in my ribs and the little fists digging into my pelvis there is really no need to count movements. I think that he even walks in his sleep.

I just added some more photos to "Not Pretty but ReaL". All of these are credited to Evil Scientist. I've got a couple of pregnancy memory books that I've been putting pictures into so I thought that I would also share them on my blog.

Yesterday was my baby shower. It was lovely and I really thank my family and friends for making it so special. I loved everything about it and can't wait to use all the wonderful things that I was given.

After a bit of a confidence hike today I was going to post my latest preg pics but once I looked at them I decided that I'm not that brave.

I bought a maternity bathing suit several months ago and while the bottoms still fit the top has never really had much room. Note to the designers of maternity bathing wear, boobs get bigger, not smaller when one is knocked up. To be honest, I probably couldn't fit the tops of most mat bathing suits when I wasn't pregnant, let alone now at eight months in.