May 23, 2013
Date Due
Me, last weekend. Less date-due than I am today.
The honeymoon has ended, that wonderful period of pre-baby motherhood in which it’s imperative to be taken out for afternoon tea and be administered lots of fragrant baths. Now instead of relaxing and taking care of myself, I’m given instructions like, “Try crawling around the carpet for half an hour–while watching TV or listening to music. It is good exercise as well as good for the baby’s position!” And it’s only a short slide from here to the point where I’ll be having trouble breastfeeding and crazy people on online forums will instruct me to refrain from eating anything but white rice, while I lock myself in a darkened room for a fortnight hovering naked over my colicky child in order to discourage it from nipple confusion. At least this time, I know what to expect.
Today is my due-date, which I’m calling my date-due because I’m better at libraries than being patient. But what I’m better at than anything else is jumping straight to worst-case scenarios, which is why I decided that since baby shows absolutely no sign of imminent arrival (or even un-imminent arrival) that baby was never going to arrive at all. I’ve since been reassured by enough stories of babies failing to be engaged who managed to be born anyway that I am no longer fretting about booking a c-section at 42 weeks. I’ve had a hunch all along that our baby was going to be born on the Barbara Pym Centenary anyway, (June 2, but you already knew that) and I’m becoming convinced that this is really the case. I’m also sure that my bout of stomach flu at the weekend made the baby reluctant to make an entrance to the world, and now that I am feeling much better and energetic again, I am content to wait until baby decides that it’s time.
As I crawl around the carpet on my hands and knees, of course. There cannot be enough of that.
Good luck! I’m sure the baby will be here very soon, but June 2nd would be pretty cool!
Best way to encourage a baby out is the same way it got in. Trust me.
I’m looking forward to hearing the news of her birth, and even more so her name, because I’m obsessed like that.
Sending healthy vibes your way.
Yeah! Yeah! You look great!! xo
Go, baby, go!
Kerry I love your writing about motherhood and all that goes with it. Could it be that you have a book incubating as well as a baby? Keep us posted
I’m eagerly awaiting the arrival of this baby’s name too. I’m also eagerly awaiting the arrival of the baby but I’m too wrapped up in the current edition to our family to really think about anyone else – or comment most days. 🙂
So excited!!
Thanks for many great recommendations and good luck with the new baby. If you have time to fill until the big day, check out this song about small bookshops. http://thebookshopband.x10.mx/The_Bookshop_Band/IBW.html Heard them today on CBC – they write songs about people/events in books!
You look terrific, Kerry! Keeping fingers crossed for you and baby.
My father was an obstetrician. Once he told me that most babies were born after their due dates, which made me question the accuracy of conventional wisdom about when, exactly, babies were due. The lovely Irish MD who delivered my own two kids used to say not to worry: “When the apple is ripe it will fall from the tree.”
Very exciting Kerry! Can’t wait to meet the new arrival.