Becoming Undone Over A "Due" Date

"Due date" is such a funny term... I know not to get wrapped up in it, but yet it was so easy for me to freak out as it approached and then as it passed.

I was "due" yesterday. Upon finding out that my body has not made any major movements toward preparing for birth, I was really kind of sad that I would most likely not meet my baby on his proposed birth date. The irony in this disappointment is that I brought it upon myself. I'm not sure if it's the hormones or just the utter anxiety and excitement that fills me, but I allowed myself to be consumed with a date that is proven to be as accurate as me throwing a dart at a dartboard while blindfolded.

The truth of the matter is that I (well, we) have chosen to let our little boy decide when he is ready to come out. Sure, I could have been induced on (or before) his due date, but I opted for something different. We are using the Bradley Method of natural childbirth and after reading several books and loads of info about childbirth, I KNOW that the average first child is delivered eight days after the due date if allowed to go naturally. So why would I let myself become so absorbed in an unreliable date proposed by unreliable calculations? I set myself up!!

It's for this reason that after my appointment I called my mom wanting to cry about not having a baby yet. And it's for this reason that I then walked into a store to look at baby announcements, ran into a friend, and cried again that I didn't have a newborn in my arms that day. So silly.

The truth of the matter is I want this to happen naturally. I want him to let me know when he is ready. Despite all the emotions, I want to have a good attitude and be excited for when I do meet him rather than cry that I haven't met him yet. I have had a fabulous pregnancy and for that I am so thankful. Here's to hoping delivery will be just as great... whenever he's ready...