38 weeks

*A quick recap:

• Today makes a full month since I went in for preterm labor, at which point I was at 1-2 cm/ 75% effaced, baby was engaged, and I was told she could come at any time. I have regularly been contracting ever since.
• The next week, I was at a 3 or so and 80%.
• 1.5 weeks ago, I lost my plug, went to L&D and was at 4cm and 90% effaced.
• Today I had my 38 week midwife appointment and lo and behold, I am barely at 5cm, 90-95% effaced, the baby's head is nearly at zero station, and I've been bleeding since the appointment.
• As for inducing the labor, I really want a natural birth- so I'm just playing it cool until next week when I'll get my membranes stripped and see what that will inspire. Walking, whoopi, spicy foods, and castor oil were all no-gos, and I won't consider any other type of induction method until I'm 10 days overdue or so, unless my water breaks or something.

What does all of this lead me to believe? Logic would only denote that I am progressing 1cm per week, so at this rate, my baby should simply fall right out about the last week of may, lol.

As for how I'm doing: I'm in surprisingly high spirits compared to last week. For those who didn't take the time to read the ridiculously long post from last thursday, I was horribly depressed and tuckered out from my multiple false labors. I have since more or less bed-ridden myself so I can power back up and avoid maximum contractions. I have also just handed my fate over to god. I now know there's nothing I can do to "induce" this little girl out of me. She will come when she comes and hopefully be all that much healthier for having waited. Since she's already half way done, I'm hoping the actual birth will go quickly.

So that's this week's installment of "Baby girl burkman's month long birth" story. I'll take my last set of pregnancy pics tonight to finish the belly pic series... so those will probably be posted tomorrow or so.

Thanks for all the great comments and inquiries for how I'm doing. It's good to know that our little family is loved and people are looking out for us.

*I've had multiple people ask me what all that means, so for those who aren't up to date on baby lingo:

• Effacement is how thick the wall keeping the baby's head back is. 0%= fully thick, 100%= not there anymore
• Dilation is how wide the opening is. 0cm= totally closed, 10cm= babytime. Active labor usually starts for girls at 2-3 cm, then the baby comes within 10 hours from there. I'm a freak of nature in this aspect.
• Mucus Plug= The membrane that acts like a plug to separate babyville from the outside so that bacteria dont co-mingle. This is usually not lost until right before the birth.
• -4 station means the baby is back appropriately in her home. Zero station means the baby's at the pelvis. +4 station means the baby has essentially been born.

I am an extremely rare case in regards to each of these terms. Most girls have their baby within losing the mucus plug, 80%+ effacement, regular contractions, 2-3 cm dilation, -1 station.