I had a Nonstress Test and Biosphysical Profile done on Tuesday.  The test results came back perfect again!  Woohoo, a 10 out of 10!

Today I had a check up at the OBGYN with another doctor.  My doctor has been on vacation since Monday and returns next week on Monday.  I am still not dilated and ACE is still up high.  My doctor had scheduled me to be induced on Monday, June 7th when she returns from vacation.  I have decided to cancel the induction scheduled for that morning and schedule a check up with her to discuss my options.  Maybe I will get lucky and be dilated for my appointment with her.

Obviously ACE is not ready to come out and meet us.  There is no reason why I can’t wait until 42 weeks to be induced.  My gut instinct tells me that he will arrive on his own by then.  I have worked really had to have a healthy pregnancy and have been very fortunate thus far.  ACE has been and is still perfectly positioned for a natural vaginal delivery.  I refuse to give into what maybe a convenient option for my doctor.  If I were to be induced before I am dilated there is a high possibility that my labor could result in a C-section.  I am not cool with that.  Especially when the number of C-sections are higher than they have ever been and many of them may not be necessary.

So, I am going to continue to be patient on waiting for ACE’s arrival!  Hey, he may even decide to show up on my birthday: June 10th.

Ryan recently shared some information with me about the Full Moon and the effect it has on Childbirth. Typically if your due date is close to a Full Moon you are likely to go into labor around that time.

I decided to do a little bit of research about when I was born.  Wow!  I was born on June 10, 1979 and there indeed was a Full Moon on that day!

A while back, Ryan and I along with our Mom’s made predictions on when Addison would be born.  I predicted that he would be born on May 27th.  Interestingly enough there is a Full Moon on May 27th.  I am so intrigued to see if he will actually be born on this day.

Take a look at the article below for more information on:

The Moon’s Effect on Natural Childbirth

by PregnancyAdmin on May 5, 2009 ( http://www.firsttimepregnancy.com/176.html )

Did you know that some maternity units actually have more staff available during periods of full moon?

I’ve always been fascinated by the moon’s effect on nature, so when a friend’s wife conveyed to me what her midwife had told her during the birth of their daughter, I decided to find out more about childbirth, full moon and a possible link.

On speaking to various medical staff involved in natural childbirth, the first thing I learned was that expectant mothers often experience false signs of labor during full moon.

Contractions known as “Braxton Hicks” — sometimes noticeable to the mother and sometimes not — become more pronounced and many travel to the maternity unit in the belief that “it’s time”. Disappointed — or perhaps relieved — they return home, the pains having subsided and with no dilation of the cervix.

While these expectant mothers visiting the clinic with their mistaken signs of labor are part of the reason why extra staff are needed, the major difference is found in the number of women whose amniotic sac — the water — breaks.

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Just as some women experience false labor pains, in cases where the water breaking marks the start of childbirth, full moon is the time when it’s most likely to happen.

In order to discover for myself whether this could be true, I asked several female friends how their births had started. Those who responded with “the water breaking” were then asked the date of the birth. On checking this against a moon phase chart, I discovered that almost all had given birth on, or very close to, a full moon.

The theory is that the moon’s gravitational pull effects the amniotic fluid in much the same way as it effects the water in the sea, rivers and even the water that’s otherwise found in our bodies.

As a woman’s body prepares for natural childbirth, the amniotic sac becomes distended so the point where it will easily burst if put under pressure. Under normal circumstances, the pressure of labor contractions bursts the sac. During a full moon, the pressure caused by the moon’s effect on the water inside the sac can cause the same things to happen, but without the accompanying contractions.

When this happens, natural childbirth doesn’t always move forward and with no other signs of labor present, the obstetrician may decide to induce the birth. During my own study of this phenomenon I found that of 8 women whose births started with the water breaking at full moon, 5 of them had no accompanying contractions.

A coincidence? Perhaps. But surely midwives wouldn’t prepare themselves for an increase in natural childbirth activity if there wasn’t some truth in this?

One midwife told me that when it comes to planning childbirth, full moons should always be looked for around the time of the expected delivery. If there’s one within a few days either side, the chances are your baby will be born on that day.

To find out if there was a Full Moon when you were born follow this link:

http://moonphases.info/past_full_moon_dates_calendar.html

If you are having a baby in 2010, follow this link to find out if there is a Full Moon close to your due date:

http://www.screensaver-download.com/full_moon_calendar_dates.html