A milestone....

41 weeks.
This is my first time in all of my pregnancies I have reached 41 weeks. I feel, nothing. Meh. I have come a very, very long way since our first, very medicalised pregnancy, labour and birth.
My trust, faith and knowledge has moved further and further away from medical, and is now very much deeply strong towards my inner voice, inner knowing, instinctual awareness, and plain and simply because no one knows my body or baby better than I.

It is a wonderful place to be. And sadly, nowadays not enough women are in this position. Which I do understand, as I was there once.
Doctors, hospitals, midwives, the 'experts and professionals' about birth have nothing but our best interest at heart, right?
In some instances, yes. Their knowledge is invaluable, when needed. I do not know one woman who would not be grateful for the expert who is truly needed in the very rare instances.
But most women don't. At the end of the day we are mammals. What we need is very simple, yet so hard to receive in such a scientific and time constrained society. People simply are too impatient with humans.
We need to be more calm, relaxed, and nurture each mother as her own pattern for labour and birth unfolds. Every birth, baby and mother are different. The only thing that should be done the same for them all, is patience.

Instead of constantly asking others for their opinions, advice, help and interventions, we woman have hundreds, and hundreds of years imprinted inside us.
If we can only look deeper into ourselves, listen to what our bodies are telling us. Trust that we have been blessed with a pregnancy, and our bodies know what to do.
I do believe the more we go inside, and listen to ourselves, the clearer things become.

Our instincts and knowing are too often fobbed off by those deep in the medical circle of birth. We begin to rely on the machines, the instruments and others telling us what is going on. This also places pressure on the medical side to constantly keep checking, and sometimes a false positive will mean even more testing, invasion, worry.

What is the answer? Well, I could put it simply that it would be wonderful that anyone involved with the care of women, pregnancy, birth and babies will have more trust in the mother, and her word. They will see her as strong, capable, knowledgeable with her own body.
Support the mother in what she wants and needs. Rather than telling her what she can and can't do.

As I said. I see this now, after 7 pregnancies, 5 births and a LOT of processing, researching, soul searching, and turning towards the wisdom women hold, and have held since women first gave birth.

So I feel this is why I am very relaxed about reaching 41 weeks. The amount of research I have done tells me this is VERY normal. But more importantly I know, deep down this is the journey this baby needs. She or he, may share the same parents as his or her siblings. Yet their blueprint is completely different.
Each baby is different. Each baby develops at a different rate. Each baby needs their own time inside our wombs.
My 4th baby surprised me at 38 weeks. He was born my 2nd largest, beautifully pink, calm and ready.
So too, will this baby be born when the time and day are right.

I find it very sad that the journey of many pregnancy's and births are managed in a way that is so far from normal, that women start to question themselves, their bodies and their babies, if they go past the strict, ridiculous number of 40 weeks.
A number that has NEVER been proven to hold any actual fact to be correct, yet it is the whole focus on every single woman and baby.
No two women, pregnancies, and babies are exactly the same. We need to put our focus on the mother and baby, and how they are travelling, rather than a 'magical' number.

Let's get back to basics. Trust women. Trust birth. Trust babies. Relax and be patient.
If there is a mother or baby who needs anything beyond normal, than what a great time we are in, that this can happen.
But for the majority, what we actually need, is to be seen as and cared for in the normal, physiological way that we are made. We are mammals. Lets us get back to our roots, listen to what our bodies need. Support eachother and encourage eachother.



Today is Sunday. I am well. Baby is well. Hub and the children are excited about what day the baby will choose.
I have set up a few areas in the house, as I am not sure until I am in labour where I will want to make a nest and birth. Yes, very mammal of me.
I have our room, which is very warm, and inviting. We also have the birth pool set up in the loungeroom. Towels and anything else needed are ready. The areas I have ready can be made quite dark which is wonderful as that makes it much easier for me to be in labourland.

We have nappies, fresh food stocked every few days, and a house with more than enough love to go around twice.

Every day that passes is another day closer to having baby in my arms, against my warm chest, me inhaling 'that' smell. Goodness, that smell is just so intoxicating isn't it?
Such an exciting time.