Today is my due date, and my child doesn't really seem to have a whole lot of intention of making his entrance into the world in anything like a timely fashion.
Over the last few weeks, I have been given a lot of advice about how to speed things up down there or what to do next ... and much of it, including advice given to me by my doctor and her various staff, contradicts each other.
Here's just a sampling:
Upon seeing how swollen my feet are, my doctor says: "Stop eating salt."
Upon being asked for tips to get labor moving, she says: "Eat spicy food."
I don't know about you, but no-sodium spicy foods are in pretty short supply where I live.
Upon hearing my concerns about soreness and pain "downstairs," doc's assistance: "Don't have any more sex."
No. 1 piece of advice people love to give to speed up labor: "Have sex." (including my doc, a week after the above).
And more fun ones:
Rest while you can.
Stay active.
Do jumping jacks.
Don't overexert yourself.
Clean the house.
Learn to let the housework go.
Go for long walks.
Keep your feet elevated.
Eat healthy.
Your pregnant, don't worry about your diet.
Take time pre-baby to relax at home.
Keep going to work to stay busy.
Take this herb or that herb or drink blahblah ... "but I did all of that and it didn't actually work." (I don't understand women's desires to perpetuate bring-on-the-labor myths they tried their ownselves that didn't actually work.)
Of course, my very favorite is "Don't do anything. He'll come when he's ready."
Which is usually followed by horror at the idea that if he doesn't come by a certain point, my doctor will induce me, or "Get that baby out of there! We can't wait to meet him."
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