39 weeks & Get the Baby Out

At my last appointment the obstetrician reminded me that if I don't go into labour by 40 weeks, I'll be induced at the hospital. I'd totally forgotten; I thought I had until 42 weeks, but because I'm 40 years old I have to give birth earlier (I believe if I'd had a midwife I could've gone until 42, but since I have this OB and the hospital nurses believe the same, I choose to trust their advice).

The next week is filled with appointments to monitor the baby's condition, plus to try to induce labor naturally. I'll go over what I have in mind to try to encourage Sheep to come out:

Dates: The moment I found out I was GBS positive, I wanted to try to reduce the chance of my water breaking before going into labour. I know it's impossible to defy Mother Nature, but while doing research I did see a couple of studies that suggested eating 6 dates a day from 34 weeks onwards reduces the need for interventions, and can lead to a smoother delivery. Could be hokey, but eating 6 dates everyday has been an easy add to my diet.

Accupuncture: I stopped into The Accupuncture Hub on Broadway in Vancouver, because of their sliding scale pricing ($20-50 per session, compared to $100 for a private session in a clinic). I'd never tried accupuncture before, but I had read that some women used it to induce labor. The practitioner I spoke to said it was too early to induce, but recommended several sessions to "ripen the cervix" instead. Uh-huh. I did a session anyways (absolutely no needle pain) just to try it, and fell asleep in the chair within 10 minutes. I have no idea how "ripe" my cervix is, but I will say the session was very relaxing, and I've booked another session at a community accupuncture clinic in New West for induction.

Membrane sweep: The obstetrician will offer this at my next appointment, which is a few days before my 40-week due date. I'm going to decline, as I've read it can be very painful, plus it might lead to my water breaking before labour, which is exactly what I don't want.

Spicy food: I've visited Indian, Mexican, and ramen restaurants, asking for the hottest items. Sheep hasn't budged.

Reflexology: My fiance R hates giving and receiving massages. Bless him, he's a wonderful man and can fix things and does all kinds of favors for me (for example, putting my shoes onto my fat-ass feet because I can't bend down and tie the laces) but massage is not one of them. I was reluctant to spend the money on a reflexologist, so I looked up pressure points online to try to induce labor. I vaguely pointed out a pressure point on my foot (I love foot massages) and begged R to rub and press that area. It didn't induce any contractions, but it felt nice!

Relax: Almost everyone who offered advice said that relaxing and trusting in the process would lead to a good birth. I have incorporated this into my day to day: prenatal yoga in the morning, meditation at night. All in a bid to give Sheep and I the best journey possible.