statistically speaking

You're more likely to have your first baby at around 41 weeks (and a day, to be precise). But almost everyone thinks they will be early. Obviously some of them will be, and about 5% will be right on time and many are "late". But the whole idea of estimated due dates gets shortened to DUE DATE...but it's an estimate. I'm pretty sure our moms were not stressed about their EDD in the same way that current birthing moms are. But then inductions didn't loom so large even 10 years ago.
One thing I've noticed (perhaps I've said this before?) is that women who had some concerns over pre-term labor pr were put on bed rest or similar usually see their "due date" come and go. I think our minds and our connections to our babies are powerful - we tell them, "don't come baby" and they listen! So if you are waiting on your baby, have a talk with them.
Also, what was your cycle like when you got pregnant? If it was longer, eg. 33 days, then your date might be off - that dial-a-baby is based on 28 days, getting pregnant on day 14. Same deal for shorter cycles - maybe you're a little more pregnant than your date indicates and you'll be "early".
Either way, no one has been pregnant for ever - your baby will come.

assumption of powerlessness

The assumption of powerlessness that I so often see in birthing women makes me sad. It makes me crazy and angry too. I feel like I want to grab women by their collectively shrugging shoulders and look them in the eye and say, "this is not OK...you have a choice here; get angry and do something!" Sometimes I do do this, but in a gentle way. Sometimes it is arguably not my place and so I remain quietly supportive, perhaps tacitly being part of the problem.

I just heard from a colleague who is disturbed by her client's email which says,

The last three pregnant women I've known of have birthed their babies (all c-sections) 2-4 weeks early. It's making me think it may be the same
for us. We'll see. :)

Why is this getting me at such a deep place? Is it the happy face at the end? The seeming flipness that is perhaps real nonchalance or maybe masks deep fear? I don't know, but it troubles me deeply. It makes me want to weep.

So instead of staying in a dark place, I will offer again some information from The March Of Dimes on the medical creation of premature babies and the induction epidemic. There is a petition to sign. A small way to say "stop this ride - I want to get off".

part of the solution

*Essential information about the induction epidemic!!!*

The 2008 Petition for Preemies launched by the March of Dimes is a four-point petition which calls for hospital leaders to voluntarily review all cesarean-section births and inductions of labor that occur before 39 weeks gestation in an effort to reverse America’s rising preterm birth rate. The review is intended to ensure that all c-sections and inductions meet established American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines regarding medical necessity of elective procedures. The Petition is supported by the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Business Group on Health, and more than two dozen other maternal and infant health agencies, concerned business and quality improvement organizations. In addition, the Petition calls for: expanded federal support for prematurity-related research; policymakers to improve access to health coverage for women of childbearing age and support smoking cessation programs as part of maternity care; and businesses to create workplaces that support maternal and infant health. The March of Dimes will follow up the Petition with the release of their Premature Birth Report Card, which will be released on November 12th (Prematurity Awareness Day) and will grade the nation and the state son their preterm birth rate.

To sign the Petition, go here

drop in infant mortality

Yesterday the New York Times reported a 2% decrease (in 2006 numbers, the most recent available) in infant mortality, but...

Infant deaths in the United States declined 2 percent in 2006, government researchers reported Wednesday, but the rate still remains well above that of most other industrialized countries and is one of many indicators suggesting that Americans pay more but get less from their health care system.

and here's an important part, directly linked to birth practices:

Preterm birth is a significant risk factor for infant death. From 2000 to 2005, the percentage of preterm births in the United States jumped 9 percent, to 12.7 percent of all births. The most rapid increase has been among late preterm births, or babies born at 34 to 36 weeks of gestation. Some 92 percent of these increased premature births are by Caesarean section, according to a recent study.

Dr. Alan Fleischman, medical director of the March of Dimes Foundation, said that a growing number of these late preterm births might be induced for reasons of convenience. “Women have always been concerned about the last few weeks of pregnancy as being onerous,” Dr. Fleischman said, “but what we hadn’t realized before is that the risks to the babies of early induction are quite substantial.”

I wish we humans would realize our hubris & understand that just becasue we can does not always mean we should.

I also hope that people consider these factors when evaluating our healthcare system in this country - the numbers are the numbers and they clearly indicate that spending the most (twice as much, in fact) is not getting us to where we need to be.