My Predictions

When will Baby Simon make his appearance? The Kaiser midwife doesn't think I will make it to 40 weeks. My in-laws want the baby to come early so it won't interfere with Allison's baby coming. I'm having Braxton-Hicks nearly every day, but with no regularity or intensity. I'm also running again and taking a TON of herbal medication for my GBS, some of which have been known to cause contractions. And I plan on eating pineapple and eggplant parmesan, both of which have been said to "induce labor," within the next week.

But here is my prediction: I believe that I will make it to 40 weeks. I believe I will go into labor on August 24th - the night of the full moon - and have the baby on August 25th. Baby Simon will share a birthday with his cousin, Anastasia.

Why do I think this? I'm a first-time mom, and I'm pretty sure that the estimated due date is right on target. We only did the "deed" that causes pregnancy twice during the month of November, and only one of those times was around a time that I would have been ovulating.

I also think that, despite what my in-laws want, Allison's baby may not be safe to come the weekend of August 13-14. Her original due date was September 9th, which was probably set by two things: the first day of her last period and the first ultrasound. From all the research I've done on babies and pregnancy (and I have done a lot), the first ultrasound is the best indicator of the due date. After that, babies grow at different rates, so measurements are not as accurate in determining what your due date is. When Allison moved to South Carolina in April, her new OB determined that her due date was off by 2.5 weeks and moved it up to August 30. Garrett was born 8 days early, so by moving her due date to August 30, that is about 8 days earlier than her original due date (11 days to be exact), which would take into consideration that her first was early and the second is usually a little earlier than the first. But that being said, if she had the baby on August 13 or 14, and her original due date was correct, she would only be at 36 weeks, which is still not considered in the "safe zone." My prediction for her is that she will have the baby either on the same day I will (due to the full moon), or right around her new due date of August 30.

I know both of us are ready for these babies to enter the world. Yes, the babies could come earlier, and Baby Simon would be safe to do so at this point. And yes, I would really like him to come early, because I'm tired of being pregnant and getting more and more uncomfortable each day, but I'd rather they both cook until they are completely ready for the big transition into the cold, cruel world.