The Due Date Countdown

As a site focused on the Sweet Baby "To Be", I feel it only fitting to address one of the mathematical "discrepancies" that I noticed when I was expecting my first child. To any woman who has been pregnant, and who has gone through the last few weeks of the "Due Date Countdown", it becomes VERY apparent around Month 8, Week 3, Day 4 that someone's math was incorrect.

We are told all our lives that pregnancy is a 9 month process...but then it hits you...there are 40 weeks in a "full term pregnancy". Doing the math, and following the "30 days has September, April, June and November" riddle, a full-term pregnancy is actually about 9 1/2 months long.

Now, I fell victim to the "placenta brain complex" (where you can't complete a sentence, remember your pet's name, or depending on the day, YOUR name), so I would often re-check the calendar thinking and hoping that the error was on MY end. But no...the cold hard facts stared me square in the eyes...I had hit the 9 month milestone, only to find...I still had 2 more weeks to go!

The next chapter of my "Due Date Countdown" unfolds. My son's official "due date" was June 5, 2006 which came...and went. I awoke the next morning and realized that my son could be born on "06-06-06". Now, I am not a paranoid person, but the "666" thing was a little creepy for me. So, I made a "deal" with God. As exhausted and HUGE as I was from 40 weeks (aka 9 1/2 months) of pregnancy...I pleaded my case. If he would just "hold off" for the day, I would wait another week.

My prayer request was granted. I waited another seven full days before going into labor on June 13th. And after 28 hours of labor, my "star" was born. As I looked at him through tears, my first words were "It was worth every minute".

For those of you in the last few weeks of your "Due Date Countdown" - counting down days, hours and minutes - my best advice is: "Do Not Wish These Days Away". Enjoy the miracle of being pregnant, pamper yourself daily and know that your baby will arrive when he or she is ready. I promise...it's worth every minute!