OK, this is kind of weird … a few of my Flickr photos of my pregnant belly have been favorited by male Flickr users. And when I go to check out their other favorites, they’re all of pregnant women. It’s creeping me out … I wish I knew that there was an innocent reason for it. Does anyone know of any GOOD reasons for someone to be interested in these kinds of photos?

Me, 40 weeks pregnant:

… and here’s Andrew at 40 weeks pregnant:

So yesterday was my due date. And still no baby. I’m going to try not to stress about it. In fact, I did a little research and found that there isn’t much to worry about. First time moms (medical term: primiparas) who are white and healthy, on average, have a gestation of 288 days, not 280 (40 weeks) as most believe. Here’s a quote from this site:

What is the “normal gestational term” for humans?

Naegele’s Rule: The standard definition for gestational term is 266 days from conception to the date of the baby’s birth. This is also defined as 280 days, or 40 weeks, from the first day of the mother’s last menstrual period, a definition which assumes that the mother ovulates on day 14 of a 28 day menstrual cycle. The formula used to calculate due date is:

(LMP + 7 days) – 3 months = Due Date

This definition is based on observations, first reported by Franz Naegele in 1812, who believed that pregnancy lasted ten lunar months from the last menstrual period. It was not based on empirical data.

Mittendorf’s Observations of Gestational Term. In the 1980’s, Mittendorf noticed that birth dates for women in his practice, primarily second-generation Irish-Americans, averaged seven days past their “due dates”. He reviewed his records, then went on to review records of 17,000 births, and determined the average healthy, white, private-care, primiparous woman averaged 288 days from LMP to birth: 8 days longer than Naegele’s rule. Mittendorf and other researchers have further determined several factors that affect gestational term, including ethnicity, parity, nutrition, substance use, mother’s age, and mother’s size. Based on Mittendorf’s data, a more appropriate formula might be:

(LMP – 3 months) + 15* Days = Due Date

* Add 10, rather than 15, if mother is non-white, or multiparous

The good news is I THINK I’m making progress toward delivering this baby. I’ve had weird cramps for the last 2 weeks, and they’ve become a daily occurrence. The doctor confirmed that they must be Braxton Hicks, and everything I’ve read about what they feel like seems to confirm it as well. It’s like a weird charlie-horse/funny bone feeling deep and low in my abdomen - practically in my groin. My stomach appears to harden with each cramp, too. It’s only mildly painful - maybe a 1.5 on a scale of 1 - 10.

One more day to go and Julianna is evidently still content to remain inside of me. I’ve always been enormously afraid of labor, so I guess the good thing about possibly going overdue is that I’ll just want it so badly I’ll forget about the pain I’ll be facing. Andrew and I went to see “Enchanted” at the movies last night … during the movie, I had a round of contractions which I hoped might lead to something, but they petered out after an hour. I understand these practice contractions are supposed to be preparing my body for labor, but why are my stats (baby not descended, 0 dilation and only a little effaced) so poor? I guess I’ll have to wait until Tuesday’s appointment to see if I’ve made any progress.

Andrew and I went for my 40-week doctor’s visit today. I had a cervix check (not much fun) to see if I’d progressed at all. Apparently not - I’m still not dilated and only a bit effaced. And the baby hasn’t even dropped yet, which usually happens between weeks 38 and 40 in first-time mothers. While this doesn’t necessarily mean I won’t go into labor tonight, I think it might be less of a possibility. Oh well, I could use the extra time to get ready. I wish this nesting instinct would kick in so I could get some work done around the house. Instead, I just feel like vegging out and watching TV, but there’s nothing good on - just reality shows and I hate them.

Anyway, to keep you entertained, here’s a picture of me at Thanksgiving wearing a t-shirt my brother bought for my birthday - “I Beat Anorexia”:

I’ve been terrible about keeping up with this blog lately, but I have an excuse - we’ve been working on the house, getting it ready for Julianna’s arrival (which could be any day now). The nursery is painted and there’s furniture in there, so I’ll get some pictures up shortly. She’ll be sleeping in her crib in our bedroom for at least the first 6 months, but the nursery will be a nice place for her to play.

Here I am at 38 weeks and 4 days pregnant:

I thought there was a resemblance between Andrew as a baby and Julianna at 31 weeks gestation, so I decided to morph their images:

Check out these beautifully handmade wood & wire frame dolls with felt clothing on Flickr. I think these are a great alternative to made-with-lead-paint-in-China Mattel toys, although I’m not sure they could stand up to daily handling from a child. Photos/crafts from Soozs.

Mahar Drygoods has been in my bookmark list for a couple of years now, and I’m excited I’ll finally be able to shop online for my own baby. I particularly love these crocheted little booties: