Fragility

On my windshield this morning, as we left to see the midwife

We met with our lovely midwife at the Cambridge Birth Center today for my 36-week check-up.  I'll be seeing her every week until my due date (and a couple weeks after that, depending).  I got back test results today that say I'm not anemic and don't have Strep B (whew!), so everything is still just normal, normal, normal!  Good news.  

I have now cleared all hurdles for a Birth Center birth except one: I need to be 37 weeks pregnant.  Connie said to me, "Don't go into labor for 6 more days."

The whole due date roulette game is absurd but consuming.  Even though I know that it's unlikely I'll go into labor until a week after my due date (this is statistically most likely for a first birth), all of a sudden I feel like it could happen any second.  Maybe it's the Relaxin that's opening up my hips in a painful (but necessary) way, maybe it's the every-now-and-then contractions that are strengthening my uterus and giving me a glimpse of the future, or maybe it's just how bad I want to make it through January so that I can work my non-profit job til the 18th, get paid, and then have a week or so totally off.

Anyway, what will be will be, but I'm now appreciating in a weird way every heavy, tired, semi-painful day.  Here's to a February birthday, Groundhog!