I really learned how to cook the first year I was married. We were living in a decent apartment and the kitchen had an older oven, but it did its job fairly well. I did have to adjust most of my recipes since it appeared the temperature was a bit off, but once I got used to it, it was second nature. Then we moved into our house, which had a brand new oven, and suddenly I was overcooking everything on the new gas range and under-cooking everything in the oven. Burned rice and slightly raw chicken don’t exactly make for a delicious meal. It took me a long time (and a meat thermometer) to readjust. The moral of the story is: not all ovens take the same amount of time to cook a particular dish. Even if the package says, 20-25 minutes, you still might need to bake your cupcakes for 28.
Babies are the same way. Thirty-eight weeks post conception is just an estimate for how long it will take your baby to finish growing. Repeat after me, “due dates are for doctors, not for babies.” Sometimes, babies are ready to come out a little early and they are just fine. Sometimes they need a few extra days, or even weeks, to mature to the point where they are ready to be born and thrive on the outside. Medically speaking, you can be overdue, but practically speaking, no one gave your baby the memo on when they were supposed to come out. They are not overdue, they are just not ready.
In this day and age, induction is often a decision made without any serious consideration, but there is no such thing as medical intervention without side effects. In my experience, induction made my labor go much too fast and was probably a major factor behind me needing an episiotomy (not fun!). In the future, I will do everything I can to avoid another induction. As uncomfortable as those last days of pregnancy are, I’ve decided that it will be much better for me and the baby to wait for the right time, rather than try to enforce the due date.
Do you keep your eye on the due date?