thirty-nine-week checkup and my official prediction.

went to the doctor today for my 39-week appointment - today i'm 39 weeks and 1 day.

i always get really excited for these things, thinking something is going to be signaling sure-to-happen-soon labor.

wrong.

i'm exactly the same as i have been for the past two weeks -- not dilated and 50 percent effaced.

blah.

my doctor has no problem inducing and would even induce women at 38 weeks if they wanted. but for me, she said she wouldn't recommend inducing any time soon because i'm so closed.

see, if you induce labor before your body is ready, you run a risk of just laboring for hours and hours and hours without making enough progress to be able to push before things become dangerous for you and the baby. lots of times, women end up having a c-section after 24-plus-hours of exhausting labor when they're induced.

doesn't sound fun to me either.

but on the other hand, my doctor will really press for an induction if you don't go into natural labor by a week after your due date. she doesn't like to let you go past that because then you run another c-section risk 'cause the baby is getting too big. also, after too long, your placenta starts to break down, and it can be dangerous for the baby to stay in there.

anyway, she said today that she would call the hospital to schedule an induction for me sometime between the 19th and the 21st if i don't go into natural labor by then. you have to schedule these things, you know.

the other thing she told me today is that ellie weighs 7.5 pounds.

all that being said, i think she's coming on the 15th - one week from today. all on her own.

i don't really know why i think that. i just do.

i guess we'll see if there is such a thing as mother's intuition.

i sure hope so.

but, ellie, if you wanna come earlier, it's OK to prove mama wrong.

but you better not prove me wrong by coming later, young lady.

or else.