"What are you going to do about it??"

I have a 1st time mom whose estimated due date (EDD) was June 24. They attend my church so the excitement is high as people wait on the coming baby. Now she is overdue. Mom is excitedly anxious to meet her baby, but she is very relaxed, as I have told her from the beginning that 1st time moms typically go 7-10 days overdue, so she was prepared!

But now the questions come - "Is it ok that she's going overdue? Can't you do an exam and just kinda help things along? Shouldn't she be walking and get that baby outta there?" The one heard most frequently - "What are you going to do about it??"

This points to a sad lack of knowledge about the realities of natural, normal pregnancy and birth. The fact of it is, baby is healthy and active. Mom eats very well and is not growing a "too big" baby. All is well! Yet in our culture, "everyone" schedules a c-section or an induction and can tell you months in advance when the baby is going to be born. From all the mothers that I come in contact with, almost 100% of them are told by their doctor exactly when the baby should be born, so the exposure to someone waiting on it to happen naturally is quite rare!

To answer the question, "What are you going to do about it??", I smile and say "Nothing!" All is well! God knew what he was doing and has a wonderful, marvelous design, and a plan for this birth. I am hoping that her birth will be a beautiful springboard for others to see that it's ok to wait...it's ok to let things progress at their own pace...that pregancy is not one big emergency waiting to happen....that you can trust the process, and the God of the process.

Spreading the word, one birth at a time!