40 weeks and counting!

Today is my due date!! YAY!!! I have survived a full 40 weeks of pregnancy!
Now if only Baby Dean would get the hint! *nudge nudge*
As promised yesterday, I will be talking about the choice of an epidural today.
It only seems fitting, as I could go into labor at any time (hopefully sooner rather than later).

So, maybe I wrote about it, maybe I didn't. But several people know that I would like to try and go as far as possible during labor without pain medication. 

My goal is to make it to 7 cm dilated before getting an epidural. 

My secret goal is to do the whole thing without an epidural or pain medication.

(Insert everyone's side eye here)

And that's what this post is going to be about. The constant side eye I get when people hear my goals.

These are goals. Attainable goals. Lots of women give birth with no pain medication. Lots of women give birth with no pain medication multiple times!

I know that I have yet to experience a real contraction. I know that I have yet to experience labor and delivery. I know that lots of women in my life HAVE experienced the pain of contractions and of labor and delivery and know how intense it will be. Perhaps that's why they give me the side eye when I talk about my goals. 

What my issue is, is that I only get side eyes when talking about my goals. I've gotten some support and encouraging words from a few people, but rarely do I have people tell me that they think I could do it. That they BELIEVE in me. 

Usually the response I get is, "Oh you'll get the epidural...I have no doubt you'll get the epidural"

And to me, I hear, "You're not strong enough to reach your goal"..."You CAN'T do it"..."You WON'T do it"...

It's a little hurtful. But I'm going to be honest. I'm not superwoman. I'm far from superwoman. So I'm not going to pretend like me getting an epidural is out of the question. 

But what WILL hurt is once I have him, and if I do get an epidural, hearing people say, "I told you you'd get the epidural!"

Because let's face it, I'm the type of person that will do things just to prove others wrong. So if I'm not able to prove all the haters wrong, and to then hear "I told you so" will be SUPER hurtful and WILL piss me off. 

So, here's a pre-warning: If I end up getting an epidural, and you see me, DO NOT say "I told you so." Instead, tell me how I'm still so strong for making it as far as I did, how you couldn't do what I did...

In other words...

LIE TO ME.