And Still We Wait....

**The following post may touch on topics that some find not that pleasant, so perhaps the faint-hearted (ie. males) should skip this entry.**

Well, it's Monday today and I am now 40weeks+4. I saw my midwife this morning and had a 'sweep' done... I won't go into too much detail as to what a 'sweep' entails other than to infer that it could broadly be related to a pap smear. Although considering I let my last pap smear be taken by a nursing student at the local hospital - a lot less painful.

Anyway - what has come to light is some pretty good news in that I am 1 cm dilated, that the baby's head is in the right place and fully engaged (the midwife was able ot tap it on hte head!)and that my cervix is naturally positioned in the 'middle' (as opposed to towards the posterior) which should mean an easier and quicker passage for the baby when he/she chooses to come out.

The 'sweep' or 'general rummage' as my midwife phrased it at one point, should hopefully serve to kick things off in the next 24 to 48 hours all going well and during this time I should stick to the sacred mantra of keeping active, eating curries, drinking raspberry leaf tea and having lots of sex.

If nothing kicks off in the next 48 hours, I will be given another week to wait for things ot happen naturally and if we are still babyless then, we are booked for an induction on the 12th of December - at which point I will will be 1 day shy of 42 weeks which is pretty much as far as they like pregnancies to go (as the placenta starts to degenerate).

As you can see by the photos below, my bump is still riding quite high, which has worried me somewhat that I'm nowhere near ready, and has lead me to have frightful dreams of c-sections and the what not. But the midwife said to not even worry about what the bump looks like - is is simply how my body is built to carry a baby and that as the head is in the right place and engaged, we are ready to go.

And whatever happens, by the end of next week we will have ourselves a little baby and THAT is so exciting.

Anyway, apologies for the baby monologue - it is by far and away the overwhelming story in my life at the moment.... and probably the next 20 years. A few other thoughts

- thank god for the fine batting we saw in the ashes overnight and the Aussies reaching a total of over 500. I'm loathe to get too into things but after watching slightly smug English commentary for 2 days straight, I can't help but revert to schoolboy tactics and want to yell 'In.You.Face.'

- had my most significant celebrity encounter yet. Literally almost ran into Naomi Watts at the Electric on Portobello Road (Notting Hill) for breakfast on Saturday as she dodged my bump (and gave me a big smile) as she vacated her seat and I took it. I was suitably nonchalant.... It was a moment. Wasted on Dave of course.