Today marks 37 weeks, which means I have exactly 3 weeks to my due date.

My He Hapai Pono nurse called me on Monday to see how I was doing, asking me questions like: how I’m managing my gestational diabetes, how’s my blood pressure, has the doctor put me on any medications, is my hospital bag packed, have I decided where I’m delivering, have I been experiencing any contractions, am I feeling the baby moving?

Then, she told me that doctors generally like to induce labor at 38 weeks for women with gestational diabetes. That’s next week: September 10! The reason behind opting to induce early is because women with gestational diabetes tend to give birth to large babies if they go to full term. On my last visit to the OB, she didn’t express any concern that Baby Champuru was going to be a large baby at all. In fact, she’s estimating 6 – 6.5 pounds at full term. I don’t feel especially large and I’ve been keeping my blood sugar levels mostly under control and my weight gain has been moderate thus far. I’m hoping that on my next visit on Monday, that she won’t tell me that I will need to induce in two days.

If possible, I’d prefer not to be induced — unless, of course, I’m past due. I don’t want to evict her from the womb prematurely and involuntarily. I want her to be ready to face the world in her own time.

Besides that, my last day of work is scheduled for September 10. (Yes, I extended it a week and a half. I was supposed to start my maternity leave on August 29, but I couldn’t complete my video projects before then.) Is it too much to ask for at least a week or two of leisure before the baby comes?

Actually, I have a feeling that Baby Champuru will arrive fashionably late. Or maybe it’s just wishful thinking, since we need as much time to prepare as we can get. For me, mostly mentally. Having a child is a life-changing event, after all. Hopefully I can switch gears into motherhood smoothly.