Oh I live 5 mins from Fino Park! I was there yesterday, for our first official outing - playground was mental because it was half term (which I had forgotten). DS's scooter was nearly nicked a few times!
I just read your other thread about ELCS vs induction and am
for you, but only because I was in your shoes 2 years ago (although there was never any concerns about fluid levels etc) and it was a
time, not helped by tips like "oh you should try pineapple/raspberry leaf tea/insert old wives tale as appropriate" as every "helpful" suggestion just made me feel more and more like a failure for not going into labour. And don't even get me started on the idiots who'd text going "are you in labour yet???????". I still hold grudges against a couple of people which DH thinks is mad but makes me feel better
.
For me, I had planned a homebirth. DS was conceived via IVF/ICSI, so just about the most medical conception imaginable, and I really wanted a natural birth. Kind of to compensate iykwim. We had been doing hypnobirthing and the birth pool was all set up (which was great to float about it relaxing but I started to hate it as I felt it was taunting me
- in my defence, I was not really rational by this point!). Once I hit 42 weeks they wouldn't advise a homebirth, so I really felt the clock ticking. I did the acupuncture the hospital offered and did try all the old wives tales. Including walking loops around Finsbury Park!
I didn't have a positive induction process but it didn't impact on my bonding with DS and I feel quite positive about his birth over all (on paper his birth sounds terrible, and always elicits interest from medical professionals as it was quite out of the ordinary). I'm actually glad I attempted a vaginal birth, even though I ended up delivering via a crash section. But as Fliss has said both on your other thread and on here, it's your decision and what's right for me/someone else may not be right for you.
You're doing hypnobirthing, which I found really really useful. Listen to your affirmations, repeat them out loud, relax with the colour thingy. I used my hypnobirthing breathing during my induction and managed pretty well with a little gas & air (and I was hyperstimulating so no break between contractions). And remember that once your baby arrives you will realise quite what an excellent job your body has been doing cooking this new person. I know how theoretical it all seems, but this day next week you will be cuddling your baby (my baby is currently as asleep on me!) and these days will be receding.
And once your baby arrives we could well be bumping into each other with our babies in Finsbury Park - I'd happily meet up for a coffee. I've never met a MNetter I didn't like
. I was also wondering, are you Irish? There's something about your posting style that makes me think you're also Irish (am from Cork myself).
OK, enough from me. My son is asleep, my husband is snoring on the couch and my daughter is asleep on my chest. I should really try to sleep myself!