Full term update...woo hoo!

I went to the doctor yesterday for my 37 week appointment (actually, my 36 week and 6 day appointment, but I don't like driving 45 minutes to get to the office that he works at on Tuesdays, so 4 pm the day before becoming full term had to do).  It was kind of a bittersweet appointment.  While I am super happy that I am now full term, I felt somewhat discouraged that I didn't make much progress.  I am ready to rock and roll today, so I could have handled hearing that I was 5 or 6 cm dilated.  But alas, I was still only a little bit more than 4 cm.  However, he told me that I had gone from being 50-60% effaced to being 70%, so I guess that is progress.  The main reason that I was discouraged it because I have been in escalating pain over the past week.  I cramp about 8-10 hours each and every day.  I figured that this meant that things were moving along, but apparently not.

Thankfully, I was told by the doctor that I could stop taking my tocolytic yesterday, so I am no longer taking medications that are supposed to keep me from going into labor.  I am hoping that I will make some progress over the next week now that I am no longer trying to prevent labor and I am going to try to encourage it (yay for yoga and my eliptical).  I tried to look up natural home "remedies" to go into labor and discovered something disheartening: there is no scientific support for any home remedy to go into labor.  Bummer.  Furthermore, most of the things recommended are either ridiculous (eat 7 whole, fresh, raw pineapples) or dangerous (various natural supplements).  While there is no scientific support, it's not going to hurt anything to try to go ahead and do the things that aren't ridiculous or dangerous, so I will press on.  I realize, however, that everything is on the baby's timetable, so no matter what I do it will likely have no baring.  A girl can dream though.