I'm sad to realize that labor & delivery units across the nation are probably very busy this week, with moms inducing labor before the holiday arrives. Whether this is because of the encouragement of their doctor or the choice of the mom, babies are being evicted early because of Thanksgiving. In mid-December there will be a similar rush, and then again the last week of the year as parents attempt to get their baby out in time to qualify for the tax credit. Wow.
The tragedy is that so often an induction is painted as a simple, easy way to encourage labor along. Parents may not be aware of the multitude of interventions - and the associated risks - that they choose with an induction. Of course there are times that inducing labor is medically indicated - but the holiday schedule is not one of those times!
First time moms inducing labor have a 42% chance of cesarean birth. Almost HALF of them will end up with surgery. Hardly convenient, going into the holiday season. Not to mention the struggle they will then face with any subsequent pregnancy, especially if they are hoping to not have cesareans for the rest of their births. As more hospitals begin to ban VBACs and as fewer care givers are willing to "labor sit" for moms having VBACs, women are having their options limited with every future birth. I imagine this is not something routinely discussed when an OB mentions to a mom that she can go ahead and induce to get the baby out before the holidays. Especially if a mom is unsure of her due dates, early eviction for a baby means a higher risk of respiratory distress, feeding issues, and possible NICU time. Talk about putting a damper on the holiday festivities.
Just let your baby keep baking! Unless there is a medically indicated reason, let your baby pick their own birthday. 🙂 Relax, enjoy your holiday season, and let your baby come when baby is ready.
. It explains some of the traditions developing for blessingways as they become more popular and I've attended a few baby showers that incorporated a few of these things. There's a wide range of suggestions and some you may not personally be comfortable with but others you may love. Like all things, if you're hosting an event for someone then find out what they would appreciate and plan accordingly! But here are some things that appealed to me from the book or things I've participated in and wanted to remember. 
- probably the most comprehensive book for overall preparation for pregnancy & birth, though I didn't feel that it covered a lot of coping ideas for labor itself and with precipitous births (my second, which is when I read Bradley) it basically says good luck and hang on! There is a 12 week course that goes along with this book and it's taught locally. (Chapters 12 to 15 I think are crucial for couples planning a natural birth.)
- this one is excellent for pain coping ideas and for more of the emotional preparation for labor, considering your fears and concerns and working to protect the birth space. I learned about this one with my third birth and the pain coping ideas and visualizing your dream birth were both incredibly helpful for me. This book is affiliated with a childbirth course as well, and I'm helping teach the local class. I think EVERY parent should read chapters 20 to 24 and chapter 38 (on coping techniques.) 
- I loved that this one was very comprehensive, but there's not a childbirth class associated with it. I didn't read it until my fifth birth but their discussion on what pain is and how we respond was really, really helpful for me. It changed my perspective. The Sears have a huge collection of books - this one is just on birth, barely touching on postpartum/breastfeeding/etc. They have different books for pregnancy and for nursing (and for preemies and for high needs babies and for nutrition - you get the idea!) But for labor itself, this birth book is great. My husband said if dads read only one chapter of one book, read the chapter in this one about perceptions of pain - it's chapter 8, but chapters 9 and 11 are also really good.
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