Another check-up. I gained another 3 pounds since Friday! What is going on in there?

Now I'm 3 cm dilated and I'm at -1 station.

The doctor stripped my membranes -- which was unbelievably painful. With this procedure, the doctor inserts his finger into the cervix and gently "sweeps" the membranes away from the lower part of the uterus in order to induce labor by stimulating the release of prostaglandin hormones which can help ripen the cervix.

He said that intercourse should also help things along. Apparently, semen contains prostaglandins, chemical substances that are also found in synthetic compounds administered to induce labor. In addition, it has been shown that the uterus contracts during female orgasm.

One more method of natural labor induction is nipple stimulation, which releases the body's own oxytocin, which is the hormone needed for labor. You can do it manually, or use a breast pump, to simulate breastfeeding.

I've also been taking evening primrose oil. It’s full of GLA (gamma linoleic oil), a certain fatty acid, which turns to prostaglandin in the body.

Well, the magic date of the 17th has come and gone. And I still have not gone into labor. I had contractions for about 7 hours Wednesday night, but they were about 30-45 minutes apart. On Thursday afternoon, I had the same experience, 30-45 minutes apart for about 5 hours.

Apparently, Z-man is not ready to make his appearance. So, we wait.

I went to labor and delivery today because I felt like he wasn't moving as much as he used to. Plus, I wanted to see if I had come along anymore. I have been having Braxton-Hicks type contractions all day, like when I had the UTI. They hooked me up to the fetal and contraction monitors. The baby is doing fine, they found the heartbeat right away. After some monitoring, they said my uterus was irritated, but I wasn't in labor.

She did another interal check, and I'm 4 cm dilated and still at -1 station.

And we continue waiting...