The Inevitability of Birth

This post may not connect with any of you.  I'm not sure how many other mamas have had these thoughts before.  The past week, I have been struck by the inevitability of birth.  Don't get me wrong. I knew it was coming.  Being less than two weeks out makes it so real now.  I could honestly go into labor while writing this post.

Let me explain what I mean by the inevitability of birth.  There are so many things in life that can be put off until a later time.  I can wait another hour to eat, another week to clean the house, another month to go shopping.  Even deadlines are sometimes flexible.  Birth is not.

Even if I go past my due date, Henry will be born.  He can't stay in there forever (thank goodness).  I know this fact, it's just hitting me a little differently this week.  Part of me is counting down the days until he comes because I am getting more and more uncomfortable and the Braxton Hicks contractions are getting more intense.  The other part of me is nervous and scared by the inevitability of Henry's birth.  I know it's going to hurt. I know my body won't be the same after he's born.  My body has and will continue to go through changes.

When I get overwhelmed by the thought of the pain of labor, I try to remember this:

A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. John 16:21

Once Henry is here, everything will be worth it.  I just have to remember that through labor.

Any other mamas out there have this thought before giving birth?  How did you deal with the inevitability of birth?