24 Week update - 15 weeks to go!

We had an ultrasound again yesterday. All of her little pieces and parts are still there, in perfect working order. She weighs just over a pound - about one pound, six ounces. Her profile is amazing to see!

The question I get often is, "Is it standard procedure these days to have this many ultrasounds?!?" The norm is to have one ultrasound sometime between weeks 16 and 20, to check for development (how are the organs forming? is the correct size? did they estimate the due date correctly?), birth defects (cleft pallette, Down's Syndrome), to see the location of the placenta and to look at the umbilical cord. And, of course, to see the sex of the baby if possible and requested by the parents. If the pregnancy is high-risk, the mother has a history of miscarriage, or there is another pre-existing condition to render it necessary, more ultrasounds are "required." Because of my genetic mutation (MTHFR-1, for you curious, sciencey folks) I will have monthly "growth scans" via ultrasound until 32 weeks, then I will have weekly scans until delivery. That means I'll have one at 28 weeks, one at 32 weeks, then one a week until 39 weeks...at which point, if I haven't given birth they will induce labor.

The next question I get is "Why will they induce your labor? Is that normal?" The thing is, the placenta can start to function poorly towards the end of gestation. A full term is 40 weeks. That's why some women are forced to have labor induced if they go way past their due date. The placenta issue is especially true for women with MTHFR-1, so it is better for the baby to be delivered just before the due date. They could use any number of techniques to induce labor - pitocin, hormones, etc.

My question to all of you: What induces labor? What stories, old wives tales, anecdotes or alternative medicine methods have you heard of to get the process going? I've heard that exercise, sex, beer, and pedicures can help. I'm going to call my Accupuncturist/Accupressurist for some advice, but I want to hear from all of you! Please use the comments section below to share your ideas, because I really don't want to be hooked up to an IV unless absolutely necessary!!!


Here is the weekly email from BabyCenter.com:
How your baby's growing:
Your baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week, when she was just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long, that makes a pretty lean figure, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon put on more baby fat. Your baby's skin is thin, translucent, and wrinkled, her brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds are developing. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.