“Pack your bags, Brittany.” Dr. Dickerson said with quiet confidence.

He didn’t claim to have a magic eight ball, but I was 2 cm dilated, 75% effaced, and baby was already positioned low in my pelvis. Despite it being December 22 with a due date of January 11th, it looked like we could have a Christmas baby. Or a New Years baby. Or, worst of all, a baby the weekend of my sweet sister-in-law’s wedding.

When we found out about this pregnancy back in May, our first calculation was, of course, to see the due date. As a consummate planner, I looked at January 11th as a goal, not a suggestion. The landmine of events leading up to the due date left me little choice: hold that baby in.