Did you know that the average length of pregnancy for first-time moms is somewhere between 39 weeks 5 days and 41 weeks and 1 day? Did you know that those 8 days can actually feel like an eternity when everyone you know is asking if you’ve given birth yet?

When I was pregnant with my second child I lied about my due date.

Yes, it’s true. I didn’t tell anyone except my doula and my husband what my actual due date was. My mother was not too happy that I wouldn’t tell her the real date. It was for her own good, really. (Sorry Mom!)

When I passed my due date the first time around I could barely leave the house or answer my phone. I couldn’t stand the way people looked at me, or the fact that any time my phone rang it was because someone wanted to know “Is the baby here yet??” I felt so much pressure to perform and I couldn’t figure out why it seemed like everyone else was giving birth early or on time, yet I was being subjected to some form of pregnancy torture- being overdue.

Babycenter Canada sent me an e-mail ” Your baby is one week old!” and I wanted to throw my computer out the window.

I’m here to tell you: the 41st week is the true final week of pregnancy. It’s the week that separates the girls from the women, the average from the overachievers. Or at least, that’s what I tell my clients who pass their due dates without so much as a Braxton Hick contraction to give them a glimmer of hope that baby is on its way.

There’s nothing as hard as being stuck in that difficult waiting place, neither here nor there.

This one’s for the women who are waiting. Waiting for their first, or second, or third baby to finally decide to make their way into the world. Sitting around waiting for the next step, to put to use all those carefully folded baby clothes, to finally shed the round body they’ve started to get sick of. The ones taking extra long walks, eating spicy food or pineapples, wishing for those telltale cramps to finally start. For the ones who have been given an induction date at the hospital or for those who just simply don’t want to be pregnant anymore.

I know what you’re feeling. I’ve been there. It’s almost over!

Here’s what you should do if you’re ready to give birth. It’s my official Megan the Doula Induction Cocktail:

Take a bath, put on your coziest clothes, snuggle up with a great snack and turn on your favorite Netflix series. Give in to the fact that you’ll be pregnancy forever and be okay with it. Wait 6 hours and repeat until the baby comes.