The decision on where to send your infant to daycare is a difficult one - I'm sure many working moms/parents know the feeling! You are trying to find someone that you trust with this precious little life that you love more than anything - and in our case, when she is so young, starting around 2 months of age.
I had a pretty difficult time with this - throughout the last few months, I have put off finding names for daycare options in town, then I put off emailing or calling them once I had a list of names, and then of course after we met with a few, I put off calling them back for a few weeks. We decided to go with the at home daycare route for a few reasons...1) I really like the smaller size of at home day cares and 2) this option fit into our budget a little bit better :).
We ended up interviewing 3 people all together....the first 2 were pretty good. Overall, they had many great things about them and how they run their day care. And, I think either of them would have done a great job in the end. But, of course, I kept focusing on those couple negative things and couldn't get them out of my mind. And, when I left the interviews, I just felt uneasy - I didn't leave there with this overwhelming sensation of, "yes, we love that day care!"
I didn't have that great, positive feeling UNTIL....the last interview :) We interviewed her a few weeks ago - we left her house feeling really excited and happy about who we had just met. And I must say, after having struggled with this decision for a few months, actually having that happy, positive feeling after the interview definitely told us something. I emailed her last night to ask if she would be willing to have Annie in early March and she said yes!
I'm so happy that this decision is finally made - and that I feel nothing but good things about our final decision. While I know nothing will make going back to work easy in March, I am hoping that feeling so good about who is taking care of Annie will make it just a little bit easier :)
Merry Christmas everyone! 3 days to go....
Monday, December 24, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Full Term - 37 weeks!
Woohoo! Full term! It feels so great to make it to this point, but as everyone who has had a baby knows, this is also the point where you get so anxious and ready for your baby to make his or her arrival! :)
To start things off, I was SO excited to find out that I am indeed progressing (my hunch was right!)!! At my appointment yesterday, I found out that I am definitely 1 centimeter dilated, if not almost 2 centimeters! And, 50-60% effaced and her head is really low (station "0" for those who know the lingo). So that is all good news! Of course, doesn't mean that things are guaranteed to happen early, but, having some progression is better than none! And, if I do make it to my induction, hopefully this will help things go smoothly!
But, as the doctor said yesterday - he was really happy to see her head so low for labor and delivery, but of course that also means that it is much more uncomfortable for me right now in the meantime. That is indeed the case...
I hate to even use the word "miserable", because I don't ever want to think of carrying our daughter as miserable. However, over this past weekend, I definitely have hit "that point" where I am READY. One of the main reasons is that I pulled muscles in my leg/groin/pelvic area late last week and that has really made things hard to deal with. It is very hard for me to walk - the waddle is in full effect! - and then going from sitting/laying to standing up is very very painful. Just ask Ben, he has literally had to help move my legs when it hurts too bad for me to stand up from either sitting or laying! Sometimes I feel like such a baby, but there isn't much I can do about it :( My pulled muscles have started to feel a little bit better, so that's good.
"Woah! Are you here to deliver today!?!?": says the women in the bathroom at Carle yesterday. I guess that is what you have to look forward to when you are full-term! This lady couldn't get over how large my belly is - she asked all of the classic questions like "is there just one in there?" or "you still have a couple of weeks?". That's the first time I have had that kind of reaction! I was actually kind of surprised...I don't think my belly is that big - I definitely have seen pregnant bellies larger than mine :) Maybe it was what I was wearing...haha, who knows! Didn't bother me too much since I am full-term and should be larger...but I can only imagine how much it would bother me if I wasn't this far along.
Here is my 37 week picture! Must say, I will admit that I have that late pregnancy "look" (i.e. chubbier face, tired eyes, bigger nose) - not my best look, but it's worth it :) :)
To start things off, I was SO excited to find out that I am indeed progressing (my hunch was right!)!! At my appointment yesterday, I found out that I am definitely 1 centimeter dilated, if not almost 2 centimeters! And, 50-60% effaced and her head is really low (station "0" for those who know the lingo). So that is all good news! Of course, doesn't mean that things are guaranteed to happen early, but, having some progression is better than none! And, if I do make it to my induction, hopefully this will help things go smoothly!
But, as the doctor said yesterday - he was really happy to see her head so low for labor and delivery, but of course that also means that it is much more uncomfortable for me right now in the meantime. That is indeed the case...
I hate to even use the word "miserable", because I don't ever want to think of carrying our daughter as miserable. However, over this past weekend, I definitely have hit "that point" where I am READY. One of the main reasons is that I pulled muscles in my leg/groin/pelvic area late last week and that has really made things hard to deal with. It is very hard for me to walk - the waddle is in full effect! - and then going from sitting/laying to standing up is very very painful. Just ask Ben, he has literally had to help move my legs when it hurts too bad for me to stand up from either sitting or laying! Sometimes I feel like such a baby, but there isn't much I can do about it :( My pulled muscles have started to feel a little bit better, so that's good.
"Woah! Are you here to deliver today!?!?": says the women in the bathroom at Carle yesterday. I guess that is what you have to look forward to when you are full-term! This lady couldn't get over how large my belly is - she asked all of the classic questions like "is there just one in there?" or "you still have a couple of weeks?". That's the first time I have had that kind of reaction! I was actually kind of surprised...I don't think my belly is that big - I definitely have seen pregnant bellies larger than mine :) Maybe it was what I was wearing...haha, who knows! Didn't bother me too much since I am full-term and should be larger...but I can only imagine how much it would bother me if I wasn't this far along.
Here is my 37 week picture! Must say, I will admit that I have that late pregnancy "look" (i.e. chubbier face, tired eyes, bigger nose) - not my best look, but it's worth it :) :)
Monday, December 10, 2012
All About the Induction!
I was just telling Ben yesterday how happy I am that we actually have an "end" date - which I know is very unusual for most pregnant women. And, I still feel that way - it's nice to say "only 2 and a half weeks at the most!!". If it wasn't for my scheduled induction on the evening of the 27th, I could be saying..."wow, it could be any day now, or it could be like 4-5 more weeks". I'm a planner, so I like that I'm saying the first thing :)....not to mention, we KNOW we'll have the tax deduction for a baby this year :) :)
BUT - after talking with my doctor today about how long of a process inductions can be, boy oh boy do I hope that miss Annie decides to make her appearance before my induction date on the 27th!!!
After hearing in baby classes that inductions don't always work (news to us!!) and sometimes people are sent home after an unsuccessful induction, I wanted to get some clarification from Dr. F on whether or not I could fall into that boat. Good news - no, I won't - mainly because I actually have a medical reason to be having the baby early (the "trial" inductions where people get sent home happen if someone is doing an induction only because they just want to deliver the baby). Therefore, there is no way we will go home without a baby after I've gone in on the 27th. But, I wanted to get more information about what would she do then in the case that the induction doesn't seem to be working.
Basically - it boils down to this: I (we) are really crossing our fingers that I have some sort of progression before my induction - i.e. some sort of dilation or effacement at my appointment next week (when they first check for this) or my last appointment on Christmas Eve. If I am not progressing naturally, there is a much higher chance that the induction could be a very long process.
If I am not showing progression by the induction date, I would go in for cervidil the night of the 27th and then start pitocin at 8am on the 28th. If pitocin does nothing to start contractions and labor just isn't progressing at all that first day, then they would stop pitocin and give me more cervidil overnight on the 28th. Then - they would start pitocin the next morning for round #2. If the pitocin STILL doesn't start labor, then that evening (the 29th), I would most likely have a c-section. If pitocin does start labor on that second day, then they will let labor progress as it wants to - meaning (and this is the kicker)...that if my labor at this point wants to take another 24 hours, I could go into DAY 3!!!! Haha....wow, that's crazy. I knew inductions could take longer, but I never imagined possibly that long!
I am happy that Dr. F wouldn't jump into a c-section at the end of the day one - I would love to avoid a c-section if possible. I am also thankful to know ahead of time that this could happen. Of course, that's the worst case scenario and hopefully it will not be that long. And, let's REALLY hope that I am progressing at least a little bit by my 38-week appointment next week or on Christmas Eve! Cross your fingers with me please :) :)
So I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens :)....(and we all know Annie has her own "plan" anyway....)
BUT - after talking with my doctor today about how long of a process inductions can be, boy oh boy do I hope that miss Annie decides to make her appearance before my induction date on the 27th!!!
After hearing in baby classes that inductions don't always work (news to us!!) and sometimes people are sent home after an unsuccessful induction, I wanted to get some clarification from Dr. F on whether or not I could fall into that boat. Good news - no, I won't - mainly because I actually have a medical reason to be having the baby early (the "trial" inductions where people get sent home happen if someone is doing an induction only because they just want to deliver the baby). Therefore, there is no way we will go home without a baby after I've gone in on the 27th. But, I wanted to get more information about what would she do then in the case that the induction doesn't seem to be working.
Basically - it boils down to this: I (we) are really crossing our fingers that I have some sort of progression before my induction - i.e. some sort of dilation or effacement at my appointment next week (when they first check for this) or my last appointment on Christmas Eve. If I am not progressing naturally, there is a much higher chance that the induction could be a very long process.
If I am not showing progression by the induction date, I would go in for cervidil the night of the 27th and then start pitocin at 8am on the 28th. If pitocin does nothing to start contractions and labor just isn't progressing at all that first day, then they would stop pitocin and give me more cervidil overnight on the 28th. Then - they would start pitocin the next morning for round #2. If the pitocin STILL doesn't start labor, then that evening (the 29th), I would most likely have a c-section. If pitocin does start labor on that second day, then they will let labor progress as it wants to - meaning (and this is the kicker)...that if my labor at this point wants to take another 24 hours, I could go into DAY 3!!!! Haha....wow, that's crazy. I knew inductions could take longer, but I never imagined possibly that long!
I am happy that Dr. F wouldn't jump into a c-section at the end of the day one - I would love to avoid a c-section if possible. I am also thankful to know ahead of time that this could happen. Of course, that's the worst case scenario and hopefully it will not be that long. And, let's REALLY hope that I am progressing at least a little bit by my 38-week appointment next week or on Christmas Eve! Cross your fingers with me please :) :)
So I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens :)....(and we all know Annie has her own "plan" anyway....)
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Less than one month to go!
It's hard to believe that there is less than one month to go! Monday marked exactly one month to my due date - but because I'll be induced early, we are now at 23 days and counting (at the most!) - eeks!!!
We are SO excited and just cannot wait for her to be here! There are still some big "to-do's" left like packing the hospital bag, getting those final things off our registry, and actually writing up my birth plan - but overall we feel really ready!
Overall, I have been feeling really well!! I haven't hit that "miserable" point yet - I mean, yes, there are things I won't miss....like having to pee every 5 minutes (and then nothing coming out), or the terrible hip pain I have from sleeping on my side, and the constant worry that something is wrong with the baby....but overall, I would say my attitude is staying pretty positive :)
Luckily miss Annie has cooperated and stayed head-down over the last few weeks...no more flipping breech recently (phew!). That is always a nice thing to hear when we go to our ultrasounds on Mondays. One of the things I cannot WAIT for when she is here is to kiss her chubby cheeks - they look so cute and chubby and kissable on the ultrasounds! :)
We had another growth scan last Monday (the 26th) and Annie is measuring right around 5 pounds, 10 ounces - which is in the 52nd percentile, so she is "average"! We are so happy about this - it means that my insulin shots have really paid off! Everything has been going well with my diabetes too - my units are up quite a bit at every meal, but the most important thing is that my blood sugar numbers are controlled and she is growing at a decent rate!
One odd "symptom" I have been having recently is that every now and then (maybe once every other day) I see spots in my vision. I didn't really think much of these until I was reading an article yesterday that was about "the top symptoms you shouldn't ignore during pregnancy" - well guess what was on there? Yup! Spots in your vision. Of course I had a mini-freak out moment, but called the nurse after hours and asked her. She said it could be a sign of developing preeclampsia, but since I didn't have the corresponding headaches, my blood pressure has always been normal, and no protein in my urine at my appointments - she wasn't too worried. I am definitely going to talk to the doctor about it tomorrow though at my appointment. The nurse thinks it's just one of those equilibrium things when I go from laying down to standing up (which is when it happened last night). Sometimes I'm amazed at some of things that happen to your body during pregnancy that are actually connected to pregnancy (does that make sense?) - like I would have never guessed seeing spots could be the result of something having to do with pregnancy. Well, I guess I know now :)
We were SO bad about taking our bump pictures for a few weeks!!! But we FINALLY did this week, so here is my 35 week picture! It's funny to look at my 35 week picture compared to my 26 week picture (which is the last one I posted) - it's amazing how much I grown!!!
And a bare bump photo too :) I don't know if my belly button can be stretched anymore than it already is...! haha
We are SO excited and just cannot wait for her to be here! There are still some big "to-do's" left like packing the hospital bag, getting those final things off our registry, and actually writing up my birth plan - but overall we feel really ready!
Overall, I have been feeling really well!! I haven't hit that "miserable" point yet - I mean, yes, there are things I won't miss....like having to pee every 5 minutes (and then nothing coming out), or the terrible hip pain I have from sleeping on my side, and the constant worry that something is wrong with the baby....but overall, I would say my attitude is staying pretty positive :)
Luckily miss Annie has cooperated and stayed head-down over the last few weeks...no more flipping breech recently (phew!). That is always a nice thing to hear when we go to our ultrasounds on Mondays. One of the things I cannot WAIT for when she is here is to kiss her chubby cheeks - they look so cute and chubby and kissable on the ultrasounds! :)
We had another growth scan last Monday (the 26th) and Annie is measuring right around 5 pounds, 10 ounces - which is in the 52nd percentile, so she is "average"! We are so happy about this - it means that my insulin shots have really paid off! Everything has been going well with my diabetes too - my units are up quite a bit at every meal, but the most important thing is that my blood sugar numbers are controlled and she is growing at a decent rate!
One odd "symptom" I have been having recently is that every now and then (maybe once every other day) I see spots in my vision. I didn't really think much of these until I was reading an article yesterday that was about "the top symptoms you shouldn't ignore during pregnancy" - well guess what was on there? Yup! Spots in your vision. Of course I had a mini-freak out moment, but called the nurse after hours and asked her. She said it could be a sign of developing preeclampsia, but since I didn't have the corresponding headaches, my blood pressure has always been normal, and no protein in my urine at my appointments - she wasn't too worried. I am definitely going to talk to the doctor about it tomorrow though at my appointment. The nurse thinks it's just one of those equilibrium things when I go from laying down to standing up (which is when it happened last night). Sometimes I'm amazed at some of things that happen to your body during pregnancy that are actually connected to pregnancy (does that make sense?) - like I would have never guessed seeing spots could be the result of something having to do with pregnancy. Well, I guess I know now :)
We were SO bad about taking our bump pictures for a few weeks!!! But we FINALLY did this week, so here is my 35 week picture! It's funny to look at my 35 week picture compared to my 26 week picture (which is the last one I posted) - it's amazing how much I grown!!!
And a bare bump photo too :) I don't know if my belly button can be stretched anymore than it already is...! haha
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Nursery Pictures!!
FINALLY! The nursery is almost complete! :) Even though it is not all the way done, it is complete enough for me to share some pictures :) I'm too excited to wait!!! It feels SO good to have her room pretty much done - I absolutely love looking in there every time I walk by, reminding myself of the best Christmas present we will be receiving in just a few weeks! We really are blessed - and have so much to be thankful for this holiday season!!
We LOVE how it turned out - we wish we could have painted all 4 walls, but since we are still in an apartment and hopefully will be moving into a house next summer, we decided just to paint one to lessen the amount we have to paint back when we move. There are a few things we are missing - like you will notice we do not have a changing pad yet - that will be on the white dresser with either a cute pink polka dot or yellow changing pad cover :) We also need to figure out decorations for on top of the bookcase and hang cute little hooks for her towel and robe on the wall by the dresser!
I have to give a lot of credit for how the nursery is "designed" to my husband. He is the one that came up with some of my favorite parts of the nursery...the color combo being one of those things (the yellow wall and the gray/white additions to the room). He also had the idea to get a gender-neutral gray and white crib skirt which we can use next time around even if we have a boy - genius idea Ben! :) He also was the one to come up with the idea of putting the cute white flowers above the crib. I'm sure there are other things I am forgetting...oh ya, like the beautifully refinished dresser that he did :) I really got lucky that I have a husband with an eye for such things! Must be that artsy, photographer brain of his :)
So please enjoy the pictures!! :)
We LOVE how it turned out - we wish we could have painted all 4 walls, but since we are still in an apartment and hopefully will be moving into a house next summer, we decided just to paint one to lessen the amount we have to paint back when we move. There are a few things we are missing - like you will notice we do not have a changing pad yet - that will be on the white dresser with either a cute pink polka dot or yellow changing pad cover :) We also need to figure out decorations for on top of the bookcase and hang cute little hooks for her towel and robe on the wall by the dresser!
I have to give a lot of credit for how the nursery is "designed" to my husband. He is the one that came up with some of my favorite parts of the nursery...the color combo being one of those things (the yellow wall and the gray/white additions to the room). He also had the idea to get a gender-neutral gray and white crib skirt which we can use next time around even if we have a boy - genius idea Ben! :) He also was the one to come up with the idea of putting the cute white flowers above the crib. I'm sure there are other things I am forgetting...oh ya, like the beautifully refinished dresser that he did :) I really got lucky that I have a husband with an eye for such things! Must be that artsy, photographer brain of his :)
So please enjoy the pictures!! :)
 |
| Duncan LOVES to go sit in Annie's room - he can't wait for his little sister either :) |
Monday, November 19, 2012
Weekly Ultrasounds & Induction Scheduled!
Despite the fact that I have to juggle still working full 40 hour weeks while going to two 2-3 hour appointments every week, we just love getting very frequent peaks of Annie on our weekly ultrasounds!!
Every week, we are getting a Biophysical Profile ultrasound (or BPP) - which basically means they are looking more at her movement, breathing, heartbeat, etc. during these ultrasounds. There is no growth component to them (except for at 34 and 38 weeks when they add on a growth scan).
One of the best things about having so many ultrasounds is that it is easier to "share" these special appointments with family - my dad came to our ultrasound on November 1st and my mom came on the 12th! I think it was really fun for them to see their granddaughter in "action" instead of just in pictures - she showed off a little bit too - she yawned a couple of times for them, moved her fingers, etc. :) It was pretty special to share that with them! I really wish that Ben's mom and dad lived closer so they could come to one too.
The November 6th ultrasound was especially fun for me (unfortunately Ben had to miss this one!). We found out 2 major things - 1) Annie has HAIR! She could clearly see hair on the screen...little fuzz coming off of her head :) and 2) Annie decided it would be fun to turn breech! :/ The funny thing was, we had just had an ultrasound on the 1st - so she went from being completely head down to head up in just 4 days! Active little girl we have!! :)
The doctor said they don't worry about a baby being breech until about 36 weeks (I was 31 at the time). Well, that is true that I shouldn't worry or start exercises to flip her quite yet because by the next U/S on the 12th, she was head down again! Phew! :) BUT - I swear over the last few days, she has been turning again and it would not shock me at all if we go to our ultrasound tomorrow afternoon and she is breech again. I think I can tell when she is breech and when she is head down - so we'll see if my hunch is right that she is breech again! I hope not of course, I would love it if she just stayed head down from here on out! :)
One of the positives of her being breech at the ultrasound on the 6th was that we could get some really great face pictures of her because she was staring right at the camera! Here is the best face picture we got of her during that ultrasound:
 |
| Don't you just love those cheeks!?!? |
OH! And how could I forget!!! Last week Dr. Fulfer scheduled my induction! Eeks! Of course I hope we don't have to use it and I go into labor naturally, but it's kind of weird that we are close enough to actually be "on the books" for my induction! So...if I haven't gone into labor before, the plan is to go in on the evening of December 27th to start the process! But, if "things" look favorable before, then we will just go in the morning of the 28th. Ben and I really need to start brainstorming something fun to do during the day on the 27th....that is going to be a long day waiting and anticipating 8pm to come around for us to go in! :) Eeks! Can't WAIT though! :)
Sunday, November 4, 2012
31 Week Update!
It's hard to believe that I am past the 30 week mark...it really seems like time has flown by after about 20 weeks or so! And, since I know I'll be induced at 39 weeks (if I haven't gone into labor before), then it is just a little bit less than 8 weeks at this point!!! Ahh! Kind of crazy. It really hit me the other day when my dad said "it's hard to believe you will have a baby next month" - that was the first time I thought of it that way, but YES, we will have a baby next month!
We are getting so excited. And I am a little bit surprised how ready we feel - neither of us are too nervous. Now, we aren't physically ready, because the nursery is no where near ready and we don't have everything that we need, but at least both of us feel prepared to be parents! I think part of the reason we feel "prepared" is because we have both accepted that we know we will not know everything and we'll learn as we go! Now, will I still be saying this 6 weeks from now when the birth is right around the corner!? We'll see :)
We started our Prepared Childbirth Classes at the hospital 2 weeks ago. It has been really nice to start actually thinking about the labor & delivery part of pregnancy - something we haven't really heard much about! We still have 2 more classes left and I am really excited for the last week when we actually get to tour the labor & delivery floor at Carle. It's been fun to learn about what to expect and also different coping/relaxation techniques, etc. I must say, I am really hoping that I can go into labor naturally instead of being induced...but it is what it is and the most important thing is that everything goes smoothly and she is healthy!! Besides the Prepared Childbirth class, we still have a few other classes - breastfeeding, infant CPR, Ben has a dad's only class, and a newborn care class.
I've been feeling really good lately too! My biggest "complaint" at this point would have to be the hip pain that I've been having from sleeping on my side. And, I have been a little surprised how much harder it is to do things - like walking - I didn't expect to have issues with this type of simple activity until I was closer to the end of my pregnancy (especially because that difficulty started several weeks ago!). I've learned I really cannot walk fast or I will get horrible ligament pain on my right side! And not to mention, the bladder issue of course :) That is FUN!
This week is the start of having appointments 2 times a week at the hospital until the baby is here - boy oh boy should that be fun! I really don't mind the extra check-ups (ultrasound every week, non-stress test every appointment - who can complain!!), but each appointment is really long (2-3 hours) - and they are all during the day, meaning I have to miss that time at work. I am also hoping to make up that lost time every week too so I don't have to use any sick/vacation time. So, I'm sure I have some really long work days ahead of me before I have the baby! I'm trying to spin the time I'll spend waiting at the doctor's office positively though - it's time for me to read my baby books that I never seem to have time for in the evenings.
We had an ultrasound on November 1st and it was really fun because my dad got to come with us - I figured we have so many ultrasounds, why not share a few :) They estimate that she is just about 3 pounds, 13 ounces right now - which is in the 51% percentile. We were SO happy to hear that she is right on track for size since I have been trying so hard to control my blood sugars with diet and insulin to prevent her from growing too large (i.e. decrease the chance of having to have a c-section and other issues related to gestational diabetes and a big baby). This ultrasound was also fun because this was the first time we thought she actually looked like a baby - not quite as skeletal as in past ultrasounds. We could see some chubby cheeks developing already! And at one point, we got to see her open her mouth and yawn! That was SO cool! Here are some pictures:
We actually have another ultrasound on Tuesday - can't wait to see her again :) :) I'll be updating soon (I promise) about the baby shower, pregnancy photos, and progress on the nursery! :)
We are getting so excited. And I am a little bit surprised how ready we feel - neither of us are too nervous. Now, we aren't physically ready, because the nursery is no where near ready and we don't have everything that we need, but at least both of us feel prepared to be parents! I think part of the reason we feel "prepared" is because we have both accepted that we know we will not know everything and we'll learn as we go! Now, will I still be saying this 6 weeks from now when the birth is right around the corner!? We'll see :)
We started our Prepared Childbirth Classes at the hospital 2 weeks ago. It has been really nice to start actually thinking about the labor & delivery part of pregnancy - something we haven't really heard much about! We still have 2 more classes left and I am really excited for the last week when we actually get to tour the labor & delivery floor at Carle. It's been fun to learn about what to expect and also different coping/relaxation techniques, etc. I must say, I am really hoping that I can go into labor naturally instead of being induced...but it is what it is and the most important thing is that everything goes smoothly and she is healthy!! Besides the Prepared Childbirth class, we still have a few other classes - breastfeeding, infant CPR, Ben has a dad's only class, and a newborn care class.
I've been feeling really good lately too! My biggest "complaint" at this point would have to be the hip pain that I've been having from sleeping on my side. And, I have been a little surprised how much harder it is to do things - like walking - I didn't expect to have issues with this type of simple activity until I was closer to the end of my pregnancy (especially because that difficulty started several weeks ago!). I've learned I really cannot walk fast or I will get horrible ligament pain on my right side! And not to mention, the bladder issue of course :) That is FUN!
This week is the start of having appointments 2 times a week at the hospital until the baby is here - boy oh boy should that be fun! I really don't mind the extra check-ups (ultrasound every week, non-stress test every appointment - who can complain!!), but each appointment is really long (2-3 hours) - and they are all during the day, meaning I have to miss that time at work. I am also hoping to make up that lost time every week too so I don't have to use any sick/vacation time. So, I'm sure I have some really long work days ahead of me before I have the baby! I'm trying to spin the time I'll spend waiting at the doctor's office positively though - it's time for me to read my baby books that I never seem to have time for in the evenings.
We had an ultrasound on November 1st and it was really fun because my dad got to come with us - I figured we have so many ultrasounds, why not share a few :) They estimate that she is just about 3 pounds, 13 ounces right now - which is in the 51% percentile. We were SO happy to hear that she is right on track for size since I have been trying so hard to control my blood sugars with diet and insulin to prevent her from growing too large (i.e. decrease the chance of having to have a c-section and other issues related to gestational diabetes and a big baby). This ultrasound was also fun because this was the first time we thought she actually looked like a baby - not quite as skeletal as in past ultrasounds. We could see some chubby cheeks developing already! And at one point, we got to see her open her mouth and yawn! That was SO cool! Here are some pictures:
 | |
| Profile shot |
 |
| Front view! This is when she opened her mouth! I can't believe you can see all of her facial features so clearly - eyes, nose, cheeks, mouth! |
We actually have another ultrasound on Tuesday - can't wait to see her again :) :) I'll be updating soon (I promise) about the baby shower, pregnancy photos, and progress on the nursery! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)