Week 39

With Darling Daughter:

With Natalie:
My last belly photo! My c-section is scheduled for two days from now. I can't believe we're going to meet our little girl so soon. This pregnancy went by so quickly. We're really excited to get to bring her home so soon. It will be so fun to see her and Natalie interact. I'm also looking forward to being done being pregnant.

I had my 39 week appointment yesterday. Originally it was scheduled for today but I have been feeling so sick since last Wednesday that I wanted to get into see someone soon so I could start to feel better soon. I have an upper respiratory infection that Dr. Anya gave me an antibiotic for. Hopefully I'm feeling better by Thursday before my c-section. Our little girl's heartbeat sounded good on the Doppler and I'm still measuring on track. I didn't bother to have her check my progress because she's breech so the c-section is my only option at this point.

I started maternity leave today. I figured if I got this far without going into labor having a few days off before my scheduled c-section would be helpful for getting a few last minute items taken care of and spending some extra time with Natalie. Plus, I have my pre-test appointment at Rex tomorrow afternoon anyways. It was nice being able to sleep in a little bit more and to take a nap.

Our baby is about 21.5 inches long from head to toe and weighs a little more than 7 pounds. Toenails and fingernails have grown to tips of toes and fingers. Muscles of our baby's arms and legs are strong, and she's practicing lung movements.

Week 38

With Darling Daughter #2:

With Natalie:
I had my 38 week and c-section pre-op appt today with Dr. Gaines. I had him do an internal even though I have a c-section scheduled for next week since I had still hoped to try for a VBAC if I went into labor on my own before then. I wanted to know if I've made any progress which like last week, I haven't. Only fingertip dilated still.

Because of still wanting to possibly try for a VBAC we started discussing whether she was actually head down. Last week he said he wasn't sure she was head down. In order to attempt the VBAC, she would need to be. He decided to do an ultrasound to double check. Sure enough, she's breech! That explains why her hiccups feel more like they're at the top of my belly and her kicks feeling more like they're hitting me in the pelvic bone. Plus, there is a hard lump at the top of my belly which turns out to be her head and not her butt (way to hard for her butt).

I now feel validated in making the decision to go forward with the scheduled c-section. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders from wondering if I was making the right decision in not committing to doing a VBAC.

Here's a photo of my 38 week ultrasound. Late term ultrasounds look so different than early on. It's hard to make out her image because she takes up so much of the view. Your actually looking at her head on the left.

Dr. Gaines said everything else looked good also. I'm measuring on track for 38 weeks and her heart rate was great.

Our baby is about 21 inches from head to toe and weighs about 6.8 pounds. Most of the her downy hair, lanugo, and whitish coating, vernix, is disappearing. She is getting her antibodies from me to protect against illness. Our baby's growth is slowing, but fat cells under skin get plumper for life outside the womb. Almost ready for birth, she would do well if born now.

I'm exhausted all the time now and have pretty intense lower back pain. I have to go to the bathroom constantly. I'm definitely looking forward to meeting our little girl and being done being pregnant. I've forgotten what it's like to not be carry around all this extra weight.

Week 37 - Full Term

With Darling Daughter #2:

With Natalie:

I had my 37 week appointment with Dr. Gaines today. He confirmed that my Group B Streph test was negative which is great -- no antibiotics needed during delivery. He also did an internal check; I'm only finger tip dilated. This was about where I was with Natalie at this time. I'm feeling so crampy. I wish these were actually doing something towards progress. Even though I have a scheduled c-section, I'm still holding out hope that I will go into labor on my own. I'm ready to go into labor, meet our little girl and be done being pregnant.

Dr. Gaines stated he wasn't 100% sure that she was head down (which won't matter if I end up in a c-section). He thought the top of my belly seemed harder than he'd expect for her butt etc. so it's possible she's actually breech. No way to know at this point without doing an ultrasound. I'll see what he says next Tuesday at my pre-op and 38 week appointment.

It's amazing to be already full term. This pregnancy has gone so much faster than it did with Natalie.

According to what I've read, our baby is now surrounded by a peak volume of 1,000 mL of amniotic fluid which is approximately equal to 4 cups. From this point on this amount will decrease gradually. Her nervous system is maturing now, almost ready to be on her own. The lanugo on our baby's skin is wearing off. In addition, the cortisone that is being produced by her endocrine system will help her lungs to take over the job of delivering oxygen to her blood stream after birth.

We put the car seat back in the car this past weekend and have finalized our top three choices of names for her. We're looking forward to finding out which name fits her the best.

Week 36

With Darling Daughter #2:


With Natalie:

As I've mentioned before, this pregnancy has been pretty low key which is great. It's actually probably been less problematic than with Natalie in that I haven't had hip pain, very much of an itchy skin rash or swelling, and not being that uncomfortable. But I'm now getting stretch marks which I didn't get with Natalie. I realize I'm lucky I didn't get any with Natalie but it doesn't take away from the disappointment that I'm getting some now. Luckily there aren't too many but there are enough for me to notice and being bother by it. Hopefully I don't get many more before I'm finished.

I had my 36 week appointment with Dr. Placide today. Emile and Natalie came with and got to hear the baby's heartbeat (~140 bpm). Dr. Placide did the Group B Streph test on me which I should find the results of in the next few days. He also checked to see if I've progressed any yet and as I expected given how things went last time, I haven't. I now start weekly appointments and so I'll be going in again next Tuesday.

We've gotten a lot of things set up for the new baby -- nursery is ready, infant car seat is back in the car and the Pack N Play is set up in our room. I only need to pack my hospital bag.

Our baby's fat is dimpling on the elbows and knees as well as forming creases in the neck and wrists. Her gums are now very rigid.

Week 35 - 8 Months!

With Darling Daughter #2:

With Natalie:

It's hard to believe that I have finished my 8th month of pregnancy! I can't get over how quickly this pregnancy has gone. Within one month from today, we will have another child. Very exciting and overwhelming at the same time. Especially now that one of my friends, Suzi, had her second daughter yesterday -- I'm the next one due out of the woman I know. It makes it feel much closer now! I'm definitely getting ready to be done being pregnant again. I feel huge and cumbersome.

This week I've noticed that I'm starting to get more of a itchy skin rash, mostly on my hands. Definitely not too bothersome yet but noticeable. Mostly I've been dealing with the crotch pain, especially when sleeping and rolling over. I am starting to feel more crampy now -- just some subtle achiness.

I've started moving my projects at work over to others for my upcoming maternity leave. I want to make sure everything is taken care of well before I head to the hospital. My plan is to work up through November 30 assuming I don't go into labor before my scheduled c-section on December 3rd. This will give me two days to relax and spend some special one on one time with Natalie. The weekend before is Thanksgiving and my parents will be here. With the long weekend and only working the following Monday, I'll only be working one day in week before my scheduled c-section.

We have officially moved Natalie over to her big girl room so I've started setting up the nursery again for the baby. We made some minor changes with how it looks compared to how it was set up for Natalie. We've moved my rocking chair from my childhood to the room and added some new green (instead of purple) curtains that Riet made. I still need to get some stuffed animals and some picture frames for baby girl #2. Kinsey helped get all of the baby clothes washed, organized and put away. Natalie likes to pull out the baby toys like the bouncer and exersaucer to play with them while I'm working in the room. Hopefully she shares well when the baby arrives.

Our little girl is probably around five and a half pounds now! Her crown-to-rump length is about 13 1/2 inches. The fat accumulations plump up the arms and legs this week. She has gotten big enough to take up most of the uterus, and there's less room to move around. She continues to punch and kick me frequently. My belly frequently has body parts pushing out of it.

Week 34

With Darling Daughter #2:

With Natalie:
I am definitely wobbling a lot now and feel the weight of my pregnant belly. We had such a busy weekend that by the end of each day I was so sore and beat; I couldn't get into bed fast enough. Plus, my ankles started swelling. And the crotch pain is starting to get pretty bothersome like last time. There have been a few times that my hands have started itching. I'm hoping this is not the beginning signs of the itchy skin rash forming that I got while pregnant with Natalie. It's hard to believe that in no more than a little over 5 weeks our little girl will be joining us!

Two big milestones this week -- Airlines will no longer allow me to fly on their planes and most importantly, if our little girl comes early, I won't need steroid shots to speed up development of her lungs. Her lungs should be developed enough to handle it if she comes early. Relieving news!

Our baby responds as a newborn with its eyes open while awake and closed while sleeping. She is developing immunities to fight mild infection. Those sharp little fingernails are at the ends of the fingertips already. She probably weighs close to 5.5 lbs now.

My book club friends threw me and another friend, Suzi (she's having her baby no later than Nov. 2 -- very soon!), a baby shower for both of our second babies. It was very sweet of them and I had a great time. They all gave me board books for baby #2 which was such a great idea for a book club group. I'm sure baby girl #2 will enjoy having new books that haven't been chewed on by Natalie. And it turns out we didn't have any of the ones they got it. And of course, the cake and baked goods were delicious.


Some of the woman brought their little ones. We got a cute photo of the five of them hanging out together. I decided not to bring Natalie because she had a costume party that afternoon that she needed her nap beforehand. She would of had fun though hanging out with Brandon, Lily, Jude, Emma and Lucy.

Week 33

With Darling Daughter #2: With Natalie:
I had my 33 week appointment yesterday with Dr. Gunter. Given that my pregnancy has thankfully been low key and I've worked out my approach to VBAC vs. c/s, my appointments are pretty quick. He checked for her heartbeat with the Doppler (140 bpm), measured my fundal height (on track for 33 weeks) and confirmed that she is head down right now. He said everything looked good. I also got my seasonal flu shot during my appointment but will need to wait on H1N1 since they didn't have any available. I also saw Nurse Hilbert last Thursday; I was pretty sick with a cold last week. She put me on an antibiotic since it appeared like it was leaning towards bronchitis. I'm feeling much better now.

I got together with some other mothers last Wednesday for a Mom's-night-out dinner. They surprised me with a homemade cake that said Baby on it (made by Marie!), cupcakes from Callie and a few gifts for the baby from Callie (a dress) and Jen (a board book). It was very sweet of them and totally a surprised! We had a great time hanging out and chit chatting.

The baby is constantly punching and kicking me. It feels very different than it did with Natalie since the punches are all along my pelvic area -- it feels a little weird when she does it. I'm glad she's so active though. I am starting to get a little bit of the crotch pain that I got last time; however, it's no where near how it was before. Mostly I feel a little sore when I stand up from sitting or laying for too long. And I can feel it when I roll over. I have to support my belly with a pillow pretty much all the time now when I'm laying on my side unless my belly is resting directly on the bed or couch. Although I took my rings off a few weeks ago, I can still wear my middle finger ring and my engagement ring without it being too tight yet. I definitely can not wear my wedding band -- it feels so uncomfortable and hard to get on and off. Overall, my pregnancy is going great. We're looking forward to meeting our little girl soon!

Because of the swine flu (H1N1) that is going around, Rex Hospital has a new policy that anyone under 18 is not allowed in the hospital unless being admitted so this means we can not have Natalie come up to visit me and the baby after delivery. I'm sad about this as I always envisioned her getting to meet her little sister in the hospital with us. I'm slightly worried about being gone a few days and then just showing up at home with a new baby - that she might not react well to this but we're thinking we might have her at least come to the lobby when we are getting checked out. That way she can see the baby and me at the hospital and we can all drive home together. I suppose one good thing about her not coming up to the hospital is that she won't have to deal with separation anxiety of seeing me for a little while and then having to leave again while I stay there. Also, if I have a c-section, she wouldn't be able to climb all over me like I'm sure she would want to once she sees me.

Our little girl is probably about 4.5 to 5 lbs now. She will gain more than half her birth weight in the next seven weeks. She'll begin to move less now as she runs out of room and curls up with knees bent, chin resting on chest and arms and legs crossed. At this point, the amniotic fluid is at the highest level in the pregnancy. The amount will remain constant until delivery. Rapid brain growth has increased the baby's head size approximately 3/8 of an inch this week. Fat continues to accumulate which turns the baby's skin color from red to pink.