34 Weeks

Dear Baby G,

You are now up to a whopping 5 pounds, 7 ounces! That puts your estimated weight at delivery at 8 pounds. The ultrasound can be off one pound either way, so we shall see! If we were going the full 40 weeks, you would probably tip the scales at over 9 pounds! Our NST was great again, so that is good news! Also, I am going to get to attempt a normal birth. If something changes or complications arise, we will do a c-section.

We toured our hospital yesterday and I am so pleased with the choice we made! Everything is so nice and the rooms are big and new and just great! I was also impressed with the security features. The only area accessible to the public is when you first get off the elevator, and it is a waiting room. The NICU, and both wings of rooms are locked and you must be buzzed in to get past the doors. Also, the nursery is in the north wing of rooms. We are very happy with all the features of the floor. We are now pre-admitted and ready to check in on the date of my induction, which was officially scheduled this morning! Just a tad over 4 weeks away. We will check in and get started at 5:30 that morning, and hopefully everything will go smoothly and not last too long!

We are thankful that my placenta had moved out of the way for delivery! We made the decision yesterday to have your kidneys looked at after birth. The fluid is still there, and our doctor recommended it. This will consist of having an ultrasound done on your kidneys while we are in the hospital. Even if the fluid is gone by the time we have it done, we still think it is best to monitor it and make sure everything is okay. We will continue to pray about this. At next week's appointment we will have another NST and then the week after that an NST and ultrasound. That week school starts, so it will be a busy time for me!

This last week was also busy, as my mom, dad, and brother all came to help your daddy finish his building. We have a little bit left to paint, the garage door needs to be installed, and a couple of things left to do inside the house and then we are finished!!

Your latest pictures are added as well, but we only got one that I think is good because your head is so low! They tried to move you, I laid on my side, they tilted me almost upside down, all to no avail. You are lodged in there and waiting to arrive!


Love,
Mommy

How your baby's growing:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

33 Weeks

Dear Baby G,

Nurse Jodi (who we absolutely LOVE -- you will too!) gave you a gold star yesterday! You did so good during the non-stress test. In fact, she said my strip would have passed at 37 weeks, so at 32w4d, it was amazing! Your daddy and my mom were in the room while I was hooked to the monitors, and we all got to listen to your heartbeat and your little (BIG) kicks! Since my doctor was next door doing a c-section, I stayed hooked up for about 40 minutes instead of 20!

We didn't end up having an ultrasound yesterday because of the c-section my doctor was doing. We had to wait a little while longer because it took a little longer than expected. He told us everything looks good and because we are so far away from his office, instead of seeing me twice a week, which is what I would normally go to now, we are just going once a week until delivery. Unless, of course, something changes. We tentatively set the date for your delivery! 5 weeks away! It seems soooo close! Monday we will have another NST, and an ultrasound. During this ultrasound we will probably decide if I need to have a c-section. He was a little more optimistic yesterday that a normal delivery may be possible, but no promises. We will see what my placenta looks like on Monday. We will of course be hoping for no fluid and we will also look to see how big you are, as that could affect the delivery method.

We finished a couple of more things in your room, and we are closer each and every day to being finished! I am off to the doctor again today. Sometimes it seems that my life revolves around running to the doctor! Next week I have two appointments again! Lots and lots of driving and lots and lots of co-pays!

Love,
Mommy

How your baby's growing:
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

32 Weeks

Dear Baby G,

I suppose I could start calling you by name, but after 32 weeks, why change now? That's right! It has been 32 weeks!! This is our "magic" number. My rheumatologist has been waiting for it, as have we. Well, I was waiting for 30, but 32 is even better. Now we have 6 more weeks until you join us. That doesn't seem like much time at all. I feel like we have so much left to do, although we really don't. If you came today (don't even think about it!) we would be prepared, but there's just a few little things I want to finish before we bring you home. I really should get those finished because school starts in 4 weeks. That doesn't seem possible, but it does!!

Saturday you must have been a little tired. You did not move much at all. I would start to get worried and I would ask God to please let me know you were okay. Within ten minutes I would feel you. It's amazing how He takes care of our smallest needs. I guess you were just resting up, because Sunday and Monday you were a wild man! Almost constant movement from the time I was awake until I went to sleep, and I imagine while I was asleep too! I am such a worrier it seems, and I shouldn't be, but it is hard. We waited so long for you that I just can't imagine something going wrong. Your kidney issues are enough for my heart to handle right now!

Remember this cute, precious, sweet, neverdoesanythingwrong, cat:



who was oblivious to your arrival? Well, I have changed my mind. I walked into the bedroom where my closets are last week, and my shoes were EVERYWHERE. Mr. Neverdoesanythingwrong just became Mr. Ilovetoeatflipflops. Not just one or two pair, but every single pair I own. He did not discriminate between the $3 Old Navy ones and the $25 Nike ones. He just couldn't be bothered with such nonsense. Apparently, a flip flop is appetizing to him regardless of the price. If he wasn't so cute, I'd be angry. I wasn't happy, but I can't say I got angry. In the four years we have had him, this is the first time he's done something like this. I am chalking it up to your impending arrival, and I can no longer say he has no clue! Ha!

And remember this sweet darling who is attached to my hip:



She is now literally attached to my hip. Whenever I am laying down, she is right there with her head and front two paws resting on my stomach. I'm secretly hoping you will kick one of these days when she is there, just to see her reaction!

I'm anxious for my NST on Monday, and hoping everything goes well. We'll also get to see how much weight you have gained in the last two weeks! We plan to tour the hospital we are delivering in in between my appointments, so I'm ready for that!

Love,
Mommy

How your baby's growing:
By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

New Pictures!

Dear Baby G,

Here are some of the pictures we got of you Monday. We have so many questions about what you will look like and what your personality will be like. When I look at these pictures, I immediately think you look like your daddy. We wonder what color your hair will be. Mine was black when I was born, then turned blonde, and now it is a light brown. Your daddy had blonde hair when he was born and now has dark brown hair. Will you have blue eyes? Our guess is yes, your daddy and I both have blue eyes and my entire family has blue eyes, so we predict blue. Will you be tall? I am tall, but your daddy is just an average height. Whose nose will you have? I have a guess! Will you be quiet or like to jabber and talk? Will you be content to do things alone or will you want to be held all the time? We can't wait to have all the answers to these questions... in only 46 days!


Here you are with your hand next to your face... the way it has been every single time!!


Once again, with the arm... maybe it makes you feel secure in there?


A spitting image....


...of your daddy! These two pictures are him through and through. The nose, eyes, and lips... all your daddy's!


You sure like that arm!


One last look at your precious face.


Here's an "old-fashioned" 2D ultrasound...just for good measure.

I can't believe you will be here so soon. We are definitely ready and excited! We love you so very much already.

Love, Mommy

31 Weeks

Dear Baby G,

We are now less than 7 weeks away from meeting you! You are up to exactly 4 pounds now. Your heartbeat was 133. You are measuring two weeks ahead, so if we were going all the way to September 10, you would most likely be pretty big. The average weight gain is 1/2 pound a week, so if that is the case, in 7 weeks you will be about 7 1/2 pounds. In your new pictures I really think you look like your daddy. I will add them in a little bit, as I need to scan them and lighten them, and I am a little tired from our weekend!

You still have fluid in your kidney, so we will continue to pray about that. We have been told that the surgery to correct this is "simple". However, the thought of my days old baby needing to be put under and have surgery does not and will not ever seem "simple" or "routine". Also, I will most likely be having a c-section. Not only because of the tear in the placenta, but it has also moved and is too low for delivery. So, unless that changes in the next few weeks, a c-section will be necessary. We did dodge a bullet with my liver function tests. They were very concerned with this because it was a possible sign that my liver and galbladder were not functioning properly. After further testing, they are okay at the time. Because I have lupus, I am at an increased risk to develop all of these other complications. Luckily I am monitored very closely, so if something should happen, we would catch it rather quickly. Also, we got very good news in the fact that there is no evidence on ultrasound of you having a heart block. This will continue to be monitored and you will be tested for any signs of neonatal lupus after you are here.

We go back in two weeks for another ultrasound and to do a non-stress test. After that we will possibly go twice a week until you are here. If we can work it out, we may only have to go once a week. Either way, I'm sure it will pass quickly.

Love,
Mommy

How your baby's growing:
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.