Update: 37 weeks

Another OB appointment this morning. Ryan has only missed one appointment between both Dylan and this baby's prenatal visits. But we knew that this week would include another ultrasound. So despite being uber-busy at work right now, he rushed over and arrived just as the doctor came into my room. Perfect.

Ultrasound shows her measuring just about right at around 36 weeks. Heart looks good. And fluid surrounding baby looks good.
Oh, and STILL a girl, which was nice to hear now that the closet is filled with baby girl clothes...

The doctor says she weighs approx 6# at this point, so the estimation is that she'll be around 7.5# at birth depending on when I deliver.
I've had more contractions the past two days, but nothing painful.
She said I could do more walking if I want to progress things, but I think I'll just wait until after Dylan's 3rd birthday party this weekend before I do anything like that.
Plus I have a headcold that I wouldn't mind being rid of before labor and delivery. Who wants to blow their nose during a contraction?

And that pesky office scale says that I've gained 2 more pounds in this past week. Where in the world did that come from? I know it could be water-weight, but I doubt it, as my ankles and hands aren't super swollen. And I have been eating, but no more than I did a month ago.
At least I'm near the end. How much bigger can you get with only 3 weeks to go, I think slyly stupidly to myself.

Update: 34 weeks

Ryan took the day off today to spend together and celebrate our 7th anniversary.
Our day started off with another OB appointment (see below). Then we went out to test-drive a couple cars we've wanted to check out and haven't had the time to do together sans toddler until today. Then we went to the mall and Ryan got himself some new sunglasses, which I must say look very good on him! And then we wrapped up our afternoon with a nice long lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. It was a good day.

Now for the OB visit update:

Another ultrasound with a nice shot of our baby girl's face, looking straight ahead. My doctor pointed out her 'chubby cheeks'.

Remember how I was fretting over her head still being up and a possible C-section? Well, she's flipped downward, ready for the big event apparently. Nice work, baby girl!

And let's see, what else? According to the office scale, I had only gained another pound in the past 2 weeks (whoo-hoo!) To be honest, my scale at home showed about 3 pounds of gain, but I'll take the doc's version this time around. And my doctor stated that my weight-gain is good, not too much, and she thinks I'm on target for a healthy weight at delivery.

Baby's weight is estimated at 5 pounds already, putting her estimated delivery weight at around 8 pounds if I go the full 40 weeks. Not bad, as Dylan was 7lb, 15oz, and most second babies are larger. If she comes a week or two early (as Dylan did), then she could be in the 7lb range. We'll have to see, won't we?

I know my body

Today I had another prenatal appointment. The nurse led us into a room, but it didn't have the ultrasound machine and both Ryan and I frowned. We wanted another one - you know, just to get a peek at the baby again and make sure all was still ok in there for her. Plus we wanted to make sure her head is pointed down, as it is pretty important for delivery...
When my doctor came in, we asked if we could switch rooms and she picked up on our hint right away and led us into the next room.

All is ok. Heartbeat 150 bpm. Measurements of head, abdomen, and femur all averaging at 31 weeks and 2 days... exactly where we are at today. Baby's weight estimated at 4 pounds. My weight... let's not go there.
Oh, and her head... pointed UP.
I knew it! I knew that wasn't a head kicking me in the bladder for the past 2 weeks!
And then my doctor commented, "wow, I guess you really know your body. I would have guessed by where the heartbeat was that she was head down so it's good we checked."
Yup . Glad we checked, but now hoping for a nice big flip-flop before labor in a few more weeks...

Good news is that she said after 35 weeks, she'll let me do more. Still won't be able to return to work yet. But at least in another month I can go walking a bit (although she said I probably won't want to much at that point).

24 Week Ultrasound

Ultrasound picture of our baby girl's face at 24 weeks.

Confirmation in 2D and 3D

This one will probably land our daughter in therapy one day... It's the shot of her 'parts' (indicated by the three parallel lines), confirming that she's indeed a girl. That's right folks, it's a GIRL! Only took about 20 minutes of flipping and flopping on that table trying to get her to change positions so we could see!

This one is in 3D, showing the profile of her face with her arm held up. Since it's still so early, she doesn't have really any fat on her bones... but I promise to fatten her up before you all meet her again!

Whoo-hoo! It's a GIRL!

17 week ultrasound: Results!

This morning Ryan and I went to my rescheduled OB appointment with renewed hopes. We sat in the car, said a little prayer that we would learn something new about our little growing baby... and then went inside.
First let me comment on the weight-gain factor. According to my scale at home, which I weigh myself on every morning, I have gained only 4-5 pounds above my prepregnancy weight. But per the doctor's scale, it says I've gained a whopping 4 pounds since my last visit 3 weeks ago, with a total gain of 6 pounds. Let's note here for a minute that my doctor is a petite asian woman, soft spoken, and very kind. But she went as far as to verbalize the noted weight gain and mention that in the first 20 weeks, the weight gain should stay within 5 pounds. Yikes. I have 3 weeks to go and food tastes so much better and I'm HUNGRY. Does that count for anything? Plus, the change in the size of my chest alone should give me some grace-poundage, don't ya think? That's what I say, at least.
Secondly, she spent a considerable amount of time with the ultrasound (at least 15-20 minutes), checking anatomy measurements (which all measured well), and looking for gender cues. Let me say this much: We aren't certain about the gender still, as the telltale "3 lines" weren't visible yet, but she said she's 90% sure it is a girl. A GIRL!!!! We are so excited!!! And my mom... let's not even go there. From what I could tell, she's already started buying girl clothes for the baby and that was before she got the news. I, on the other hand, have decided to wait until we are more sure in another month before buying any of those adorable newborn girl clothes, just in case.
Anyhow, we have another ultrasound/appointment scheduled in 4 weeks to recheck the anatomy (because she wants to make sure the heart has all 4 chambers, since it was difficult to clearly see that today as well - so keep that in your prayers!) and she said she'd check again on the gender to see if we can see more.
One of the things she thought was that the baby's cord was draped between the legs in a way that made it hard to see clearly, plus the legs were crossed a bit (if it's really a girl, at least she was modest from the start). But the news we are taking from today is this: we are 90% sure it's a girl.
That, my friends, is worth celebrating. Now if I could only justify a bowl of ice cream right now...

Note: After letting all this sink in more, and with a scientist for a husband, I've been convinced that the absense of data isn't proof of a girl itself. Maybe I'm just being pessimistic.

01/18/2008 Ultrasound

Went to our 14 week OB appointment today. At first the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat with the doppler, so she went to the ultrasound. We weren't scheduled to have another ultrasound until 18 weeks, so this was a treat. All was fine. Saw the little spine, heartbeat, and profile complete with little nose and mouth. And the baby moved a bit for us to see as well!
She said the baby was lower than she expected, but that's not a worry because second pregnancies can be lower. And once we knew where our little lemonhead was hanging out, she easily found the heartbeat on the doppler: 140-150 beats per minute.
And while we secretly hoped she'd tell us the gender, it was too soon to determine, so we are still waiting on that nugget of info.
The next appointment is scheduled for February 5th, about a week before we thought we'd go again. She said we'll do another ultrasound then.
I read online today that eating or drinking something sweet an hour beforehand will make the baby move more for the coveted shot. I'll be at work that day, so maybe I'll make a run to the cafeteria for a soda or a dougnut before I leave. After all, it's for scientific purposes.

On another note, my morning sickness has abated a bit. I'm pleased to report that today is one of the first days sans anti-nausea medicine or losing my lunch. Maybe we are turning a corner here. I sure hope so, cause my in-laws are making us steaks on Saturday night and I'd sure like to enjoy one!