Postpartum Reflections

Today is the day Iyla was "scheduled" to arrive! Our little bean is now 8 days old, and thus I am 8 days into my postpartum recovery time. Overall, it has been going really well. My lady parts are a bit sore- the worst of which are the sweet hemorrhoids that developed, making it really hard to sit comfortably. But I have been up and about really easily since we returned home- another blessing of being able to birth vaginally.

Here are some of the fascinating things I have observed in the past week:

*My bleeding isn't bad at all. In the hospital I had the equivalent of a heavy period, but it has now tapered off to light spotting.

*My desire for sweets immediately went away with birth! So interesting. Perhaps it is Iyla who has the sweet tooth!

*My 'need to eat NOW" morning nausea, which I had the entire pregnancy, is gone and my appetite has drastically reduced. The few times BC and I have ordered food he teases me because I am still ordering to eat for two- and my eyes are definitely way bigger than my stomach now.

*I am insanely thirsty pretty much all the time.

*I've woken up several times in the night drenched in sweat. Apparently it is my body's way of expelling all the extra fluid accumulated during pregnancy & from the IV fluids I had during labor.

*Breastfeeding has a steep learning curve! Iyla learned to latch well about 24 hours after her birth (with a lot of trial and error), and my milk officially came in on the afternoon of day 3. I've already had some fun with engorgement, leaking, & extremely sore & flaky nipples. We are getting our stride down now... and hopefully it will just keep getting easier and easier. I also learned from pumping in the hospital that my left breast produces 2x as much milk as my right! And hence that is the side I am currently experiencing engorgement with. My nursing MUST HAVES are:

*Breast pads (the left is leaky!)
*Soothie gel pads that can be heated or cooled (helps with engorgement)
*Lanolin cream (great in the beginning when my nips were SO sore & flaking)
*Breast Pump
*Nursing tank tops (love the Target brand)
*Sleep nursing bra (it is like a sports bra and holds the pads nicely)

*Even though I am not sleeping much, I have amazing stores of energy and am feeling great (so far). Yes, I have sleepy moments, but the bliss of this little one energizes me like nothing else. I haven't even really been napping during the day- and at night I am up every 3 hours to feed her, and the feeding, diaper changing, & getting her back to sleep take the bulk of an hour. So sleeping 2 hours, up 1 throughout the night.

*BC has been absolutely amazing. He rocks the diaper changes & is SO good with Iyla and SO in love with her. We have fallen even more in love with one another as we watch each other blossom into parenthood. It has expanded both of us exponentially already.

*I am enjoying not being pregnant any longer. Don't get me wrong- I loved my pregnancy and loved feeling that little one inside me, but oh is it nice to have my body back! I can move so much more freely again... can bend forward and walk normally again. I feel so much lighter and free.

*I am in awe of my own body. How it produces enough sustenance to nurture another human being. How it instantly readjusts and recognizes I am no longer pregnant (as evidenced by my food & hunger shifts). But most fascinating of all? How that belly of mine keeps shrinking every day! At one week postpartum I have lost 13 pounds, almost half of the 28 total I gained. 

 One week postpartum belly. Still very squishy but shrinking more every day. And as it shrinks, my boobs just keep getting bigger! Can't say I mind. : )

And for comparison's sake, here is my belly one week ago (2 days before Iyla was born) vs. today (her one week birthday):

Hopefully very soon BC and I can start going on walks with our little one, getting a little fresh air and exercise. We have to take advantage of these 2 weeks he is home with us, which I am so grateful for!

One Week Old!

It is hard to believe our little one is already one week old. And what a week of adventures we've had!

We had lots of visitors at the hospital come to meet Iyla. Her Mimi & Grampy (my parents) were there the night she was born and came to visit us each day.

Iyla with her Mimi

 With cousins Shanny & Heather

Auntie Lisa, AKA "The Baby Whisperer"

First family photo

 Sweet baby girl

After a 2 night stay at St. David's North Medical Center, it was finally time to head home! We couldn't wait.

November 14th: Iyla tries out her car seat for the first time & heads home

We love having our little one home with us! I think she liked it too.

Once home, we discovered all the clothes we had were way too big on Iyla- even the newborn sizes! So we rocked the t-shirt/leggings look

We found the Moses Basket to be a perfect spot for napping

 More visitors! Here Julie & Lily come by to visit.

Her Auntie Carey and Auntie Dianne also came to hold and cuddle her.

November 15th, 3 days old and her first trip to the Pediatrician. Her bilirubin levels had been a bit high leaving the hospital, so we had to re-check them at the Pedi. She was a brave girl! Super alert. She lost some of her birth weight (which is normal) and clocked in at 5 pounds, 5 ounces

 As we waited to hear back from the Pedi on her jaundice levels, we did some at home sunbathing therapy

Sam could really care less about his new sister- he is a mama's boy through and through so decided to sunbathe with us

Iyla is really alert after feedings, and it melts our hearts when she looks in our eyes!

Checking out the world around her

Unfortunately the results from the Pediatrician showed Iyla's bili levels had kept crawling up and were teetering on a dangerous level. On Friday, November 16th, at 4 days old, we were told we needed to head to Dell Children's Hospital & check in for Iyla to receive light therapy. We would be staying there 2 days and nights.

 Iyla rocked the moonlight in style! Her Mimi said it was like she had a spa weekend. 

While Iyla was a champ, I was somewhat of a wreck, crying a lot throughout our stay. The first 24 hours we couldn't hold her and I had to pump milk while BC gave it to her in bottles. The teeny silver lining was that I did learn how to pump, and learned I have a great milk supply. BC learned how to give a bottle (which Iyla took like a rockstar!) & burp her.

 "What's the big deal, people?"

BC and I did take the opportunity while she was in the hospital to head out to dinner each night. We would joke in very blasé voices: "Date Night?"

Late Sunday, November 18th we were finally discharged home. We are SO grateful to be back and getting into our groove again.

Back home again, we promptly returned to our sunbathing

We had a follow up Pedi appointment today and unfortunately her levels have gone up again a bit (from a 12 to a 14), so we will be back Wednesday for another appointment. If they go up again we will likely be bringing a blue blanket home with us. Keeping prayers going we don't have to return to the hospital, especially on the Eve of Thanksgiving! The Pedi thinks it is just Iyla's system trying to re-regulate & didn't indicate she thinks a return to the hospital will be needed. Fingers crossed! The great news was she has already started gaining weight back, and is up to 5 pounds 8 ounces! These boobs appear to be doing their jobs.

So there you have it, a summary of all the excitement from the first week of Iyla Grace's life. Looking forward to seeing what each new week brings (and Universe? No more hospital stays please!)

The Story of Iyla Grace

First, a little background- basically a summary of everything this blog has come to represent. Our fertility journey. My pregnancy. And now a record of our little girl's arrival in our lives.

We tried for almost 3 years to get pregnant. It was a very challenging, emotional time where it felt like I was constantly walking a tightrope between total despair vs. continued hope. With each new intervention (countless rounds of Clomid, Femara, IUI's, laparoscopic surgery, 2 Gonal F injectable cycles) the hope would rise again: maybe THIS would be the time it finally happened! Even off cycles on vacation revved up the renewed hope- because wasn't it always said that once you stopped "trying" and went on vacation it would happen?

Then, with each negative pregnancy test & failed cycle the despair would set in like a dense fog. Should I just go ahead and accept that this might not ever happen for us? It sure looked like having children wasn't in our cards. When do you say "when" and just accept this fact?

This post from August of 2011 perhaps describes those feelings best:

http://thequestforlittlelambies.blogspot.com/2011/08/rope-burn.html

After our 2nd Gonal F cycle failed last February, a fog thicker than I'd ever felt descended upon me. Even through this I tried so hard to remain hopeful, deciding we should immediately try another injectables cycle. I was then told by our fertility specialist that no, I had cysts on both ovaries that month- which drastically reduces the chances of pregnancy- and we needed to wait at least one more cycle before trying again. In the meanwhile I seriously considered another laparoscopic surgery to remove my fibroid- "Franny"- once and for all.

After that extremely disappointing news I started to have a change in perspective, operating as a sort of survival instinct. I decided to reconnect with yoga, with BC, and with my body, and I started to hear my own intuition more and more clearly as the fog slowly dissipated.

This blog entry- written the day BC and I were together on the eve of Iyla's conception, speaks to the great shift that occurred in my spirit:

http://thequestforlittlelambies.blogspot.com/2012/03/great-healing-march-photos-days-6-9.html

And thus our miracle baby was conceived on the March 8th full moon, with nothing more than the love & connection between BC and I. When we returned from a 9 day trip I took a pregnancy test truly on a whim, and when I saw the STRONG positive I just crumpled to the ground in awe. And felt with everything in my being that this.was.it.

From the beginning of the pregnancy I was aware that Franny was hanging out very close to the birth canal. Because of this I had a lot of extra ultrasounds & monitoring to see if Franny might be able to be pushed out of the way to allow for a vaginal birth. Each ultrasound reconfirmed that she hadn't moved, and at our last appointment on Halloween the ultrasound doctor literally said: "I've seen miracles happen, but I'd give this baby a less than 1% chance of pushing past that fibroid to come vaginally."

And so I had to grapple with the reality of a planned c-section, something I had very much hoped to avoid. I worked with my psychic astrologer friend to come up with a day/time that seemed most harmonious for the little spirit growing inside me. And so it was that November 20th, 2012 was set for my c-section to occur. This post speaks to the emotions that went with the c-section and having to plan our daughter's birthday:

http://thequestforlittlelambies.blogspot.com/2012/10/in-which-we-choose-our-babys-birthday.html

On Sunday November 11th I was having a really hard time getting around and walking. For about a week I had been feeling like both my inner thigh muscles were pulled, and on this day they seemed extra tugged. I had to cut my morning errands short & just rest the remainder of the day. My body felt heavy, tired, & sore.

2:45am, Monday November 12th: I woke with cramping that made me feel like I needed to have a BM. Went to the bathroom, no BM- so got back into bed. The cramping returned several minutes later along with the tightening of my belly, Braxton Hicks' style. I laid there alert, paying attention to what was happening. Several minutes later another round of cramping. I grabbed my phone & turned on an app I had to time contractions. Sure enough, they were coming like clockwork in the 4-6 minute apart range.

I got up and immediately went downstairs to update my business emails. I had 3 really tough negotiation periods with real estate contracts that were to happen later on that day- so had a lot of prep to do toward my colleagues potentially needing to take things over.

I readied the downstairs of our home- put a lockbox with a house key copy on the front door, packed some snacks, made sure our kitty Sam had food and water, all the while still timing contractions. I called my doctor (felt awful waking her!) and she said we should probably make our way to the hospital to be monitored to see if this was truly active labor. She would call ahead and tell them to expect us.

4am: I woke BC saying I'd been contracting regularly for about an hour- didn't know if this was "it" but thought he should prep his own business for the day, and that my doc felt we should go to the hospital. He shot up and started packing. I showered, finished putting together my hospital bag & the baby bag, and around 4:30 we left for the hospital. On the way there I got wicked nauseous & we had to pull over. Thankfully I had a Zofran tab with me for nausea and that settled things down quickly.

6:30am: initial monitoring at the hospital showed strong contractions 2-3 minutes apart. The on call doc checked me and I was 3cm dilated, 90% effaced, and the baby's head was WAY low where he could feel it easily (probably why I had trouble walking the day before!). After 3 awful tries to insert an IV, we were officially admitted and told we'd be having a baby today! Business emails were sent off, calls to family made, and BC and I looked at each other in excited disbelief. We would be meeting our daughter soon!

When my own doc arrived around 8am to check me, she confirmed the measurements and said that b/c she could fully feel the baby's head, her instinct was to let me labor on my own and see how my body opened & progressed. If, after we tried several 'tricks' throughout the day there was no further progression, we'd know Franny had won and would follow through with a a c-section. I am so grateful to Dr. Campaigne for allowing the possibility of going a different direction; I believe many OB's would have just moved forward with a c-section at that time, given the history of my ultrasounds.

Throughout the morning I was breathing through each contraction pretty well- they didn't feel great, but were totally manageable. I felt most comfortable contracting while standing or sitting, swaying my hips while BC rubbed my back. I thought: "I got this! Maybe my pain tolerance is better than I thought!" BC and I joked that he was now the doula- God help us- and I started requesting things like "Doula! Can you rub my shoulders? Doula! Your turn in Words with Friends."

12:30pm- my doc returned to check me as I was giggling at BC for having broken the hospital curtains. She said she didn't like that I was giggling, as that likely meant the contractions were not at a level to get things moving and that once things were really progressing along I would be finding it hard to talk & be silly between & during them. Upon checking me there hadn't been any further progress, so she recommended we start a very low dose of Pitocin. She felt my body would respond well from just a little jump start. We started at a '3' dose, upping this to a '5' later in the day.

An hour later she returned to break my waters. OUCH!!! That internal exam hurt! Then literally within minutes of her doing this I felt what real contractions were. And there was no more laughing. Those suckers caused my entire body to contract & tense & saw me buckling into a ball in pain, not knowing how to ease them. I immediately said to please order the epidural ASAP! My instinct was that my body would not be opening "like a flower' as I tensed & crippled to the ground.

Forty-five hellish minutes later the anesthesiologist arrived. It was really hard to sit still through those contractions for him to get everything in place, but the pain of the epidural needle was NOTHING compared to the pain of the contractions. Within about 5 minutes the contractions' sharp edges disappeared, and they had me lay down & prop up on one side (they would shift me from side to side for the remainder of the day).

I had been expecting to be numb from the waist down- but this was, in my opinion, the epitome of the perfect epidural: I could feel AND move both my legs and feet (they felt hot & tingly) and I could also feel the pressure of every contraction, but no pain. I knew when the contraction was strong and still had to breathe through those- but again, no pain. It was fascinating to watch the contractions rise & fall on the screen as I was able to hang out relaxed on the bed.

BC and I joked that I was 'The Matrix' (a movie we'd just watched the night before), in that there were SO many wires attached to my body. The pitocin IV, the epidural drip, a bladder catheter, an internal contraction monitor, a heart monitor for baby, AND a blood pressure cuff on my arm.

5:30pm: I was checked by the attending nurse and had progressed to 5cm! Almost immediately after that check I had several STRONG back to back contractions that stirred the baby, causing them to have me shift to one side to re-regulate her heartbeat. My doctor arrived 20 minutes later and rechecked me- I was already 6-7cm! She said she was going to hang tight downstairs at the hospital and come back in about an hour to check me again.

7:45pm: My doctor returned, checked me, and announced I was fully dilated and it was time to push! They prepped the delivery station & she gave me a tutorial on effective pushing techniques.

8pm: I started pushing with my next contraction. It was odd in that I wasn't sure I was going it correctly, but apparently I was and they were very effective, b/c immediately that little baby head moved further and further down. A couple pushes later and the head was visibly coming out, then going back in as I relaxed and waited for the next round of contractions. I could feel when the contraction would start- and would gather in a huge deep breath and push again. After about 5-6 rounds of pushes I felt a LOT of pressure as the head crowned & remained there. My doc said that any push now could fully birth her. BC was calling out to the baby "come on, darlin!" and exclaiming how amazing this all was!

About 2 pushes later she was out! The doctor laid her directly on my chest. She didn't cry right away- she sneezed, then whimpered, and the nurses rubbed her vigorously to get those little lungs to call out, which they finally did. BC was staring directly at her face and I asked: "does she look like our favorite name?" (we had a very favorite but also back-ups in case she didn't fit the favorite). He replied immediately "YES" and it was official- sweet Iyla Grace Lambert had arrived at 8:44pm on 11-12-12 after 18 hours of labor (a very cool birthday, if I do say so myself!)

The doctor allowed the cord to stay connected between us a good 15 minutes before cutting it, and Iyla was taken to be weighed & measured. She got an 8/9 on her Apgar, and was 5 pounds, 14 ounces & 19 inches long. She came back to me for her initial breastfeeding (which was weird and wonderful!), and then was taken to the nursery with BC for a first bath & full check up.

I had one small tear that required a single stitch, and developed two 'awesome' hemorrhoids, which are apparently very common with vaginal births. Those hurt much worse than the stitch! I was also thrilled to be able to eat & drink again- I'd had nothing in my stomach for 24 hours and was famished.

Iyla's name is Sanskrit for "Moonlight." She was conceived on a full moon and born on the cusp of the November 13th new moon. She is nothing short of a miracle in every possible way. We are still in total blissful disbelief that this beautiful little creature is OURS.

Sweet Iyla Grace Lambert, welcome to the world!
You are loved more than you will ever know.

Another Birthday

We got to celebrate another amazing birthday Monday night. Our sweet Iyla (pronounced Eye-La) Grace made her arrival into this world!

And she completely did things her way.

Chose her birthday (11-12-12, 8:44pm).

Miraculously moved Franny out of the way to allow for a vaginal birth, against all odds (I believe the ultrasound tech said there was less than a 1% chance she'd have room to push past that fibroid?)

She is a healthy, feisty little bean (5 lbs, 14 ounces, 19 inches) and we are quite smitten with her.

More to come with her official birth story, but for now- a few precious pictures. We are truly blessed!

38 Week Updates and a Birthday

No- not that Birth Day yet.....

On Thursday I officially turned 37 years old (wow- that looks old to type!). It's strange how some years I have better connotations with the numbers than others- 36 was "eh," but 37 feels good (I keep joking with BC- who is 5 years my senior- that 37 is heaven!). Maybe it is because there are such incredible things to look forward to in this upcoming year.

I started off my birthday morning meeting a girlfriend for a lovely brunch followed by some Anthropologie browsing (alright, alright- BUYING. They send out a 15% birthday coupon every year and it would be a travesty not to take advantage of that!) I worked the rest of the day, then had an absolutely AMAZING dinner with BC at one of our favorite Austin spots- Paggi House:

Wearing my new Anthro cardigan! 

Ordered delicious lamp chops & had a free birthday sampler dessert tray compliments of the restaurant. Heaven.

We kept the celebration going last night, inviting a few friends to meet us out at the Driskill Hotel bar. Four and a half years ago we stayed at the Driskill Hotel for our honeymoon, and it is another Austin staple we are madly in love with. Given we are only about a week out from baby time- we indulged and got a room for the night! It was a perfect birthday 'staycation.'

As of today, I am 38 weeks pregnant (and feeling it!) Here are my official updates:

How far along? 38 weeks 

How big is baby? Estimated around 6.5-7 pounds, still about the size of a watermelon (I think last week I said watermelon but see now that the apps said WINTER melon... what the heck is that?)

Weight gain? I've heard it said weight gain often slows in the 3rd trimester... definitely not the case with me! The pounds seem to be packing on pretty consistently lately. Yesterday I was up another 1.5 pounds from last week, for a total of 28 pounds so far.

I am teetering on rising above the "ideal" weight gain line!

 I like to think it is all baby putting on her final padding and readying herself to enter the world. But it could equally be due to the nightly dessert helpings I am having....

38 week belly

Sleep? Doing OK overall there. The nightly baths are a new great way to relax my mind and body, and I sleep pretty soundly once asleep. I get up 3-4x/night to use the bathroom, and am still waking for the day between 6:45-7.

Cravings/Aversions? Same as in previous weeks- loving sweets! I also had an Amy's frozen veggie lasagna for lunch yesterday and luxuriated in every.single.bite. I think I'll be stocking up on those for my postpartum recovery time.

Symptoms? Similar to last week.... nausea when I wake at night & in the morning, some heartburn, and oh so sore hips! I am hobbling around a lot these days, feeling every one of my 37 years & 28 pound gain. 

One new symptom that has popped up this week is a bit of swelling in my feet, ankles, & calves. Nothing too crazy, but I can definitely notice it. All this extra baby weight is definitely having its way with me!

Most looking forward to? Getting business tied up this week. I am in the middle of 3 inspection periods with contracts, which are the most stressful part of the real estate process- so I am looking forward to helping those clients move forward so they are in good places when my colleagues take over. I am excited to be close to my maternity leave! 

Also looking forward to closing on our home refinance Wednesday. Everything has gone very smoothly there (knocking on wood) and when all is said and done, we'll be saving over $500/month at an incredible 3.6% rate. Couldn't come at a better time! 

And of course, we are both looking forward to officially meeting our daughter. I am still curious if she will make an early appearance... she is fully "cooked" now and could truly come any time! We are ready and can't wait.

37 Week Updates

Yesterday I hit the last big pregnancy milestone- at 37 weeks, our baby is now considered full term! It is a great feeling to know we have a healthy little one cooking away in there, and that if she decided to make an early debut she is in great shape to do so.

How far along? 37w1d today

How big is baby? The size of a watermelon! At our ultrasound last week she was estimated at 5 pounds, 6 ounces, and will continue to gain about an ounce a day.

Weight gain? Yesterday my scale read 134.6- so up about 2.5 pounds from last week, for a total gain of 26.6 pounds so far.

37 week belly

Cravings/Aversions? Nothing notable... loving veggies as often as I can get them, and ice cream still rocks my world.

Sleep? Better the last part of this week! I have actually been sleeping in a bit, which feels amazing. Sadly it doesn't give me any additional energy during the day- I still feel drained and tired overall- but am grateful I am sleeping longer stretches. I've been talking to BC about wanting more snuggle time with him- and unfortunately he chose around 5:45 this morning to make good on this request, after I returned to bed from my 3rd or 4th nightly bathroom visit. Super sweet, but given my light sleep patterns and that I am still half asleep for those bathroom visits, the snuggling was enough to jar my body & mind into a fully awake, alert state- and I could not get back to sleep. Poor BC- his intentions were so good, but I was mad at that timing, as this was one of my few mornings to really sleep in. Alas, I was up earlier than I have been in days and am now extra tired.

Symptoms? This week has been a doozy. To include:

*The return of morning sickness- for the last 4 days I've had a big supply of peanut butter crackers next to the bed that have been life savers. When I wake close to morning time waves of nausea will come over me and I need to eat something immediately! I almost threw up one morning last week because the nausea was so intense.

*Heartburn- I wouldn't say it is extreme, but it is a bit new to me on this pregnancy journey.

*Looser/more regular BMs- this is a good thing! That colace really got things going again. I had several days in a row of good regularity before things got a little too loose- have laid off the colace the last 2 days, and go figure- NO BM again. I need to find a healthy balance there.

*Fatigue- I seem to have permanent bags under my eyes and just feel exhausted overall. I worked a FULL day yesterday- including showing property for 3.5 hours. I don't think I can do any more long stretches like that anymore... about 2 hours in my body felt so achy & sore from the constant standing, and I also started to get really light headed & felt at times like I might faint. Not good!

*Sore body- I definitely feel it in my hips & legs if I have been standing or walking too much. Walking tends to bring on the Braxton Hicks as well. Last Monday I went to prenatal yoga AND BC and I went for a longer than usual walk after dinner. By about 8pm I seriously could.not.walk. My body was SO tight and SO achy, it was all I could do to get myself into a warm bath & into bed.

All of this together is helping make me VERY ready for this little lady to arrive! I have fully moved out of my "freak out" phase and am now of the mindset that I'd love for her to come soon. Our home is ready, our hearts are ready, and even though business isn't totally buttoned up, I feel ready to hand things off into my colleagues' very capable hands.

Most looking forward to? Meeting our baby! I am so ready and so excited.... just about two weeks left now until her debut. And I should mention here that my cousin- the one who dreamed about BOTH of my pregnancies vividly before ANYONE was told about them (she has psychic gifts like that)... had another vivid dream last week where our daughter came early, before her scheduled c-section. Time will tell, but I say..... BRING IT! I've had energetic agreements with her on timing throughout this pregnancy, to include:

*Not coming before November 1st
*Only coming when she is big enough/healthy enough to not have to stay in the hospital
*Earlier this week I added on to give me through this weekend to tie up some more business

Check, check, and almost check....   if any of you readers want to wager a guess, I'd love to hear them! Do you think our little one will stay put until our scheduled delivery, or make an early appearance on her own terms? 

November!

Our birth month has finally arrived! And arrive it did with a bang. I awoke this morning with unusual-to-me diarrhea and pretty extreme nausea. I am feeling better now post-breakfast, and thinking the colace stool softener I've started taking nightly might be doing its job a little too well.

BC and I originally hadn't planned to dress up or do much for Halloween this year. However, when we got a last minute invite to our good friends' home to have dinner & help hand out candy, it was game on! Someone on my November Mamas Facebook page had posted a picture of a pregnant Halloween costume where there were baby arms breaking out of the belly to trick or treat, and I was immediately inspired. After hitting up about 4 stores yesterday in a quest for costume supplies, the vision slowly came together. Behold, Baby Lambert's first Halloween:

The best was when the baby would actually move or get the hiccups- the doll arms would start to bounce and move on their own. Super creepy!

We also had our last ultrasound yesterday to take a peek at the babe and see what was going on with Franny. Baby Lambert was moving as much as ever (I read somewhere that at this point in gestation most babies sleep 90% of the time... HA! Totally not true of this little one. We are going to get a run for our money when she joins us!) Everything looked great. She is still measuring in the 20th percentile, estimated weight at 5 pounds, 6 ounces- which is perfect textbook growth. Four weeks ago they estimated 3'6, and babies typically gain at a rate of 1/2 pound/week. Given this, she should be around 6'5- 7 pounds when she makes her grand debut.

The baby has gotten big enough that her head was obscuring any view of Franny. So I got the fabulous bonus of getting an unexpected vaginal ultrasound in addition to the regular belly one. And once the doc went in that way there was Franny, hanging out in all her glory, still blocking the birth canal. At least there is NO shadow of a doubt now what the plan is... onward we go to our scheduled c-section. Less than 3 weeks now until we meet our little girl!