A Little Scare for Daddy

I had my 30 week appointment last week, and, as is usual for me, I started measuring behind. Dr. Mahan didn't seem really concerned even though I was measuring 2 1/2 weeks behind, until she looked at my chart. Apparently, I hadn't grown at all since my last appointment (when I measured perfectly!). I had an ultrasound scheduled for my next appointment at 32 weeks, so I figured I'd just have the growth ultrasound tacked onto that ultrasound. But, she wanted to get me in right away, and that she did!

Lacy, the ultrasound tech, came right to my room and brought me back. I wasn't worried about the growth part at all, but I wanted to know about the cyst that she found at my 20 week ultrasound. She checked, and it was gone! Praise the Lord! I know they told me that it wasn't anything to worry about, but I still did a little.

I was also hoping that she could get a 3D ultrasound so that I could have one of her along with the rest of the kiddos. That baby girl was all squished and cuddled in there though. She tried, and when she turned on the 3D, I could see her furrowed eyebrows. She has a mad face just like Nora did in her 3D ultrasound, and through most of her newborn stage. I'm just going she's not actually as mad as Nora was as a small baby!

29 Weeks 4 Days

Once she finished the ultrasound, she told me that she was measuring at 30 weeks and 1 day, perfectly! I thought then that I could cancel my ultrasound before my next appointment, but apparently Dr. Mahan didn't have her check that the placenta isn't an issue with my c-section scar since it's anterior. (Maybe baby girl will cooperate for a 3D next time!)

When I got home, mom (who was watching the kids) and I were working in the kitchen when we clogged the disposal. Adam hates having to take it apart and unclog it, so when he got home, I told him I had bad news and tried to butter him up. He wasn't having it though and was pushing away wanting to know what was going on. I finally told him what mom and I had done and he looked relieved. He knew I had an appointment and thought the bad news was about the baby, not the kitchen sink. I felt horrible, not even thinking that that was where his mind went! I think that's the happiest I've seen him fix that darn sink though (not that he was smiling about it).

Halfway Through Pregnancy No. 5

I guess it goes to show that once you're a mom with littles at home, you don't have as much time to sit down and write posts about each day or week of your pregnancy, since I'm already 20 weeks and 4 days along, and I'm finally getting around to my first blog post about it. (And that while writing that first sentence, I was called away from my computer twice... and that's during nap time.) I'm sure this will be a brief post, but I'll try to mention everything that has been going on during this pregnancy.

First, let's talk about due dates. By my charting, I calculated a due date of May 21st. The nurse practitioner at my first appointment gave me a due date of May 20th, which lined up with my early dating ultrasound. But, at my first trimester screening (the one where we found out with Danielle about her heart issue), they gave me a due date of May 22nd. The same due date that the same ultrasound gave me with Danielle. For a momma who has lost a baby, things lining up so well like that aren't a fun way to go through a pregnancy. While Adam and I wanted to have more kids and weren't seriously trying to avoid getting pregnant, we didn't (and would not!) plan this timing. Which tells me that God, in all his wisdom, must have some crazy plan for this baby that I haven't a clue about yet. It's been difficult with Facebook's new thing where you can view your memories from the past when my posts about Danni show up and I'm thinking about the baby growing within me, who's the same gestational age as Danni at the time of my post. It has helped having so many friends and even a cousin, pregnant and due close to when I'm due (two are due the same week I'm due!)

20 weeks 3 days, measuring 20 weeks 1 day

The next thing I wanted to talk about was my 20 week ultrasound which I just had yesterday. (This is normally the ultrasound where you would find out if your baby has any major complications that are detectable by ultrasound.) While I was pretty sure that I could see a glimpse of a 4-chamber heart at the first trimester screening, it was wonderful to see such a beautiful 4-chamber heart so clearly on this ultrasound beating away around 120 bmp. The placenta is also placed well that I should be able to have another VBA2C. I left the ultrasound room feeling pretty good about this pregnancy.

It wasn't until I saw the doctor that my heart sunk a little. Dr. McDonald shared with me that while our baby had no other complications, the baby does have a cyst in the back right side of his/her brain. Combined with other abnormalities, such as heart complications or limb deformities, it would indicate that the baby likely has Trisomy 18. With no other complications though, they don't worry about it. I have the option of having it looked at again around 32 weeks, but post birth, they do nothing. I have heard from other mommas that sometimes it disappears completely, while other times it grows. Please pray, just for my peace of mind, that it goes away completely when they check at 32 weeks.

Now, the last part, the part that everyone always asks after a 20-week ultrasound... "Do you know what you're having?"

Well, yes, we found out it is indeed a baby, not an alien, so good news there! But, for those referring to the gender of our baby. The ultrasound tech knows, probably the doctor, and a piece of paper in an envelope sitting on my kitchen counter. We will find out on Friday evening, and I'm sure I will post about it sometime on Saturday (kids willing!)

I'll leave you with the last baby bump picture Adam took for me on Christmas Day.

18 weeks 6 days

Ender, the Little Bugger

Alright, so if you've read the book, you'll find the title of this post amusing. Though, I don't mean that Ender is an alien trying to take over planet Earth. Although, maybe that's how the world ends on December 21, 2012...

So, I kind of have a lot to post about. With both girls, I was so much better about staying on top of posts. Although, I will admit, I never actually finished the post about Danni's last appointment. I think I wrote a sentence or two, and afterwards, I didn't want to go back and write about it.

To start, I had an appointment last week. At this point, I don't remember a lot of the details, but I do remember that Dr. Mahan said he was breech, and we were going to schedule the c-section for December 26th. Monday, I had an ultrasound (oh, boy, was that a long appointment!), and yesterday, I had another appointment with Dr. Mahan.

Adam and Nora came with to the ultrasound, and as we were sitting in the lobby, I asked Adam if I had remembered to ask to be scheduled for Krista's room, when Jill, a new ultrasound tech with Allina, called my name. She said that she was going to start the ultrasound, and Krista would come in at the end. Well, when she first scanned, Ender was breech. She went around checking over the usual things they check at a level 2 and a growth ultrasound (though, she only needed to check the growth). She got two pictures of his foot for us while she was scanning, and found that the placenta hasn't really moved. :( She also found that his heart rate was 128 bpm.

Eventually, Krista came in, and Jill asked her a few questions about how to get good pictures of certain parts (being as he was breech, it made some things hard to see). She had problems with parts of his heart (everything is fine, she just couldn't see, if I remember correctly, the RVOT very well, but Krista found it just fine), and with his diaphram. Not that I know much about how to hold the probe to get the pictures they want, but I did know that what she was looking at was not a good picture of it. She was angled wrong, I guess. I just knew it didn't look right, since I saw Danni's diaphram so many times when they would do BPP and check for practice breathing. Krista gave her some pointers though (like looking for the bright white circle of his ribs) to make sure she was at the correct angle.

His big foot up by his head

Before we wiped the jelly off my belly, Krista pulled out the 3D probe, and told Jill she had promised to get some 3D's at this ultrasound, since she couldn't at the last one. At this point, Ender had decided to move to a transverse position facing downward. I'm not sure it made the 3D's any easier to capture though, since he had his hand in front of his face most of the time.

A little distorted since she had to crop out his arm.

Cuddled in, sleeping on his arm.

Once Krista had gotten a couple pictures for us, she told us Dr. Ledella, Dr. Ledella!, would be in to chat with us. I saw her through most of my pregnancy with Danielle - and love her, but only once with Nora, since she was out on medical leave (and I was being seen at Comprehensive for my appointments - just ultrasounds at Perinatal). I guess she had gotten tied up, and was running a little behind (Krista came in twice to let us know her status). But she eventually came in, and scanned again to see that the placenta still had about 3 cm to go, which meant it wasn't going anywhere in time for delivery, and to find that Ender, the little bugger, had now moved to a head down position. Holy buckets kids, do you ever sit still?!

I think one reason I love Dr. Ledella is that she is a woman of faith. While we were chatting, she commented about how Ender was a blessing from God. He is, and it's nice to hear a doctor say it. She talked the same way with Danielle, and how the small victories each week at her appointments were God-given.

Alright, onto yesterday, our appointment with Dr. Mahan. She found his heart rate to be about 160 bpm, and that he was in a head down position still - or probably again... I'm sure he had done several back flips between the ultrasound and the appointment the next day. We talked to her about the possibility of moving the c-section to December XX instead of the 26th, since that would be exactly 37 weeks according to the due date that they have (mine is a little off from theirs, though I tend to believe mine). So we did. I also asked her about his position again (I did at the last appointment too), and how they would have to slice me open. (With a bikini cut, you can VBAC, but if they make a "classical" cut, then you can't.) She said the only way that she would have to make a classical cut is if he is transverse and face up, since there would be nothing for her to grab to pull him out. I told her how he was doing acrobatics at the ultrasound, and she said that they might end up having to scan me before hand to make sure of his position. I'm kind of afraid that he won't be in the right position, and I won't be able to VBAC again. (Prayers for optimal positioning would be nice!)

How far along?: 34 weeks 3 days
Total weight gain/loss: About 22 pounds. I think that's the most I've gained with any of the kids, but I also started at a much lower weight this time, since I was still nursing Nora.
The Bump: Large & in charge. Though, I feel like when I wear my extra big winter jacket zipped up that people might not be able to tell.

32 weeks 4 days

32 weeks 4 days

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: The big day when we meet baby *blank.* (Yep, I think we have a name picked out other than Ender! And, nope, we're not sharing)
Maternity Clothes: I don't even feel like this should be a question anymore...
Symptoms: Just 3rd trimester uncomfortable-ness. Back pain, sleeping, rib kicks...
Belly Button in or out?: Out... I wonder how long it will take to go back in.
Food Cravings/Aversions: Still milk/ dairy. I've been making warm milk with flavored creamers lately. Once in a while hot chocolate, but mostly warm milk.
What I miss: Being able to play with Nora like I used to. I've found other ways to make her giggle & laugh, but still.
Milestones: Supposedly at this point baby is supposed to be "head down and preparing for birth." Not that Ender is, but his lanugo hair is disappearing.

Ender's All Over the Place, and So Are We

I had two appointments this week. One was my regular OB appointment, the other was an extra ultrasound I decided to get for free from Argosy University to see if the placenta has moved at all.

Tuesday was my OB appointment. Adam stayed home with a napping Nora and got ready for one of his interviews, so it was just me. I met the new RN, Justine Politz. I really liked her. I guess she works at Woodwinds also, and used to work at Abbott, but said that the "abnormal was becoming normal," and she didn't like that. It's kind of funny, because even though this is "normal baby #2" for me, the normal routine of appointments still seems somewhat strange to me, as the abnormal with Danni was my normal. (Maybe that's another reason I wanted another ultrasound... that's my "normal.") She measured my tummy, and felt my tummy to find that the baby was in a transverse position (laying across my tummy instead of in a head-down position). She said that was actually good, since I have placenta previa. Then he's not putting as much pressure on the placenta and my cervix. Then she pulled out the doppler, and found is heart rate to be in the 140's again. She mentioned that at my next appointment they would do the Group B Strep culture, but I asked if that was necessary if I am having a scheduled c-section, and I never had one done with Danielle. She said that since she's new there, she would ask Dr. Mahan. So as she walked me out, we stopped and asked. Dr. Mahan said they still do it, just in case my water breaks or something.

Then, on Thursday, we had our free ultrasound at Argosy University. When you sign up for one you have to have already had your 20-week anatomy scan, and you have to bring proof (a picture from it works fine). So we grabbed our ultrasound pictures and off we went! One of the students (whose name was also Sarah) came down to get us, just like if you were going into a clinic. (At the end, we were asked to fill out a survey about how professional they were, and she did great!) When we got up there, I laid down on their table, and she asked if we knew what we were having. We told them we were having a boy, but wanted to know if my placenta had moved at all. She looked right away, and said it was still covering my cervix. I asked her if she could measure to see how far it would have to move yet, but she said her professor, Heidi, would have to do that at the end. Sarah had about 15 minutes to take some anatomy pictures that she needed off her list. She found that he was breech that day... moving all of the place, I guess! She did ended up getting a really great picture of his little boy parts! Since Krista couldn't get him to sit still long enough to get a good picture, I was kind of excited to see that he is indeed a boy! Then two other students had their turn to scan and take pictures off of their lists as well. They gave us a CD with all of the pictures, but they are mostly boring pictures of arm or leg bones, the spine, or a couple of the heart (alright, so I think the heart ones are still pretty neat, with all 4 little chambers!). After each student had their turn, Heidi, the professor had her turn to take some fun pictures. She took some profile pictures and checked how far the placenta would have to move. She said about 3 cm. :( That means in ten weeks, it has moved about 1 cm, and now has another 10 weeks to move 3cm... I don't think that's going to happen anymore, so it looks like I'll be sliced and diced again.

Ender's profile

Looking right at us

He's gonna be chubby! :)

Must be flexible!

He's got hair, just like his sisters did!

How far along?: 31 weeks 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: About 19 pounds... 1 1/2 pounds of which are just in the last day... I think I might need to check my scale again.
The Bump: Well, there's definitely no denying that I'm pregnant... It's funny that it changes shape from day to day (or sometimes hour to hour), because he still isn't sure if he's more comfortable transverse, breech, or head down.

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: I think at this point, just getting to see Nora meet him and interact with the "bebe." She's kind of jealous when Adam or I hold another baby, but if someone else is, or if the baby is laying on the floor, she very fascinated by them.
Maternity Clothes: Yep. I'm so glad I've had 2 wonderful people lend me some of their maternity clothes. I feel way more fashionable this time around than with either of the girls! (Thanks, Jacque & Theresa!)
Symptoms: Not sleeping through the night, and sciatic nerve pain... that's about it, I guess.
Belly Button in or out?: Out. With both girls I remember people telling me how back in the day when they were pregnant women would put band-aides over their belly buttons so people wouldn't see them sticking out. No one has said that this time around.
Food Cravings/Aversions: Milk. Hot chocolate sometimes, but the past few days if my tummy's not happy, I drink some warm milk with vanilla & nutmeg (like my mom would make us when we were kids), and my tummy is happy again.
What I miss: The hope of having another VBAC.
Milestones: He's about 11.4 inches long and weights about 4 pounds at this point, and gaining weight more rapidly... maybe that's why I gain 1 1/2 pounds in a day!

Lots to Cover!

So it's been quite a while since I've written a post about this pregnancy with Ender, so I'll try to keep it short, but I'll try to remember everything.

We had an ultrasound on August 22, and were able to find out the gender (right before the City Wide Garage Sale! I'll talk about clothes in another post). We had Krista (our ultrasound tech) put it in an envelope, and I gave it to my friend, Amanda, who blew up either pink or blue balloons for us, and put them in a cute box that she decorated.

Then we were able to open the box up and see the BLUE balloons fly to heaven for Danielle to see. Here's another sneak-peek of our baby boy from the ultrasound!

BEAUTIFUL! :) Love seeing this!

The note from Krista with the proof!

You have read a couple times in the "What I'm excited about/looking forward to" part that I wanted to know if I still had placenta previa. Well, we found out the answer to that at the ultrasound as well. The placenta is still covering my cervix by 4.21 cm. Krista seemed doubtful that it would move enough to avoid a c-section by the time I deliver, so the thought of it doing it again haunted me for several days. I posted in a mom's group on Facebook that I needed prayers for peace of mind, and hopefully that the placenta moved. My mind was eased a little from their prayers and supportive comments. But, I think after our appointment with Dr. Tumaneng last Tuesday, I felt better about it, and started to accept it as the likely outcome. I asked her quite a few questions... She thought there was still a chance for it to move, but I also wanted to prepare myself for another c-section, so I told her that I wanted Adam to be in the room with me when they did the spinal. She said that most anesthesiologists at Woodwinds don't mind, but if or when the time comes to schedule the c-section, that they would make sure to put a note on my chart about it. There's still a couple other things I want out of a c-section birth with this baby (especially since he is healthy and all), and some that the doula I had with Nora, Ashley of Gaia Birth, brought up as well, such as being able to hold him and breast feed him while they stitch me up. With Danielle, I was okay with not being able to do that, since I knew, for her, it would be best to get her hooked up to her new lifelines.

I've been going back and forth on whether or not we want to use Ashley, or really a doula at all, this time. I am 100% happy that we had her for Nora. I felt that having that extra support made my VBAC successful. This time, if I VBAC, I think I want to just have Adam there. He was wonderful support, and I think Ashley helped guide him a lot of the times, but I think he learned a lot and can probably do it on his own. If I have a c-section, then I guess we've "been there, done that" too. Of course, this time there's quite a few things I want to do differently, but I feel like, after having Danni, and feeling like I didn't have a voice with some things, and finding that with Nora, I was in control, that this time, I would be able to make it the best c-section that I can have (even if it's not my ideal birth situation).

How far along?: 22 weeks 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: Well, after our Duluth vacation, the State Fair, and the cabin on Labor Day, I was up about 12 pounds, but now that I'm back to eating normally, it's right around 11 pounds.
The Bump: While I don't feel super big, when I look at my belly pictures, I see that I actually am!

22 weeks 2 days

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: The consignment sale at the State Fair grounds! I'm excited to find lots of cute boys' clothes (and maybe a few things for Nora too)!
Maternity Clothes: While I had to wear my maternity shorts, because my regular ones weren't fitting, now that it's getting cooler, I have few pairs of regular capris that I can still wear (though some are elastic waist-ed... maybe that's cheating in this category! lol) Maternity tops I haven't even touched yet, but I'm getting low on tops that are long enough to cover my belly!
Symptoms: Keeping my tummy happy is always a "symptom" and, I know I've posted about it before, but with this one I seem to have a lot more lower back pain. Maybe it's from holding Nora, or maybe it's where the placenta is with the previa... either way, back rubs are good!
Belly Button in or out?: Yep, all the way out! At least this one didn't actually kick it out!
Food Cravings/Aversions: We were talking about split pea and ham soup the other day (mom's homemade stuff!), and it sounds pretty good to me! (Could be the fall weather too though!)
What I miss: Not having my belly get in the way maybe? It's difficult to bathe Nora, and doing the dishes is starting to get tough.
Milestones: I guess he's on a somewhat regular schedule for sleeping, and being awake. That sounds about right with the movements I'm feeling All. The. Time. :)

First Ultrasound

Originally written June 11, 2012


We had our first ultrasound on Thursday. It was just for dating purposes, nothing is wrong this time. (With Nora I had spotting early on and they did an ultrasound to make sure everything was okay.) I remember being able to clearly see teeny tiny little Nora with the abdominal scan at 6 weeks, so I thought for sure at 8 weeks they wouldn't do an internal at all. Wrong. That was all Lacey, the ultrasound tech, did. While she was doing the ultrasound, Adam was standing with Nora in front of the screen showing her her little sibling.We could see the baby moving around his/her little arms & legs, and I said Third looked like a turtle with a big head, but Lacey said she always thought they looked like gummy bears at this point. She checked the heart rate, and it was 180 bpm, and measured the baby to be 2.23 cm long from crown to rump.

After the ultrasound we met with Aimee again. I guess the date she had originally given us lined up with the date on the ultrasound (January 11th), but it's 2 days ahead of what I calculated (January 13th). Not as close as Nora's, but not as off as Danni's. She did a pap and wrote up a request for MN Perinatal to get the first trimester screening done for us. (I guess they do them there too, but I feel more comfortable at Perinatal. I've heard too many stories about babies with severe heart defects, like Danni, not be detected on any ultrasounds. I trust Perinatal to find anything, if there is something.)

One thing I've been meaning to write about is how we're doing emotionally. With Nora, I was always worried something was wrong, or something might happen and we'd loose her. It wasn't until well into the second trimester, and after several ultrasounds where we had seen her 4-chamber-heart beating away, that I finally let myself get a little excited about having another baby. This time I haven't been nearly as worried. I think it's a combination of not really having time to think about the fact that I'm pregnant again, since I'm chasing Nora around all day, and that I know what it is like to have hope for a normal, healthy baby during a pregnancy again. At this point I can't feel the baby move or anything, so I really have no idea what's going on in there. So I'm kind of wondering that if once I start to feel the baby move, if I'll be a little more obsessive/ worried about making sure he/she is still kicking around in there.

On another note, with people having babies and being pregnant, it's so hard to talk with them about pregnancy, and not slip up that I'm preggo too! Plus, I went to lunch with one of my friends from college, Natalie, and half way through she said, "I half-expected you to tell me you were pregnant again. You know, 3rd anniversary, 3rd kid." I chuckled and said that Adam wished I was, and played it off like I wasn't.


How far along?: 9 weeks 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: Still nothing, really.

8 weeks 6 days
Sporting my new hair cut! :)

The Bump: I'm starting to feel more self-conscious about it, and with it being 90 degrees, I can't wear big bulky sweaters like I did with Nora to cover it up.

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: Hopefully getting some good sleep in the second trimester, and being able to tell people. (It's getting harder to not slip up and say something about being on kid #3.)
Maternity Clothes: Still none, thankfully!
Symptoms: I wake up every night to pee. :( Then I wake up in the morning (if I actually fell back asleep) with a backache. I'm hoping this is just a first trimester thing and doesn't go on the whole nine months!
Belly Button in or out?: It's still half-out...
Food Cravings/Aversions: Nothing really. I guess yesterday around noon I really wanted something chocolate, and found some Tagalongs in the freezer. Tasty!
What I miss: Being comfortable in bed at night & getting more restful sleep.
Milestones: This week the development of the heart is complete! Hopefully it has 4 working chambers and all the right plumbing.

No More Ultrasounds

We went in for (what should be) our last ultrasound. Julie was our tech again. She measured baby's fluids and got 13.4 cm (even more than last week!). She checked everything for a biophysical profile (BPP) as well, though she didn't tell us what she scored. I assumed 8 out of 8, since she didn't say anything. Plus, I saw 3 out of the 4 things that they look for, and felt the fourth one (a nice, good kick in the ribs!). Baby was actually, I think, in a better position for a 3D, but I didn't think to ask this time. Bummer. But we did get a couple 2D pictures of her.

After the quick scan, Dr. Ledella came in and said everything looked good and that they wouldn't need me to come in again. Then she said the first thing that made me not want her as my doc this time around. (I will preface this with, if I had a high-risk pregnancy again, I would, without a doubt, go back to her in a heartbeat. But, for a normal pregnancy, I'm glad she's not my doc.) She said, "If you don't go into spontaneous labor by week 39 you'll have to schedule another c-section, because they won't induce you."

With all the reading and networking I've done, that's not necessarily true. Yes, they don't like to induce you, as it greatly lessens your chances of having a successful VBAC. But, they will let me go longer than 39 weeks. One of my old co-workers was just allowed to go to 42 weeks before they scheduled her second c-section. Forty weeks is, by far, not out of the question, since that is supposed to be the length of a pregnancy.

It was kind of discouraging to hear her say that, because now I'm starting to worry what will happen if I don't go into labor. I didn't feel any contractions with Danielle before she was born. What if I don't have any with this one either? I don't want to go under the knife again. It is a little encouraging that I think I have been starting to feel a few, very small, contractions, but I've also heard that women have contractions like that throughout the third trimester, and still end up with a c-section. I just have to keep thinking positive thoughts! I can do this!

Back to Perinatal... (& Comprehensive)

Today was full of baby appointments, and since it is my mom's birthday (and she has off work, and she really really wanted to see her granddaughter) I had her come along instead of Adam. At my last appointment, two weeks ago, I was measuring a little small, so they ordered a growth ultrasound to make sure everything was okay with the baby, and I had asked to be able to go back to MN Perinatal.

All last week when I would worry about it, I kept thinking that her amniotic fluid levels were low. It made sense to me, because I felt like I could feel her moving a lot more than I could with Danielle, so I figured there was less room for her to swim around in without hitting me. Without having any fundal height measurements from Danni, I really have nothing to go by for a comparison.

When we got to Perinatal, Wendy, the receptionist, wasn't there, and the past couple times I've called, I've gotten someone else as well. So I asked the receptionist if she was still working there. I guess she's just on vacation this week, and there's another receptionist that has been working sometimes too. We waited a couple minutes and soon Kristen, an ultrasound tech that I've never met, called me back. (Kristen doesn't normally work at the Woodbury clinic, and was hired on towards the end of my pregnancy with Danielle.)

She asked lots of questions about the pregnancy, ones that I'm guessing Krista (my favorite tech) wouldn't have had to ask, since she knows the answer to most of them. Then she got to scanning. Baby was head down with her butt up in my stomach (as always! UGH!), and her legs stretched straight across with her feet into my side. Her face was kind of buried and hidden, so she couldn't really get any 3D's done, but she got a 2D done of her looking straight at us.

She measured everything she needed to measure for the growth, and gave her all 8 points for the biophysical profile (BPP). She checked her heart rate; it was 141 bpm. I asked if she could see if she had any hair (you could see lots of hair on Danni's head at her 29 week ultrasound), but she didn't really have any. At the end of the scan at 34 weeks and 2 days, she said she weighted 4 pounds 14 ounces (Danni measured 5 pound at 33 weeks, just for comparison's sake), putting her at 33 weeks and 3 days. So, pretty much right on track. Kristen said she would give the information to Dr. Mills and that she would be in shortly.

While we were waiting for Dr. Mills to come in, Joan, the genetic counselor, stopped in to see us. We talked about the baby a little and how I might be able to be a stay at home mom. She told us her youngest just finished with daycare and started going to school this past year. When she got the final statement from the non-profit church daycare that the total she had paid was $50,000. We talked about how much money it saves being able to stay home with your kids.

Soon Dr. Mills came in the room, and Joan left. (Let me tell you first off, Dr. Mills is much better at letting you know something is wrong than Dr. Danilenko, "the scary doctor.") She introduced herself and came in the room. Then, she told us that baby girl is growing well, and is pretty much right on track, and that she passed the BPP just fine. (She told us all the things that were right with her.) Then she said that her amniotic fluid was just slightly low. I guess 8.0 to 24.8 cm is normal, and baby has 7.9 cm. (Call it a mother's intuition!)

(As a math teacher, it bothers me that a fluid level is measured in a length, and not a volume, like cubic centimeters. But, they only measure lengths of fluid pockets, so I guess that part makes sense. Like I told Krista once with Danni, it should at least be measured as an area. Anyway, enough on that rant...)

Dr. Mills took a look at her, and said just by looking without measuring, her fluid did look on the low end, but she had a pretty full bladder, and if she peed, it would put her into the "normal" range, but still on the low end of normal. She said that she could partly blame it on the summer heat, and that I should be drinking more fluids, but said that the doctors should be watching it also.

Before she left, she asked if we had any questions. I did; I wanted to know if what my doula, Ashley, she agreed with. Ashley said that they got a more accurate size of the baby by palpitations than by ultrasound. She smiled and said there was a report in some journal (she said the name, but I don't remember) about that very thing. She said that doctors, with experience, can more accurately tell the weight of a baby than ultrasounds. The thing with ultrasounds is that they measure the bone lengths in several places, and then the circumference of the abdominal cavity, but they don't take into affect the chubby little legs and arms and cheeks... She went on for a little bit about it, and I found it quite interesting. She seemed to be an "old-fashion" doctor, and said a lot of doctors now-a-days just depend on ultrasound, and the practice has kind of gone to the wayside.

Before we headed to Comprehensive, I asked for a copy of the record, because I figured they wouldn't have it in 20 minutes when my appointment was. Then off we went.

At Comprehensive, we met with Aimee Neumann, the nurse practitioner. I gave her the report and she looked it over. She measured my fundal height at 31 cm. I should be at 34 cm this week, but she said that I had grown so that was good. But she wanted to get another ultrasound done next week. I asked to go back to Perinatal again and she was fine with that. She listened to the heart rate and said it was between 130 and 140 bpm. Before she sent us on our way, she gave me my next Pampered Pregnancy gift: bath salts!

Before we left the clinic, I made the rest of my appointments. Then mom and I headed out shopping and for lunch. We went to Panera Bread, right next to Perinatal (which is where mom took me after our first ultrasound with Danni), and saw Joan getting lunch there as well.

And now for your viewing pleasure... here is me at 34 weeks and 2 days pregnant with our baby girl!

A Turtle or Pink?

Our appointment was at 2:30, so my co-worker, Sherrie, covered the last 15 minutes or so of my last class, and I got there just in time. Adam was about 5 minutes behind me, but Krista (my favorite ultrasound tech) was already ready for me. So I asked Wendy (the receptionist) to send him back when he got there. I told Krista that we couldn't find out the gender until he got there, or he would be upset. But he got there before she started.

Baby was breach (butt down), which I don't think Danni ever was. Baby was moving all over the place (I had drank half a can of Pepsi, when I rarely ever drink pop). And baby kept putting its hands in front of its face (shy little thing!).

But Krista got a couple nice profile shots of baby!

Krista scanned baby, and baby's legs were crossed, so we couldn't tell yet (Danni always had her legs open for the world to see!). So she started scanning baby's organs and such. Baby's brain is developing normally, kidneys are good, stomach is good, spinal cord with "bowling ball finger holes" (I guess that's a good thing!), little developing bones. In the middle of scanning, there was a knock on the door, and Joan (our genetic counselor) came in, she wanted to see our healthy baby and say congrats. While she was in there, Krista scanned the lenses in baby's eyes, and they reflected back to the probe. Joan said that the first time she saw that was on her own ultrasound, and she was convinced that her baby had a tumor in its eye. Joan left, and Krista scanned baby's 4-chamber heart again (can't get enough of seeing that!).

Textbook 4-chamber heart!

Baby has a 3-vessel cord (Danni's was only two, which is a sign of a heart defect). Krista showed us the 10 fingers and 10 toes again.

Measurement of little right foot!

Little right hand

Krista eventually went back down to baby's bottom to see if she could see a turtle (boy) or three little dots (girl). I couldn't tell with baby's legs crossed, but apparently Krista saw what she needed to, so she wrote on the screen... Adam said he saw three little dots too, but even after she scanned it, I could only see two.

Then Krista tried to get baby to turn so that she could see her aortic arch to make sure the plumbing going to her heart was all good. She kept running the probe down her spine and she much have been ticklish or something cause she kept driving her head up into my the ribs in my back. But eventually she got a good view of her valves and all looked good!

Krista gave us a bunch of pictures, and gave us her growth results. She is measuring at 17 week, 4 days, and we are currently 17 weeks, 2 days, so we're pretty much on schedule. I told her how my mom keeps telling me that this baby is going to be big (since I'm bigger than I was at this point with Danni). I asked Krista what she thought about Danni, with her complications, growing quicker since she was about 2 weeks ahead of what we thought she was. But Krista said usually babies with two vessel cords and other complications grow slower, which is why we were having growth ultrasounds every week.

Then said she would let Dr. Danilenko (many of you may know her as "scary doctor" from Danielle) know that we were waiting for her. Dr. Danilenko came in and said that it was good to see us again. I just smiled, and said, "Yes, you too." She said that all looked good and she did a very quick scan of our baby girl. This time, when she scanned her bottom, I could see three little dots! She gave us a referral slip for a 20-week ultrasound, and we scheduled it with Wendy on our way out. (Of course, Krista said that everything that she would be scanning for at the 20-week level II, she had already seen at this appointment.)

On our way out, Adam texted my mom and told her that her and I would have a lot of shopping to do. So mom texted back saying that it's a boy! And Adam replied, "No, she needs more pink clothes!"

No Longer a Blob!

Adam and I got to MN Perinatal about 1pm, and Wendy got us all checked in. I asked her if Krista was working, and if she could do our ultrasound. She said she'd see what she could do. So we waited, watching Rachel Ray on their new TV, for Joan (the genetic counselor) to come out and get us.

She took us back to her office, and we talked a little about Danielle. Then we started talking about this pregnancy. She said we're still at a low risk for downs and such, since I am still young, but she showed us the same list I remember seeing when mom and I went for our first appointment with Danni. It told us all about the first trimester screening, what it looks for, and how it's done. She told us that if we want to come in around 16-17 weeks for another ultrasound before the 20-week to help put our minds at ease. Of course we said we'd be in.

When we were finished talking with Joan, I gave her a picture that I had put together of Danni and one of her 3D ultrasounds. She thought she was adorable, and put one of my stickers on the back so that she would remember.


Joan brought us back out to the waiting room, and not long after, Krista came out. She said hello to a mom that was sitting with her three month old baby, then smiled at me and said come on back. We talked a little about Danielle, and I told her that I had asked Wendy if she would be able to do my ultrasound. Krista said she had seen my on the schedule a couple weeks ago, and had made sure that I was put into hers.

She started doing the ultrasound, and right away she found 10 fingers and 10 toes.


Then she took a couple measurements. Baby's foot was just under 1 cm long, and the crown to rump length was about 6 cm. She (cause I still think it's a girl) seemed so tiny with so much room to move around compared to the last couple ultrasounds of Danni that I remember. We asked her if we could find out the gender this time, but she said it's still a little early (I guess baby still has a tail at this point, but we couldn't see it.)


Baby was really squirmy and moving all around, which Krista liked to see, but it took a little longer to find her stomach and heart. She found her stomach on the correct side and filled with a little tiny bit of fluid. Everything was going so well with the ultrasound, but I think the part not just Adam and I had been waiting for, but I think Krista as well, was seeing the heart.

Next, I, the self-proclaimed ultra-sound pro, saw something I've never seen before. You have absolutely no idea what it is like to see a 4-chamber heart beating at 156 bmp on the left side of a tiny little body that is growing inside you! (I felt a slight relief when I saw it, but it really didn't hit me until about 9pm last night. I actually felt happy about this baby. It was a strange, but wonderful feeling!) I asked Krista if it was ever confusing doing ultrasounds of Danni since everything was mixed up on the wrong sides. She laughed, and said "Yeah, it did get a little confusing." And she took a couple more pictures (Krista was always good about getting us pictures with Danielle, and she took awesome ones!)


Then Krista brought us over to one of the other rooms for the blood draw part of the first trimester screening. She remembered how the last time she brought me over for that, it took two nurses to do it (they started with my right arm... bad idea, bad veins, and I was not aware enough to tell them to do my left). The nurse this time, though, did just fine. I told her my left arm, and she took seven vials.

On the way out, I gave Wendy, the receptionist a picture of Danni. She said she has a Danielle, and to be careful when she gets older. So I told her she died when she was two days old. I guess she must not really have access to records or something (I remember she never signed the card that they sent after Danni died either). She didn't seem to remember me like everyone else did either. (Even though I would walk in with Danni and she'd already have my arm band out and put it on without even asking my name.)

On our way down to our car, I mentioned to Adam that it must not be routine for the doctor to come in, unless something is wrong, because we never saw Dr. Calvin. (I guess Dr. Ledella has been out with some health issues that actually started when I first got pregnant with Danielle.)

First Ultrasound

I left school early today (after classes, but before the end of the "teacher day"), so that we could get to Woodbury in time. I had my second blood draw (they're comparing it to the first to see if my hCG is increasing), then the lady pointed us in the direction of radiology.

Our appointment was at 3:30pm, but I don't think we got called back until 3:50pm. Lindsey, an u/s tech brought us back to the exam room. I was told to come with a full bladder, something that I was never told with Danni. (For those of you that aren't sure if you need a full or empty bladder at an u/s, here's the deal... If you're not very far along (like me this time... only 6 weeks), they want you to have a full bladder so that it raises your uterus up so that they can hopefully see it with an abdominal scan.)

So Lindsey first did an abdominal scan. She found that my uterus is retroverted (tipped towards my back instead of my front). It's not a big deal, she said that sometimes they'll flip back and forth at this point, but it makes things just slightly harder to see. She could still see the baby and the yolk sac (feeds the baby until the placenta is formed). When she looked at the baby, she could see the teeny-tiny little heart flutter! The baby is okay. Of course at this point, there's no way of telling if the heart is formed properly, because for one, the baby is so small (about 1/8 of an inch), and two, the heart isn't fully formed yet.


Since I was at Woodwinds hospital, they require that she check everything. So she had to check my ovaries and measure them and check and measure my uterus and some other stuff. Then she asked me to go to the bathroom (so I would have an empty bladder), and then she would do an internal u/s.

With the internal, she checked the baby again, and we could see it a lot closer up and in slightly more detail (it still looked like a little gray ball). We could see the heart beating away again, but a little closer up. Again, she check my ovaries, and whatever, which all checked out fine.


I don't remember which part it was during, but she found the heart rate of the baby. (Which I can barely see how she could find it with how tiny it is... when they found it with Danni, it was larger and much easier to see). When I asked Adam if he remembered the heart rate he said 140 bpm, because he thought it was about was Danni's was the first time we heard her heart beat (hers was actually 150 bpm). But I thought she had said 124 bpm. So as far as trying to predict a gender at this point, we've got nothing. (They say over 140 bpm is a girl, but under is a boy). If I'm right, maybe we're having a boy. If he's right, it could go either way. I am going to try to get a hold of Elizabeth, the midwife, to see if it's recorded somewhere.

She had also taken several measurements of the baby to see how far along we are, and her measurements were only a day off of what we said. I thought she had said we were 6 weeks 2 days (where I thought 6 weeks 3 days), but the screen said we would be due August 14, and I figured August 13. At any rate, we're much closer this time than we were with Danni. So maybe I'll believe them this time!