^^Thanks so much! I was worried that the blue would be too dark, but I trusted the wifey's vision and I couldn't be happier with the results. I appreciate compliment!

We had our 36 week appt. today and I'm happy to report that everything is great thus far. She's measuring 36cm and about 1/2 a centimeter dilated. Little Jake is head down (whew!), his heart rate is strong and normal. I can't believe I'm gonna be a Dad in less than 4 weeks. Pretty awesome feeling... i've had trouble focusing at work all day.

3/10/2011 5:15:37 PM

Quote :

"I can't believe I'm gonna be a Dad in less than 4 weeks. Pretty awesome feeling... i've had trouble focusing at work all day."

quote of the day? makes me smile and very happy for your family!!

3/10/2011 9:32:57 PM

^^What's her due date, man? Ours is April 5.

3/11/2011 8:54:01 AM

^We're April 5th too!! hah, what are the chances? best of luck!

3/11/2011 9:45:09 AM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12668519

3/12/2011 8:07:59 AM

Good luck to all the april babies...

I just wish I could go a whole day without throwing up everything I eat.

3/12/2011 11:29:37 AM

Any updates? I keep looking back at this thread hoping that it gets bumped. I am curious about all of you mommies and daddies. And pictures.

3/14/2011 8:55:10 PM

I just got my glucose results back and I am fine!! No Diabetes for me!!

Ohhhh and this weekend we had our 3d/4d ultrasound. AMAZING EXPERIENCE! If you get the chance to do that then do so. We went to Lake Norman 3d Imaging in Cornelius and the lady was great.

3/14/2011 9:28:11 PM

YAY!! NO DIABETES!! Good news! and you even added a picture!!

Stellar example of an update.

I am so excited because these came in the mail today. I got them through etsy and I had the girl make a matching pair for both my girls.

3/14/2011 10:21:30 PM

I don't know much about or have much of an opinion about home birthing, but this was an interesting (and heartbreaking) read

http://blog.dreamhost.com/2011/03/09/wren-jones/

3/15/2011 3:20:18 PM

To cheer everyone up, here are pictures from our 3D/4D yesterday.





Estimated Fetal Weight 3lb11oz @ Estimated GA 29wk5dy

3/15/2011 3:47:58 PM

That's awesome! congrats!

That being said, I know I'm probably in the minority, but I don't care for the 3D/4D US images. The squiggly ghost babies look kinda freaky to me Plus, already knowing the sex, I at least want my son's appearance to be a bit of a surprise.

3 weeks exactly to go as of today!!

3/15/2011 4:46:12 PM

^i kinda agree, but kin a different way i guess. i've never seen one that looked anything like the real kid/any different than just a generic baby. they are freaky looking though. do they cost extra?

3/15/2011 5:10:49 PM

Ours was extra, but I think it was worth it...

Let me see if I can dig up my sons 3D vs when he was born. The similarities were amazing.



Keep in mind, these images were taken 11 weeks apart.

The ultrasound was at 30w1d, and the picture was 40w6d

[Edited on March 15, 2011 at 6:08 PM. Reason : .]

3/15/2011 5:50:23 PM

we had the 3d/4d scans done a couple of times. we loved them.

3/15/2011 8:00:43 PM

^^i don't really see similarities there, but maybe it's just me.

3/16/2011 8:47:37 AM

when I look at these kinds of images with Maya, she calls them the orange babies.

"Mama, I want to see the orange babies."

3/16/2011 2:13:28 PM

Quote :

"I don't know much about or have much of an opinion about home birthing, but this was an interesting (and heartbreaking) read http://blog.dreamhost.com/2011/03/09/wren-jones/"

That is a sad story, but the story reads like a grieving father trying to find something to blame. He quite literally makes up the statistics about likelihood of death and doesn't mention the possible complications that come with C-sections and chemical induction which are both much more common in hospital births than at home. Both options (home and hospital births) have pros and cons even when you consider the end result only.

Then again, my wife hasn't been pregnant so I haven't seen it firsthand. I only know from friends' experiences and the reading I have done.

3/16/2011 3:54:23 PM

I have been having some CRAZY rib pain! I am glad this is a normal thing because it feels as if my ribs are bruised. It is worse when I am sitting.
Also, I have been having these shooting pains at the front of my thighs when I walk at times. Sometimes it kind of sweeps my leg for a minute so I look like someone who does not have control of how they walk. Anyone else?

3/16/2011 10:41:38 PM

^ Your baby probably thinks your diaphragm is a trampoline

3/17/2011 11:51:01 AM

Quote :

"Both options (home and hospital births) have pros and cons even when you consider the end result only. "

what are the pros of home births that you can't have in a hospital?

3/17/2011 12:00:41 PM

To name a couple, the mother is much more comfortable at home and isn't pressured into drugs or early induction. The mother in general has more choice as to the speed of labor and type (water birth, etc.).

Obviously it's a documentary with an agenda, but The Business of Being Born explains the differences better than I could as someone who hasn't directly experienced labor.

3/17/2011 2:02:44 PM

My first daughter was born via C-section in the hospital. Wife (and I) were not happy with those results, which in hindsight were due to what we now see as unnecessary intervention.

Second daughter was born naturally at home. Much better experience!

Not saying you can't have the birth you want in a hospital, but you need to be stronger and more educated about intervention if you want to avoid it. We definitely were not with our first daughter.

About the post above, there is risk with any birth. Like jocristian said, just because you have the baby in the hospital doesn't mean you are without risk. C-sections are major surgery and somehow as a society we have come to accept them as a first choice for child birth in many cases (to the tune of about 1/3 of babies being born that way). Every woman has to do what is right for her, but you really have to look no farther than the US rate of medical intervention in birth compared to infant mortality. Compare our numbers to somewhere like the Netherlands, where midwives / non-hospital births are the norm, c-sections are within the range of WHO estimates (5-15%), and infant mortality is 2% lower than here.

If anyone wants natural birth resources or information, PM me. My wife is a birth doula and natural birth advocate (also chair of Triangle Birth Network), so she can provide you with tons of studies, websites, people to talk to, whatever, to help support your choices with birth.

Sorry not to derail the thread or stir the pot, just a hot button issue for my family and I think every family should be as educated as possible to make the decision that they are most comfortable with, regardless of what it is.

3/17/2011 2:25:10 PM

Can you elaborate on what you mean by unnecessary intervention?

3/17/2011 4:14:54 PM

wrong thread

[Edited on March 17, 2011 at 6:15 PM. Reason : oops]

3/17/2011 6:15:21 PM

^^ Ok, so in our case, it was pitocin. My wife's water broke spontaneously at just shy of 36 weeks. Not knowing any better, we rushed to the hospital. Once you check in, you are on their time and due to a variety of factors (primarily insurance related) they will not let you go but so long with your water broken without inducing. In fact, as long as the baby is checked regularly to make sure the heart rate is ok and there are no signs of distress, a woman can and may go several days before labor will kick in naturally.

However the OB and insurance companies don't want you hanging around that long, so they gave us a small window of time for labor to start on its own (4 hours...) and of course it didn't. So they decide to induce and then can't get the dosage right, so my wife is having some whacked out contractions. Eventually the doctor says she is not progressing fast enough and then says the cord is in front of the baby's head (she was dilated 2cm), so we better just go ahead and have the C-section.

A couple years later we talked to several other doctors and all claimed it would be nearly impossible to tell the difference between the cord and something else at 2cm (baby's hand, wrinkle in the scalp, etc). Had we had the liberty to wait for things to progress on their own, much of this could have been avoided.

It's not like the problems with pitocin are a mystery either, just search Google for it and several of the links on the first page of results talk about all the issues it can cause, yet it's still widely used and accepted as totally safe, prescribed by OBs daily all over the US. Combine that with the fact that if the woman has an epidural, that the natural contractions slow down and more pitocin has to be used, it can and often does spiral to the point that natural labor almost stops and the next step is C-section.

I'm all for medical intervention when needed. There are women with health issues and modern medicine is able to save their lives and the baby's when 100 years ago one or both would have died. But it has its place, and birth is not inherently a medical condition, we have just made it one.

3/17/2011 8:23:46 PM

since we're on c-sections...

here's the rates of C-sections in NC by hospital as of 2008
http://www.theunnecesarean.com/blog/2010/5/4/north-carolina-cesarean-rates-by-hospital-2008.html

the site itself is pretty interesting.

3/17/2011 8:56:47 PM

I was in labor for 36 hours. They kept pushing me to have a C section but I told them no. I am glad I did experience natural birth is something I never would have wanted to miss. I now have a very active and healthy 8 month old daughter who was worth all 36 hours.

3/20/2011 3:13:08 AM

If you don't mind elaborating more--at what hour of your labor did you go to the hospital? Around what hour did they start pushing for Csection?

3/20/2011 10:13:09 AM

I went into labor at 11am on Saturday July 10th, I went straight to the hospital due to high blood pressure. I was given pitocin at 5pm to help speed the process along. On Sunday July 11th around 1pm they started pushing for a C-Section but I asked them to please let me try for a little longer as Karen's heart rate and vitals were good. When 9pm rolled around and I was on the highest dosage of pitocin they were starting to really force the idea of a C-Section. I told them no and at 12 am on July 12th she was ready to greet the world. After a little over hour of pushing and taking breathing breaks at the time (had a very serious cold) my healthy 7lbs 6oz 19inches long beautiful baby was born 1:31am July 12th.

3/21/2011 1:32:24 AM

My water broke at 1:30am on a Sunday morning. No contractions. I called my doctor and he said to come in. I got to the hospital about 3:30am and started having contractions like crazy. I don't remember what time I had the epidural...Things were progressing along fine until about 5pm when I seemed to get stuck at 8cm. After no progress for the next couple of hours, the doctor said to start thinking about a c-section (this was about 8pm). I asked him to wait a little longer, still nothing. She was born via c-section at 10:02pm. I would have definitely preferred a natural birth, but knowing what I know now, the c-section prevented some problems for me and preserved my ability to have future children.

3/21/2011 7:12:00 AM

I don't understand why some folks are arguing that hospitals tend to push c-sections b/c they want to "get you out of the hospital quicker." If they perform a c-section, you're in the hospital for much longer.

My sister has had 3 c-sections (first was breech and she chose c-section for the subsequent), and she swears by them, had great experiences every time. She's also a Pharm D, so drugs and medical procedures don't scare her.

Anywho... we're up to 1cm and 60% thin right now. Tomorrow will mark just two weeks until the due date!! CAN'T... FRICKIN.... WAIT!!!!

3/21/2011 9:23:05 AM

It's not getting you out of the hospital quicker...it's getting you out of L&D and in to a recovery room. There's also statistics available that show the number of C-sections that spike during shift changes. Those situations are what upset people and create questions like in The Business of Being Born and the like--"If it wasn't 'so late in the day/evening/taking so long' could I have had the normal 'natural' delivery I had planned/hoped for? or was it really medically necessary to get the baby out?"

And there's going to be plenty of women, like your sister, that are very happy with the outcome and thankful for the c-section.

I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other on the matter...but I know what I would like to happen on delivery day. Yet I'm also realistic that how I want things to go and how things end up going may be very different depending on my tolerance level and the health & well being of myself and the baby. I've never had surgery, so the idea of a c-section, for me, is completely scary.

[Edited on March 21, 2011 at 9:30 PM. Reason : ]

3/21/2011 9:30:09 PM

my gyno & neurologist have told me that i may or may not have to have a c-section when i have a kid. it all depends on how my myasthenia gravis responds to pregnancy. i will be a high risk pregnancy regardless of how well or how poorly things go because of the MG. i definitely won't be doing a home birth because of it obviously. i'm not really interested in having a home birth either. i'm not saying it's wrong or you're a bad person for wanting one or anything. hell, i really don't know anything about it nor am i pregnant, so my opinion there isn't really valid.

if i have to have a c-section one day, i wouldn't be scared i don't think. well, i'd probably be scared for the kid. idk. i've had my ribcage sawed in half & an organ right on top of my heart removed, so surgery that doesn't involve bone sawing doesn't really doesn't creep me out. what does scare me is the how unpredictable MG could potentially be during pregnancy...BUT...i'm pretty much fine now, don't carry the antibodies, & for whatever reason a majority of autoimmune disorders get better. so that's what i'm hoping for. 1/3rd of MG patients get better, 1/3rd get worse, 1/3rd see no change. it's not hereditary.

3/21/2011 11:00:18 PM

Just my 2 cents for new parents... Harvey Karp's "Happiest Baby on the Block, the Halo Sleep Sack Swaddle, and a white noise mp3 (http://www.amazon.com/Ultrapure-White-Noise/dp/B001890Q5Q/) totally saved our ass. Also pick up a spare hair dryer, sure beats endless shushing for calming a crying baby.

3/22/2011 12:50:45 AM

i can't sleep w/o one of these things. might be a good option for a baby too.
http://www.amazon.com/Marpac-Sleepmate-580A-Conditioner-Single/dp/B000LQI2S0

3/22/2011 9:29:15 AM

I feel like my belly button is going to explode

3/22/2011 12:08:44 PM

don't know if you people already knew about this, but here you go

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mom/signup/info/ref=ya-mom-no-mbr

Quote :

"Who is this program for, and do I qualify? • Amazon Mom is a free membership program aimed at helping parents and caregivers, from the prenatal days through the toddler years, use Amazon to find all the products their family needs. To join, simply sign into your Amazon account and tell us whether you are a Mom, Dad, or other caregiver of a child. By providing information about your family, you can help us personalize offers, e-mails, and product recommendations to help you find exactly what you need at just the right time. Read the full FAQ. I am a Dad (or Grandma, or Aunt) - am I eligible? • Yes. Despite the name, Amazon Mom is open to anyone who is responsible for caring for a baby or young child--“Amazon Primary Caregiver” just didn’t have the same ring to it. Kidding aside, we chose this name because we noticed moms in social communities (like our Amazon discussion boards) looking to connect and share information about products and problems with other moms. We wanted a name that would let these groups know that this program was created with their unique needs in mind. Read the full FAQ. "

3/22/2011 12:32:56 PM

My daughter was a week late when I was induced. She was low on fluid and my doctor was worried (so was I... going past my due date made me nervous). They had to break my water and started the pitocin that afternoon. I did opt for an epidural and my labor & delivery went fine. I had contractions for about 5 hours, pushed for 30 minutes and she came out perfect. She was 9lbs 7 ounces (so I'm very thankful I had the epidural)

I thought about natural childbirth but I have a low threshold for pain (ie I'm a wimp)

3/22/2011 12:46:42 PM

Quote :

"I feel like my belly button is going to explode"

I just read your blog. So funny and you're good with words, LKB.

3/23/2011 10:34:07 AM

3/23/2011 12:12:56 PM

Had my first appointment today and first ultrasound. Saw baby for the first time and all looks good. Heart rate was 174.

3/23/2011 6:08:23 PM

elkaybie, you got a blog? I want to read!

3/23/2011 6:19:44 PM

I hit 28 weeks last Saturday and the swelling in the feet has sky rocketed. They would occasionally get a little thick looking and now they are HUGE!! Like fat rolls around my cankles and toes. Any tips other than the basic drink lots of water, watch the sodium, and elevation?

3/23/2011 7:10:20 PM

^^^ yay! Isn't that swishy hb noise the best ever?

^^ pm sent!

^ I've read get the circulation going other than what u've already mentioned.

3/23/2011 9:55:58 PM

If they swelling gets bad eat some banana's. I ate on every night because I worked on my feet all day so my legs would swell so bad. Also I don't know what it was but my dog lost his shit the first month Karen was home. He would pee everywhere never go near her and try and jump on my lap if she was on it and sit on her. LOL At least now they are the best of friends.

3/25/2011 12:11:46 AM

banana's whats?

3/25/2011 8:51:19 AM

March 31st is coming up quick!!!

3/25/2011 10:08:02 AM

Indeed it is! What time is it scheduled for? I forget/can't remember if you said.

oh and I just bought one value size bottle of Tums for the house and a normal size bottle for my purse...heartburn is wicked!

[Edited on March 25, 2011 at 5:48 PM. Reason : ]

3/25/2011 5:47:12 PM

As of right now, it is scheduled for noon on the March 31st but that is if my amniocentesis goes well on March 30th.

3/25/2011 9:17:10 PM