Weekly Checkup & Countdown (Wednesday, June 6)

Weight: 181

Vitals: 120/60

Fetal heartbeat: good

Michael and I met Dr. Holden today. Our due date is next Friday, June 15th, so we're about 9 days away, though only 5% of women deliver on their actual due date -- roughly half go early and half go later.

Urine, blood pressure, weight and fetal heartbeat tested -- all fine. We asked what happens if we go past due date and there's no development, and Dr. Holden said the policy across different hospitals varies, but at Columbia, they won't let the baby come more than 1 week late (week 41). There's evidence that the probability of fetal distress increases dramatically between weeks 41 and 42 and beyond, so they'll induce labor after one week past the due date. Since Dr. Holden is on call Tuesdays and the weekends, if the Bean doesn't arrive naturally the weekend of the 16th/17th (due date), then we may induce on Monday, the 18th, with the expectation I'll deliver on Tuesday, the 19th when Dr. Holden is on call.

He did a quick internal exam and said I'm approximately 1 centimeter dilated and cervix is much softer than when he last saw me two weeks ago. We'll see him again next week...

Weekly check-up & Sonogram (May 30th)

Weight: Same as last week
Vitals: 120/70
Fetal heartbeat: 143-147 bpm (good)
Test result: Strep B - Negative (good!)

Michael and I met Dr. Eileen DeMarco today. She's nice -- very business-like. Felt the baby, confirmed head is down, said 'medium-sized' -- in the 7 pound range. Did an internal inspection -- said I'm starting to efface, but not dilated significantly. She mentioned she's on call on Fridays (June 15th is a Friday) but not the weekend of the 16th-17th, so it is a lottery in terms of which doctor will be on call when it's time to deliver.

The only thing on my mind was lack of movement. The Bean has been active every day for the past several weeks at many points throughout the day and night so that I've had no second thoughts about tracking fetal movement. Yesterday, I spent a good chunk of the day outdoors doing errands, and felt movement only twice, and none at night when I went to bed. This morning was very quiet -- no movement.

Dr. DeMarco said it's likely everything is ok, but indicated we should get a sonogram to check measurements and amniotic fluid levels to be safe. It's fairly routine to have a sonogram around week 38.

We were asked to stay and get the sonogram today, so Michael and I went to lunch and came back. The same radiologist who did our 19-week sonogram performed today's scan. Because the baby is big now, it was not easy to understand what was on the screen, and we couldn't tell what we were seeing. The radiologist said the baby looks fine: heartbeat, proportions and fluid levels all good and weight is 7 pounds 2 ounces based on the measurements! There was a good shot of a foot, so she printed that out for us to take home. I'll post it here once Michael gets home and we can scan it. She said we'll be fine and encouraged me to give the Bean a poke once in awhile if he/she has been dormant for a long time.

One thing I noticed: the radiologist referred to the Bean as 'him'!

37-Week Checkup (May 23, 2007)

Weight: 178 pounds
Vitals: 100/60
Fetal heartbeat: good

Dad left this morning after a two-week visit to assist us with making the move to the new condo. His help was a huge benefit to us, and we couldn't have gotten sorted so quickly without him. Thank you, Dad!

Michael and I went to the doctor appointment together. Melissa, the nurse, took weight, urine, blood pressure and listened for fetal heartbeat. Urine test was fine, and fetal heartbeat was good (we could see the baby moving while I was laying back on the table). Dr. Holden explained that he'd do a Strep B test and check my cervix for dilation and the position of the fetus. When he checked for dilation, it hurt a bit. He said the baby's head is way down, and I'm approximately one centimeter dilated. He also said the baby doesn't feel too big, and estimates it will be in the 7-pound range.

The baby could arrive anytime week 38 - 41, which is good news. It would be ideal if the Bean held off at least one more week so Michael and I can finish unpacking and get organized. We aren't ready for the baby yet... no place for baby to sleep, too many boxes in the bedroom and baby clothes not washed yet.

Dr. Holden said Strep B is present in all adults, but in about 20% of women, it is present in the vagina and poses a threat to the baby during birth -- the major risk is pneumonia in the newborn. If I test positive for Strep B, I'll receive antibiotics intravenously as soon as I check in to the hospital for delivery, and the baby will be held for 48 hours after birth for evaluation by a pediatrician to insure that the baby is not adversely affected. The worst case scenario (low probability but a possibility) is that baby develops a fever and gets sick, which typically requires a 2-week stay in the hospital. We'll get the Strep test results middle of next week.

-Called pediatricians in Brooklyn today and found several who are willing to take on a new patient. None were available to meet us before the due date, but said we could bring the Bean in within 3 days after birth and get started.

-Discovered the "R" subway line connects the stop nearest our condo (Prospect Ave) to 59th Street/5th Ave, which is the closest stop to Dr. Holden's office at the Eastside location. The ride takes about 65 minutes. It is nice to be able to stay on one train for the whole ride.

Video of Baby Movement

Michael took a video of the Bean moving, and it is here: http://sooper.org/baby/film/ This is at about 33 weeks.

Dad is arriving in New York to visit us and help with the move to Brooklyn. Mom (and Dad) will come back in June to be there for moral support at the Bean's birth and after the arrival, and Moira plans to visit in July or August.

33 week check-up (Wednesday, May 2)

Weight: 175 pounds (same as last visit -- thank heavens); Vitals: 120/80

Michael and I saw Dr. Holden today. The Bean's heartbeat sounded good, and Dr. Holden said that we are on target and progressing normally. He indicated we'll have one more sonogram -- on or near the due date, and will start seeing him weekly around 36 weeks. Next visit, I'll be tested for Group B Strep (http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/prenatalhealth/1647.html). We will also meet two other doctors in the practice who share on-call responsibilities.

We went to our first Birth Preparation class tonight, taught by Fern Drillings, the woman who also instructed us in the Baby CPR class. There are about 15 couples in the class, all due this summer. One other woman and I are the two scheduled to deliver the soonest.
There is couple in the class expecting twins, and one couple that looks a lot younger than the rest of us -- in their early or mid-twenties -- and both women look great. No extra weight anywhere except their bellies.

I used to fantasize that it would be great to have twins so that we'd have two kids at the same time and could get all the vaginal deliveries/pain out of the way at once. Now that I've been through the drill with this single pregnancy, including digesting all the probabilities of potential problems for singletons, twins and multiples, I realized a singleton is plenty. There's a lot more to stress about with two in the oven at the same time... What if you only felt one move, and not the other, or the nurse could only find one baby's heartbeat and not the other's at an exam? etc.

There were some weird questions by some of the fathers in the class tonight:
+ Do I HAVE to hold my wife's hand during the delivery? (He was afraid his wife would break his hand by squeezing too hard during her labor. Fern's answer: You'll do whatever she tells you to do.)
+ Is there a sheet or barrier that shields her lower half during delivery? (He doesn't want to see the blood and stuff around the delivery... Fern's answer: No barrier, no sheet. It's all there and you'll be seeing it all, so if you can't handle the blood and stuff, ask for a chair and sit 'upstream' near your wife's shoulders, or leave the room.)

The winner of the weirdest question award goes to a father in Emma & Alan's birth class. Emma told me that when she and Alan went to Birth classes in San Francisco to prepare for Senan's arrival, one of the fathers in their class asked if he could breast feed the baby himself too, acknowledging he wouldn't be providing any milk, but wanting the bonding opportunity (!)...

8-month Checkup (April 20, 2007)

Weight: 175 pounds (40+ pound gain since getting pregnant!)
Blood pressure: 110/70

I met Dr. Hadden today as part of a rotation every two weeks to meet all 5 doctors that take turns being on duty for the labor/delivery ward at Columbia Presbyterian. By doing this, whichever doctor is on duty in the labor/delivery ward and I will be somewhat familiar when the time comes to deliver.

Dr. Hadden looks as though he's in his early or mid-fifties and said he's been practicing for 25+ years. He said there's a 50 - 70% chance that Dr. Holden will help me deliver versus one of the other doctors.

I assumed this visit would be a handshake and brief conversation, but for each visit from now on (roughly every two weeks), I'll get a pregnancy checkup including urine test, weight, vitals and monitoring of the the baby's heartbeat.

The nurse found the Bean's heartbeat low on my belly on the left side, but as soon as the monitor tracked the heartbeat, the baby shifted and we couldn't hear it anymore. She moved the monitor and found the heartbeat again, but the Bean shifted and heartbeat went away again. Finally, she trained it near the center and we heard the heartbeat for several seconds. We both laughed. The nurse said she hasn't seen a baby shy away from the monitor in a long time -- the monitor makes a loud crackling noise, and the Bean doesn't like it.

Dr. Hadden measured my abdomen from pubic bone to fundus (top of uterus) and said I'm tracking at 32 weeks, in line with the other measurements taken over the past couple of months confirming mid-June for the due date. He felt my abdomen and said he could feel the Bean's head down near my pubic bone and back/butt up and to my right, all of which is normal.

His only warning to me at the appointment was to try not to gain any more weight. He said "Anything over 35 pounds is yours to keep" (meaning it will be harder to lose after the baby is born) and there's also a risk that if I gain more weight the baby will also get bigger, creating a harder labor situation. I'm embarrassed to write about this today, but am trying to be honest for the journal.

Attached is a picture from about 3 weeks ago (week 28)... [Demi Moore/Vanity Fair copy cat shot - Take 2]

Pictures - 31 weeks along

Bean is moving a lot and because he/she is bigger (approximately 15 inches in length and 3 pounds...), it's easier to see and feel movements. I used to feel the occasional sharp kick (or punch?), but now it's possible to see turns and shifts in position. Bumps move across my belly and the whole shape changes, etc.

We bought a denim Bugaboo stroller a few weeks ago and it arrived this week. Michael assembled it today and it was fun to wheel around the apartment and take our photos with it. Nice ride for the Bean!

Here are pictures.

Hormonal changes or just heavier?

Michael and I can SEE kicks and movement sometimes, usually after dinner, and it's possible to feel my pulse rate easily through my abdomen.

At the 6-month mark, I now weigh more than I have ever weighed.
+ spreading feet - shoes and boots are tight in the width
+ hip joints ache (usually whichever side I've slept on)
+ itchy skin over the abdomen

According to the most recent update the Baby Center sent, my uterus is the size of a soccer ball and the bean is approximately 12 inches long and weighs about one pound.

Patterns Emerging (Feb 14)

I've been feeling the bean move every day since February 4th, and at various times each day. The two times of the day when I can almost predict the baby will move are in the early mornings before getting out of bed and in the evenings after dinner.

I mentioned this pattern to my mom on Sunday over breakfast, and she said those times correlated with times when Ben and I had been fussy as babies even though we'd been fed, changed, burped, etc.