Sunday, November 4, 2012

Introducing Brooke Marie

Brooke was born on August 9th, 2012 at 12:54 am weighing 8 lbs 1 oz and measuring 20" in length. She was born via c-section after 30 hours of labor. She was perfect and we are thrilled to call her ours! Here are some pictures from the hospital and our newborn photo session.
















Sunday, August 5, 2012

1 Day Overdue!

We are 1 day overdue. We definitely thought baby would make her big arrival by now but she must be comfortable where she is. Today Jesse and I went boating with his family. It was nice and relaxing and fun to be out in the sun and hopefully have a little bit of a tan for the hospital pictures :)

My stats since Thursday....I am 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. The effacement hasn't changed in two weeks but I did go from 1 cm dilated to 2 cm dilated within a couple days. My OB said baby has dropped a lot. She was previously -2 station but didn't tell me what station she is currently at. I have been on my exercise ball every night so I think that has been helping lower her. The Dr also stripped my membranes. I've heard if this works, you should go into labor within 24-48 hours....well that didn't happen so baby isn't ready yet. Yesterday my mucus plug starting coming out in pieces. I am not sure if the whole plug is completely out. I've heard some women lost pieces for days and don't go into labor for weeks. I was pretty excited when it started to come out though, I would assume I'm a little more dilated because it starts to come out when the cervix is dilating more and more.

My next appointment is on Tuesday. I will have an NST, ultrasound to check amniotic fluid, and a regular internal exam. If the amniotic fluid is low or Dr thinks baby needs to come out, we will be induced Tuesday night. They usually start at midnight with a dose of Cervidal, a cervix ripener, then start the pitocin the next morning. I am hoping baby will come on her own before that. If everything looks good on Tuesday, our induction date will be set sometime for the following week.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

39 Weeks, 1 week to go!!!

We hit 39 weeks today, we have 7 more days until my due date! I can't believe we are at this point, this pregnancy has gone so fast and yet I can't remember how it feels to not be pregnant :)


The anticipation is killing me. I feel like a ticking time bomb. I am a matter of days or hours from holding my little girl and it's thrilling and terrifying to think about! Some of the things I'm most excited about are; seeing what our little girl looks like, holding and kissing her, seeing Jesse hold her, having our family meet her and FINALLY announcing her name! I'm also excited to not have a huge basketball stomach, where I can get out of bed with ease and bend over to pick things up off the ground. I'm also excited to start fitting into my pre-pregnancy clothes (I know it will be awhile for that one). 


Anyways, on for the usual stuff:


How far along? 39 weeks

Weight Gain/Loss: I think I'm up to about 40 lbs at this point. I know I lost weight last week but I wasn't as swollen either so my water weight is fluctuating.

Maternity Clothes? Just wearing whatever if comfortable, style has been thrown out the window for a couple weeks now.

Symptoms: Just the usual stuff, stretching tummy, numb hands...that's about it. I developed a cold last week which wasn't fun and I'm still fighting it but getting lots of rest has helped!

Best moment this week: Getting more and more things set up for the baby. We have her swing set up, her rock n play, her nursery is about 99% complete. It makes her arrival more real and just feels so close to having her in my arms :)
Gender? Girl

Belly button in or out? Still depends on how she is positioned. It barely pops out and other times it's all the way in. 

Stretch Marks? I think I've developed 1 stretch mark on my right love handle. It's a little red mark about 1/2 an inch and it's barely noticeable. If it is indeed a stretch mark, the color should fade to my skin color after pregnancy and I don't think it will even be noticeable. I just hope I don't develop new ones. 

Movement? She loves to roll her legs around and also push her hips/butt out. It makes my stomach rock hard and deformed looking, it's pretty neat. 

What Im looking forward to: I'm just really looking forward to knowing when I'll go into labor. I'm hoping I don't need to be induced and that she will come on her own.

Milestones: She is continuing to build up fat under her skin to help keep her warm when she is living outside of the womb. She is shedding the layer of lanugo on her skin. 

Baby Size: She is gaining weight rapidly, she could be anywhere from 6 1/2 or 7 1/2 lbs now. She is still about 20" long or so, about the size of a watermelon.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Full Term!

How far along? 37 weeks

Weight Gain/Loss: Still not quite sure, I stopped looking at the scale, I'm guessing it's around 35 lbs right now.

Maternity Clothes? Yes and getting down to only a few outfits I actually feel comfortable in.

Symptoms: Most of the time I still feel like I'm in the 2nd trimester and sometimes forget there is even a baby in my tummy! I'm sure this will change in the next week or two, it can't stay this easy!

Best moment this week: Finding out I am 1 cm dilated. I know that it isn't much and it would remain that way for a VERY long time but I went from completely closed to 1 cm in 5 days so I am excited for the progress...we are moving in the right direction!
Food Cravings? I don't really have any cravings this week. 

Gender? Girl!

Belly button in or out? Sometimes it's in, sometimes it's out enough to see it through my shirt, it all depends on how baby is positioned in there.

Stretch Marks? Not yet.

Movement? She moves a lot if I am eating or drinking. She also gets the hiccups 3-4 times a day. They are so cute!

What Im looking forward to: I'm looking forward to my Dr. appointment on Monday to see if I've progressed and also really looking forward to finding out when I'll go into labor. 

Milestones: She is full term now, meaning if she was born today she would likely not need any help breathing on her own because she lungs should be fully developed. She will continue to practice breathing amniotic fluid for preparation for the outside world.

Baby Size: She is the size of a watermelon now. She is 6 1/2 lbs and 18-20 inches long. 

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Maternity Photos

We did our maternity photos at 35 weeks 1 day. I was originally bummed to do them so late term because of swelling and feeling big but I really like the way they turned out and the photographer we used has great style!

Here are a few of my favorites (Photos by Created By Me Photography):


















Monday, July 2, 2012

35 Weeks

How far along? 35 weeks

Weight Gain/Loss: I am not sure at this point. I decided to stop looking at the scale when they weigh me. I figure they would say something if I was gaining or losing (haha yeah right) too much.

Maternity Clothes? Definitely! 

Symptoms: Still feeling great. The swelling has gotten worse and now my hands are numb/tingly all of the time but it's not horribly painful.

Best moment this week: The best moment this week will be my 36 week check up on Thursday. Our doctor will check me to see if I'm dilated or effaced at all. I really hope I am!

Food Cravings? I love cold food and drinks. Doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's ice cold.

Gender? Girl!

Belly button in or out? Still mostly in. It is partially out sometimes.

Stretch Marks? Not yet.

Movement? She is still moving a lot. Today it started to hurt a little when she rolls her legs around. She is one strong little girl :)

What Im looking forward to: I'm looking forward to getting out maternity photos back!

Milestones: Her liver and kidneys are fully developed now. She is still developing her lungs for the next two weeks. 

Baby Size: Our baby is 5 1/2 pounds and nearly 20 inches long. She has reached her fetal length and now concentrating on gaining fat which is crucial to keeping herself warm when she is out of my womb.