From the very beginning…
Pregnancy
34 Week Update
1Jesse and I had our 34 week checkup this morning and we received some interesting news. The 31.5 week visit was our first OB checkup with Doc Z and he did a cervix exam. Well, he did another one today and was surprised by the results. It seems my cervix was long two weeks ago, but is now short. He thought that was a little quicker than it should have been and now wants me to come in for weekly visits. Why is this so interesting you say? Easy, it means Ian is right on schedule. Ian’s heart rate was 147 beats per minute (which is the area he has been in) and at 34 weeks, his lungs are developed enough that if he was born early, he could survive on room air. Doc Z said Ian could be born close to March 10th, but he did reassure us that if Ian was to be early, he would be able to handle it. Jesse thinks (correct me if I’m wrong dear) that Doc Z was doing a little too much reassuring and that Ian will definitely be early. We don’t know if he will be or not, but we’re heading into the last 6 weeks and anything is possible at this point.
More good news – Ian isn’t huge. :) Well, Doc Z said that Ian is small and that I’ve actually lost a pound since the last visit. Like I said, this is good news. Ian being small is definitely a plus (no Stewie sized baby popping out of me) and that it’s normal for some women to lose weight towards the end of their pregnancy. Oh yeah, had more blood work done and everything is still coming out good. No diabetes for me! Yea me!
The First “Prepared Birthing” Class
1Last night was our first Prepared Birthing class at the hospital. There has got to be more to this class than what we saw last night. I mean, they went over what to expect for contractions, what the birthing process was (see below for Jesse’s reaction), and some basic relaxation techniques. Although, I have to say, if you’re going to make us practice relaxation techniques, then you should probably have us doing it on something more than what amounts to a concrete floor with a thin layer of carpet.
The class was a little dull, but we still did receive some useful information. The big one being that there are three stages of contractions and you don’t have to get to the hospital until at least the second stage which is about 14 hours after the first stage begins. In fact, we were told to spend the first few hours of the contractions at home because we’ll be more comfortable there than at the hospital. We saw a video that showed the entire delivery process – from the first contraction to the end. I didn’t realize the baby started getting into position as early as two weeks before the contractions started. I just hope Ian cooperates and is part of the 96% that does it right rather than be part of the 4% that does it backwards. :)
I think the best part of the class was watching Jesse’s reaction to the video. If you know my husband, then you also know that he had his laptop with him and was logged into IRC. Here’s the log from the video portion of last night:
[19:39] morgajel – oh man it’s movie time
[19:40] morgajel – part of me wants to scream AAAAAAAAH AAAAAAAAH and run out of the room
[20:01] morgajel – ok that’s just wrong
[20:01] morgajel – OMG
[20:01] morgajel – IT’S HEAD IS STICKING OUT
[20:02] morgajel – VIDEOBAD VIDEOBAD
[20:03] morgajel – GOD THAT’S ONE UGLY BABY
[20:04] morgajel – OH GROSS
[20:04] morgajel – placenta BAD
31.5 Week Update
217 years
I know, I’m a little late with this update, but we just got our Internet connection up and running since we moved out to Rochester Hills. We found a new OB doctor and had our first appointment with him on the 11th. It wasn’t much of an appointment. Basically the doctor wanted to meet with us and see how the three of us were doing. Ian’s heart rate was around 150 again, which has been normal for him. This appointment was more of a “meet and greet” than a basic OB checkup. He said Ian is doing good though. Our next appointment is on the 29th, so hopefully I’ll have more to report than.
Speaking of Ian, the little man is starting to get cramped. He’s been moving a lot more and causing me all sorts of uncomfortableness. Nothing too unexpected considering I’ve had a pretty good pregnancy up til now. We haven’t seen any footprints on my stomach yet, but we’re definitely seeing movement. I’ve found that if I sit for long periods of time, than Ian gets restless and starts to move A LOT. As long as I stay active, it seems to keep him quiet. That’s both good and bad obviously.
Since I’m a new parent, I like looking for useful information and I found an organization called Born Learning.Org and they have a “Your Child At…” series that seems to have a lot of information. For instance, in the “Your Child at Birth”, it talks about SIDS, jaundice, what is developing, and some basic safety info. I figure the more information I have, the better prepared I can be for when Ian finally arrives. God knows I’ll be learning as he grows, just like him, but at least I can do some research while I’m developing my parenting skills.
28 Week Update
2I had my monthly appointment today with the doctor. Everything is going good. The doctor said that Ian should be weighing about 2.5 lbs. I’ve gained a total of 12 lbs during the pregancy. That’s not bad, I’m still doing good, but it’s more than I want. In July, the doctor said I should only gain between 10 – 20 for my size and I would like to stay closer to the 10. I need to stay away from the chocolate. :) Ian’s heartrate was about 136, which was a little lower than normal, but still doing good. He hasn’t been moving as much lately as he used to be, but I think that’s because daddy hasn’t been around. Jesse started the new job in Troy, so he’s been gone during the week. Overall, everything is going strong, all the bloodwork I did last week came back fine. Due to the move, this was the last appointment with this doctor and he recommends that I set up my next appointment during the week of Jan. 8th (yes, they are starting to occur more). Needless to say, I have a doctor in mind, but I need to verify some insurance info first. That’s it for now.
Oh yeah, I promised a surprise. If you want to know what the surprise is, click here (FYI – it’s Ian’s first recorded heartbeat).
Quick Update
1To date, everything is going good. Although Ian is definitely aware that Jesse isn’t here during the week right now. For those of you who haven’t heard, Jesse was offered a position with Entertainment Publications out in Troy, Michigan; which he started on Dec. 11th. So, during the week, Jesse is staying with PJ and Chris and coming home for the weekends. Ian has definitely missed his father. It seems he kicks more when Jesse is there to cheer him on. ;) I have another appointment on the 20th, so I’ll have more news then. I’ll have to start finding another doctor, so if anyone can recommend one in Rochester Hills, let me know.
Also, it’s been a month since I last posted some pictures, so I thought I would post some new ones. I’m a little bit bigger than before. :)
That’s it for now. I’ll have more later and maybe a surprise after my next doctor visit.
This Sucks!
0I love the fact that I’m pregnant and will have a child….but I can do without all the hormones. I was already a softy when it came to my tear ducts. But now, everything sets them off. I mean, I’m watching Farscape with Jesse (actually, I’m listening to it) and it’s a death sequence and it’s all sappy and hollywood……BUT I KNOW SHE LIVES! Why am I crying? This isn’t the first time either. I swear, everything sets me off these days. I want to have dry eyes again!
24 Week Doctor Visit
1Today I am 24 weeks and 3 days. That means, I’m only 15 weeks and 4 days away from the expected delivery date. That doesn’t seem all that long.
Anyway, we had another doctor’s visit today. I only gained 1 lb since my last visit (yea!) and the doctor was happy about that. The heart rate is/was 155 beats per minute. A little faster than before, but he said it was still normal and sounds good. Doc Wittingen measured my tummy this time – it’s 24 inches. I’m not really sure what that means, but I know it was something they do. I have another appointment Dec. 20th and after that I’ll be going to the doctors every 2-3 weeks instead of every 4. Today’s visit was actually really quick. Not much is going on. Well, Ian is starting to kick and the doctor gave us some literature that said that I should be able to feel Ian move 10 times per hour at least 3 times a day. That’s about it. Oh yeah, when PJ came up and told me she was pregnant, she mentioned that the doctor told her not to sleep on her back because it will cut off the blood flow. Well, I asked Doc Wittigen about it and he said I don’t have nothing to worry about. The general idea is that laying on your back for long periods of time is bad, but most people move enough during the night that it isn’t that big of a deal. So I’m in the clear. Alright, that’s it for now.
An so it begins…
6I wasn’t entirely sure before, but now I am. Ian is definitely kicking me. Granted, it isn’t the type that leaves footprint impressions on my stomach, but I can feel him. Jesse is starting to feel them a little. Ian got him harder than normal the other night and Jesse was all fascinated. I’m hoping his kicks will get stronger by Thanksgiving, but I have a feeling it won’t be until Christmas when I’ll really be able to have other people feel them.
Picture Time
1Okay, so I’ve been getting requests for a picture of my tummy. I’m not really sure what the fascianation is, but I will submit to the pressure. I’ll post a picture of how fat I’m getting. :)
Before I do that, I think I’m feeling the baby move. I’m not entirely sure, but Jesse has remarked that he “has seen/felt some movement” that wasn’t there before. Plus I keep getting the whole “kicking inside of a balloon” feeling where I’m the balloon. The doctor said I should start to feel the baby at my last appointment, so this would make sense. :) I’m hoping he’ll be making his presence a bit more known by Thanksgiving.
Anyway, here are some current shots of me:
We Have a Name!
3I had another appointment with the doctor on Oct. 25th. I know, I’m a little late with the update, but I had a good reason.
Anyway, everything is still going good. The baby’s heart rate was around 150 beats per minute (probably due to all the caffeine I’ve been drinking lately). The results from the ultrasound came back as being good. We also found out that there is a low risk of down syndrome, so that’s good. There’s always going to be some chance, but the doc says we’re really low on the risk factor. My next appointment is schedule for the end of November, so I’ll have more news to report around Thanksgiving.
Now on to the fun stuff. Jesse and I have picked a name for our son. It took us awhile to come up with a name and we had a list of seven that we were debating on (Auron, Caleb, Connor, Ethan, Ian, Jacob, Seth). We’ve finally decided on Ian. It took us a bit to decide on the middle name since none of the original 7 really worked well with Ian, but that has been taken care of as well. Our son’s name will be Ian Hawthorn. We’re still keeping Zoe Illyria for when we have a girl, but right now, it’s Ian Hawthorn.
Now that we have a name picked out and we know the sex of the child, Jesse and I have set up this blog site for Ian. This means, that all future baby updates will be posted via the web blog and I won’t be sending out any more emails. Any kind of news you want to find out about him will be here. This is something that Jesse and I want to keep updated and working so he’ll have it when he’s older as well. So please don’t be afraid to leave comments there. He’ll be able to go back and read through them once he gets old enough to read. :) I’m sure Ian will love to read them once he’s able. :)
If you haven’t noticed already, all previous posts about Ian that were done on myJaxon’s site have been transcribed here.