First pediatrician visit

Adelaide went to her first doctor visit today at North Raleigh Pediatrics. She had a minor meltdown in the car on the way there, but a loud explosion in her diaper quickly explained the problem.

She has gained almost all of her weight back from the hospital; she was 7lb 1oz at discharge and she is back at 7lb 7oz, which means she is eating really well. They say it should take up to two weeks to get back to birth weight. Everything else was also pretty perfect during her checkup, and the dr said she was really impressed with how well we are all doing for being first time parents - especially with breastfeeding.

There is a vit D supplement they usually suggest at the three week visit, but she is doing so well, the dr said we should start her on it now - she is advanced already! :-)

Adelaide also had her first sponge bath at home. She did not care for it. I was so preoccupied with calming her, I sat down on our cream glider with her only in a towel to nurse, and splat! she made a nice mess on me, the towel, and the chair...sigh.

As for mom, I am doing really well. I probably got 6 hours of sleep last night, which is awesome. Adelaide had trouble transitioning from meconium to regular poop, and she didn't go for 48 solid hours - our first two days at home. She was super gassy and crying her eyes out for good bits of the night. Now that she is going every hour, she sleeps much better.

Our next challege is to get her to sleep in her bassinet without someone touching her. She wants to be held ALL the time - and she is so cute that it's hard to refuse.

BTW, only 21 more lbs to lose...

Will it be this week?

Dr appt yesterday revealed some potentially concerning news...

• Bloood pressure was up - I usually have really low blood pressure. My number wasn't really high for normal range, but high for me.
• Protein in urine
  
• Gained over 2 lbs in a week

So... these could be signs of preeclampsia, combined with my problems with swelling overnight. I have to go back Thu morning to see if the symptoms have gone away or gotten worse. And we will "discuss my options" - basically, this means decide if we should induce.

In other news -

• Still barely more than 1cm dilated
• 80% effaced - progress!
• Dropped about 1cm more
• Baby is estimated at about 8lbs!!!

Ryan thinks we should give her the middle name of Hippo.

We are really hoping I go into labor on my own today or tomorrow. Please come out, Baby Beluga! Mommy's kidneys are begging you!

Naughty baby!

We went today for our elective ultrasound (my bday gift to myself), and our little joy has decided to reveal more about her personality than her appearance. As soon as the technician turned the 4D u/s on, she crossed both of her hands in front of her face AND moved one of her feet up there! She then used the other foot to kick me repeatedly in the ribs.

So, we can see she already has us wasting money, is uncooperative, and doesn't like the paparazzi. Or perhaps, as Ryan thinks, she is preparing to be a boxer, and was just guarding her face from the pokes.

In any case, the best picture we got was of her foot kicking me in the ribs:


You can check out the other photos here (from pic 29-38):
http://www.dotphoto.com/Go.asp?l=sltrunzo&P=&AID=4434202&IID=156145932

Here is what we learned today:

• She is still a girl :-)
• Her organs are all developed, and some are showing development even past her gestation (i.e., 32 weeks and 4 days, rather than 32 weeks even, which is what I am at today)
• She weighs approx. 3.5 lbs
• Her heartbeat is 131
• She is almost in the right position - head down, but instead of facing my back, she is laying on her right side
• Best of all - she has HAIR!

As for how mom is doing, yeesh. I can't believe I still have 7 weeks of this! I really don't know how she is going to possibly double in size, because there truly is no more room. I have gained about 25-26 lbs now, and absolutely feel huge and gross. The past few days in Raleigh have been in the 90's and my hands and feet have been swelling like red little sausages. I can't wait for the pool to open, so I can feel cool and weightless.

This weekend is my Raleigh baby shower, and I am so excited. I will load pictures of the shower and the nursery this weekend. Stay tuned!

Gestating like an elephant

I really don't know how those poor elephants do it. They have to go through 22 months of gestation!
Some updates on my experience...

• I had a scare a few weeks ago with some night-time contractions. Turns out I had a UTI, which can cause contractions. I got to sit on the fetal monitor for a while though as a precaution, and baby was SO busy. She kept trying to keep the monitor off my belly.


• My speech is impaired. Words don't come out of my mouth the way I mean them to. I guess this part of the "Baby Brain"


• I have gained about 22 lbs at this point.


• There is no more room. My ribs hurt SO badly.


• Baby is big enough I can kind of tell where she is at in my belly now. She hates if I poke her.


• I have many nights where I wake up around 4:30am and just can't sleep anymore.


• I had to do a glucose test last week where I drank some sugary lemon-lime water and then they did a blood test. Results were normal.

I have another check-up on Monday, so I hope everything goes well. I think I will schedule another elective ultrasound. I want to see her again!!!

Healthy check-up

There is not much new to report, but we had another regular check-up yesterday. All is well. My iron is slightly low, and I am little dehydrated, but nothing to worry about. Everything is measuring properly for the 23rd week of development.

The bambina weighs about a 1 lb. these days, and her heart rate was around 150. She is the most active usually between 8-9am, 9-10pm, and 3-4am. She also loves her daddy's voice - who knows why! If she hasn't moved for a while, I ask Ryan to talk to my belly, and that always gets her kicking.

I am also feeling more pregnant - fat, slow, and out of breath! Oh well, I guess being forced to slow down isn't such a bad thing! :-)

Heartbeat and fundus

Our appt this morning went really well, and I can finally feel at ease again (for a few days at least..). We got to hear the heartbeat again, and that was wonderful.

Also the doctor showed me how I could feel where my uterus has grown to (the fundus) and measure to ensure my development is on track even if I am not gaining weight. From week 18 on, it should be as many centimeters as weeks pregnant you are. Right now, it is 15cm, which is apparently just right. Now I need to run out and buy a flexible tape measure...

Our next appt is Jan. 29, when we will get another u/s and hopefully be able to tell the sex of the baby... Are you a little boy or little girl, my small Tuna Unit?

Second trimester

I finished my MBA classes (hurrah!), which is such a relief. For someone who tends to overbook herself under normal conditions, being pregnant and sick on top of everything has been a real challenge. And a wake up call. I guess this baby is already telling me to slow down!

In week 13, I still have not bid farewell to my all-day sickness, though I have its bags packed and waiting at the door ... I also haven't gained any weight. I am sure that's fine, but everything seems to make me nervous. My little belly is certainly not its normal self, and my clothes are so uncomfortable.

Last night when I was laying in bed, I thought I could feel the baby moving these tiny flutters, but I know it is incredibly early for that. But, who knows? The ninja could be extra strong and persistent.