At our 37-week appointment yesterday, Brad and I received some very good news. Little E is finally in position and ready for our big day! Prior to yesterday's appointment, we were getting a little anxious, because E was still in the transverse position, which means that he was lying sideways or horizontally in the womb. For obvious reasons, this could have potentially presented some major problems and would have likely led to my needing a cesarean section, something that I am very much hoping to avoid. Due to our concerns, we were able to have an ultrasound. It was so much fun being able to see our little guy again as we have not had the opportunity to do that since our 20-week check-up. We were able to see his chubby little cheeks (both sets), limbs, and major organs, all of which look like they are in perfect working order. The best part of the ultrasound was receiving confirmation that E is finally in the occiput anterior position, which is the ideal birthing position and basically means that he is now lying vertically in the womb with his head down and his butt up. We are so thankful that he finally figured out what he needs to do to get out of there! I guess, maybe, he is already proving that he takes after his mommy, because he clearly likes to do things his own way, in his own sweet time. During the ultrasound we found out some other fun tidbits about our baby as well. For instance, it turns out that our little guy isn't so little after all. We are still three weeks from my due date and he is already weighing in at approximately 7.5 pounds! It looks like he is going to take after my side of the family in that department too. His heart rate was about 140 beats per minute, which is perfectly normal at this point. The ultrasound technician, Cassie, also checked on the level of amniotic fluid surrounding and protecting little E and it looks like we are good there too.
After the ultrasound, we saw Dr. Dennard-Hall. We spoke with her about the swelling I've recently had in my feet and legs. She assured us that the type of swelling I am experiencing is totally normal at this point and nothing to be concerned about. She listened to E's heart rate again to confirm the information we received from Cassie. She then completed a Group Strep B test, which involved taking a swab of some unmentionable areas. And, as ecstatic as we are about E's new and improved position, I was a little bummed out to find that I am not even one centimeter dilated. I am, however, about 30% effaced, which means we are on our way. Seeing as E could potentially be 9 pounds at birth, I for one am hoping he makes his debut sooner, rather than later! The last part of our appointment involved having blood drawn for the purpose of checking my iron levels for anemia. We will find out the results of the Group Strep B and anemia tests at our next appointment on Thursday.
While Little E has been prepping for his grand entrance into the world and our family, we have been continuing our preparations as well. Last weekend, I assembled shelves in his closet for extra storage. This weekend, Brad checked our smoke detectors and installed a new one upstairs. He also installed a carbon monoxide monitor upstairs and purchased a second fire extinguisher. We've installed our car seat bases, had them inspected, and had both of our cars cleaned. I've had my bag packed for a while now, but we finally got Brad's things into the suitcase too. We have Sheri, the dog boarder, all set to pick up Hank on the big day and we have even created phone lists on each of our Blackberries for easy updates. I do have a few more things on my to-do list, but I am intentionally waiting to complete those items after March 4th, my last day of work. I know me and I know that I'll go stir-crazy if I don't have a few little projects to keep me busy! If E does come early, I'm sure that Grams, Grandpa Oscar, and Grandma Mary will be able to accomplish the last couple of tasks with no trouble at all. We hope you'll check back next week, as I'm sure we will have more to report after our 38-week check-up.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Family Photos - 32 Weeks
Several weeks ago we had some maternity photos taken by a professional photographer, Becca Price. I have to admit that I did not initially intend on or even think about having maternity photos taken. It wasn't until my friend Ellen, who is also expecting her first baby, talked about having them done for herself that I even began to consider professional maternity photos as an option. I am now so thankful to Ellen for mentioning it and I am so thrilled that we made the decision to have these pictures taken ourselves. The photos are the most incredible gift we could possibly give ourselves during this amazing time in our lives.
Becca was completely wonderful! She is so creative and energetic, she made the entire experience so much fun! She came to our house on a Sunday afternoon and spent close to two hours snapping pics of us, both inside and outside of our home. We were able to preview some of the pictures a few days after our session, but we finally recieved a CD in the mail with all of the photos this week and I couldn't be happier with the finished product! Having these pictures taken and choosing Becca as our photographer were both great decisions, because they are so absolutely beautiful and I know that we will cherish them forever. My first pregnancy has been such an amazing adventure. I know that I will always be so thankful to have these gorgeous photos to remember this experience. Even though I feel humongous these days and I certainly look humongous in some of the photos, it is all just part of pregnancy and I would recommend maternity photos to anyone who is expecting.
If you are interested, you can see some of our photos in the "Expecting" gallery on Becca's website or on Becca's blog. I've also loaded all of the photos onto Snapfish, but here are a few of our absolute favorites!
Becca did such a great job with our maternity photos that we have asked her to take newborn photos of Little E when he arrives and I just know those photos will be just as beautiful. If you live anywhere in the Atlanta area and are looking for a photographer to take maternity, baby, family, or even wedding photos, I would highly recommend contacting Becca!
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