9 weeks

Merry Christmas! Ella had a great first Christmas. She was such a trooper going from one gathering to the next. She had a few melt downs here and there, but overall she did a lot better than I anticipated. She got so many nice gifts from our family and friends- thank you to everyone!

8 weeks

I don't know why, but Ella's favorite place is her changing table in her bedroom. We don't change her diaper in there often right now, but we usually change her clothes in there. She just loves it though. Every time we put her on the changing pad, she gets big smiles and some times even giggles. She tolerates getting her clothes changed the best in this location. So Friday I took her to the changing table to try to get a picture of her smiling for her eight week picture. She was smiling as usual as soon as I put her on there, but every time I put the camera in front of her, she stopped. This was the best one I could get... Her "real" smile is an ear to ear, big, gummy, open mouth grin.

Her day time sleeping is still not great. She still sleeps really well at night as long as she gets ok sleep during the day. But if she's over tired at bed time, she and I both have a long, restless night. I'm not really sure what the problem is during the day. She seems to be unable to go to sleep without a lot of help from us and even staying asleep is problematic now. She did take a few naps by herself in bed this week, but they got shorter and shorter as the week went on and by Friday she would only sleep a few minutes in the bed. It's like she gave it a try and decided sleeping alone is not for her. I wouldn't mind her sleeping in the sling for every nap if she always slept well, but even that's not a guarantee. It's frustrating, but I suppose we'll just keep trying different things until we figure it out.

Tummy Time

Ella had some tummy time today. I can't say she loved it, but she tolerated it better than last time, so about five minutes. Long enough to get some cute pictures though. The cats were very curious about what she was doing on the floor.

7 Weeks Old

This is Ella in her Bumbo. She's still a little too small for it, but she's getting close. She was able to sit up in it and hold up her own head for a few minutes, then Jeff had to help her. She seemed to like it. We got the camera too late, of course, but there were lots of smiles when she was first in it.

This week I got a few giggles with her smiles. I don't think anyone believes me since she's only done it a few times and not when anyone else is around. Oh, well! It won't be long before she's laughing for everyone. She's interacting with us a lot more now. We usually get a few minutes before and after she eats when she's alert and not sleepy and cranky. We talk to her and sing her little songs and she looks all around and gives us big goofy smiles. It's my favorite part of the day!

6 weeks

That's Ella all wrapped up in her sling. I'm so happy she's asleep in there! We've been having some issues with day time sleep this week. She seems to be wanting to stay awake more, which is fine, but then when she gets sleepy she fights it. She gets cranky and wants to nurse non-stop. She'll fall asleep nursing just to wake up 10 or 15 minutes later, still cranky, still sleepy. So when I saw that cycle starting today, I put her in the sling and walked around till she fell asleep. I left her in the sling on my lap and then on the couch next to me and she's been asleep for about an hour and a half. Yay! She continues to sleep well at night, thank goodness.

I went to my Doctor's office yesterday to get caught up on my vaccines. While we were waiting, I snuck Ella onto their baby scale and got her weight: 10lbs 15oz! That was with clothes and diaper on, but still. What a big girl! Her two month check up isn't until Jan. 3, so we'll have to wait a while to check it again. She's getting to be such a little chunky monkey.

5 weeks

Ella and her Great, Great Uncle John


It's been a good week, very busy! Last weekend we went to Ally's baby shower and out to eat with Kevin and Amanda. Ella did great. She's getting to be a very mobile baby. Tuesday we went to see a house Ella's Grandma and Grandpa Dietzman are looking at and then out to eat. Again, she did really well, although Grandma had to walk her around the restaurant a bit to get her to sleep.

Wednesday we left for Bryan/College Station. I've been worried about this trip for a while. I just wasn't sure how she would do being in the car for that long and being away from home. She did really well. We stopped once both on the ride down and back up for Ella to eat. Other than that she slept most of the time. She got cranky a few times, but Aunt Carrie was sitting in the back with her and was able to calm her down. She seemed pretty unaware of sleeping in a different place at night. She actually did great. I'm really glad we were able to go. It just doesn't feel like Thanksgiving unless we're in College Station. I'm glad we got to see everyone and that they got to see Ella. We had a really good time.

She was pretty worn out by the time we got home Friday and so was I. We went to bed about 5:30 for a "nap" and didn't get up until the next morning. She's been sleeping so well at night (knock on wood!). We've gotten the hang of nursing laying down and that's made a huge difference. She hardly wakes up, even to eat, so we don't have the struggles to get her back to sleep.

She's been smiling a little more. She tends to be the most alert in the mornings during and right after she eats. She gave her cousin Emily and her Aunt Carrie some good smiles while we were in Bryan. She also seems to be more aware and getting better control of her hands. Baby Center says she may also find her feet soon, but so far she seems pretty oblivious to them.

We have another busy week coming up, hopefully she will continue being patient about all the coming and going!

4 weeks

What a difference a week makes! This week was so much better than last. Ella seems to be doing a lot better about sleeping at night. She gave me a little trouble Monday morning, didn't want to sleep from about 5am to 10am. Fortunately we didn't have any where to be so we just stayed in bed until early afternoon once she finally went to sleep. Otherwise she's been sleeping longer stretches and going back to sleep easier after she eats.

Danny and Jenn let us borrow their bouncy seat thing which has been helpful. Ella let me work out three days this week and take a shower everyday. She has about a 30 minute limit of being in the seat, so I do everything in short segments. But at least I'm able to get some things done.

Thursday we ran errands all day. GrandMo came with us for most of the day, which was very helpful. Ella did really well. By the end she was pretty worn out though. I felt bad for her by the time we got home, she seemed completely over stimulated. I nursed her for a long time and we both crashed for about three hours.

This morning while she was nursing, we were switching from one side to the other and she was giving me some fierce eye contact. So I stopped for a minute and was singing to her and returning the eye contact when she gave me a huge, open mouth, gummy grin! It was so cute. And she did three or four times. It made my day. She did it again for me later on and Jeff said she smiled at him when we got home. I hope she keeps it up. It's awesome.

3 weeks old

This picture is actually from yesterday, but it was so cute, I wanted to use it anyway. She had her second newborn screening yesterday with our midwife. That's the heal stick test. She hated it even more this time than she did the first time. It was heart breaking listening to her cry. She was pretty worn out when we got home.

It's been an interesting week. Tuesday was kind of terrible. She didn't let me sleep more than about 30 minutes or so at a time all night and into the morning. We stayed in bed until about 3pm on Tuesday, but I still didn't really get any sleep. She was fussy and just wanting to eat every hour or so. Maybe it was a growth spurt, maybe she had a tummy ache... Who knows? But it's been a lot better since then. She's been sleeping much better at night. She still gets a little fussy early in the morning though. I'm not sure why.

Yesterday I was changing her diaper in our bed. I was just about to switch out the dirty one for the clean one when she started sneezing. Every time she sneezed she projectile pooped. I was sitting Indian style right in front of her so all the poop landed on my legs. I was so shocked, all I could do was laugh. By the time I thought to cover her little butt with a wipe, she was already done. She managed to get none of it on her, all of it on me. That's talent!

It's hard to notice the little subtle changes in her since I see her all day every day. She's making more eye contact now. She also likes to try a variety of facial expressions. I don't think it's real, but she does smile more often, like she practicing. She's pretty good at holding her head up. She can turn it from side to side pretty easily when she's on her stomach. Even sitting up, she can hold her head up on her own for a few seconds at a time. Obviously she's bigger, but the only difference I notice is that her clothes fit better.

She's so sweet and so cute. I love watching her sleep when she's got a full tummy, like in the picture above.

2.5 week check-up

We had an appointment with Ella's pedi, Dr. Sweet, this morning. Everything went well. Her weight was 8lbs 3/4oz! I can't believe she's so big. I guess despite the difficulties, breastfeeding is paying off. It's very encouraging. She was also 22inches long and her head circ. was 14.5 inches. At birth she was in the 16th% for weight, now she's 46th%. She's 76th% for length, and 82nd% for head circ.

Her umbilical cord fell off a bit early about a week and a half ago. It bled pretty good and then scabbed over again. Dr. Sweet removed that today and now she just has a normal little belly button. Very cute.

I thought she had really dry skin, especially her hands and feet, and kept putting lotion on her with no improvement. Dr. Sweet informed me it's not dry skin, she just has to "shed" off the skin she had in utero. So no amount of lotion is going to stop her from "peeling", it just has to run its course.

Dr. Sweet was super happy with her growth, especially for an exclusively breastfed baby. She said Ella gets an A+ for her two week check-up.

2 weeks old

This week has been challenging. I thought each week would get easier, but I guess that's not necessarily the case. The main challenge has been with breastfeeding. It seems like as soon as one issue gets resolved, another comes up. It's a good thing I'm highly committed to exclusive breastfeeding. She sleeps well as long as she has a full tummy, but sometimes that takes a long time and several mini naps. We're figuring it all out, I guess it just takes time!

1 week old

I can't believe she's a week old already, it's flying by! She's been doing great. Mostly just eating and sleeping. She's a good eater. Monday we had an appointment with the midwife. Ella's weight had dropped down from 6lbs 6oz to 5lbs 15oz and she was a little jaundiced. We had an appointment with her pedi on Wednesday and her weight was back up to 6lbs 4oz, so that's excellent. Dr. Sweet wasn't really concerned about the jaundice, she just said to keep an eye on it. We've been spending some time in the sun every day and that seems to be doing the trick, it's almost gone.

We had a baby!

She's here! Ella Isabel Neal Dietzman was born Friday Oct. 22 at 8:39pm. She weighed 6lbs 6oz, and was 19in long.

I started having (stronger) contractions Thursday night about 11:30. At first I tried to ignore them and go to sleep, but by about 1am, I couldn't lay in bed any more. I got up and sat on my exercise ball and watched HGTV and just tried to relax. They were pretty strong and regular throughout the night, but not very close together. I had some other signs that made me think it was probably the real deal, but I'll spare everyone the details :-) Jeff's alarm went off around 6am Friday and I told him I thought he better stay home. We spent the day kind of just putzing around. The contractions were pretty uncomfortable, but still irregular, like 3-9min apart.

Around 5pm I decided to try again to lay down and rest. I laid down on the couch and was sort of drifting in and out between contractions. Around 5:20 I started having a particularly strong contraction. I was trying to breath through it and all the sudden I felt what I thought was her moving in a weird way, a big pop, and a huge gush of fluid. Even with all that it still took me a second to realize my water had broken. I told Jeff and he ran and got some towels and we managed to keep the couch dry.

I knew the contractions would start getting stronger pretty quick and within about 5 minutes they were much stronger and closer together. We called the midwife and let her know, she said to come in when the contractions got to be 3-4min. By about 6:15 the contractions were coming every 2-3min and they were really strong. I wanted to go to the birthing center so I could get in the tub. So we headed that way.

The car ride was terrible. There was traffic and every bump was brutal. We got to the birthing center about 7pm. Betty checked my cervix and said I was only 4cm! I think I might have cried, I was so discouraged. She had started the bath for me, so I went and got in. It was only about half or so full, the hot water had run out. I really didn't get much relief from the bath. I think the contractions spaced out a little and I actually dozed a bit between contractions, so maybe it did help some, but the contractions were still insanely intense. I got out a bit later and tried some different positions, but nothing seemed to help.

At some point I started pushing even though I was thinking it was too early, it was the only thing that gave me some relief. Betty came in then, which was about 8pm and checked my cervix again and said I was about 9 and 1/2cm. I was relieved! That was the first time in a while I felt like I might be able to do this. Betty told me to go ahead and start pushing if I felt like I needed to, I didn't really feel like I had a choice anyway. I tried a few different positions, and then decided to get back in the tub. That seemed to do the trick. She was born about 15 minutes later.

She was pink and crying immediately. We stayed in the tub for a little while and then moved over to the bed. We hung out and tried (unsuccessfully) to nurse for about two hours. Then Betty came in and weighed and measured her and did all the foot prints and stuff. Then all the family came in and saw her for a little while. Around midnight, we packed up our stuff and went home!

We've all been doing well. I'll try to post more updates later. It's time to feed her again.

The Bump- 38wks 1 day

Please excuse the terrible picture, I was too tired to bother with fixing my hair or makeup and had just woken up from a nap.

38wks- The Leek

Not much to report this week. Everything went fine at the midwife appointment. I got my GBS results- negative, so that means I don't have to have any antibiotics in labor and no IV. I'm pretty happy about that. I'm still having contractions, but nothing regular or painful. I have a feeling she will be taking her time... I guess we'll see. This waiting game isn't very much fun! At least I'm not miserably uncomfortable (knock on wood!).

This week's update:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

The bump-37wks

37wks- The Swiss Chard

FULL TERM! YAY!!!!

This week's update:

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, her lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though.)

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Sono and Midwife appointment

Everything went great today, I'm so relieved! The sono was pretty much perfect. All her measurements were within about a week either direction of her due date. Considering there's a three week margin of error in either direction at this point, that's pretty good. Her head (gulp!) and legs measure about a week ahead and her abdomen about a week behind. So I guess she'll be tall and skinny with a big head. She had plenty of fluid around her and the placenta still looks nice and healthy. Her weight was a little over 6lbs. Of course, that's give or take a pound or so, so not terribly accurate. The appointment itself was pretty much uneventful. Our doula met us there so she could have a chance to see the birthing center and meet Betty before labor.

The first two pics are of her face. Her head is relatively low, so they're not the best shots, but you get the point.





For anyone (Jeff) worried that it might not be a girl:
WARNING: GRATUITOUS FETAL NUDITY BELOW!!!

The finished nursery!!!

The (big) Bump- 36wks

36wks- The Crenshaw Melon

It's been such a busy week! The baby shower was Sunday, so I've spent every day since then organizing baby stuff, figuring out what we still need and either ordering it or going to get it, setting up furniture, etc., etc. We went to Ikea yesterday and got the rest of the furniture and few other little things we needed. We finished getting all the furniture put together and set up a little while ago. Actually, I think we've got everything done in the nursery except the picture from the baby shower. The glass broke, so I need to replace that and order the pic to put in it. I'll try to get some pictures of the finished room posted next week.

Thursday was our appointment with Betty. Everything was fine. The baby is dropping down some, so she was measuring about the same as the week before. Betty also checked my cervix- the baby is definitely head down, I was a tiny bit dilated, about a finger tip, and pretty thinned out and soft. Nothing too exciting, but off to a good start. Next week I'll have a sono to check her growth. I'm eager to make sure she's on target with growth.

This week's update:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

Baby Shower

My baby shower was last Sunday. My sister, Carrie did a great job. It was the perfect low-key baby shower. I had such a nice time and it was great seeing so many of my favorite ladies in the same place at the same time! Everyone was so generous, we got a ton of great stuff.

Thanks again to everyone, especially Carrie for pulling all together! You're the best!

The Bump- 35wks

35wks- The Honeydew

We had an appointment with Betty on Thursday, we'll be on the weekly plan from here on out. Everything was good. She was measuring right on schedule- 34cm. Betty estimated her weight at about 5lbs and said she's head down- hopefully she'll stay that way. She's still very busy in there. I know it's normal to start feeling a little less movement around this time, but so far she seems more active than ever. I like to have music playing on the laptop anytime I'm on it and she seems to really respond to that. She almost always starts wigglying around as soon as the music starts. And if I'm singing along, she's even more active. I guess we won't be soothing this baby with music!

This week's update:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

34wks- The Cantaloupe

I had an appointment to meet with the other pediatrician who had been recommended to us, Dr. Pilgrim-King, on Wednesday. Jeff ended up having a meeting he couldn't get out of, so I went alone. I waited about 30 minutes or so, then the office manager came over, introduced herself, gave me a written statement about their vaccine policy, and told me they would hopefully have a room soon. I read the vaccine policy while I continued to wait. Basically, it said they wouldn't see patients who were not vaccinated or vaccinated on their schedule. While I do plan on ultimately vaccinating, probably the complete schedule, I do not appreciate being told I have to in order to be seen at that practice. I just think it's my decision not theirs. So, I told the office manager that their policy was a deal breaker for me and I didn't want to waste any one's time meeting with the doctor. Dr. Sweet it is! I was pretty sure that was going to be the case anyway, so I'm not really upset about this. We did have one other recommendation we're going to try to check out if we have time.

I don't have much else to report this week. The baby's been moving a lot. Jeff finally got to see when she moves so much my whole abdomen shifts. He's very impatient about waiting to see or feel movement, so he usually misses it. I've been having some very mild contractions. Actually, I've been having them for a while, but they've gotten a little more frequent lately, usually two or three an hour. They don't hurt at all, just get my attention. Sleep is getting a bit more elusive, but I suppose that's pretty much par for the course at this point. I have a feeling that will be getting a lot worse before it gets better!

This week's update:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

The Bump- 32.5wks

33wks- The Pineapple

We had an appointment with our midwife Thursday, everything was good. We discussed the blood sugar issue at length. She agreed it's probably safe to say I do have gestational diabetes. But, she was very happy with how well I've been able to control my sugars. She feels like as long as I'm able to continue doing that, the risks are minimal. We agreed to get another sono early Oct. to check the baby's growth, etc. Other than that, she's leaving it up to me. If I have any concerns or feel like I need additional monitoring, she'll arrange whatever I want. Overall, it was pretty reassuring.

This week's update:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

32wks- The Jicama

Jeff and I started interviewing pediatricians this week. Early in the pregnancy I started asking people about their pedis, especially people who had similar ideas to mine regarding medical care. After asking a lot of people, I only came up with two pediatricians I'm interested in. We met with the first one, Dr. Sweet, on Monday. We both really liked her. I couldn't have been more impressed if I had given her a script to read from for answering my questions. The only thing that's not so great is that her office is about 20mins from us in Midlothian. But I can live with that. We meet with the other pedi, who is a good 20min the other directions, the week after next. I can't imagine liking anyone more than Dr. Sweet, but I figure we should explore all our options- all two of them.

I've been monitoring my blood sugars at home for the last week. My friend Amber let me borrow her monitor. They were not great a first. Not terrible, but not good. I was able to quickly get them under control with a few tweaks to my diet. This really surprised me. I already take a diabetic medication and assumed that along with eating pretty healthy, my blood sugars would already be well controlled. Wrong! So it's definitely taking the medication and a perfect diet to keep them where they're supposed to be. On the bright side, at least I can control them.

This week's update:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

31wks- 4 navel oranges (???)

This week's update:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Birthday Bump- 30.5wks

I sent this to Jeff for his Birthday on Wednesday. He thought it would be cute to use it for the bump pic for this week, so here you go:



I had an appointment with our Midwife yesterday. The baby's measurement was perfect this week- 30cm. I'm relieved about that. Everything else was fine as well. The results from my diabetes test from a few weeks ago were not great. At my office we used very strict guidelines and would have considered it a failing number (but we also over tested and over treated many, many patients). Betty uses slightly different guidelines which consider the result borderline. Basically with the number I had, there's about a 10% chance that I could actually have gestational diabetes. Betty thinks considering my diet, weight gain, baby's growth, etc., I'm very unlikely to fall into that 10%. I trust her judgement and we will continue to monitor those things to make sure nothing concerning comes up. I'm pretty disappointed by this, but I guess it could be worse... I will be very strictly watching my diet from here on out for sure. No more sugar!!! Seriously.

30wks- The Cabbage (Patch Kid)

This week's update:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Key West Bump- 29.5wks

We just got back from Key West this afternoon. Jeff took this picture in the ocean, I thought it was kind of cool.

29wks- The Butternut Squash

This week's update:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

The Bump- 28wks

28wks- The Chinese Cabbage

Third trimester! Woo hoo! The second trimester really did go by a lot faster than the first. I thought not working might make it go by slower, but I've been keeping super busy and it's gone by pretty fast. As predicted, the second trimester was easier than the first, not that my first trimester was bad at all. I've really felt very good, no complaints. I know the third trimester will probably be the most challenging, but I'm ready for it!

I had an appointment with our midwife Betty yesterday. I had to do my diabetes test- yuck! She had me fast so she could get a fasting blood sugar as well, then I had to drink a very sugary drink (50gm of sugar to be exact). It made me feel pretty terrible. An hour after the drink she drew my blood again. The test basically checks to see how the body handles that massive dose of sugar- it's a screening for gestational diabetes. If it comes back in the normal range- great; if it's high, I'll have to do a similar test, but with twice the dose of sugar and four blood draws instead of just two. Keeping my fingers crossed it's normal! As soon as she drew my blood the second time, I drank my protein shake which helped me feel better for a while. The rest of the day was a roller coaster though. I kept getting that low-blood sugar feeling- shaky, nauseous, headachy, tired. I would try to eat more protein, but it didn't seem to be helping any more. Finally, I just went to bed early and that seemed to fix the problem, feeling back to normal now!

Betty said the baby is measuring a little small. The measurements are give or take two weeks and she was measuring 25 or 26 at 27wks and 5days. So kind of borderline... Betty said she feels like it's probably the baby's position or she's about to hit a growth spurt. Especially since she was measuring a little ahead last time. She's not concerned about it right now, but we will watch it closely. I'm glad she's not overly concerned, and I know if this was one of my patients, I wouldn't be too worried about it either, but of course, it has me worried half to death. Other than that, everything was great!

This week's update:

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

27wks- The Cauliflower

This week's update:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

The Bump- 26wks 1day

26wks- The English Cumcumber

This week's update:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.

25wks- The Rutabaga

This week's update:

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

The Bump- 24wks 1day

24wks- Ear of Corn

We had our first appointment with Betty, our Midwife, Thursday. Betty is the same midwife Carrie had her baby with. I worked with Betty in labor and delivery several years ago when she was first building her midwifery practice. She has the perfect mix of experience for my taste: she worked in L&D for like 20years and she's a midwife. Everything went fine at the appointment, heartbeat sounded good, she's measuring (or rather my uterus is measuring) right were it should.


This week's update:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

23wks- The Mango

This week's update:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

22wks- The Spaghetti Squash

This week's update:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

The bump- 21wks

21wks- The Carrot

This week's update:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

Anatomy Sono

We had our big anatomy sono on Monday. Everything looked great. Baby was measuring perfectly. No problems what so ever.

I promised I would tell if I saw the sex, so... it's a girl!

At first she was butt down and the sonographer said we probably wouldn't be able to tell even if we wanted to. But she flipped toward the end, around the time she was looking at the legs and cord. It became quite obvious, to me anyway. Carrie and Jeff still hadn't seen anything. Right as she was finishing up, she said, "Ok, last call!" I told her to show Jeff and Carrie and see if they could tell. I covered my eyes. Carrie could tell right away, Jeff couldn't so Carrie told him.

She's been very active the last week. Or, well, she's probably just as active as always, but I'm feeling it a lot more. It's every day now and some days I feel her moving more often than I don't. So reassuring and such an awesome feeling! I know she needs to sleep some time, but I wouldn't mind if she was always moving.

20wks- The Banana

Half way, woo hoo!

We were supposed to have our big anatomy sono today, but it got rescheduled to next week. Not sure exactly what day yet. We will post an update and the sono pics as soon as we get them.

This week's update:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Unemployed...

So, I got laid off yesterday. My company is in financial trouble and being the low-man on the provider totem pole, I was first to go. Other people were laid off too, no one else from my office thank goodness. I'm bummed to say the least. The timing stinks. But I'm trying to stay positive. We will be ok no matter what, and really, the situation could be so much worse.

In other, better news, I've been feeling the baby move quite a bit. Last night I had my hand resting on my abdomen and I felt three or four distinct kicks- I actually felt them inside and on my hand as well. It was awesome. Definitely the strongest movements so far. The timing couldn't be better considering I've been cut off cold turkey from my doppler. Very cooperative child!

19wks- Big Tomato

This week's update:

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

The Bump- 18wks 2days

18wks- The Bell Pepper

I'm just getting over being sick with a sinus infection, bleh! For anyone who's counting (me!), that's three upper respiratory infections in 18wks. Before that, it had been well over a year since the last time I had cold or anything. I guess that's the toll of pregnancy on my immune system. Unfortunately I lost all the weight I had gained so far and then some, but otherwise, we seemed to have survived.

The update for this week:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

17wks- The Turnip

This week's update:

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

2nd Trimester Screening for Birth Defects

I did the quad screen, aka 2nd trimester screening on Monday and got the results back today- negative. Which is good. There's a less than 1 in 10,000 chance the baby has Down Syndrome, neural tube defects, or trisomy 13 or 18. So that's the end of the screening tests for the baby. We'll have the big anatomy sono around 20wks (in which we will try not to see if it's a boy or a girl, but I will tell if I do see).

15wk 6days

I did some self-sonoing last Friday and I was actually able to get a few ok pics. I couldn't manage to get everything all in one shot though. One is a shot of the face looking straight on with the arm up by the head. The other is arms, legs and body.

The Avocado

This week's update:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

An Organic Pregnancy?

Before I got pregnant I started noticing that pretty much every medical/nursing journal or magazine related to Women's Health that came across my desk reported on studies linking plastics, pesticides, and other common chemicals with infertility (not to mention cancer, diabetes, etc. etc,). Because of this, we started making small changes earlier this year, switching out our water bottles and Tupperware for BPA free version, trying to go organic with food as much as possible. Jeff was learning about organic foods as well as local, sustainable resources, so luckily we were on the same page with this. I kept coming across recommendations for a book called "The Complete Organic Pregnancy". Of course, I would never buy a pregnancy book before I was pregnant, so I added it to my wish list and waited.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, this was the first pregnancy book I read. (Thanks again for getting me this book Uncle Steve!) Let me first say that I love this book. It is scary and somewhat overwhelming, but for every bad thing they tell you to avoid, they offer alternatives and resources. It's a huge amount of information to process and a lot of changes to make, but the book makes it feel do-able. I will say, however, that ignorance was bliss! But now that I know, there's no going back.

We decided to tackle this monster in three parts. The first part (since we'd already started this anyway) was what we eat. We joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) co-op, where we pay a set amount through out the year and we get a delivery of fresh organic fruits and veggies every week for 28wks. This has turned out to be even better than we expected. I love all the fresh fruits and veggies and Jeff loves the challenge of finding new recipes for all the different and sometimes unique stuff we get. I've been scouting out local farms and farmer's markets as well and supplement whatever else we need from Whole Foods. It's a big change, but I think we're getting the hang of it and this organic food thing is pretty much a habit now.

The next part is changing the things we put on our bodies, i.e. make-up, lotion, shampoo, etc. This has been harder. I was shocked to learn all the crap I was/am exposing myself to(and my baby). I really thought some of the products we use were on the safer side, but I'm sorry to say they are not. I couldn't bring myself to just throw everything out and start over, so the plan is to replace things with safer options as we run out. Unfortunately I buy a lot of this stuff in bulk, so it'll be a long while before everything gets replaced.

The third and probably hardest part is the stuff in our house. This is pretty much everything, furniture, dishes, cleaning products, etc. For the most part we've taken the same approach as above, we're not throwing anything out, but as things get used up or need replacing we'll make the change. One thing that I feel fortunate about in this area is that we're starting with a clean slate for the baby. We don't have or need anything yet, so we have plenty of time to research and decide exactly what we do and don't want for the baby. It's a lot of work, but again, starting from scratch seems less overwhelming than trying to replace so much stuff.

So, that's what's going on with the Dietz-Neal household and our quest to become organic (or as organic as possible)!

15wks- The Apple

The update for this week:

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

14wks- The Lemon

It's official, official. No matter how you count it, I'm now in my second trimester. Yay! A third of the way through. I wish I could say it was flying by, but it's not. Not for me anyway. But, I'm enjoying it and so far it really has been a very easy pregnancy (knock on wood!!!), so no complaints here.

The update for this week:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

NIAW

I'm writing this post as part of Project IF, the effort by RESOLVE and Mel of Stirrup Queens to highlight the many and far-reaching consequences of infertility as part of National Infertility Awareness Week. Mel has asked that participants end their posts "with a new, positive 'what if' — a best-case scenario for you personally, what you hope to see happen either for yourself or for someone else."


This is kind of a tough one for me. Obviously the "best case scenario" would be not to be infertile in the first place. But beyond that, as far as the care I've received, etc., I feel like I've had the best case scenario. I work in a job that has allowed me to very quickly figure out what the problem was/is and I was free to do the research to decide for myself how I wanted to deal with it. I didn't have to wait for anyone else or try to convince anyone of anything. It still took forever (or it felt like it...), but I don't think anything could have been done any differently to change that. Furthermore, with the exception of a few tests and some of the medications, we had to pay very little out of pocket. Considering how ridiculously expensive infertility treatment can be and very few insurance companies cover it, I realize we were very lucky. So I guess I wish others could have what I had: the ability to be involved in directing their own plans of care and the means to access the care they need.

13wks- The Shrimp

This week's update:

How your baby's growing:
Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips
Her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin
Her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now
If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries
Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce

First trimester screening- continued

Just got the call from the perinatologist, the blood work they did on Monday was very good. There's a 1 in 8,888 chance the baby has Down Syndrome and a less than 1 in 10,000 chance the baby has Trisomy 13 or 18. So yay.

Belly Shot 12wks 2days

Really there's nothing there yet, so this is more of a "before" picture. I'm going to try to take one every few weeks for now and then weekly later on. Uggghhh, I hate taking pictures though, so we'll see how that goes...

NT sono

The NT, or nuchal translucency sono was yesterday. They call it that because they're measuring the back of the baby's neck. If it measures greater than 2mm, there's an increased risk for Down Syndrome. It measured 0.91, so very good. They also did some blood work which will check different hormone levels and things like that, again looking to see if there's an increased risk for chromosomal defects. I should get those results in the next week or so.

The sono pictures came out great. The sono machine at the Perinatologist's office is a lot nicer than ours and it shows. Also, she's a lot better sonographer than me. I think the pictures are pretty self-explanatory. We have a DVD as well with clips from the sono, but we haven't figured out if we can put those up here or not. We'll post them later if we can.

12wks- The Lime

So 12wks is kind of an important milestone. Some people consider it the end of the first trimester, although I think that's kind of cheating. However, risk wise, things are more secure at this point. Which means I can relax a smidge.


The update for this week:

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it.
His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.
Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

11wks 5days

I decided I wasn't going to self-sono anymore, but then I did anyway. What can I say? It's just too tempting with a sono machine always at my disposal.
Last week the sonographer told me I might have better luck getting pictures when I was doing it myself if I sono-ed standing up. So I tried it yesterday and it worked great. However, I forgot to zoom in, so the pics are kind of small. The first one is looking straight on and the second one is a profile.
It was weird though, because while I was looking the baby didn't move. I could see the heart beating, so I wasn't freaking out too much, but no movement. I tried pushing on it, looking from different angles, but still no movement that I could see. So I laid down to see if it would make a difference and the second I put the probe on my stomach, I see the baby doing cartwheels all over the place. I watched for a few minutes just to make sure, but s/he was super active. Obviously, I felt much better. I don't know if I just couldn't see the movement when I was looking from the standing up view, or if s/he was taking a nap or what.