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!