Baby Girl is Arriving on June 1st!!!!

We've scheduled it - baby girl will be born on Tuesday, June 1st via c-section at 1pm!!! We went to the doctor today for our last appointment and had an ultrasound that showed this little lady is HUGE! She tipped the scales at an estimated 8 pounds, 4 ounces and the ultrasound tech said her head circumference was "off the charts". She is HUGE and we are only at 37 weeks!

Here are 2 pictures of her sweet, sweet profile:

...see the top of her head in the second one? That's tons of curly hair, says the ultrasound tech! 

...and here is a shot of her curly hair on the back of her head!!! It's hard to see but she basically took the picture above of her profile and then moved the 'camera' (if you will) over to the right to get a picture of the back side of her head...so look to the left side of this pic and you'll see the profile of the back of her head with all that fuzzy hair!

Because of baby's size and my small stature my doctor has scheduled us for a c-section at 1pm on Tuesday, June 1st - I'll be 38 weeks and 1 day! We couldn't be more thrilled and are relieved to know that she'll be coming relatively pain free via c-section. Though we'd like her this week, our doctor said it's better to let her stay until 38 weeks so her lungs can be more developed. With gestational diabetes, the baby could be large is size but still lacking in complete lung development, and we want to avoid a NICU visit at all costs. We trust our doctor and know she will deliver a perfectly healthy baby at the perfect time!

Memorial Day Baby?!

Here I am 36 1/2 weeks pregnant with little baby girl Devereaux!

Well, little isn't quite apropros...she's over 6lbs right now and probably reach 19 to 20 inches tall! We will find out her measurements this coming Monday 5/24 at our big ultrasound - I'll be 37 weeks on the nose! Currently, Lil Bow Wow likes to kick me in the ribs (which is why I think she is head down) and snuggle on my left side. She frequently gets the hiccups and Matt can feel them from the outside. It's really precious - I can just imagine her precious face hiccuping! I can't wait to see what she looks like! She hasn't "engaged" yet, which means making her descent into the pelvis, so I still feel her very high and resting right on my diaphragm. People say the "waddle" aka pregnancy walk doesn't happen until she engages...I'm here to prove them wrong. I've been waddling for weeks now!

We went to the doctor yesterday and all is well! The NST went well even though I'm still having contractions - the baby isn't being bothered by the contractions, which is what they watch for on the NST. After the exam, our doc judged that the baby is still high and dry which means no effacement or dilation. This is completely normal for a first-timer like me, but she is still wanting to induce rather than let me go full term. Not only is it safer to induce a woman who has gestational diabetes to cut down on the possibility of having an oversized baby, but she said it also averts the placenta from aging - something she does NOT want to happen. Apparently if we were to wait until 40 weeks, not only would the baby be huge, but the placenta would age inappropriately and stop being a good nutritional source for the baby.

The big news is she did announce that she wants to induce no later than 38 weeks and 1 day (38 weeks exactly is Memorial Day) so we've narrowed down the induction time to be somewhere between this Monday 5/24 and Tuesday 6/1!! As of last week the dates went through June 7, so she's narrowing down our window little by little! We are so excited about the possibility of having her in a week. Really, the most we would have to wait is a week and a half...which is insanely soon! It's very surreal...we can't quite wrap our brains around the fact that this little miracle baby will soon be HERE!

Things we will discuss at Monday's appointment after the ultrasound: the size of the baby (doc will take her weight and decide what day she needs to do the induction), the placement of the baby (if she's bottom first, head first, transverse, anterior or posterior, which is facing forwards or backwards), and the shape of my pelvis and the size of her head to see if the baby will fit. All of these things will be discussed to determine whether or not I can deliver normally or via c-section. If the baby is too big for my pelvis or not in the proper position, the doctor will more than likely schedule a c-section. But she was very comforting letting us know that we can discuss all our options and she'll talk to us about what we want - a regular birth vs a c-section. Assuming that everything is normal, I think she will induce and try for a normal delivery! We personally do not care which type of delivery we have. We know the side effects and risks of both and have become well informed on both types of delivery and really want to put it in our doctor's hands. She knows what is best for me and what is best for the baby and my body. We trust her immensely, if you can't tell!!

Keep your eyes peeled for Monday's blog where we will reveal our induction date and possibly little girl's birthday!!!!!

36 Weeks Today!!!

How Far Along: 36 weeks (we will find out in exactly 1 week what day Dr. Steen wants to induce - it could be anywhere from May 24 to June 7!)

Total Weight Gain: I haven't gained weight in 3 weeks, thanks to my diabetes diet! Overall, the scale tips at around 35 lbs I think :)

Maternity Clothes: went shopping this weekend for MORE clothes because, sad day...my belly doesn't fit in any of my petite maternity clothes:( I have resorted to wearing leggings with my husbands button downs, which I must admit he thinks is cute:)

Moment of the Week: Getting little girls gilder in on Saturday - woop woop! It's beautiful!!!!! Posting a pic shortly...

Movement: She is a mover and a shaker, let me tell you! Sometimes it feels like she is doing petit battements (for you non-ballet dancers, it's a ballet barre exercise where you stand on one leg and point your opposite foot so it touches your ankle on your standing leg and then you 'beat' it back in forth very quickly) all over the place! Its like she is having convulsions, sometimes! She rolls around a ton, smashing her little heels into my rib cage (thanks, sweet angel!)

Food Craving: I'm just now into sweet tea - don't ask me why. I make decaf and enjoy it with my fresh mint I've grown outside on the deck!

Food Aversion: not really - I'll eat anything you put in front of me, as long as it's sugar free!

Morning Sickness: none of that! I was one of the lucky ones, knock on wood!

Gender: It's still a little girl, though one of my dear friends had a dream I was having a boy and named him John Alexander! I had a vague dream about it being a boy, too! My vet said (yes, my vet -we are tight) he thinks my doctor is completely wrong just based on the way I'm carrying!

Labor Signs: Ha! I've been having contractions every day since 30 weeks, BUT as last week's exam proved, little girl is high and dry with no signs of having moved down, which means no effacement or dilation - so the medication my doctor prescribed to help avoid pre-term labor (Brethine) seems to be working!We shall see how we look this Wednesday for my next appointment!

Belly Button: Big time outie - BIG TIME:)

What I Miss: Laying on my stomach, jogging somewhere across the room, climbing on cabinets to put things away, seeing my feet without leaning forward, having the car seat belt fit "right", the occasional martini, seafood and vigorous exercise - I feel the need to sweat in order to complete a good work out!

What I am Looking Forward to: A FINISHED nursery!!!

Weekly Wisdom: An intelligent and well rounded doctor is worth their weight in gold!  I just love that my doc is so honest, straight forward and just plain down to earth!  

Why I Think My Husband will ROCK as a Daddy: Matt Devereaux is ALREADY hooked around her little finger and she is not even here yet! Every time something arrives for her or her room and it needs to be put together he is on it like white on rice - just Saturday I bought a lamp shade for her nursery not knowing if it will fit the lamp and I wanted to keep the plastic on just in case we had to return it...well I turn around after taking the old lamp shade off and he's already ripped the plastic to shreds waiting like an excited puppy to put the new lamp shade on - of course, the lamp shade doesn't fit and we can't return it now:) But every time we talk about her he gets googly eyed and mushy - I  know he'll be the best Daddy in the world!!!!

34 Weeks and a Semi-New Due Date!

Here I am 34 1/2 weeks pregnant with baby girl Devereaux!

We went to our doctor's appointment yesterday and all is well with baby girl! I haven't gained weight this week, either, which is another good sign. My lack of weight gain is probably due to the diabetes diet, but we also read that you tend to stop gaining weight right before you go into labor...needless to say, every little thing makes us think "this is it - we are going into labor!" but we try to be a bit more realistic, even though we want her to come right now!

The doctor said she looks fine and is growing properly. She checked me out and said I'm not dilated at all, which means we are not subject to pre-term labor as of right now. BUT that could change, of course. We are prepared with packed bags now! All we have to do is put in the car seat!

Our doctor scheduled our final ultrasound for Monday, May 24th at 11:30. After this ultrasound, she will schedule the induction date based on little girl's weight. She said the absolute last day we will have this baby will be June 7 - so no more June 14th due date! I've been using that date as a milestone for months now, so it's bittersweet to let it go! But it means I get to see her sooner! So if we don't go into early labor, we are looking to meet our daughter sometime between May 25th and June 7th! Very exciting, but scary...I thought we had 6 weeks to go, and it looks like we only have between 2 and 4 weeks now!

As for me, I am pretty immobile right now, even with my new maternity belt (it's awesomely hot, ladies, let me tell ya). She is sitting on a nerve so my lower left back HURTS relentlessly. Just yesterday, Matt had to put my socks on my feet for me. Yes, it's gotten that bad LOL! I'm also having ridiculous insomnia, which I understand is mother nature preparing me for my sleep pattern (or lack there of) after the baby arrives. Last night wasn't so bad, though - I only woke up twice, which is a huge improvement to waking up ever 2 hours.

I've also got monster heartburn and I'm eating Tums like M&Ms. The doctor suggested I move to a more preventative medicine like Prevacid or something similar, because Tums are full of sugar...the thing I cannot have right now! I could go on and on about the list of inconveniences of pregnancy, but like I've said throughout the whole pregnancy, it's nothing compared to the end result! Simply NOTHING could spoil this pregnancy and how happy and lucky Matt and I feel to be blessed with this gift of life. It's surreal to think that at the beginning of this blog we didn't think we'd ever have a baby of our own and now look at us...soon to be parents of a healthy little girl in a month or less! Time truly flies by when you're having fun, and we've had the time of our lives:) God is good!!!!!!!!

ER/Hospital Visit on a Saturday Night!

Not to worry anyone - we are all fine and baby is still brewing...but, we did make an visit to the ER/Labor and Delivery floor this past Saturday night. I will say, it was the best hospital/ER experience I've ever had! We are so excited to be delivering at St. Tammany Parish Hospital!

Anyway, back to the story...Saturday was filled with running errands with Millie and MCat on the Northshore, exchanging things and picking up baby items needed for the nursery. I have been having contractions since 30 weeks and the doctor said that was fine, but if we get 6 contractions in a hour to either call her and come to her office or the hospital, if its after hours. Around 5pm I started having pretty frequent contractions, having 4 in an hour, then 5 in an hour and around 8pm I had 6 in an hour. We knew that it could be a false alarm and if we went to the hospital they'd just check us out and turn us back around, but with the gestational

diabetes, we didn't want to risk it. So we told ourselves if we had 6 contractions in an hour for 2 straight hours, we'd grab our bags and run to the hospital. Mind you, there is no such thing as "grabbing our bags"...

So at 9:30 we decided to go for it and go to the hospital. I, of course, haven't packed my hospital bag or the baby bag, so Matt's freaking out ready to leave and I'm sitting in the baby's closet trying to find an outfit for her to hypothetically come home in, since we do not have one for her yet. Now, I know the chances of her coming that night were slim, but I just didn't know. We couldn't have her coming home in some 'knit' thing! I'm a basket case, I know. Then I had to pack MY bag...oh wow, let's just say Matt isn't the most patient person when it comes to stressful situations. He just can't help it:)

So I have a hodge podge of things in my hospital bag, the baby's bag and we lock up the dogs and get ready to leave. Matt drives like a bat out of hell out of the neighborhood, potentially scaring our neighbors and their children to death and then says "I need something to drink, you want something to drink?" and casually pulls in to a gas station to grab a Diet Dr. Pepper and a bonus size Twix - great, thanks, husband, supporter - I'd really love a freaking candy bar and a DDP right now but I can't have one because of stupid gestation diabetes. Way to be a good supporter! He says "but it's DIET Dr. Pepper...that doesn't help?"

So we make it to the hospital, check in oh so quickly in the ER and then head on up to Labor and Delivery. We get checked in and go into the mini-emergency room specifically for labor and delivery patients and get hooked up to a fetal monitor. Then we find out that my doctor is the doctor on call for the night so we immediately relaxed. The baby looked great and they measured her heartbeat and my contractions for about an hour. They said coming to the hospital was definitely the best thing to do, so we felt a little less crazy at that point.

After doing an exam the nurse announced that I was no where near labor and that everything looked and measured right where it should be - ZERO! They ran a urinalysis and when the results came back they showed the cause of the contractions was SEVERE DEHYDRATION!!!! Matt and I still can't believe it, because I drink water all day long! The nurse said "Well, apparently that is not enough for baby girl"! Sooo I re-hydrated in the hospital and the nurse gave me a shot of Brethine to ward off any contractions. She also gave me a prescription for Brethine to take regularly to stop any further contractions, because while I wasn't dilated at all, if contractions keep going on like that, it will lead to pre-term labor.

So we were given a clean bill of health and sent home at 1am! I still have my weekly doctor's appointments so I'll see my regular OB GYN Wednesday. At last week's appointment she mentioned that she probably wouldn't let me go the full 40 weeks because of gestational diabetes and she'd decide when to induce me after we had a special sonogram to measure baby girl's weight. If I stay on the diet the baby should only gain half a pound a week until birth and right now she already weighs 5lbs, so we are looking to induce between 37 and 39 weeks, so that's somewhere between May 24 and June 7! We'll know more after Wednesday's appoint!