5 more days

Only a few days left! We had an appointment yesterday. Lindsay's cervix is softer an slightly effaced and the Dr. could feel his head. It sounds like everything is progressing nicely. We are scheduled to go to the hospital on Monday morning at 7 to check in and start the process. Our Dr. said it was likely he will not be born until the early hours of the 6th. Here is a link to directions for those family members who plan to be there: Northwest Hospital

Cousin!

My brother and Sister in Law are expecting! Alec's little cousin is due at the end of August. Lindsay and I are really excited for them! The picture is one of Natalie's cards.

Cats

Tikka and Frisky have yet to make Alec's blog so here is their big debut!

Snow!

We had snow again this week. Lindsay took this great photo!

Full Term!

Today is 37 weeks and Lindsay's pregnancy is considered full term! I think we are as ready as we can be. The nursery is ready, the bags are packed and the infant seat is in the car.

We had a Dr. appointment yesterday and everything looks great. There is no indication that Lindsay will go into labor soon. Our next appointment is next Wednesday.

Alec is developmentally ready to handle life outside the womb. (Babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 weeks are post-term.) He probably weighs a little over 7 pounds at this point and measures between 19 and 20 inches, head to heel.

36 Week Ultrasound

We had an ultrasound on Tuesday. Everything looks great! He is a bit on the big side... he is already 7 pounds!!!


Alec is still putting on the pounds — about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 7 pounds and is a little less than 19 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the creamy substance that covered and protected his skin during its submersion in amniotic fluid. He swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, which will stay in his bowels until birth. This blackish mixture, called meconium, will become his first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, he will be considered full-term. (Babies between 37 and 42 weeks are considered full-term; a baby born before 37 weeks is pre-term and after 42 is post-term.) He is in a head-down position by now, which is optimal for a smooth delivery.

35 Weeks

Happy New Year! Only five more weeks until his due date! It seems like such a short amount of time but I think Lindsay might disagree. She is doing great but I know this is the most uncomfortable she's been during her pregnancy. We have his room almost ready. I spent much of my holiday break getting it prepared. It looks great and it's really fun to see all this baby stuff we've been collecting find a home. Lindsay packed her hospital bag this evening. There seems like so much we still need to do!! The photo was taken this evening.

Here is the update on Alec:
Alec is getting big. He weighs a tad over 5 pounds and is just over 18 inches long. Because it's so snug he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

33 Weeks

We had our final Childbirth Class last evening. We both really appreciated our instructor's (Carol) experience and humor. She gave us some great practical advice which I am certain we will really appreciate in the coming months. We also met some really great people and have a reunion planned for April 4th so we can get together and see each others babies.
Only seven more weeks until Lindsay's due date. It's coming up so fast! I've still not started on Alec's bedroom. I have the next week off of work so I plan to finish it by the end of the week. Next Tuesday we have an appointment for another ultrasound. They will be able to tell his position. He won't be to flip from here on out so hopefully he is head down. After our appointment we plan to take a tour of Northwest Hospital's Childbirth Center.

A couple of weeks ago I was able to capture Alec kicking on video. I uploaded it to our website (click here). You may have to download Quicktime to view it.

Alec now weighs about 4 lbs 10 ozs and measures about 17.75 inches. He is now fully formed physically and has a firm grasp reflex. During the last 6 weeks, his main task is to gain weight and grow a little larger, as well as build up his immune system, which is obtained from Lindsay as antibodies are passed through the placenta.

We hope he has assumed a 'head down' position and he will stay this way until he is born. his movements may change in character (to be more 'stretches' and 'squirms') as he grows larger and there is comparatively less room for him to move.

Alec can now determine the difference between sweet and sour tastes. Premature babies as early as 33 weeks have been observed to suck harder on a teat dipped in glucose! However, unborn babies can also detect subtle changes in the 'flavor' of the amniotic fluid surrounding them. It is believed the fluid acts as a type of "flavor bridge" to their mother's breast milk, which also carries different food flavors from the mother's diet.

Babies born between 33 weeks and 35 weeks normally do quite well and have more than a 95% survival rate. However, they are still regarded as being 'mildly preterm' and will usually require some time in the intensive care nursery.

32 Weeks

Lindsay has been studying hard over the last few weeks for her PHR (Professional in Human Resources) exam. She finally took and passed the exam last Friday! Saturday we went to Sultan to get our Christmas Tree and visit my Grandmother. Sunday we went to my parents house for our annual Christmas cookie decorating party.

Here is an update on Alec:
Alec baby probably weighs almost 4 pounds and is almost 17 inches long, taking up a lot of space in Lindsay's belly. He has tiny toenails now, and his fingernails have grown in, too. Some babies have a head of hair already; others have only peach fuzz.

Thirty Weeks in - Ten weeks left!!!

Lindsay is 30 weeks into her pregnancy today. At this point it seems better to count forward than back. Only 10 weeks left! She is healthy and happy and continues to amaze me with her tolerance for everything that pregnancy has been doing to her body.

We've been busy over the last couple of weeks. Lindsay's baby shower was on the 18th. Thanks to all our friends and family for their generosity! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my parents and Keith and Natalie. My mom managed to cook the perfect Thanksgiving dinner once again. Friday we headed to Edgefield to celebrate our one year anniversary. Friday evening we were able to have dinner at the Black Rabbit Restaurant with some of Lindsay's family. We spent Saturday morning in shopping in Portland. We bought a great light for our entry way at Schoolhouse Electric and walked around Portland's Pearl District. We headed back to Edgefield after lunch and Lindsay enjoyed a massage while I enjoyed a couple of beers. Sunday we hit Troutdale's Outlet Mall and added to Alec's wardrobe and then drove home to snow! Not much, but enough to make it feel like the holidays. By yesterday morning Lindsay and I were "stuck" at home. I have photos posted here.

Now for Alec's progress:
Alec is a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and fills out the uterus. His eyes open and close, he's able to distinguish between light and dark, and he can even follow a light source back and forth. Once he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have a visual acuity of only 20/400 — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face

Third Trimester

Lindsay is officially in her third trimester. She took the grueling three hour gestational diabetes test last week. The test results were negative. Alec is still really active and we can see him move through Lindsay's clothes. We just got back from our childbirth class. Tonight we learned about medications and how they affect the mother and the baby. Great class!

At 28 weeks, Alec weighs a little over 2 pounds and measures about 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can open his eyes — which now sport lashes — and he'll turn his head toward a continuous, bright light from the outside. His fat layers are beginning to form, too, as he gets ready for life outside the womb.

26 Weeks

Lindsay took her gestational diabetes test on Tuesday (Halloween). She tested slightly high - maybe having something to do with the Halloween candy. She'll have a follow up test next week to find out for certain.

Alec now weighs a little under 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches, from head to heel. The nerve pathways in his ears are developing, which means his response to sounds is growing more consistent. His lungs are developing now, too, as he continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when he's born and takes that first breath of air. His testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

We can feel and see him move now! He's an active little guy. He seems to like it when Tikka, our oversized black cat, sits purring on Lindsay's stomach. He almost always seems to start moving.

twenty-five weeks and pumpkins

Lindsay and I start our Childbirth Prep Class tonight. Every Wednesday evening until the middle of December. I look forward to it. It should be fun to meet new people and to get a better idea what to expect in the coming months.

We also have our annual Pumpkin Carving party this Saturday. We've invited all our friends and close family over to carve pumpkins, win prizes and eat spaghetti.

Now for the twenty-five week update on Alec:
Head to heels, your Alec now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — doesn't sound like much, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. His hair is probably recognizable now (in color and texture), although both may change after he's born.

Mom & Dad

twentyfour weeks

Alec's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week, when he was just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long, that makes a pretty lean figure, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon put on more baby fat. Alecs's skin is thin, translucent, and wrinkled, his brain is growing rapidly, and his taste buds are developing. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily. Lindsay's uterus is about the size of a small soccer ball.

23 Weeks

At 23 weeks Alec is now the size of a small baby doll you might purchase for a little girl. That's pretty impressive considering he could fit in the palm of your hand just a few short weeks ago. He is between 8 and 11 inches long by pregnancy week 23!
His skin is still quite red and heavily wrinkled and he can often hear loud noises in the womb so is is possible that Lindsay will feel him move around a bit when he hears loud noises. The bones located in his middle ear are starting to form and he is continuing to fill out and look more and more proportional.

Lindsay and I are headed to San Diego today to visit Alec's aunt, uncle and cousins. I can't wait to see them!

Under Construction

Second Try

We have our ultrsound appointment today to catch the items they missed last time. I posted some pictures from our last ultrasound on robwalbrun.com. I'm sorry for the delay in getting them posted. I've been quite busy with the house!

Big?

Alec should now weigh about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. His eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed. And Lindsay can certainly feel him move.
The ultrasound results from last week put Alec in the 99th percentile for weight at a full pound! Our Dr questions the results and suggested we schedule another ultrasound, They also did not have a clear view of his spinal cord. We have another ultrasound scheduled for Tuesday.

Twenty Weeks - Halfway there!!

Alec 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. (For the first 20 weeks, we use measurements taken from the top of the baby's head to his bottom — known as the "crown to rump" measurement. After that, we use measurements from head to toe. This is because a baby's legs are curled up against his torso during the first half of pregnancy and are very hard to measure.)

A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats his entire body to protect his skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. (This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal.)

Alec is swallowing more, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance that's the result of cell loss, digestive secretion, and swallowed amniotic fluid. This meconium will accumulate in his bowels, and we'll see it in his first messy diaper.

We have an ultrasound tomorrow. The needs for ultrasound exam are:

To check the baby's growth and size
To determine the age of the baby
To identify multiple pregnancy (twins or more)
To identify (or in this case confirm) the baby’s gender
To look for major birth defects
To check the amniotic fluid (is there too much or too little?)
To check the baby's well-being and movement
To determine the baby’s delivery date