5 month OB appointment

I went for my 5 month OB appointment today at 10:00 am. As usual, first thing the nurse did was check my weight, BP and urine sample. All three were good. I gained 5 pounds since my last appointment on April 27th, bringing my total weight gain to 15 pounds to date. My BP was 90/60, a little low from where they would like to see me at, but still ok. Urine sample was good, nothing out of the ordinary, and definitely no traces of blood or proteins. So far, so good! I was then seen by one of the doctors at the practice. He listened to 'Lil Bean's heartbeat, which was strong, and he measured my fundus, which measured 24 centimeters. Typically, the fundus measures one centimeter for every week of pregnancy, so mine should be 23. The doctor is attributing my increase in size to a big baby, rather that me being furthur along than we think I am.

We discussed alot of concerns that I had, and I'm very happy with the responses that I got. First, we discussed my placenta previa condition. I have an u/s scheduled for May 24th followed by another Dr. appointment to discuss the results. As of today, my placenta has not moved and is still completely covering my cervix. The doctors are not expecting it to move, but still want to monitor it along with my cervix and cerclage. We then discussed when would be the best time to perform the colposcopy. Given this new diagnosis, partnered with my cerclage, he recommended we wait until the next u/s to decide what the best course of action will be. Third thing we touched base on is when the cerclage will be removed. The best time for this procedure to be done is between 36 and 37 weeks. So we will schedule this when we get closer to that time. I asked him if it would be safe for me to travel, since Phillip and I have 2 round trip airfare tickets to Las Vegas and a 3 day 2 night stay at the MGM Grand. He said that it would be safe for me to go since it's not that long of a trip, but not to travel after the 7th month. So Phillip and I will be planning our babymoon soon! I am sooo excited, I can't wait!!! And last, but not the least, we discussed when we can schedule the c-section. My doctors are all very optimistic that everything will go fine, since my cerclage will probably prevent my cervix from dilating, and being on bed rest will help prevent any pre-term labor, it would be in 'Lil Bean's best interest to wait until 39 weeks to do the c-section. So as it stands, it looks like 'Lil Bean will be making his grand entrance on August 12th, 2009! It's good to know what we can expect and when we can expect things.

There are a million and one things that I need to take care of before our baby arrives. I need to get the nursery ready, finish up my registries, help my sister plan my baby shower (which we are planning on having on Saturday, July 11th, 2009), finish buying the things I don't get at my shower, and the list goes on! I'm sure there's a bunch of things that I'm forgetting, but hopefully I will remember them before I have my little baby boy!

So for now, please go visit my baby registries. I am registered at Babies 'R Us and at the Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory. Look me up by my name, Anita Delemos. Let me know if I'm forgetting something. Any input is helpful and greatly appreciated! Thanks for checking in and I will update again soon! God bless :)

The innocence of a child

I just wanted to share with you all a conversation I had with my 6 year-old son, Kaleb. His innocence made my heart melt!

I had set up an appointment on Good Friday at Studio One for Kaleb’s Easter pictures to be taken. So earlier that day, I took him shopping to pick out an outfit for this occaassion. While we were in the store, we picked out 2 pastel colored shirts and a nice pair of shorts. After we were done shopping for him, I took him to the infant section to let him pick out a couple of outfits for his baby brother. As we were looking at all the nice baby clothes, Kaleb asked me a question and it just took me by surprise. Here is the conversation as it unfolded:

Kaleb: “Mom, do you think the baby is gonna live?”
Me: “Of course I do. Why, you don’t?”
Kaleb: “No I don’t. You just never know what God has in store for any of us.”

So we looked at a few more outfits, and he starts to make his selection. He picked out a very cute sleeper, and then started to look for another one. And the conversation continued...

Kaleb: “Well mom, do you think the baby will live after he is born?”
Me: “I sure do hope so, honey. I pray every single day for that.”
Kaleb: “How do you know that he’s healthy and perfect?”Me: “Well, remember the pictures I showed you of the baby?”
Kaleb: “Aha. What about them?”
Me: “When the doctor did the ultrasound, she looked over the baby to make sure he was perfect and not sick. She measured his arm and leg bones, his stomach; she looked at his heart, his kidneys, his head, his brain and everything else she could see to make sure he was perfectly healthy. That is how the doctors find out if there is something wrong with the baby before birth. She even took those pictures I showed you.”
Kaleb: “Oh. So the doctors already know that he’s perfect?”
Me: “Yes, son. And Mommy knows, too. The doctors are taking very good care of both baby and I. So don’t you worry about a thing, ok?”
Kaleb: “Ok, mom. Oh look, here’s the perfect little sleeper for him, it can keep his tiny feet warm and cozy!”

So off we went to the register to check out. It just broke my heart to hear him ask those questions with such a worried tone in his voice. I did the best I could to reassure him without lying to him. He accepted my answers and explanations and seemed content. The innocence of children truly amazes me!

Here are the two sleepers Kaleb picked out for his baby brother:

More u/s pictures

Here are some more neat u/s pictutes of our baby boy:

Our baby boy's hands and feet!

Precious hand with all 5 fingers!