36 Weeks

On Wednesday I had my weekly sonogram. Lucas is looking great, the amniotic fluid is at a good level, the umbilical cord placement isn't as off as they first thought, and he's weighing in at a healthy 6 pounds 5 ounces.

Today I had my OB appointment and his heartbeat registered at 148, and my big ol' belly measured in at 39 cm. Which equates to a 39 week belly, 3 weeks ahead. So I'm a little big, but not too bad.

The countdown is on, just 12 days to go until we get to meet our new little monkey!

I have a pretty good sonogram photo to share this week too, it's his profile, can you see it?

The Sooner the Better!

I had my 32 week check up this morning. My blood pressure was slightly elevated, my fundal height was 36 cm, so his growth is slowing down, and his heartbeat was 152. Because of the heightened BP, how big he is, and my past history with Colin's pregnancy my doctor decided to move Lucas' scheduled birth date up a week. So, we have moved from September 2nd to August 26th. I kept telling Brad this was going to be an August baby!

30 Week Checkup

I went to the doctor yesterday and my blood pressure is still doing well, I'm gaining more weight than I'd like, but the doctor says I'm fine. I'm definitely gaining more weight with Lucas than I did with Colin!

Lucas' heartbeat was a steady 152 and my belly is measuring 35 weeks (5 weeks ahead!), which just means, THIS KID IS BIG! LOL

Two weeks ago my doctor told me to try Prilosec, and OH MY GOSH, I haven't had to take a single Tums or Maloxx since! Bless him :) I was at my daily maximum dose of both medications prior to the Prilosec.

My next appointment is on the 13th for a sonogram and the 17th for my doctor. We're down to just 9 weeks to go! I can't wait to meet this "little" guy!

Week 28 Checkup

I had a regular doctor's appointment today. My blood pressure is still nice and low and Lucas' heartbeat was a solid 156.

While I was in the hospital I had my glucose screening, which tests for gestational diabetes, and passed with flying colors.

They also scheduled my c-section, Lucas' potential birthday is September 2nd. Though, I've said from the beginning, I don't think this kid is going to wait until September, I think he'll be an August baby, early like his big brother.

As for me, I continue to have morning sickness, which I take medication for, and horrible heartburn/indigestion. I'm just starting to get tired again, taking naps with Colin in the afternoons. I also have had increased back pain (just normal pregnancy stuff) from my big belly. I'm also having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions, harmless contractions that come and go, the body's way of preparing for labor.

Lucas continues to be a mover and a shaker, and is so big that his big movements are shaking my whole belly. No need to put a hand on my belly, just watch it go.

Lucas Update

I apologize for the long time between posts, but you'll soon understand.

Three weeks ago I awoke in the middle of the night with contractions that wouldn't stop and some spotting. So we headed to the hospital. My contractions were 3 minutes apart, but luckily my cervix was long and closed, meaning I wasn't in full on labor. Lucas was holding strong.

Soon after arriving I was in terrible lower right back pain, so much it was making me sick at my stomach too. They suspected a kidney stone and kept me in overnight. They sent me home the next afternoon, but I wouldn't be gone long. The back pain and contractions came back just 24 hours later and I was admitted for what would be another 5 days in the high risk OB unit.

The attack that day would turn out to be the worst, it took 3 different pain medications before anything would even TOUCH the pain, two separate nausea medications to stop getting sick, and an IV to rehydrate me. They did a kidney sonogram and didn't find anything but were certain that I had a stone, so they started treatment for one. This treatment included putting me on Flowmax, the pill for men's prostate issues. It helps open up the utera (the tube that runs from the kidney to the bladder) which should help the stone pass easier, quicker. After 3 days and 1 more pain episode they did another kidney sonogram and this time found the little sucker. It was almost to the bladder. So they decided to send me home and see if I could pass it on my own, continuing on the medication. It took another week, but luckily no more pain episodes, and I passed it.

The whole time Lucas did fine, kicking and a strong heartbeat. Lucikly he didn't seem to be affected by everything Momma was going through.

I just took it in this morning for analysis, the receptionist was horrified when I handed it too her, claiming it was the largest stone she'd ever seen, and even more horrified when I told her that was nothing, it had actually shrunk in the week since I passed it.

So I hope you now understand why it's been so long. I do have quite a few sonogram photos and a couple of bump photos that I'll be posting now too, under separate posts.

Surprise Sonogram

I ended up going back into the doctor yesterday because I woke up with some sharp pains in my pelvic, to the point I couldn't stand up straight, and realized I hadn't felt him move since I went to bed the night before. So the doctor had me come in and thankfully, on the way there, I felt Lucas move twice. They sent me for a sonogram to make sure all was okay.

He was perfect, kicking and moving away, weighing in at 1 pound 10 ounces, which is what a 24 week baby should look like, so he is a big boy :) I looked good and Lucas did too, so all was okay.

I've been doing a lot of gardening lately, and both doctors thought I had probably just over done it and ordered me to rest for the next 24 hours. So, I'm taking it easy today, just happy that all is okay.

I'll post some photos from the sonogram soon!

Week 22

I went in for my monthly appointment today. The nurse who I've seen every month with both pregnancies said to me today, "Rene, I was just looking at your chart and I can't believe how far along you are. It seems you were just in here and you're already 22 weeks!"

I told her I felt the same. This pregnancy is going by so much faster than Colin's did. Brad and I had discussed this previously and agreed it was probably because with Colin it was all about the anticipation of meeting him and it was just the two of us, and with Lucas, though we are eagerly awaiting his arrival too, Colin is distracting us and keeping us pretty busy!

So, today my blood pressure was slightly elevated, not enough that he was concerned, but enough that he'd like me monitor it at home until my next appointment and then report back to him. Lucas' heart beat was 133, perfectly normal. My belly is measuring 25 weeks, which just means that Lucas is probably a big boy, which I completely believe. With Colin, we weren't able to feel his kicks on the outside until 24 weeks. As of a week ago (21 weeks) you could feel Mr. Lucas kickin' around.

I go back in 4 weeks for my next appointment and he said we'd schedule my surgery (Lucas' birthday!) at that time. I also go in a week after that for my next sonogram (27 weeks). They've already told me that because of the complications (low amniotic fluid) with Colin they'd like to see me for weekly sonograms starting around 30 weeks. They also warned me that because Colin was breach that Lucas most likely will be too, which is fine since I have to have a c-section anyway.

As for me, I'm still pretty sick, I've gone back on medication for the morning sickness, but other than that I'm feeling pretty good. It's so much fun to feel Lucas moving around, and he moves a lot! More than Colin, that is for sure.

Oh, and when Brad gets home I plan to take a bump shot. I took one at 14 weeks, but lost it somehow, and then completely forgot at 18 weeks. So, unfortunately this will be the first one on record, but better late than never I suppose! I'll post it tomorrow.

Introducing...The New Mr. Baker

As you already know, we are now expecting our second son, and after much thought, discussion and debate, we've decided on the name Lucas Clarke Baker. How did we get to that decision?

Lucas was simply a name we thought fit well with the name Colin, it's a name you don't hear everyday, but when you hear it, it doesn't sound strange. Clarke is Brad's father's and grandfather's middle name, so we are following a family tradition.

So let's start from the beginning. We had been trying to get pregnant for a few months with no luck. We had decided to take a couple of months off at the end of the year to avoid an August/September baby. Then laying in bed one early January evening we realized I was already over a week late. Brad forgot about it, but I didn't. He went to work and I took a test. That was the hardest secret to keep for an entire day! I wanted to tell him so bad, I couldn't stop smiling. I wanted to tell Brad in a special, memorable way. So I made a onesie for Colin to wear that said "I'm the Big Brother" and had a picture of a baby and a toddler. So when Daddy came home, Colin was wearing the onesie and I had placed his jacket over it, zipped up. We were playing in the front yard when Daddy got home. We came inside and I asked Brad to take his jacket off while I went to the restroom. I waited to hear something, but didn't. So I came around the corner and Brad was holding Colin up studying his shirt. He said, "I don't get this, where did he get this shirt?" The letters were iron-on and the "B" in "Big" had started to fall off. I started laughing, and pulled the test out of my pocket. He caught on then.

We had our first appointment at about 7 weeks and got to hear the heart beat, a beautiful sound. That is when we received our due date of September 10. Our second appointment was at 11 weeks, and we again got to hear the heartbeat and got a picture.

Yesterday, we had our 18 week sonogram. We got a very healthy report card, Lucas is weighing in at 10 ounces and 5.5 inches. About the size of a dollar bill. This is also when we learned he is a he. We were very excited, we both really wanted a boy, thinking that he and Colin would play and get along better. Brad surprised me by taking the whole day off so we could follow the tradition we had set when we had Colin. We celebrated all the good news by shopping for Lucas. We bought an outfit, his bedding and a couple of blankys for him to cuddle with when he gets here.

Reminder: For the photos click on them, and they will pop up larger, so you can get a good look at Mr. Lucas.


Profile


His fingers spread out by his face.


Another profile.


The first one is a front view of his face, hands by his head, and body. The second photo is the "male proof." hehe