4 1/2 MONTHS

Mommy's view at 4 1/2 months!

17w4d- BABY BUMP!

The belly is getting bigger! 37" round. :-)

17w2d- CONSISTENT MOVEMENT :-)

With a posterior placenta, Caitlin has been feeling flutters for several weeks, then taps here and there and now consistent movement! YAY!!!

A MESSAGE TO MOMMY

Dear Caitlin,

This message is for you. I have sooooo many feelings that I need to share. As a mother-to-be, you are experiencing the morning sickness, headaches, muscles aches, tiredness along with the beautiful baby movements and heartbeat sounds that make it all worth it. Soon you will experience the huge belly, swollen feet and breathless moments because the baby has taken over your body....not to mention the painful labor....but when you see that beautiful face looking back at you, you will know it is all worth it! Once the baby is born, you will experience sleepless nights and stressful days, but the good times will outweigh the stressful ones!

I remember all these feelings as if they were yesterday. If I could give you one piece of advice it would be to take your time to cherish and love each moment no matter how stressful or tired you may be. These precious days go by way toooooo fast!

I see life differently through the eyes of a grandparent. I will cry with you... smile with you...be sad with you....and be happy with you......most of all I will be there for you! For you are my baby girl. And now my baby girl is giving me the precious gift of another baby girl. Now I know why my mother cried the day you were born!

Love Always, Mom

17w0d- BIG ROLL!

Caitlin was laying on the couch (on her back)...with her legs down this time ...not bent up near her belly. Caitlin felt a few small kicks from Gracyn and then.....A BIG ROLL! Gracyn must have turned completely around.... Caitlin felt the roll from her belly button down to the pubic bone!!!! PRETTY COOL FEELING!

17 WEEKS PREGNANT!!!!

Dear Gracyn,

According to Babycenter.com, your  skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — your lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. At the 14 week ultrasound, you had the cord up and over your right should....like a purse.  HAHA.  You now weigh 5 to 6 ounces and are  around 5 inches long from head to bottom or about 9 inches from head to toes!!!.You can move your joints, and your sweat glands are starting to develop.  Your eyes are looking forward now, but are still fused shut.

You are  recycling the amniotic fluid by swallowing up to a liter a day. Meconium (composed of products of cell loss, digestive secretion and swallowed amniotic fluid), is accumulating in the bowel. Fat stores begin to develop under you skin this week! The fat will provide energy and help keep you  warm after birth.

Mommy can feel her uterus just below the bellybutton. If she put her fingers sideways and measures, it is about two finger-widths (1 inch) below her bellybutton. Her uterus is the size of a cantaloupe!  At the last OB appointment, the fundus was measuring right on track!  Mommy is now feeling more definite movements of small taps (small kicks and punches) along with flutters.....nothing consistent yet, but definitely not gas, like the OB told her it was!!!!  YAY!

Can't wait to see you on the 18 week ultrasound next week!
Love Grandma Dason

16w6d- LOPSIDED BELLY

If you look closely, you can see the baby is all balled up on the left side of the belly! :-)

6 WEEKS MILESTONE WITH PREVIA

Yes, you read that right!  It's been six weeks with no spotting or bright red blood from placenta previa!  Continue to pray that the 18 week ultrasound shows the placenta has migrated upwards and off of the cervix!  If so, Caitlin will get to go back to work!  :-)

FIRST FOUR MONTHS!

16w4d- BELLY BUMP & SMALL KICKS!

Caitlin said she felt about 5 or 6 little kicks in a row this AM after some orange juice! Belly measures 36 1/4!

16w3d- BABY SHOES!

Caitlin couldn't resist these adorable baby shoes!

16w2d- MORE MOVEMENT!!!!

Caitlin shared that Gracyn moved a lot more today! The flutters are turning more into definite taps (possibly small punches or kicks).....Really noticeable when she sits/lays on the couch or bed and bends her knees up closer to her belly. I think Gracyn is there letting her Mommy know that she wants more space! LOL!!!!

16w1d- MORE MOVEMENT

Gracyn's movements are still inconsistent.... But today while Caitlin was using her iPad, it was resting on her belly and the baby kicked at it! Just like she does when Caitlin uses the Doppler probe! :-)

16 WEEKS PREGNANT!

Dear Gracyn,

According to BabyCenter.com....You are in for a growth spurt over the next few weeks!!!  You will actually double in weight and add inches to your body!   Right now, you are about the size of an avocado: I am guessing  you are about 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and between 4-5 ounces, right now. Your legs are much more developed, your head is more erect than it has been, and your eyes have moved closer to the front of your head. Your ears are close to their final position, too and you can hear Mommy and Daddy talking to you!!!  in fact, Daddy talks to you sometimes as he rubs Mommy's belly! The patterning of your scalp has begun, though hair color, and texture isn't  recognizable yet. You've even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, your heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as you continue to develop.

Mommy's uterus is close to her  navel, ...in fact, her belly button has already changed in appearance....pretty shallow!  She also feels round ligaments that support you, which are thickening and stretching as you grow. Mommy has been feeling flutters for a few weeks now and even a few tapping motions....but nothing consistent, yet.  She usually feels you on her left side and that's typically where she finds your heartbeat, but today, for the first time, she felt you on the right side of her bellybutton and found your heartbeat there!  Pretty cool!

You are growing bigger and stronger by the day. Can't wait to see you at the Level II growth measurement Ultrasound at 18 weeks!!!!   We  are soooo very much in love with you!

Love, Grandma Dason

15w6d- NO SPOTTING FROM PREVIA!!!!!

IT'S BEEN 5 WHOLE WEEKS WITH NO SPOTTING FROM THE PREVIA!!!!!  If this good streak continues and the ultrasound in a few weeks shows that the placenta has migrated off the cervix, Caitlin will get the green light to go back to work.  FINGERS CROSSED!

CRIB SET!

Now that the nursery is painted a plum color, Caitlin and Joe decided to go with this white furniture set from simplybabyfurniture.com. I think they are going to get the hutch that goes on the dresser/changing table, as well! :-)

15w6d- EASTER 2012

NURSERY CURTAINS!

Caitlin and I spent the day making the nursery curtains! Then we put Joe to work! They turned out beautiful! It may be awhile for the rest of the bedding...my Spring break is coming to a close....But it sure was a productive one!

15w4d- BELLY BUMP!

Here's the 15w4d belly bump! Measuring 36 inches round. From the front view you don't notice the growth when compared to last week....But from the side view you can see she has popped ....up a 1/2 inch!

THE NURSERY IS PAINTED!

The wall color is Simply Plum (Valspar). The paint color matches the plum in the printed fabric, perfectly! Caitlin is coming over tomorrow to start sewing the curtains! :-)

15w2d - OB APPOINTMENT

Caitlin had her monthly appointment with the OB. She reviewed records from the MFM appointment last month and told Caitlin she has a posterior placenta, which is good, but no mention of the partial previa....I do remember them saying they do not usually call a previa in the first trimester, but did tell Caitlin she had a partial one which was detected on a belly ultrasound (not internal), which should resolve itself by the 18 week ultrasound.....then left that whole conversation out of their report to regular OB....WHAT'S UP WITH THAT? Luckily the OB listened to Caitlin and decided to keep her on partial bedrest until the 18 week ultrasound. If the placenta migrates up and off the cervix and she continues to not bleed or spot, then restrictions will be lifted! FINGERS CROSSED! Caitlin has actually been doing more around the house in order to prepare herself for when she is allowed to go back to work... 12 hour nursing shifts are long and stressful!

So far she has gained 3.5 pounds per her pre-pregnancy weight, but she did lose 2 pounds during the early weeks of morning sickness....so if those 2 pounds are considered...then she has gained 5.5 pounds total so far. :-). Right on track with expected weight gain. While we were waiting for the appointment, Caitlin felt a different movement from baby Gracyn...more like a tap rather than a flutter....this made her smile....when she told the OB, it was dismissed as gas :-(. NO DON'T THINK SO! The blood pressure is fine, but small amounts of protein was in her urine....she needs to drink more water! Gracyn's heartbeat was a strong 151 bpm! And the fundal height is right on track! YAY! She was asked if a pediatrician has been picked out....UM, NO...One more thing to put on Caitlin's to-do list.

Caitlin had two concerns....first she has a dark spot on the underside of her breast which is changing shape and getting darker....OB said that increased estrogen can do that...she will keep an eye on it. Caitlin is also complaining about an ache on her right side up near her rib cage....might be her gall bladder...but pain is not constant, so once again this symptom will be monitored. hope it doesn't turn into anything serious, which requires surgery while pregnant! YIKES....

Caitlin is still on low dose baby aspirin for the MTHFR disorder, which will be stopped around week 38.

18 week level II ultrasound is on April 23 at 6:30 pm! CAN'T WAIT!.... Next OB appointment is in 4 weeks on May 1, 10:00. :-)

BABY REGISTRY

Caitlin and I spent some time at Babies R Us registering for baby things! All the items she wanted were there except for these big items. Luckily the collection can be purchased from the online Babies R Us.... Hopefully by the time July rolls around this new collection will be available in the stores as well. It is called Vance by Graco. She loves the versatility of the play yard....It is a sleeper and changer while Graycn is a newborn and then a playpen when she is a little older. The baby swing also doubles as a floor rocking / vibrating seat. The car seat can even fit on the swing base for those times when Caitlin wants her to sleep a little longer after she comes in from the car! Then there is the awesome four in one highchair which converts to a toddler seat while the other pieces can still be used for a little baby....if company arrives or when Caitlin and Joey decide to add onto their family! Best of all it is gender neutral and blends well in the kitchen and living rooms!

FABRIC FOR NURSERY!

15 WEEKS PREGNANT!!!

Dear Gracyn,

Last Tuesday you were measuring 3.5 inches long and weighed 3oz.  This week you should now  measure about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weigh a little over 3oz.  (about the size of an apple). You are busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in your lungs begin to develop.  We saw you doing this at the ultrasound.  You would open and close your mouth and the tech saw amniotic fluid in your belly!  Your legs are growing longer than your arms now, and you can move all of your joints and limbs. Although your eyelids are still fused shut, you can sense light.  If Mommy would shine a flashlight on her tummy, for instance, you will likely move away from the beam!  There's not much for you to taste at this point, but you are forming taste buds.  Your head is now resting on your well-formed neck instead of directly on your shoulders. You are beginning to grow eyebrows and eyelashes this week. (All the better to give your Mommy that "Mom, you're crazy" look when you are a teenager!) The hair on your head is also beginning to grow....Hopefully you are blessed with thicker hair than your Mommy has, but chances are....Looking at Mommy and Daddy, there is not much hope in that area!  Thank goodness for headbands with bows!

Although many women don't start feeling the baby move until the 17th week (or later), you have been having your own little party in the amniotic sac that you call home.   Mommy has actually felt you move a couple of times, but nothing consistent yet!  But it won't be long!  As for pregnancy symptoms, Mommy has had a few round ligament pains as the belly continues to grow.  She also started having leg cramps. :-(

OH AND BY THE WAY.....ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, TOTAL STRANGERS HAVE ASKED WHEN THE BABY IS DUE!  YAY.....See Mommy, I told you that you looked pregnant and not just fat!  :-)


We love you little girl!
Grandma Dason

14w6d- ONE MONTH!

Today marks one whole month with no blood from the prévia! This is a wonderful sign that the placenta is migrating off the cervix! Hopefully Caitlin will get the green light to go back to work at her next OB appointment this Wednesday! FINGERS CROSSED!