I HAD MY BABY GIRL EARLY! She came December 5, 2007 at 6:39am by emergency c-section.

7 lbs 9 oz / 20 inches long

She came at 36 weeks 3 days gestation, but spent no time in the nicu and we were home two days later. We're both doing well. Birth story is under the children tab above.

It's definitely a GIRL!!!!

November 26, 2007 (35 Weeks) UPDATE - Went for my last two week doc appt today. I'm officially going every week now. YAY! BP was good (117/80), urine was good, baby's HB was good in the 140-160 range. She is still head down and the doc thinks the reason I'm getting so crampy lately is because the baby's head is right on my pelvis. It's still hard for me to get comfortable and get a real good sleep between switching positions every hour and going pee every couple of hours. :( I have a horrible cough and am still getting the headaches... oh and the nausea rears its ugly head every so often. On the positive side, the doc seems confident that I won't go to my due date or over. I sure do hope she's right, but I'm not going to hold my breath because I was told the same thing with my first one since she was fully engaged at 35 weeks and dilated to about 2cm for like 6 weeks before they had to induce me! Anyway, the baby's room is completely finished, right down to the clothes being washed and put away, crib bedding washed and on the crib, and we even have diapers! All we need now is a baby. LOL I'm hoping she comes about a week before Christmas so I can enjoy Christmas with my older two kids and not be in the hospital over the holidays... plus she's considered term after 37 weeks, so if she's born around 38/39 weeks, I'll be very happy knowing that she will be healthy and ready for life on the outside. Hope all you other mommies-to-be are feeling great and I'll say it again... we're getting close, we'll soon be holding our little miracles and have our bodies back! YAY!!!

November 16, 2007 (33 Weeks 4 Days) ULTRASOUND UPDATE! - So, I had my ultrasound today to check position, growth, and a biophysical. Results were great. My baby girl is measuring ahead at about 36 1/2 weeks, but since this is an ivf pregnancy and my dates are 100% accurate, she's going to be a big baby. They guesstimate her weight to be about 6 lbs by ultrasound... definitely BIG! We got to see her moving, swallowing, and breathing. She is head down, but lying on her side so her spine is on my left side and her feet & arms are kicking/punching the right side of my uterus. She is very long and we noticed she has very chubby cheeks and big feet already. LOL The placenta looked big and healthy and blood flow was good. The doc also did a NST, which was good... after I drank some apple juice. She was sleeping at first, but we woke her up. They did some routine blood tests to check for pre-eclampsia and all was normal, very encouraging. I see the doc again Nov 26 and I'm going to ask if they will consider inducing early if she continues to grow so fast. Not sure what they'll say, though since I can obviously birth big babies based on the size of my first two children. Anyway, hope everyone is doing good. Cheers!

November 13, 2007 (33 Weeks 1 Day) Update - Had my dr appt today and things are looking good. Baby's HB was once again 135-155 (baseline about 146), which is good. BP & urine are both good, but I've gained 5 lbs in two weeks. Ouch! Probably due to the darn popsicles that I've been craving. I can eat a box of them in a few days, gotta lay off of them and go back to ice chips. Doc is still unsure about my baby girl's position after feeling around and based on where her HB are... and I'm now measuring 4 weeks ahead... so I'm going for an ultrasound on Monday to check her position and size. Hopefully everything goes okay... I'm excited to see my little girl again and see how big she has gotten... and really hoping for her to get into the birthing position soon so I can stop worrying about a c-section. Hope everything is going well for you ladies. One more two week appt on November 26... then I have four weekly appts before my due date. How exciting! :) :) :)

October 29, 2007 (31 Weeks) Update - Had my dr appt and everything went well. Baby's HB was 135-155, which is good. Doc felt around and said she thinks my baby girl is head down, but over to the right and sitting up real high. Guess that explains why I'm having a hard time breathing and sleeping. Can't imagine what the next 9 weeks will be like. Hopefully the baby stays head down so I can deliver naturally and avoid surgery. For the first time, I got the weight gain talk... just keep an eye on it and try to stay away from salty foods and junkfood. I only gained about 1 pound over the last two weeks, but I've gained about 28 pounds to date and they would have liked me to have gained 20-25 lbs the entire pregnancy. My doc's main concern is my being able to lose it after the baby comes, so I guess I better lay off the chocolate... gonna be hard with Halloween and Christmas, but I'll try. Anyway, hope all the other mommies to be are doing good. We're getting so close to meeting our babies!

Next doctor's appt is Tuesday, November 13... I'll be just over 33 weeks. Then one more two week appt on Monday, November 26 when I'm 35 weeks... then I go weekly for the month of December! Soooo excited!

October 15, 2007 (29 Weeks) Update - Had my dr appt today and everything went well. I passed my glucose screening test, yeah! I am a bit anemic, but I just need to take an iron vitamin every other day (on top of my daily prenatal vitamin). Doc says I can take Zantac for my heartburn, up to four times a day, yahoo! Baby's hb was in the 140's and I'm still measuring 2 weeks ahead, which is normal for me since about 14 weeks. My weight gain to date is..... 27 pounds, but the doc isn't the least bit concerned. Blood pressure and urine are good, too. Only thing is my baby girl is still lying transverse (across my stomach), so if she hasn't moved head down by 33/34 weeks, they'll discuss an "aversion" with me which entails going into the hospital at 38 weeks to try and have the docs turn her... or we can decline and schedule a c-section for sometime around Christmas day (one week before my due date). I'm now going every two weeks, so next appt is at 31 weeks... October 29. If baby hasn't flipped by my Nov 12 appt (33 weeks), guess we'll start discussing my other options.... hopefully she flips and gets into position before then, though. Anyway, lots of positive vibes to all the other mommies-to-be out there. Cheers!!!

October 5, 2007 (27 weeks 4 days) Unfortunately, all of my updates from September 1 to today have been deleted somehow. I went for my GD blood work today, as well as my Rhogam shot. My 27 week appt went well. Baby's HB was in the 140's. I also had an ultrasound at 26 weeks 2 days and my baby girl weighed 2lbs 2oz. The technician's report said she is measuring perfectly and is growing at a steady pace, which makes me happy. One more appt at 29 weeks then I go every two weeks until 36 weeks. Hard to believe in 12 weeks 3 days, I should be meeting my baby girl. We've attended three birthing classes. Our last one is October 29 when I'm 31 weeks, so hopefully we remember everything we learned. :) Hope everyone is feeling well and enjoying their pregnancies.

September 1, 2007 (22 weeks 5 days) We had our 3D/4D ultrasound today and it was amazing! No baby alien in me now, just an adorable little girl who loves to touch her face. :) My 15 year old daughter came with my hubby and I and she was amazed at how much the little girl inside of me looks like a baby. I would advise anyone and everyone to have the 3D/4D ultrasound if you have access. It was soooo worth it. We loved seeing how much she has grown and developed and it was a great bonding experience for us and our daughter. (Our son was on the bus to his football game, so he didn't make it, but we bought the dvd for him to view, which he enjoyed.) I posted a few pics.

August 28, 2007 - (22 weeks 1 day) Just a quick update. I went to see the doc today as I was a bit worried with the stretching pains I'd been having. Since I see a clinic which rotates between ten doctors, I saw a new doctor today and it turns out she's extra cautious. She did a short non-stress test on me and was getting an average hb of 136bpm after a few minutes. The doppler showed the hb in the 140's, but baby was moving so much that they were having a hard time getting a good read. I had one contraction during the non-stress test, as well. So the doctor ordered an ultrasound, which I had done today. The technician agreed with my 18 week ultrasound that the baby is a girl. She is growing right on track according to the previous ultrasounds and was moving good. Everything looked good once again and the hb recorded at 130bpm, which the technician said is normal and fine as it fluctuates alot at this stage. I got to see her put her arms above her head and cross her feet again. She weighs 1lbs 4oz , which is a bit higher than normal. They said my doc would call if anything looked abnormal in the report, so I guess no news is good news. We're still having our elective 3D ultrasound this Saturday.

August 20, 2007 - (21 weeks) Went to my regular prenatal appointment today and all is well. Baby's hb was 145bpm today, which is great according to the doc. She was moving a little since we heard one kick, but I never felt it. My daughter came to the appt with me and was amazed at hearing the heartbeat. She was a little disappointed that the doctor couldn't tell her exactly where the baby was laying at the time. LOL We have our elective 3D ultrasound on September 1st, hoping to have the gender confirmed. Next prenatal is September 10. I requested to come in every 3 weeks instead of 4 weeks and they agreed. Makes me feel better to go in and have the doctor check the baby's hb, etc. The doctor also reassured me that our ultrasound was perfect! Healthy blood flow, long closed cervix, great measurements, three vessel cord, etc! Happy thoughts to all out there. Take care.

August 13, 2007 - (20 weeks Yay!) Well, we had our big ultrasound on August 2nd and the technician said she's 98% sure we're having a GIRL!!! The ultrasound went well. Baby's hb was at 150 again. She was moving quite a bit during the ultrasound, but I could only see it not feel it. We saw the heart, brain, kidneys, full face, arms, all ten fingers, and both feet and hands. It was very cool. Our son was with us, but our daughter was on vacation. Our son was very disappointed when the technician said girl.... he's still hoping for it to be a late blooming boy. LOL We're going for an elective 4d/3d ultrasound at UC Baby on September 1st so we can have the gender confirmed before we start buying pink stuff. Anyway, I'm feeling pretty good these days. I am having some Braxton Hicks, though and they can be pretty uncomfortable. My next prenatal is August 20th. We left for holidays on August 2nd right after the ultrasound and I weighed myself before we left and again last night... I think I gained 5 lbs this week. OUCH!!! Probably had nothing to do with the chocolate and ice-cream cravings I gave in to every day while on vacation. Anyway, take care and hope everyone is feeling well!

July 31, 2007 - (18 weeks 1 day) Had my prenantal appointment today. Baby's hb was 150... again, so I'm happy. I haven't gained too much weight, but the doc says my uterus is measuring a little big for my dates; which she says is common in heavier women. So, she isn't concerned about measuring a little big... I guess I won't either since the docs have been telling me that since I was about 7 weeks and I've had a few ultrasounds since then that are terrific! My BIG u/s is this Thursday, August 2nd... next prenatal is August 20th. I'll try and update after my ultrasound, but we leave from the ultrasound for vacation, so I'm not sure if I'll have access to a computer to update. Hope everyone is doing well.

July 26, 2007 - (17 weeks 3 days) Hello all. Just thought I'd give an update since I haven't updated in a week now. Things have settled down with my daughter, which makes life alot easier. That being said, my grandpa is in the hospital again. He's had multiple heart attacks over the past couple of years and has had surgery, etc... so it's pretty scary when he is admitted again. Baby is doing well and my belly looks like a little ball in the front. My next prenatal appt is July 31st and I can't wait to hear the heartbeat again. My weight gain has stayed under control, which makes me happy, but I'm starting to crave milkshakes in the middle of the night... so either I'll have to suffer or try yogurt smoothies. Our BIG ultrasound is August 2nd... at 7:30 in the morning! That means I'll have to be up by about 6am.... ugghh! Oh well, it'll be totally worth it. I pray every day that everything will be okay with the baby and we'll be able to see the sex. I'm really hoping for a girl, yes even with my daughter being a 15 year old pain right now! I have a feeling it's a girl, but you never know. Hope all you ladies are doing well and congratulations to everyone who has already found out the gender of their babies. Have fun shopping for pink or blue items! I can't wait.

July 19, 2007 - (16 weeks 3 days) Okay, so it's about one in the morning and I'm having trouble sleeping. My fifteen year old daughter is on vacation ten hours away and she's being a typical teenager. We had a huge fight on the phone tonight and she told me that she hates me and the new baby. She wants to move out and never see us again. We've been having alot of drama with her since we found out about the baby and I just don't know how to deal with her moodiness right now. She feels like we're replacing her and that we don't care about her, even though we have tried to involve both her and my son in every step of the pregnancy. It's so frustrating for me right now because I really want this baby, but I feel like such a bad mother at the same time because my daughter said she feels like we don't want her and that we hate her. I don't know how to make her feel like we love her and the baby equally. She's staying with my sister, so at least I know that she's being taken care of and my sister is trying to talk some sense into her. I don't know what I'm gonna do if she continues this for the entire pregnancy! And to top it off, I'm a complete emotional wreck myself, so I just cried and cried when she said she hated me and the baby. My poor husband is trying to support me and comfort me, but I just feel so sad, frustrated, and angry. Sorry to vent, but I thought maybe other pregnant women would understand what I'm feeling right now. So I went to my doc this afternoon and Bart came with me. We heard baby's heartbeat at 148 bpm! Baby was liking my right side again. Funny how he/she prefers the right side of my uterus most of the time, except when my bladder is really full. Then the baby moves up and more to the middle.

July 16, 2007 - (16 weeks) I'm officially 16 weeks today! This is soooo exciting. I'm starting to feel a bit more relaxed being in the second trimester. It took me awhile to join due to my husband and I wanting this baby so much and having had numerous miscarriages and one ruptured ectopic before this one. This is an ivf miracle baby and we couldn't be happier. We waited until we had our successful nuchal translucency scan at 12 weeks 4 days before telling people, with the exception of our parents and siblings.

A quick update, I've had a rough first trimester. At 5 1/2 weeks, I had an early scan due to severe left-sided pain and my history of ectopic. Found out we were having twins, but I had also had a very large ovarian cyst that was full of blood that ruptured. Then at 7 weeks I had a follow up ultrasound and found that one of the twins was not going to make it, but the other was doing well and the cyst had cleared up. The severe morning sickness started at this time and I've been taking a morning sickness pill for it ever since. At 9 weeks, I had a subchorionic bleed that healed by 10 1/2 weeks. I've also been having severe abdominal pain due to scar tissue from previous surgeries. Our 12 week 4 day nuchal ultrasound was very successful, which finally put our mind at ease.

Doctor has put me off of work due to stress, my IBS acting up, and the pain. At first I was upset, but have gotten used to being home for my older kids and enjoying reading & scrapbooking. I'm hoping to meet other women and have someone I can talk to throughout the pregnancy to keep my worrying at ease.

92 % chance of having a girl

babynet.com

I know you were hoping we weren't going to say this, but don't expect this baby to come early. Your baby is nice and comfy tucked away in your womb and has no interest in joining the rest of the world. We predict your baby will be born after its due date. Your baby will most likely be born in the afternoon. Justmommies predicts that your baby will weigh approximately 9.0 pounds and that your labor will be about 3 hours long.

Trimester	Month	Week
first	one	1-4
	two	5-8
	three	9-13
second	four	14-17
	five	18-21
	six	22-26
third	seven	27-30
	eight	31-35
	nine	36-40

Weeks	1 - 4	5 - 8	9 - 13	14 - 17	18 - 21	22 - 26	27 - 30	31 - 35	36 - 40
Which Month are you in?	You are in your first month	You are in your second month	You are in your third month	You are in your fourth month	You are in your fifth month	You are in your sixth month	You are in your seventh month	You are in your eighth month	You are in your ninth month
This is Month	one	two	three	four	five	six	seven	eight	nine
Trimester	first			second			third

Pregnancy Survey
About You
Name?:	Happy2bexpecting
Age?:	32
Height?:	5'6"
Pre-pregnancy weight?:	not sharing
About The Father
Name?:
Age?:	32
Height?:	6'0
Are you still together?:	Yes, married +10 years
About Your Pregnancy
Is this your first pregnancy?:	No, but my husband's first
When did you find out you were pregnant?:	April 24, 2007
Was it planned?:	Yes, very planned.
What was your first reaction?:	Excited, nervous, & scared all at once
Who was with you when you found out?:	My hubby of course
Who was the first person you told?:	We told my sister first
How did your parents react?:	Ecstatic!
How far along are you?:	Currently 21 weeks 5 days (August 25/07)
What was your first symptom?:	sore boobs, morning sickness, missed period
What is your due date?:	December 31, 2007
Do you know the sex of the baby?:	Yes
If so, what is it?:	Three ultrasounds say it's a girl!
Have you picked out names?:	yes, but not 100% decided yet
If so, what are they?:	Emma, Addison, Ava, Brooke, Claire, Cassidy, Hailey, and the list goes on.... LOL
How much weight have you gained?:	About 14 lbs
Do you have stretch marks?:	yes, from my first one
Have you felt the baby move?:	yes
Have you heard the heartbeat?:	yes
About the birth
Will you keep the baby?:	Yes
Home or hospital birth?:	Hospital, that's what they're here for
Natural or medicated birth?:	Hopefully natural, maybe a little laughing gas
Who will be in the delivery room with you?:	Just the love of my life, my hubby
Will you breastfeed?:	yes
Do you think you'll need a c-section?:	No, successful vaginal births with my first two.
Will you cry when you hold the baby for the first time?:	Probably
What's the first thing you might say to him/her?:	I love you
Would you let someone videotape the birth?:	No
Are you excited about the birth, or scared?:	Both