Visit with Cousin Kayla, G.Aunt Sheila

This weekend, Dan's Aunt Shelia and only Haid cousin Kayla stopped by for a visit.  We'd like to assume they were visiting us, but we understand that Daniel Henry is probably the main attraction.

They brought thoughtful birthday gifts.  He received a bath time turtle (with wheels!) and a new MU Tigers outfit.  Daniel seemed to like the turtle better than the clothes.  He took no notice of them... can you imagine? I didn't realize that love of clothing was passed on the Y chromosome!

He also liked the gift bag itself.  We kept it for him to play with and he pokes the monkey illustration and jabbers to it.

It was nice to see our family and while we have a hard time believing that Kayla is a senior (with senior photos!) we understand they think our little boy is growing up quickly, too.  They offered a night of babysitting, which we gladly look forward to!

Let Him Eat Cake! A Birthday Celebration in Frosting.

Cakes created by Nana.
Enjoyed by all.
Enthusiastically devoured by Daniel.

Introducing... Daniel Henry Haid; Infant Formerly Called baby h

Daniel Henry Haid

Arrived 10:40 am, Monday, July 27, 2009

Into the waiting arms of parents Dan and Bethany,

Maternal grandparents David and Glenda,

Paternal grandparents Zeke and Becky,

Aunts Jessica and Rachel and Uncle Wes.

Delivered by Drs. Floyd and Harden at Columbia Regional Hospital Family Birth Center.

Weighing in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces with a length of 20.75 inches.

Pleasant, relaxed disposition, heightened awareness of surroundings.

Enjoys cuddling, his hands up on his face, and visits from family and future friends.

38.5 Week Appointment and Delivery Date

On Wednesday, July 15 we arrived at the Center for Maternal-Fetal Care for what we thought was the last visit.

I assumed it was our last time settling in to this peaceful waiting room.

I assumed it would be our last black and white peek at our son via ultrasound before we saw him in color, three dimensionally.

The last time for a Non-Stress Test to monitor the fetal heart rate and maternal uterine contractions. Though the recliner is super comfy, its a really boring 25 minutes.

I thought I was having my final blood pressure check done by my favorite staff member, Nurse Mary.

I thought it was my last pee in the cup to test for ketones, white blood cells, dehydration, proteins, etc.

I was even a little cheerful about being examined to see how far the labor was progressing. Only a little, because its not the most pleasant vacation experience!

However, after Nurse Mary and Dr. Kimberly came in to discuss the baby's development and my progression into labor I realized this is not the last time. I'll be here next Wednesday, too. Perhaps once again this week or twice again next week. I had felt so certain that the pains I was experiencing were progressing the labor process. Perhaps they are, but they weren't progressing to the point of BABY TIME.

During our appointments in the last few weeks, the doctors and I have been discussing the risks of continuing pregnancy past 38.5 weeks, the possibility of preterm labor (obviously, this didn't happen, hurray!), the possibility of spontaneous labor beginning before the due date of July 26, the threat of placental unhealthiness after 39 weeks, and induction of labor at 39 weeks.

I have done research about labor and delivery processes and have formulated ideas of how I'd like to experience the birth of our son. I realize that there are two VERY different ways it could happen - a natural progression that happens before 40 weeks or a scheduled, medical induction at 40 weeks.

The benefit of letting it occur naturally would be that I would be more in control of my pain management and could stay in the comfort of my own home, doing whatever I pleased, up until the bag of waters breaks or the pains are 5 minutes apart. I could avoid hours of wearing hospital clothes, hearing hospital sounds, and looking at hospital decor (all are not especially relaxing). The risk of letting it occur naturally is that with each progressing day, the placental health quality is reduced. This occurs in all pregnancies, but for my high-risk condition, it is more likely that the cell death occurs at a quicker rate. Therefore, I cannot go past the 40 week mark as many other mothers and babies do.

The benefit of scheduling an induction is that I will not have to worry about the baby's health anymore. He will be before my eyes and in my arms. A lot less anxiety! High risk doctors follow this line of thinking, too. They have worked so hard to give the baby a good fetal life and feel confident letting a baby be born ahead of nature's schedule because of the advanced medical care he can receive after birth. The risks include a more painful experience, due to the use of synthetic hormones. The prostaglandin and oxytocin my body would release naturally are less of a shock to my system than Cytotec and Pitocin. I would also have to have an IV of fluids and constant fetal monitoring. I would be pretty confined to my bed, and I would probably opt for the pain medication immediately. There are risks with epidurals, but perhaps the benefit would be that I would be more relaxed and peaceful during the experience.

It was a very tough decision to make at 5 pm, 38.5 weeks pregnant. Ultimately, the nurse, doctors, and we decided to allow labor to progress naturally up until July 26, 2009, the original due date. If there is not a baby by then, I will be admitted to our birth center for the Cytotec intervention on Sunday evening, and then I begin the Pitocin drip the next morning. Baby H will be here by Monday night.

Because I had felt so certain that "things were happening", disappointment was a big cloud over me. I imagined us having the baby by the weekend and having company visiting him. I pictured being NOT pregnant next week. I thought his birth date would be mid July. I was reminded by a friend that God already knew the plans for this baby's arrival, and He wasn't surprised and isn't disappointed by them. That was a comforting thought! Today, I feel more at peace with the idea of having 11 more days of being the only person in the world to hold Baby H.

Oh! His 38.5 Week Stats!

Weight: 7 lbs, 6oz, in the 77 percentile (could be a margin of error of +/- one pound)

Head diameter: 9.25 centimeters, 80 percentile

Update, Week 38. Moans and Groans.

Up until a few days ago, I had been enjoying this pregnancy. Well, perhaps the enjoyment began around June 20 or so, and ended near July 4... those were the easiest weeks for me. During those days, I experienced very little daytime nausea, few anxieties about birth or newborn baby, lots and lots of rest time, and the weather was fairly cool in Mid-Mo. My skin, hair, and mood were radiant. I felt happy and calm most of the time. I had a great trip to visit my family and friends in my hometown and a pleasant Independence Day trip. I felt pretty good about life, and totally loved getting a pedicure and my hair colored. I attended my water aerobics class regularly and was able to survive the day with only the briefest of naps.

So, in the last week things have changed. I visited the chiropractor for the first time in months in an attempt to assuage my weary back and neck. I've slept very little at night. I've been only able to attend a few aqua fitness classes, and when I am there, I cannot do very much, though its all low-impact. The temperature causes me to be sweaty, and I hate being sweaty on my scalp, back, and feet. My script for Nexium has run out, and is facing the insurance company for review, so I've got a grand-old case of the GERD again. Boo!

I've been quite forgetful this week, including tiny things like switching the laundry from the washer to the dryer, calling a friend to reschedule our appointment, where my keys are (that's not a new thing, though!!). and others.

I've also been feeling super heavy. Like I've got a solid lump of cement in my belly. A big, sometimes squirmy, lump that crushes my internal organs and makes it difficult to roll over. Frequently, the baby has spasms of energy that transform my abdomen into a shaking, jumping, shape-shifting weird thing. If he's active, he's super active! And now that his parts have all formed, I feel hard bits of skeleton like knees, spine, ankles prominently protruding like little lumps under the cover of my skin. SO odd.

To top it off, some of my "gee that maternity shirt is so huge it will never fit properly" apparel is now fitting snugly. I had to go buy a new shirt to have another one long and large enough to go into the rotation! Its a vibrant grape color, and while its cute and matches a pair of fuchsia shorts I also bought, I feel like a gigantic grape in it. Or perhaps like Violet B. from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

My pace is slower, and yesterday I asked Dan if the skin on the top of my feet was cracking or peeling because my feet hurt when I flexed them while walking. They weren't cracked, just swollen! Physically, my body is slower because of my achy joints and feet. I think the energy level I am feeling has reached an all time low... I have about as much energy as when I had mono. Seriously, I have to take a rest after I do a chore like walking to the mail box or folding clothes.

And speaking of swollen... its not just my feet! I've also had puffy fingers for about a month now, but in the last two weeks, my hands have gone to tingly to numb to frozen in weird positions when I sleep. I have to use one hand to physically straighten my fingers when I wake up. Its the weirdest thing, but would be a great Halloween trick! I can't remember ever feeling pain and pressure when I flex my fingers or curl them into a fist. Its SO odd.

The labor pains are still mild, irregular, and frequent. They haven't progressed into longer, stronger, closer together contractions, so its still not time for Baby H to emerge into the daylight.

Wednesday afternoon will be another baby doctor appointment, and this time the plans are well determined by which doctor I see. If I see Dr. G, the cautious, verbose scientist one, I'll definitely have a scheduled date and time to show up for inducement. If I see Dr. Kimberly, the peaceful, nature-will-take-her-course Canadian, she'll probably do a more natural procedure to move things along and urge me to wait another week before scheduling the inducement.

So... this means a baby within a week... or a baby in a week and a few days... but a baby before the "official due date" of July 26!

35 weeks, 5 days Appointment

Today we had another Baby H appointment. Because he hiccuped for 20 minutes and did not practice breath for the other 10, our doc recommended another BioPhysicalProfile again today.

So, another copay, another set of ultrasound pictures, and another NST.

Our visit with the doctor post- BPP was quite different than the visit we had on Wednesday. On Wednesday, Dr. G shared with me his concern for placental health and early delivery. Today, Dr. Kimberly was all sunshine and roses and natural childbirth. I felt reassured, but still confused.

The two main things I will remember about today's appointment are:

1) "When you come in next time, we'll go ahead and schedule an induction in case you don't deliver early."Holy crap! Its coming up! It will be on the calendar by Wednesday! It will be around July 17!!

2) "Oh, it looks like you had some contractions during that NST. I see several, with two major ones. That one three minutes ago must have been pretty big!" No kidding, doc. Lots of contractions. Never progressing enough to make it past a good rest and huge drink of water... so not active labor.

Note: I've got dozens of ultrasounds to scan from the past few weeks. Today's best picture shows a chubby big toe.

Due Date Update

Today at the weekly appointment, my doctor told me that I would be delivering before 40 weeks is up. In fact, before 39 weeks. Either my body will naturally begin the process of labor around 36-38 weeks, or I'll have a scheduled induction.

This means the baby will likely be born on or before July 20. This helps me with the mental preparation count down!

The reason why is the MTHFR deficiency I have as part of my genetic make up. It makes the life of the placenta a bit less than an unaffected placenta. Which makes the baby's last few days more unhealthy, if left to term.

I am not sure how large of an alarm this is or should be, because my doctor was pretty cautious about telling me these facts, and also emphasizing the importance of noting decreased fetal movements. Note: lots of fetal movements today around noon and 10 PM. WAY less during other times of the day. Def. freaks me out, but baby h probably has a very nice nap routine going!

In fact, I'll be returning to the office for another BioPhysical Profile (ultrasound and non-stress test) on Friday to further monitor this baby. These frequent BPP tests are used as a way to measure the baby's overall health, thereby making inferences about the placental health.


Interesting facts...
Did you know placentas are temporary organs, meant only to function for 40 weeks? In America, doctors routinely schedule labor inductions for post-term women because they feel the condition of the placenta is not so good.

Did you know that I was born 8 days after my due date, so I probably went with a less than satisfactory placenta for awhile?

Did you know that less than 5% of all infants are born on their scheduled due date?

Estimated Date of Arrival

Have I not written this? Many people are asking!

The calcuated date is July 26, based on the first few Crown to Rump Length measurements.

However, in many pregnancy guides, the due date is usually more like a "due month"... 2 weeks before, 2 weeks after! So at latest guess, we might have a mid August arrival. Right now, I am thinking it will be August 5. Just a random guess!