It's a girl! 18 week update

Based on the Ultrasound, it's a girl! (The sonographer thinks, anyway-she
wasn't being very cooperative today). Everything looks great
developmentally, and my blood cell counts, blood pressure, and enzyme levels
look great too. She's measuring a bit over the expected size/weight for her
age now, which is a good thing.

So, it's more of the same-keep taking the vitamins and baby aspirin,
continue limiting activity and staying off my feet and as relaxed as
possible, etc.

This is much more positive than it was at this point in my last pregnancy,
since by this point last time my BP was already borderline hypertensive and
had been for over a month.

In answer to other questions I have, according to my CNM, the hospital that
I'm delivering at is pretty pro-breastfeeding, and the assumption is
generally that mothers will be trying to breastfeed unless they are told
otherwise, so stating that I wish to breastfeed and that nothing be done
which would make this more difficult in the birth plan should be sufficient,
even if I end up with another premature baby. Some of the medications which
could be used to help stabilize me after delivery with HELLP would be OK,
and some wouldn't-so they'd start with the ones which could, hopefully long
enough to at least give the baby the benefit of the colostrum, and then work
to maintain my supply even if they had to go to formula until the BP went
down and the blood levels came back up (which was about 4 weeks last time).

The hospital does a breastfeeding class as well as a class for delivery-she
suggests I go ahead and take both of them now, so that if I end up going on
more complete bedrest than the limited activity later, I'll already have the
information. There is also a breastfeeding and new moms support group for
after delivery, including a special one for moms of preemies, so I should be
able to get support that way as well.

So--for the next 4 weeks, it's try to relax, limit activity, keep taking the
antioxidants and aspirin, keep monitoring blood pressure and doing weekly
urine checks, and try not to worry. If I make it to the end of this month, I
will be farther into this pregnancy than I have ever gotten before.

Congratulations! That's wonderful news!

Mary S.

Donna Metler wrote:
Based on the Ultrasound, it's a girl! (The sonographer thinks,
anyway-she wasn't being very cooperative today). Everything looks
great developmentally, and my blood cell counts, blood pressure, and
enzyme levels look great too. She's measuring a bit over the expected
size/weight for her age now, which is a good thing.

Oh wow. What a great appointment!! I'm happy for you and wishing you 22
more uneventful weeks!



--
Nikki

"fading away" wrote in message
om...
"Donna Metler" wrote in message
...
Based on the Ultrasound, it's a girl! (The sonographer thinks,
anyway-she
wasn't being very cooperative today). Everything looks great
developmentally, and my blood cell counts, blood pressure, and enzyme
levels
look great too. She's measuring a bit over the expected size/weight for
her
age now, which is a good thing.

So, it's more of the same-keep taking the vitamins and baby aspirin,
continue limiting activity and staying off my feet and as relaxed as
possible, etc.



That's great news, Donna. I'm so happy you had such a good
appointment. Do you have a name picked out?
That's just wonderful news! I'm so happy that everything is looking
so good right now.

Well, my husband has vetoed my choice of name, which was Melody (he says
that after years of being Michael Metler he won't inflict those redundant M
sounds on his child-and I suppose that even though it sounds fine to me, he
should know). Names under consideration are Elizabeth, Lauren, Rebecca, and
Kristen-after years of teaching, I don't want to give my child any name that
is likely to have pronounciation or spelling problems when they reach school
age, or anything that's likely to make it on the "names you can't believe
someone gave their child" lists that appear each fall on teaching discussion
boards!

I like Hope for a middle name.

I'm very glad this looks to be a girl-we were coming up totally blank on
boys names after eliminating the ones which were in the running for Brian
(it felt wrong reusing them, but unfortunately, that took out most of the
ones we liked), the ones other family members and close friends have already
used, etc.




-- Mav

"Donna Metler" wrote in message . ..

Names under consideration are Elizabeth, Lauren, Rebecca, and
Kristen-after years of teaching, I don't want to give my child any name that
is likely to have pronounciation or spelling problems when they reach school
age, or anything that's likely to make it on the "names you can't believe
someone gave their child" lists that appear each fall on teaching discussion
boards!

This may not be the kind of spelling problem you're thinking of, but
to me Kristen is definitely one of those "ask how it's spelled" names,
since Kristin is also very common. On the other hand, people can
misspell anything -- my real name is also one that has a single common
variant spelling, but that never stopped me from getting Christmas
cards and other things with the oddest manglings of it.


I like Hope for a middle name.

That's a nice one -- I think it might be high on my list for first or
middle names if I didn't have a monosyllabic last name and a rather
troubled relative with that name.

B.
36 weeks w/#2

Congratulations on your baby girl!

Wendy

"Donna Metler" wrote in message ...
Based on the Ultrasound, it's a girl! (The sonographer thinks, anyway-she
wasn't being very cooperative today). Everything looks great
developmentally, and my blood cell counts, blood pressure, and enzyme levels
look great too. She's measuring a bit over the expected size/weight for her
age now, which is a good thing.

Congrats! What wonderful news!...C.

"Donna Metler" wrote in message ...
Based on the Ultrasound, it's a girl! (The sonographer thinks, anyway-she
wasn't being very cooperative today). Everything looks great
developmentally, and my blood cell counts, blood pressure, and enzyme levels
look great too. She's measuring a bit over the expected size/weight for her
age now, which is a good thing.

Congratulations! I am very glad things are looking so good!

You might still want to think about boy names, though -- at our 20wk
ultrasound, the sonographer was pretty certain that I was carrying a
girl. He is two weeks old now and named Harry ;-P

Best of luck,

Pat

P Harris wrote:
You might still want to think about boy names, though -- at our 20wk
ultrasound, the sonographer was pretty certain that I was carrying a
girl. He is two weeks old now and named Harry ;-P

Oh yeah, I've got one of those, too. The sonographer proclaimed him to be a
girl with 90% certainty at 20 weeks. He's now a strapping 7yo boy.
--
Be well, Barbara
Mom to Sin (Vernon, 2), Misery (Aurora, 5), and the Rising Son (Julian, 7)

This week's suggested Bush/Cheney campaign bumper sticker:
"Leave no child a dime."

All opinions expressed in this post are well-reasoned and insightful.
Needless to say, they are not those of my Internet Service Provider, its
other subscribers or lackeys. Anyone who says otherwise is itchin' for a
fight. -- with apologies to Michael Feldman

Circe wrote:

P Harris wrote:

You might still want to think about boy names, though -- at our 20wk
ultrasound, the sonographer was pretty certain that I was carrying a
girl. He is two weeks old now and named Harry ;-P


Oh yeah, I've got one of those, too. The sonographer proclaimed him to be a
girl with 90% certainty at 20 weeks. He's now a strapping 7yo boy.

Ditto except the opposite way aroud, I've been told with two babies that
they were boy's and I had girls, both ultrasounds were pre 20 weeks, one
at 18 weeks and one at 15 weeks.

Andrea