Like her mom...

Sitting with Dad:

About to sleep:

How she spends 2/3 of her day:

So far, Natalie really takes after her mom. Her favorite activity is still sleeping - she would sleep the day away if we let her. Her doctor has us keeping her up as much as possible during the day. We try to let her wake up on her own, but if she doesn't wake up within 3 hrs of the last feeding, we wake her up. Then at night, she gets to set the schedule. Last night, she let us sleep for 4.5 hours - twice! (who would have thought I would be excited about such little sleep?).

She also is not terribly excited about eating. If she's hungry, food is good and she can't get enough. But, if she's not hungry and we wake her to eat, she could take it or leave it.

She also hates when we expose her feet. She loves to have socks on or to wear the p.j.s with feet in them. We have to uncover her feet for diaper changes and she usually cries until the instant we cover them back up - then she is happy as can be.

She had her 2 week appointment this afternoon. She is right on target - she weighed in at 7lbs 10oz. The Dr. checked her out and said she couldn't be doing better! She goes back in 6 weeks for her 2 month appointment (and her first shots).

One Week Old

Things are pretty quiet around here. Natalie is sticking to her 3 hour routine for the most part and is a little more alert after she eats. Mainly we are just eating and sleeping!

She got to meet her Great Aunt Diane & Great Uncle Louie this weekend. She also had a good visit with her Aunt Tania, Uncle Matt and cousin Anna. Anna liked hugging and kissing her cousin - I'm sure she's going to be a great big sister (soon!).

(Tania, I stole this picture from your blog..we missed this one!)

First Days at Home

Here's a picture of Natalie before we left the hospital. We thought this outfit might be too small for her, but she was still swimming a bit!


We've had a good couple of days at home with Natalie. She's wakes up every 2 - 3 hours to eat and stays awake for 5 or 10 minutes and then goes back to napping. Tonight she surprised us by staying awake for about an hour! It was nice to see her eyes for a while. Here's some pictures from today:






We gave Natalie her first bath on Tuesday. She didn't really like the water - she screamed the whole time. She definitely has some curl to her hair when it is wet!



Picture with Daddy after her bath:


She had her first visit to the pediatrician yesterday. The Dr. says everything looks good. She weighed in at 7lbs 1oz, which is an ounce higher than when we left the hospital, so her weight is on the rise now. She should be back at birth weight by the time we go for her next appointment a week from Friday.

Family meets Natalie

Here are some pictures from the hospital with our families.

We're home!

We're home from the hospital and have had an exciting few days! Natalie has been great so far - mostly sleeping. She's still learning to eat, but has made vast improvements the past 24 hrs. I'm surprised at how great I feel - not much pain and I'm able to move around pretty easily. I'm not sure if that is the pain meds, or that I just don't hurt! Anyway, I'll post more of the details when we get some more time, but for now I know everyone wants to see pictures - so here's a few!

Mom and Natalie

Natalie in Mom's arms with her full set of hair

Auntie Patty with Natalie

Dad with Natalie

Grandma Remillard with Natalie

Natalie's Birth Day

This is Auntie Patty updating for Michelle and David.


Natalie Faye Remillard was welcomed into the world today at 12:28 p.m. She weighed 7lbs 10oz and measured 20 1/2 inches long. (Not sure who won the guessing game on her measurements!) Natalie and Michelle are both doing well and are getting some rest now. I'll let Mommy and Daddy update with more details about the day and show you more pictures when they have settled into a routine - or get a free minute while the grandparents are loving on Natalie!

13th Appt (38wks 5 days)

Thanks for all of the great guesses on the weight & height! My dad wanted to know what he was going to win and my mom told him "the winner gets to babysit or have diaper duty". My dad's response was "I'm going to change my guess then". We didn't really come up with a prize, Natalie will have to do!

We saw the OB for the pre-op appointment. He basically gave us an overview of what to expect tomorrow and ran through all of the risks associated with the surgery. Some of them are common and happen (ie I might get sick or get an infection) others were more scary and not too likely to happen. I have to sign a bunch of paperwork tomorrow, so he just wanted to go over the info today.

I can't eat 8 hrs before the surgery; he said absolutely no food or drink (not even water, tea or juice) after 4:30am. I'm sure my adrenaline will be high tomorrow and I won't really even notice it, but the way the past two nights have been going I may need a midnight snack!

We look forward to meeting Natalie and seeing all of the visitors tomorrow and the next few days. We're off to pack our hospital bags now (still haven't done that! good thing there were no emergencies!)

Someone will post an update tomorrow!

The Weight(ing) Game

As far as we know, we are having a girl, planning to name her Natalie and are planning for her arrival this Friday, October 9th! That takes a lot of the guessing games off the table. But, we can still guess her weight and height while we wait!

Post your guesses, or let David and I know and we'll add you to the list.

12th Appt (37wks 5 days)

We went to our last appointment with the Midwife today. Next week we will see the OB for the pre-op meeting (not sure what exactly that entails, but I'm guessing he'll go over all the details of the surgery and probably any consent forms that need to be taken care of).

Blood pressure was good at 120/80 (higher than normal, but still is good range). I measured a little smaller at 34 cm, but that is likely due to her position which seems lower this past week. Heart beat sounded good - I didn't ask the rate.

We played the 20 questions game - I bring in my list of 20 questions and she does her best to answer them. (Might have been a little less than 20, but she was still impressed by my organization). We were able to get a general idea of what to expect next Friday(!!). I go in at 10:30 to be prepped. They draw blood, get the IV setup (hopefully that one goes smoother than last week), and get everything ready. She thought the OB would be doing the surgery on his lunch since he sees patients on Friday mornings. Her best guess is I would go in 12 - 12:30. I'll spend an hour or so in recovery afterward while David and baby go back to nursery/postpartum room. We won't have one of the standard L&D rooms since I won't need it (kind of nice I don't need to decide whether I want a room with a labor tub or shower..all of that has been decided for me). She seemed to think I'll go home on Monday (this was my guess too).

I think that's about all for now. My last day of work is tomorrow. Not sure yet how I feel about that! It's been more than 10 years since I haven't worked full or part time. In a way it'll be nice to have a break, but overall I really enjoy working. Of course, the first few weeks I will be so busy I won't even notice!

So, my next and final appointment is next Thursday. Hopefully nothing too exciting happens before then. My favorite MW is on vacation until Monday Oct. 12th and the OB happens to be in New York until Wednesday Oct. 7th. Of course there is a backup OB on call, but we hope we don't have to use that option!

Notes on pregnancy

Some women claim they LOVE being pregnant, and while I don't think that will ever be me, there are definitely some good (and bad) points that I've noticed the last 9 months.

1. Baby movements. This is by far the best part. I love feeling Natalie kick, move, squirm (and squish me). She frequently gets the hiccups and while sometimes annoying, I think she's reminding me that she's still there and doing well.

2. People. The pregnant belly sure does make people friendly. Complete strangers are not afraid to ask about gender, names, due dates, etc. The past few months I've also had women let me go first in the bathroom line and a man give up his beer drinking table for us to eat dinner (Firestones, mmm!). People are just genuinely nice to pregnant women.

3. Bathing Suits. This summer was the best for wearing a bathing suit! No need to be self-conscious about what I looked like in my suit - because it just didn't matter.

4. Hair & Nails. I normally have strong, thick fingernails to begin with, but all of the added baby hormones and vitamins have really made them into super-nails. They grow long and don't split or break - almost to the point that it is difficult to cut them! As for my hair, I thought maybe it would get curlier or straighter - but no such luck. However, while I'm normally a heavy-shedder, the past few months my hair has really been holding strong. (I've been warned this will shortly come to an end).

5. Morning Sickness. I have been one of the "lucky" few that have experienced this side-effect longer than usual. Thru week 26 the nausea and sickness was constant and since then it has tapered off significantly, but is still present. I never expected it to last this long, and am very much looking forward to waking up "normal" without the nausea. That day can't come soon enough.

6. Cravings. The common stereotype of craving pickles and ice cream never hit me. (thank goodness because I really don't like pickles! and the weight gain would have been more out of control had I added a tub of ice cream each night!) Lucky for David he never had to make midnight runs in search of some bizarre food combo. Very uncharacteristic for me, I noticed I didn't crave anything sweet the first 4 months or so (probably because I was so focused on keeping toast down!).

7. The body. It amazes me that our bodies naturally change and adjust to accommodate a 6 - 8 lb baby! I still can't quite fathom how she fits in there! While I wish I had been able to continue my workout routine (morning sickness and fatigue wiped me out early on), I think our bodies just do what is necessary to make the baby healthy. Quite amazing to know that our bodies tell us what nutrients we need (hence the cravings) and how much sleep we need (hence the 1st and 3rd trimester exhaustion).

8. Forgetfulness. I typically remember most things I've read or heard, but pregnancy has definitely effected my memory. I'm going to have to write down birthdays (not only am I forgetting them, but our families keep growing and it's going to be impossible to remember them all!). I find myself writing more and more notes at work so I can go back and refresh my memory. Hopefully some of the sharpness returns after baby, but I have a feeling it will only get worse!

These are just a few of the things I've been thinking of lately - and didn't want to forget them!

Here's some picture updates too. What a difference 5 weeks makes, huh?

32 weeks (Aug 21)


37 weeks (Sept 25)


9 more days until we meet Natalie!!

Work showers

The past few weeks have been so hectic that I haven't been able to post about the great work showers that we've had (and I realize it's been a while since the last pictures).

David and I both work with great groups of people!

My co-workers and friends organized a Pre-Birthday Party for Natalie. We had it at the end of August before we all got too brain dead from the tax deadline to enjoy a party. It was complete with homemade cupcakes, yo-yos and noisemakers!

David's work had a shower at the office on the 17th. I drove down to Guadalupe and we shared a great lunch, cake, and had fun with the Bubble Gum Baby game. Everyone had to mold a baby out of unchewed Bubblicious Bubble Gum. Very fun idea, and lots of creative people.

Bubble Gum Babies:



David opening his "man-bag" and finding bottles of beer (don't worry they were clearly labeled for Dad, and baby bottles were included too!)

Probable birthday!

It looks like Natalie's birthday will be October 9, 2009! The appointment is scheduled for 10:30am.

I can always cancel it if she decides to turn around, but at this point it's not looking too likely. So, we're going to finish our projects and enjoy the last 2 weeks of quiet!

No luck

Just a quick update. Baby Natalie is quite comfy where she is and doesn't seem to have plans for moving.

They hooked me up to the monitors and her heart rate was mostly around 160. It was fun to see it spike when she or I moved. While we were there, I think I had one or two mild contractions (no pain, but it showed on the monitor). I got to get a saline-lock 3 times - oh so fun - maybe one of these days nurses will listen when I say that my veins are deceiving!

The Dr. came in and turned the ultrasound machine on. Showed us her heart, confirmed her head is on my left side under my ribs right where we last saw her. He used a ton of gel and started pushing - really hard. It was definitely uncomfortable and did not feel good. Sort of felt like he was trying to move my rib around. This went on for 10 mins, maybe longer, or maybe a little shorter..I just know it hurt. He stopped periodically and asked if I wanted him to keep going. I figured why not give it a shot. At some point, he just stopped and said, "I can keep going, but I really don't feel like she is going to move at this point". We could clearly see this. Every time he would check the ultrasound, her head was in the exact same spot.

So, I can keep doing the inversion exercises and hope she turns. If she turns it seems like it would be quite a miracle - there's not a lot of extra room in there. The office is supposed to call later to setup the c-section for 39 weeks. I don't have a date yet but should know shortly.

I wish we had better news to post, but she looks healthy, so I guess that's all that matters at this point!

11th Appt (36 wks 4 days)

Today was the appointment with the OB.

Blood pressure was a little higher than the usual (118/78), but most of that was probably nerves. Natatlie's heartbeat sounded strong and I'm measuring at 36 cm (same as last week).

We met with Dr. K and bombarded him with questions. Between the info we got from him and what we read online, it seems the benefits far surpass the risks of doing the ECV. We decided to go ahead and schedule it - we're going in tomorrow at 9am.

He felt Natalie's position and seemed to agree with the MWs that it did feel like she was head-down, but I'm still feeling a lot of strong kicks down below, and nothing but her head up by my ribs. They will do an ultrasound to confirm before anything is done tomorrow.

So far we know that we go to the hospital, get an ultrasound, monitor the baby, get a shot of Terbulatine (to relax the uterus) and then he'll start trying to push her around. He put pressure on her today when checking the position and it was much more force than anyone has used before, but it didn't really hurt. He said it'd be stronger tomorrow, but I think it'll be ok. He says his success rate is somewhere around 50 -60% (pretty average according to what we've seen online). If she cooperates, it could take only 10 min to turn her...and if it doesn't look like it will work, he won't force the issue. After the procedure, they monitor the baby for another 30-60 minutes to make sure she is still stable.

If for some reason this doesn't work, we'll be scheduling a c-section around 39 weeks (2 weeks, yikes!). We'd be looking at the same thing if we don't give this a shot.

The positive spin is that we get to see Natalie for at least a chunk of time tomorrow...and we can really confirm the initial ultrasound Dr. was right and it's a girl! If all goes well, I hope to be feeling lots of little baby kicks in the ribs tomorrow night!

Here's the latest..

Miss Natalie has not been cooperating. We did 3 full days of the Moxibustion, and finished the Moxa stick. She would instantly start being active when we applied the heat, but she didn't shift her position any. I have still been doing the incline positions, but it just seems to move her head higher into my ribs; I still get lots of kicks pretty low. We decided not to get another Moxa stick..we're just going to keep trying the different exercises.

The Dr. office called me this morning to inform me they scheduled the External Version (ECV) for TOMORROW! I don't even know what time they scheduled it for, because I asked for a consult with the OB. The OB called me a little later and sounded pretty positive. I switched my weekly Wed. appt to see him this week. I told him that David and I just don't have enough information to make a decision whether or not to do the ECV. We feel like we didn't get any kind of explanation as to why this is necessary and he hasn't even evaluated my case. It sure seems like he should review an ultrasound and make sure that I'm a good candidate for it to work before we do anything!

He did tell me that he's done quite a bit of these and he's never had anyone go into labor or need an emergency c-section at the time of the procedure. That alone makes me feel tons better! The last thing we want is to cause distress to Natalie and force her to arrive early. We want her to have these last few weeks getting ready to meet us and be healthy when she gets here.

He also didn't seem too concerned that we do the ECV this week. He thought it would be fine if it didn't happen until next week - he wants us to have time to make our decision. Maybe in the meantime she will turn on her own...

I'm starting to feel some Braxton Hicks contractions the last few days. They are painless, but it definitely makes things feel more real!

All of this uncertainty makes me feel like I'm behind and better get things in order - just in case. I haven't wanted to pack my hospital bag (most sources say this should be done by week 36)..I figure it's kind of a mental game: if I pack my bag - anything can happen! But, if I'm mentally not ready, she'll wait for me. Guess I'd better get in gear, because it seems Natalie might have other plans..

Lots of movement - maybe it will work?

We went in for the Moxibustion this morning. Very interesting treatment. David learned to burn incense about 1/4" from my pinkie toes! It takes about 20 minutes and we have to do it 2 - 3 times a day for the next week or so and see if it works. Incidentally, it's not the good-smelling incense...it smells like we're smoking something illegal!

The good news is, she has not stopped wiggling around since we finished! It's been about 3 hrs of solid twitching/kicking/movement! I'm really thinking this can work, especially if I lay upside-down for a while afterwards.

Who would have thought a warm pinkie toe could move a baby??! It sounds really weird, but I'm encouraged by the wiggling...!

If anyone is curious, here is a YouTube video that the Acupuncturist showed us. The stuff we're using is a little different as it is the smoking moxa stick, but it's the same basic idea.

Giving Moxibustion a try

Moxibustion - such a funny word to say!

The initial acupuncturist said she only does this during 32 - 34 weeks to flip the baby. I was just going to try the tilt positions until Monday, but my MW called to make sure I got the appointment and I told her I couldn't get in. She didn't think it was too late, so she gave me more references to call. I got an appointment for 10am today with another one. She said it might be too late, but it wouldn't hurt to try. She said it if were caught earlier there is a 78 - 92% chance it would work. So, lets just hope Miss Natalie is petite and can still do acrobatics!

She explained the best method would be to bring a family member with me. She'll train them how to do it so it can be done 2-3 times a day. Luckily David already had the day off work, so he gets to be the trainee.

I tried the Breech Tilt last night - propped up with pillows and my feet on the couch. Did this 2xs for 30 min last night. Didn't really seem to do anything. We also tried the flashlight, but she seemed indifferent to it. She would kind of shudder when I pointed it at her, but that was it.

I saw another recommendation online last night - put a cold pack up by her head and she might move to get warmer. Didn't try that one, but might tonight.

We're leaning towards not doing the manual version. Not sure we want to risk bringing on labor just because she is in the wrong position. We'd rather have a full term baby, even if it means she'll arrive via c-section. Different things online say that babies do flip, even at the last minute, but it just might not be physically possible. Hopefully one of these other remedies will work here shortly! (and then we hope she stays put!)

Mother's Intuition (10th Appt - 35 wks, 5 days)

Just got done with my appointment..lots to report.

Blood pressure still good (110/70), baby's heartrate was 150, baby seems healthy.

Only problem is..she's not behaving! For the past 4 or so appointments, I've been asking "are you SURE she is head down?" and every single one of the Midwives (MW) has said yes. Even my MW today said, "oh, yeah I can feel her head, she's perfect". Then, she did my Group Strep B test and checked the cervix. She got a funny look on her face and it took longer than I thought. She said that I'm 1cm dilated and that cervix is soft. (both good things). But, she asked "can you feel that?" I could feel Natalie squirm a little. She finished up and said, "I think she has her hand up by her head, but I'm going to get the ultra-sound machine to make sure". She did a quick ultra-sound (really fuzzy quality..not too exciting) and was NOT pleased to see that she was feeling a FOOT trying to exit.

Basically, if I go into labor now, it's an automatic c-section. No one will deliver Footling Breech. So, we have to try to turn the baby before she gets too big and runs out of room. I have a few options.

1. The medical method is to have the OB do an External Version. According to MW today it has 50% success rate. I need to research this more, but basically I go to labor & deliver at the hospital, they do an ultra-sound, hook me up to IV, give me Terbutaline to stop any contractions and the doctor tries to physically turn the baby. This can cause premature labor, which is why they do it at the hospital.

2. Natural Chinese medicine. Ironic that the nurse at class mentioned this last night. According to the MW today it has 80% success rate. It's called Moxibustion. Need to research this too, but it sounds like an Accupuncturist can use pressure points in the foot and incense to turn baby. She recommended a local Accupuncturist, and I happen to know several people who swear by her (not for turning babies, but just in general).

3. Laying Inverted. MW recommends I lay in the recliner, but with my feet up on the back of the chair. That should be interesting - seeing as how I can barely get out of it sitting regularly!!

So, the current plan of action is to call the accupuncturist and setup an appointment. (QUICK UPDATE: the accupuncturist office just called back, not sure they can help. Dr. is in with a patient and will call back this morning). The MW is going to talk to the OB and schedule the Version at the hospital sometime next week. If Natalie decides to flip and gets head-down before that, great. And, if not I guess we'll see how things go next week.

The biggest fear is that labor starts early and we won't have time to get her moved around.

This explains why I have felt NO kicks in my ribs. I've been saying the whole time that all the action is down low, but no one seemed to think anything was wrong. I AM SOOOOOO GLAD that I asked her to do the check this morning. She said they could do it, but that it really doesn't mean much for when I'll go into labor. In this case, it definitely was a good thing.

Stay tuned...will update when I know more.

9th Appt (34wks 4 days)

Not a lot new to report. Had the last of my semi-monthly appointments today. Now the weekly appointments begin!

Blood pressure is still good (110/76), heartbeat sounded good, and she took my measurement but I forgot to ask what the number was and I forgot to ask the heartbeat! I was just glad to be in and out of the appointment after waiting for 45 minutes last time.

She didn't seem too pleased that I'm working so much, but I explained its only for another week and then things should taper off a bit. I'm starting to get a little bit of swelling and backache, but those are to be expected and I just feel lucky that I made it this far without many annoyances.

We also had baby class tonight. I'm not sure if those classes make me feel more prepared or more nervous! I was starting to get comfortable with the idea of labor after reading a bunch of books and I feel like I know a lot of the terms and what to expect, but then they show these little clips of videos and it just looks so painful! It didn't help tonight that she brought a bunch of little equipment for show & tell (monitors, catheters, vacuum, etc)...the idea of an IV, catheter, epidural and any other medical device just makes me cringe. Hopefully, in the heat of the moment, I'll be able to deal with whatever comes my way. Trying to keep an open mind...

I can't believe there are only 5 weeks left! (Although, I'm fully prepared to go 41 weeks, because I've seen some studies that show the true gestation is 41 weeks, not 40 as originally thought. And, again tonight the nurse mentioned that many 1st time moms go 41 weeks). Let's just hope some of these little aches and pains subside and I can get some decent sleep in the meantime.

Next appointment is 9/17 - and it should be a little more informational. They do the Strep B test, check for dilation/effacement, and verify that baby is head-down (if they're not sure, she'll do an ultra-sound).

Exhausted!

My newest pregnancy symptom has been exhaustion! Seems like no matter how much sleep I get, or how early I go to bed, I'm tired. My nights are interrupted by trips to the bathroom and attempting to rollover which is not as easy as one would think! Our Queen Sized bed just keeps getting smaller and smaller - me and my pillows definitely take up more than my alloted 50% of the bed! (Sorry David!) I also get woken up by little kicks and quite frequently baby hiccups, but I don't mind those interruptions as much!

I guess this is just preparation for the multiple sleep interruptions we're about to encounter! I really do love my sleep and am not looking forward to this part..

We're half-way done with the birth classes now. Last week wasn't too informative - we were all a little too chatty or got off topic somehow. Hopefully she can fit all of the info into the last 3 classes.

And for those of you that we haven't seen the past few weeks, here's an updated picture at 34 weeks.