Sunday, December 28, 2008

Good Night All!!!

Well, here we are. My last night at home with Justin and I as the only two around, and it went so fast. Probably a indication of what is to come from here on out.

I am so completely overwhelmed with emotions that I have been on the verge of tears for hours. I have a feeling when I finally lie down to sleep, I will be a mess. I am of course nervous, but more anxious as to what is to come.

I may not post for a while, but thanks to all for all the kind words, love, support, and prayers. This blog has been very cathartic and rewarding as I was dealing with all the ups and downs of pregnancy and my changing life.

I can not wait for everyone to
Publish Post
meet Annaleigh Hayden Powell. She is going to be our world, and already has been for 9 months.

Thanks and see you all soon!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

My final weekend.....

Well, here we are at our final weekend on our own. Justin is working this weekend, but we are going to spend one more afternoon and night together by ourselves on Sunday. It is very surreal to know that in two days our child will forever be a part of this home. My parents came over yesterday and are staying until tomorrow morning. Justin is at work right now, but will be off tonight.

I went to get the fetal non-stress test yesterday and the little one looked great. It would stop registering her heartbeat for a few seconds every now and then, because she did not like the monitor on her at all. She kept trying to move away from it. I am glad we went into L&D yesterday for that, because the nurse gave us a ton of information about what the process was going to be. She also told us to get there at 5 AM instead of 6, because they will need the extra time. They are all super nice up there and really made me feel better about the C-section stuff. Now I just need to talk to the anesthesiologist about what we are doing, either the spinal or the combination spinal/epidural.

Justin and I are getting more and more excited about holding her. Justin said he just can't wait to rock her. He is so excited. I do hate that I may not get to hold her right away because of the spinal, but with the baby being breech, I really do not have much of a choice. I am also starting to get really nervous about the surgery aspect of having my baby, but I know that people do it all the time and I have nothing to worry about. It just happens to be my first major surgery ever.....no pressure. I also know it is going to totally be worth it to see my little angel and hold her.

Well off to continue watch my brother and dad rock out on Guitar Hero World Tour. I will be back for a final post for a while tomorrow. I imagine I will not be sleeping much tomorrow night.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

5 days to go!!!

Well I can not believe we are here. My last weekly update post. I go in on Monday morning at 6AM for pre-op my 7:30 AM C-section. Just in case though, I have to get a fetal monitor test on Friday AM while he is doing another C-section since I did not get two sonos this week. He said it should be fine, but in case the baby is in some distress, we will have the C-section Friday. I don't think that will happen, but just in case I am not allowed to eat or drink after 12 on Thursday or Sunday. No fun for me!!!

Today was also my last day at the office for 12 weeks. As awesome as it was, I was surprisingly sad to say bye to everyone for that many weeks. I really do like my job and the people I work with ALOT. They have been so awesome and supportive over these 9 months. My office was so barren. It almost felt like I was quitting, but I know I am not. It was kind of weird to turn off my computer and light and empty my office of stuff I wanted to take home. Strange I know. Probably just being stupid!!

Also, my mom and dad and brother are here in Dallas!!! Mom got the go-ahead from the doc on Monday to fly, and she was here by 10 PM that night. Jarrett and dad left yesterday AM for an 18 hr drive and got in at midnight last night. I was so worried they would not make it in time for the birth, but knowing they are here is a huge relief. I can't wait for Annaleigh to meet ALL her grandparents, uncles, and aunt.

Well here is what the little one is doing this week. I was 38 weeks preggers as of yesterday.

38 WEEKS!!!!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Friday, December 19, 2008

37 week gigantic belly!



Look at how huge I am!

37 weeks!!

I am few days behind but on Tuesday I passed the 37 week mark. Crazy!! I can not believe it. I was supposed to see the doc on Wednesday but he had some major emergency with one of his patients so they decided to go ahead and cancel my appointment until Tuesday the 23rd. According to the sonos I had last week, I am not showing sides of any dilating, so I guess he felt he could wait to see me. I have a sono on Monday and see the doc on Tuesday and those should be my last appointments until we deliver on the 29th!

Here is what is going on this week!

How your baby's growing:

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, her lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

36 weeks (almost 37). Almost there.

It is hard to believe that on Monday I will only be two weeks away from seeing my little princess.

Went to the doc twice last week again. She is growing great now. In less than a month she has gained almost 2 1/2 pounds. She now weighs 6 lb 4 oz. I saw some chubby cheeks and the tech noted her full head of hair (almost half an inch!) I can not wait to see if it is blond or brown. Justin was a blond as a child :o). She is still breech, but a new kind of breech. Now she is footling breach (feet down) so now she stomps on my bladder. What that means is if my water breaks I need to get the L&D immediately. There is a higher risk of cord prolapse where the cord can come first and be pinched off. Very rare, but dangerous.

The C-Sections has been tentatively scheduled for the 29th unless things start progressing and it needs to happen sooner. Either way....we are super close.

The house is coming together. I really need to pack my overnight bag ASAP. I do not want to leave it up to the man to be responsible for my clothes!!

Besides that here is what happened to my little Annaleigh on Week 36.

36 weeks!!


Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

35 weeks pregnant

Not much to add today. Went to the doc yesterday. She is nearly five pounds now. She gained 1 pound in the last two weeks. They are very pleased with her rate of growth. Everything else looks good. I go in the morning for another sono, but it should be pretty cut and dry.

Doc did inform me that I lose my breath suddenly because her head and all extremities are pushing into my lungs. Her butt is sitting directly on my bladder. He then told me "Congratulations..." I was like thanks....

Below is what the little princess is up to right now (besides causing discomfort in my ribs!)

35 weeks pregnant

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.