Meet Madeline -- 1 week old

So Mommy and Daddy have been telling you all about me as I grew in Mommy's tummy. Since I've been on the outside for a week now, I have some more details to share about myself:

Likes:
My feet
Sleeping
Rides in the car
Visits from family and friends
Rolling around in my bassinet
Reading Madeline


Dislikes:
Not being able to get to my feet
Diaper changes
Putting on or taking off outfits
Getting measured & weighed
Sponge baths
Reading business textbooks


Since I am only 1 week old, I get tired very easily, so that will be all for now. I will miss Daddy very much when he goes back to work tomorrow! He makes the diaper changes a little more bearable than Mommy (she always wants to wash my face too).

Home: Safe and Sound

I'm happy to report that Annie and I brought Madeline Margaret Ladewig home today. We are very please at Maddie's quick rebound from jaundice and look forward to the first of many nights with our precious young child.

In light of the large Wisconsin demand, I posted a few pictures of the baby by herself and with mom. Due to her positioning within the womb, Maddie came out breech, hence the flying feet. We also think she might be left-handed. Luckily, she'll be in good company if this turns out to be the case.

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!

Monday, May 19, 2008 1324 EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) A baby girl (6 lbs, 2 oz; 18") was born to Anne and Jon Ladewig on Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 1045 EDT. Mom and daughter are both doing great and resting comfortably.

36 weeks

Here is our baby at 36 weeks. Note that the baby is sucking its left thumb, then has one of its feet by its eye, then its right hand in a fist above the foot.

The baby is still in the Frank Breech position, so that means a C-section for us. Baby has also been getting some raging cases of hiccups lately, and even though Jon and I have explained that it would have fewer hiccups if it just turned upside down, baby is not in the mood to flip.

I wonder if the baby will sleep like this once its born. And, when cuddling into the "fetal position" will our child stick its feet in its face?

Baby weighs 6 lbs and 5 ounces, so its very much on track even though the baby will be making an early arrival.

Here is what's going on developmentally, according to babycenter. com:

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) (or in Baby Ladewig's case, 6lbs, 5 oz) 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.)

Hi Baby!

Here's a look at Baby Ladewig from Thursday. Everything looked great, and the baby passed all the tests with flying colors. I got to see a big hiccup session as well.

Video: Opening Presents

Here's a video of Anne opening some some of the presents from the baby shower in Wisconsin.

Book Reviews

Now that pregnancy is almost over, I wanted to share the books I read and how they helped me.



Easy Labor, suprisingly enough, is not a work of fiction. Written by an anesthesiologist, this book discusses every single type of pain management and pain relief moms can use during labor. It gives input from doctors, nurses, midwives and moms. Easy Labor provides an unbiased look at alternative and medical intervention for pain during labor.













What to Expect When You're Expecting gives a general overview of pregnancy in a question and answer format.

This book was a good source of medical facts and answered many general questions.











Knocked Up, by Rebecca Eckler, is a humorous account of Rebecca's pregnancy that reads like a novel. This book gave me a welcome respite from the facts and figures of some of the other pregnancy books. I read Knocked Up during my first trimester, when I needed a laugh more than I needed to read more medical jargon.


















Baby Bargains drills down and gives you the scoop on which baby gear is worth the extra money, and what you can skip altogether. I found it to be a great resource for choosing furniture, toys, car seats, breast pumps, and all the other things that were totally unfamiliar to me as a first-time parent. Jon and I got a kick out of seeing all the parents in Babies R Us clutching their copy and referencing the book when making a purchase.


















Written by a mother of four, The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy is a practical and humorous book about what's going on with baby, mom & dad's bodies and minds during pregnancy. It deals more with feelings and emotions than other pregnancy guides, discussing your husband's fears and telling moms-t0-be to check their vanity at the door for a while.





















Shopaholic & Baby, by Sophie Kinsella, is part of Kinsella's series about Becky Bloomwood, a Londoner with fabulous taste and a wee bit of a shopping compulsion. Becky's credit card bills and letters from the bank always make me feel better about myself.













Jenny McCarthy's Belly Laughs tells the story of Jenny's pregnancy. Jenny shares all the things nobody ever told her about pregnancy, and frankly, nobody ever told me, either. Jenny tells her story in her trademark gross-out style, but with pregancy as a backdrop, it doesn't have its usual shock-value. This book made me realize that motherhood means getting past my usual gross-out threshold.









Your Pregnancy Week By Week gives weekly updates on what's happenning with both baby and mom. The chapters are short and easy to understand. I also downloaded the audiobook to my iPod and listened to it during my commute.















Buff Moms-to-Be was great for me to use as an exercise guide during pregnancy. They should put a warning on the chest-press exercise that it shouldn't be done after the 7th month or so. I almost had to get help from the staff at the gym when I couldn't get up from the bench!

You don't look like you're going to have a baby soon ...

... oh yeah?

Before

and now

+20 inches

35 weeks: "Your baby is very uncooperative"

I thought I'd have at least a few years before I would get a bad behavior report.

At today's doctor's appointment, the baby was sitting on one of my veins during the biophysical profile, cutting off oxygen to my brain. I had to stop the exam and get water and ice packs twice. The baby wasn't moving much either, so we failed our first BPP. That meant a trip to the hospital for more monitoring.

I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, so I thought the baby could use some energy before we took the next test.

We drove through McDonald's for a quarter pounder and a Coke before heading to the hospital, and what do you know, we passed this test! The baby is still in breech and weighs 5 pounds, 12 ounces.

We are both doing fine and home safe and sound.

Here's what's going on at 35 weeks:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (or 5 3/4 pounds in our baby's case) (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Here is a picture from Friday's ultrasound. Everything was too eventful to get pictures today.

Random fun pictures

Boy or Girl?

There are just 12 days left to vote on whether Baby Ladewig will be a boy or a girl! We moved up the date, because Dr. Picco told me at my last appointment that I will either be induced or have a C-section between 38 & 39 weeks. We'll find out May 12 which one it will be, so stay tuned!

For those who like a little evidence to back up your predictions, here are some old wives' tales and what they would predict:


Carrying High, Carrying Low
The way you are carrying during your pregnancy is one of the most oft cited ways of determining the sex of your baby. The general story goes that, if you're carrying low, you're having a boy. If you are carrying high, then you must be having a girl.

I feel like I'm carrying to the right, since that's where the baby likes to hang out, with it's head under my right ribcage. I wonder what that means?

VERDICT: Baby is a Republican?

What Your Urine Says
This next test to determine a baby's sex may not be for everyone, although it is very simple. Just take a sample of your urine and mix it with Drano.


I'm not doing this one!

VERDICT: Baby is a Scientist?




Heartbeats
One belief that has been around for some time, and even had some acceptance in the medical community at one point, is that the fetal heartbeat differs for boys and girls. If you're having a girl, then the fetal heart rate will be above 140. A boy will have a heart rate below 140.

I get to hear baby's heartbeat 2x a week now, and sometimes it is above 140, and sometimes below. Last week it was 121, on Friday it was 153.


VERDICT: Baby is confused?

Craving Something…Sweet?
Many people believe that your cravings are caused by the sex of your baby. So, if you can't get enough chocolate, you could be having a girl. Does the idea of drinking straight lemon juice sound delicious to you? Then those sour cravings are a result of the little boy inside of you.

Who wants to drink straight lemon juice?

VERDICT: Girl

Weight Gain
The belief is that, if your husband puts on weight during your pregnancy, then you will be having a girl. If he doesn't put on a pound, then you're carrying a boy.

VERDICT: Girl

Is Her Face Round and Full?
Some say that the shape and fullness of your face during pregnancy can indicate your baby's sex. Every woman gains weight differently during pregnancy, and every woman experiences different skin changes. If people tell you that because your face is round and rosy you are having a girl.

My face isn't that full ...

VERDICT: Boy


Breasts
If the right one is larger, you're having a boy! A larger left breast indicates a girl!

Isn't everyone's different, depending on the dominant hand?

VERDICT: Girl


Keys
Pick up a key. If you've picked it up by the thinner end, you're having a girl. Picking it up by the bottom, rounder part means a boy is on the way. Did you pick it up by the middle? Then congratulations! You're having twins!

Who picks up keys by the thin part?

VERDICT: Boy


British Scientists
According to this recent study, how a mother eats affects the baby's gender. If you eat bananas and cereal for breakfast, you'll have a boy.

VERDICT: Boy