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.

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.

34 weeks

34 weeks according to babycenter.com:

The baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (actual weight from Friday's sonogram: 5lbs, 4 oz) (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Here is the baby's face with its hand in front of it:

33 Week Ultrasound

Today we had an ultrasound. The baby weighs 5 pounds and had a heart rate of 141 beats per minute. The baby was making a face with its mouth that made it look like it was talking. Still in breech position, playing with its feet.

Here is a close-up look at the baby's nose and lips.

31 weeks

It's been a busy week!

According to babycenter.com, this week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (actual weight according to sonogram: 3.75 pounds) and is heading into a growth spurt.He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Oh, boy is our baby on the move! This week, I felt the baby almost sit up, when it moved from the transverse position into the Frank Breech position. I can feel the head directly under my right ribcage.

Frank Breech means that the baby keeps its feet in front of its face.

This week I also went to meet baby's pediatrician. They had an orientation for expectant parents. Jon had class, so it was me and 4 couples. The pediatrician's office is really nice, they have 7 doctors, 16 RNs and LPNs, 3 pediatric phlebotomists, and a lactation consultant. It's also right in between my gym, the library, and a park. We prepared a list of questions beforehand, and

Baby Ladewig at 30 weeks

Today we had another ultrasound and biophysical profile of the baby. The baby weighs 3 lbs and 8 oz. So, it gained 3/4 of a pound this week. Let's remember there are 10 more t0 go! Jon came with me to this ultrasound. He asked if the sonographer would put some jelly on his belly and look around there, because he's gained some weight, although not as much as Mommy.

The OB's office has a new 4D sonogram machine so we could see the baby's face a little bit. Baby opened its mouth, picked its nose, then before we could get a good shot of the face, proceeded to stick its hands and feet in front of its face so we couldn't get a good shot.

Baby passed its biophysical profile with flying colors, so that's good news.

Baby Ladewig at 29 weeks

Here is Baby Ladewig at 29 weeks. The sonographer told me that its head is on my right and feet are on my left. This confirmed my suspicions that baby is sticking it's head out, and not mooning us, as had been suggested previously.

The picture is in profile, and baby appears to be sucking its thumb. Either that or yawning. Are we boring already?

My other favorite pose was when the baby decided to show us it could touch its toes to its forehead.

Baby weighs 2 lbs and 12 ounces.

25 weeks

Here I am at 25 weeks. The baby is the size of an eggplant. Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. Baby's also soaking up antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

We also had a sonogram this week. The baby weighs 1 lb 10 oz. As you can see, I've gained a little more weight than that! The doctor says everything is progressing just as it should with the baby and with me. My blood pressure has been holding steady, but the doctors are keeping a watchful eye on it. It's a very good sign that I am not (yet) swollen.

This week I started working on the first step of getting the baby's room ready -- cleaning it up and out! I had a couple of extra days off to "recover" from the International Builders' Show, and I worked hard to get everything in shape so Jon could move the furniture around. It took its toll on my back, though! I got the clear from my doctor to use a heating pad on it, and splurged on one that was big enough to cover the whole lower back. What relief! I am now thinking that I should have put more money in my Flexible Spending Account this year -- oh well, lesson learned! I know there's only more to come!

For the last 2-3 weeks, the baby has made a point out of stretching out to the point that it looks (& feels) like it's going to blast out of the right side of my tummy.

It looks and feels very weird when it's happening. I wish I could get a sonogram then because I would love to see what's going on in there! It feels like the baby is standing up. You can even see it through my clothes, which was a little embarassing when I was having a business meeting, and all of a sudden, someone pops up to say hi! Already wants to be the center of attention!

20 week ultrasound pictures