We've also had a bit of an adventure with ultrasounds lately. Three weeks ago was the follow-up ultrasound to see if my placenta had moved out of the way yet. The good news was that it had - so a previa is no longer a concern. The less-than-perfect news was that Hannah was very small.... only at the 10th percentile for size. Everything else looked fine, and the Dr. said that his gut told him she was just a small baby. But, he wanted us to come back in three weeks for another ultrasound to make sure that she was growing properly. I hate trading in one concern for another. Here's the ultrasound pics:
Today was that follow-up ultrasound, and great news! She's at the 25-35th percentile for size now, so she is definitely growing. Still on the small side, but that is no problem at all =) Here's today's pics - a little harder to see her face here [pic on the right, facing the camera], since she is head-down and sitting really low. But in the other picture [pic on the left] she was showing off her girly parts; no shyness here! (And nice to have one more confirmation that the purple room is still appropriate.)
For the last two Sundays, we also took our childbirth class at the hospital we'll be delivering at - St. Joseph's in Denver. The class was so much better that what I remember from the first time around; much more than just breathing techniques! I liked that the teacher made sure that all possible options were covered with risks and benefits. She clearly tried to give everyone confidence that they were capable of having a birth without medical interventions, but also be clear that there are no judgments for women who chose pain relief =) The class also included our hospital tour. I was really happy with what I saw at our hospital. Every labor/delivery room is private & has a huge bathroom with a jacuzzi tub. The recovery/postpartum rooms are all private too, and have double beds so that Daddy has a comfortable place to stay the night with Mom & baby. Even more importantly, the hospital (according to our teacher, who teaches at lots of different hospitals) says that St. Joe's is one of the best hospitals around for promoting bonding & breastfeeding. And from what I've seen so far, it certainly seems that way. Their policy is to protect the first hour and a half after delivery for immediate skin-to-skin contact between Mom & baby & initiation of breastfeeding. Unless there is a pressing medical issue, baby is not taken to the nursery or anything else until after that first hour and a half. They also promote "rooming in" so that baby stays with us in recovery the whole time unless we ask otherwise. I'm really pleased that my hospital is set up to support nursing so well!
And yet, being prepared for birth is soooo different than being prepared for baby! I don't know that I'm there yet. It's all so exciting and terrifying at the same time. Ah well, no one is ever really ready, right?
And now...the latest belly pic. Making progress!
