Friday, May 25, 2012

Olivia- 1 week old

Olivia Grace is now one week old (as of Wednesday, I'm behind on blogging)! We took her to the doctor on Monday for her checkup. Her jaundice level was high at 17 and she weighed in at 7 lbs. 8 oz. We took her back on Tuesday and her jaundice level had dropped and she was back up to her birth weight and then some- 7 lbs. 12 oz.! She's been such a fabulous eater so far. She's our little piggy! Breastfeeding was big challenge with Julianna but it's gone really well with Olivia so far. I hope it continues that way!

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Olivia Grace is here!

We welcomed Olivia Grace into the world on May 16, 2012 at 9:06 pm. She weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. More details and pictures to come soon!


Tuesday, May 15, 2012

40 weeks 2 days

Wow! I never expected to still be pregnant. I was induced at 37 weeks 4 days with Julianna because she was IUGR (aka tiny baby). I have felt very strongly this entire pregnancy about not being induced. From the beginning I wanted Olivia to come on her own time. I'm still standing by that now- even though I'm uncomfortable and people think I'm crazy. When she's ready, she'll come. I went to the doctor today to check on her. To make sure that it wasperfectly safe for me to continue to carry her and we got great news.

My blood pressure was great. I was dialted to almost 4 centimeters and I'm 50% effaced. Everything is moving in the right direction! I was meauring a little small, which isn't unusual for me. I had an ultrasound to check on her growth and fluids. The results were fantastic. She's about 7 lbs. 9 oz. right now and her fluids were perfect. She's definitely run out of room in there! The doctor said it's perfectly safe for me not to be induced at this point but she will break my water if I don't go into labor on my own before May 25. She had originally said May 20 but since everything came out great today, she's giving me a few extra days and I'll go back to see her on May 21 to make plans.

I really feel like Olivia will be here before I have to make plans for induction on the 21st. I progressed from 2 cm to 4 cm from Friday to Tuesday. My biggest surprise today was her size- I was definitely not expecting her to be that big. Her weight was within the 40th percentile.

Hopefully my next blog update will include pictures of a beautiful baby girl!


Saturday, May 12, 2012

39 weeks

How Far Along: 39 weeks
How Big is Baby: Around 6 lbs. or so.
Weight Gain: 30 pounds.
Sleep: Always trying to get comfortable.
Health: My swelling isn't as bad this week. It's actually much better. Blood pressure was 120/80.
Clothes: All maternity except for dresses and tank tops that I've bought a size up in.
Best Moment this Week: My third graders and assistant threw me a baby shower for my last day at work yesterday. It was so sweet!
Food Cravings: Salty soft pretzel with mustard and an Icee!
Movement: Very strong movements but a little less movement. I'm pretty sure she's run out of space.
Gender: She's a girl.
Name: Olivia Grace
Labor Signs: I've had some real contractions, about 15 minutes apart but then they stop completely. At my appointment yesterday, I was 2 cm dilated and my cervix is still very soft. My doctor stripped my membranes to see if that helps get things going. I'll be going back on Tuesday for an ultrasound to check fluids and growth. My doctor will determine our next steps then. I'm trying to avoid pitocin all together so I'm hoping that just breaking my water will be the trick. The doctor isn't going to let me go past 41 weeks, so little Olivia will definitely be here by May 20!
What I Miss: Sleeping through the night.
What I'm Looking Forward To: Meeting Livi!
Milestone: Yesterday was my last day teaching. I'll still have to pop in here and there until the end of the school year but I won't be going back to teach. It was a really bittersweet day knowing that I'm not coming back next year either but I am so very excited about the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom to my two girls! I also can't believe my due date is tomorrow! Happy Mother's Day!

39 weeks
39 weeks 5 days




Friday, May 4, 2012

Julianna's First Trip to the Zoo

Another one of my "bucket list" items before Olivia arrives was to take Julianna to the zoo for the first time. The North Carolina Zoo is only about 20 minutes from our house and Julianna was finally old enough to understand more about what we were doing there. She had a blast looking at the animals and just checking everything out. This was definitely my most challenging zoo trip- never been to the zoo at 38 weeks pregnant before! The weather was perfect and it was a great family outing!








38 weeks

How Far Along: 38 weeks
How Big is Baby: Around 6 lbs.
Weight Gain: 28 pounds
Sleep: Always trying to get comfortable.
Health: I'm swollen but blood pressure is good- 120/70.
Clothes: All maternity except for dresses and tank tops that I've bought a size up in.
Best Moment this Week: Putting our hospital bags in the car... we're getting closer!
Food Cravings: Sprite and strawberries. Not necessarily together but it doesn't sound too bad.
Movement: Tons of strong movements.
Gender: She's a girl.
Name: Olivia Grace
Labor Signs: Frequent Braxton-Hicks contractions, tons of pressure, and possibly a "real" contraction here and there. I'm dilated to about 1.5 cm and my cervix is very soft, according to my doctor.
What I Miss: Painting my own toenails.
What I'm Looking Forward To: Meeting Livi!
Milestone: I'm 38 weeks and 5 days and still working. I didn't think I'd make it this far!