Discouragement

I'm not really sure what to post right now. Lots of emotions, and I want to be careful about how I express them. But I will just say my appointment with Dr. Norwood this morning was very discouraging. For the first time ever, we didn't have any lighthearted chit-chat. No levity at all, really. The doctor was very concerned that I am three days "over my due date" and yet I still don't have any signs of labor. In fact, the baby moved upward from last week (he's at minus 3 station). So, opposite of progress.

We talked about a number of options, and I don't want to get into the details, but the bottom line is that he is afraid I am going to have to have a C-section. Of course, this is the ONE THING that I want to avoid more than anything else, and it has been one of my biggest prayers -- that I will not have to have a C-section. In fact, I chose Dr. Norwood because his C-section rate is so low. But he's giving me the impression that it may be inevitable if nothing changes by this time next week, and he's not confident that it will change.

I asked all the right questions and appropriately objected, saying I will go as long as I can unless it's not safe for the baby. We're going in for a "biophysical profile" early next week to make sure there's still enough amniotic fluid and try to determine if there's a reason the baby hasn't dropped. From there I will have a better idea of how we're going to proceed.

In the meantime, I am asking all of you to pray that labor will start on its own. I'm not on board with the idea of an induction, either, though Dr. Norwood -- who prefers not to induce as well -- said that an induction at this point is almost a given. I will go for that if I absolutely have to, but C-section... it just breaks my heart thinking about it. So please, please... join me in praying that the baby will move downward like he should and that things will get kick-started into action.

I trust that the Sovereign God, Adonai Yahweh, can make labor start at any time. I also know that if it is a part of his plan, for some reason, that I have a C-section, that will come to pass. But I am asking in faith that he will allow me to have the kind of birth experience I have envisioned. Anything but a C-section. I'm grateful to have had a dream pregnancy to this point, but I am feeling really defeated right now after meeting with the doctor. So thank you in advance for lifting up this need.

"I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted." Job 42:2

"Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish." Isaiah 46:10

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him." Isaiah 30:18

"Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in you." Psalm 33:22

Baby's Still Cookin'!

Today's Thursday, which means I had another appointment this morning. Today is also the first day I can honestly say I feel nine months pregnant. After not sleeping well on Tuesday night, then not sleeping at all last night, I have a pretty gnarly headache and am feeling just really "meh." (And yes, this is probably some sort of cosmic payback for saying I don't require much sleep. I really don't require MUCH, but I would like SOME.)

Nevertheless, Dr. Norwood and I had a very nice visit, as we always do. We talked about birthdays (he's a July baby too!), weekend plans, Netflix, and other random stuff. Then I asked him to give me the scoop on the doctor who will be on call this weekend, just in case I go into labor. Dr. N insisted that I am not allowed to have the baby this weekend because he wants to deliver it. I want him to, too, but a girl's got to be prepared!

The heartbeat was strong and steady at 147 bpm. The doctor said Baby G sounds very healthy and comfortable in there. My belly size is measuring exactly on schedule. Then he felt for the head, and...

THE BABY STILL HAS NOT DROPPED! 

I want to make it very clear that I'm okay with this, but it is surprising. His head is still high -- I felt it and was able to push it upward. He said the baby is at "minus 2 station," which I think means he's about halfway to the cervix (see illustration above). So despite that last week the doctor didn't think I would go past my due date, now he guesses baby has about another week in there. Which, if accurate, would be EXACTLY what I have predicted since our first appointment with Dr. Norwood -- July 28. But we'll see. None of us has a crystal ball, of course! I'm still totally cool with letting the baby hang out for as long as he needs to until he is ready. I actually find it really motivating that the baby signals for labor to begin, not me; it's like we're working together. His little body will send a message to my body and then things will get going when the time is right! God is an amazing planner and designer!

Dr. N said that once the baby does drop, he would expect the onset of labor to happen pretty quickly for me, since everything else is progressing like he would want it to. But there's no telling when that will be.

In the meantime, I would like to try to sneak in a nap! I think I'll block off an hour on my calendar to try to snooze during lunch. Wish me luck!

Hardheaded Baby: The Final Chapter

First, an appointment update. Then, a little bit about why having a "hardheaded baby" may not be the worst thing in the world.

Dr. Norwood is so darn likeable. I actually enjoy talking to him. This morning we talked about art; he wanted my opinion on some paintings he hanged around the office. It was really flattering and also fun to put my master's degree to use like that!

My blood pressure was really good this week, so after last week's work-related blip, I was pretty relieved. Like I said previously, I'm content to wait as long as I have to for Baby G to be ready for his debut, but I was curious about when Dr. Norwood thought we might expect him. The baby's head was still pretty high at this appointment, which seemed to surprise the doctor. I was expecting him to tell me not to get to attached to 07/25, but toward the end of the appointment he said he gives me another week and a half or so -- which would be exactly 07/25! I expressed surprise, saying I thought I'd go late, and he said there's no reason for him to think I'll go past my due date. He said he usually tries to mentally and emotionally prepare his patients who are obviously way behind, and he's not worried about me. Guess we'll see what happens. I'm still not contracting at all and feeling very comfortable.

I asked Dr. Norwood to level with me: the last three appointments, he has said that the baby's head is exceptionally hard. So I asked him if that means it's going to be more difficult or painful to have the baby. He apologized for scaring me and said no, that the baby's head still hasn't "sutured up," so it will compress and be fine. He also said it may only seem harder because I don't have a lot of body fat compared to some of his other patients, so it's easier to feel the head.

Honestly, I have been a little scared about the head thing. That's why I was really blessed by last Sunday's message at our church, Watermark. Todd talked about when Ezekiel was first called to prophesy, and how God knew it was important that the prophet have a "hard head" in order to reach a "rebellious people":

"I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint." (Ezekiel 3:9a, NIV)

Todd made the point that too many "Christians" don't have hard heads; they want to be gentle, loving, and accepting, which is key, but they scrimp on justice. They are afraid to say the things that hurt, even though they are true. Part of love is justice, and the most loving people will not relent for the sake of being "nice" or sparing feelings. They have to have hard heads but soft hearts.

It may sound silly, but I was really encouraged by that message, relating it to my own hardheaded spawn. I don't know what's in store for him, but I have been praying that he will come to know the Lord at an early age, and that he will accept the responsibility God chooses to lay on him. So for the first time, I started thinking about what a cool heritage that is: to be hardheaded from birth!

Keep Calm and Carry On

What a week it has been! Brad and I were talking yesterday about how for a short week, it sure feels long... like today should be Friday. It doesn't help that it's one of the busiest work weeks I've had in months. This was an especially stressful morning, so it didn't surprise me that my blood pressure was high at my doctor's appointment. I told them I feel fine, I just need to put my iPhone away for a while since work is blowing up.

Doctor was running way behind schedule, so my four-minute appointment took place more than an hour after it was supposed to. That probably didn't help with the stress level either, just because my phone was literally buzzing and dinging every 10 seconds while I was waiting.

Highlights from this appointment:

• Baby still has not dropped
• Doc told me that since I'm not having any contractions (not even Braxton Hicks), I'm probably not dilated (but he still won't check me for another week or two)
• He guessed that the baby is probably at 6 lbs right now. I was surprised and said that seems so small, and he said no, by the time 40 weeks rolls around he'll be at least 7.5 lbs and that I'm right on track.
• He reiterated how unusually hard the baby's head is and made me feel it (!!!!!!)

They took my BP again at the end of the (four-minute) appointment, and it was a little lower. Still on the high side, but I convinced them to let me go. Otherwise I would have had to lie down for a few minutes and they'd take it again. If I really believed it was worth being concerned about, I would have stayed. Baby is still rocking and rolling inside, so I feel okay about things.

In the meantime, I'm going to try to knock out some things at work and then take it easy the rest of the afternoon (if I can get away with it). And think happy thoughts and take deep breaths.

Hardheaded Baby, part II

Hard-headed? (A moai at Easter Island.)

Another appointment this morning! It was nice to see Dr. Norwood again. He asked if I was excited that I am in the last month, and I said yes... I told him I've been pleasantly surprised at how quickly the days are passing. He checked my ankles and fingers for swelling, and when there wasn't any, he congratulated me for taking good care of myself, then followed that up with a signature Dr. Norwood mega-compliment: "You should be a maternity model!" Love him.

Again, no real news this time. I thought they'd be doing pelvic exams weekly at this point, but I was surprised to learn Dr. Norwood doesn't do those until 39 weeks unless there's a reason to suspect a problem. At first I was disappointed, but after thinking about it more, it's probably better... that way I won't be making myself crazy over the numbers (what percentage effaced I am, etc.).

I can tell you that the baby has not dropped yet (according to Dr. N, "His head's still pretty high up there"), the heartbeat was strong at 150 bpm, and my Group B Strep and HIV tests came back negative (to which Dr. N said, "You'd be checking Brad's Twitter account if the HIV test had a different result!").

But the Group B Strep result is really good news. That means if my water breaks at home, I don't have to rush to the hospital for antibiotics; I can wait out a lot of the early labor at the house. And of course it's less risk for the baby.

Oh, and if I end up having a C-section (PLEASE AGAIN PRAY THAT I DON'T!!!), Dr. Norwood agreed to apply the product my company makes that helps those incisions heal faster. So that's good!

So the reason for the title of this post: When Dr. Norwood felt my belly for the baby's head, he AGAIN said, "Whoa, that is a HARD head!" and then he made me feel the head so I could see what he was talking about (it freaks me out to press that hard into my stomach). And yup, it was a rock-hard head. Whereas last time I joked about it with him, this time I told Dr. Norwood, "That is NOT what I want to hear." He said, "Why not? You don't want a soft-headed kid!" And I said, "Actually, I do... I want his head to be like a sponge until he is out of me!!!" I just think about ALL of the babies' heads the this doctor must feel, and he is SHOCKED at how hard Baby G's head is. And recall that Dr. McCants remarked at how "big" the baby's head was, too. Oh well. I hear childbirth is supposed to hurt, so... yeah. :-/

BUT: I am focused on reading positive birth stories over the next few weeks and just not being scared. I have been blissfully confident about this whole "labor" thing for months, and now that everything is more or less done -- nursery complete, bags packed, car seat installed, etc. -- I find myself having more time to think about scary stuff like pain and complications. I am determined not to let that doubt creep in, and I want to replace it with prayer and positive thoughts!

No News Is Good News

Dr. Norwood was on vacation this week, so I saw his associate Dr. McCants again. Such a sweet person. I feel a little bad--after being the EASIEST patient for Dr. Norwood for 30+ weeks--no complications, questions, panicky phone calls over little symptoms, problem visits--I suddenly have lots of questions, and Dr. McCants has to answer them! ;) I guess I'm just thinking things through more now that we're only about 4.5 weeks away from my estimated due date. Fortunately, Dr. M is very patient and eager to answer my questions, no matter how "out there" they are.


Highlights from this appointment: 

• Received routine Group B Strep and HIV tests (results in a week or so)
• Heard baby's heartbeat (~150-160 bpm)
• Baby is head down and has not "dropped" yet
• I'm measuring exactly on schedule (35/36 weeks)
• Weight, blood pressure, etc. are good (didn't gain any weight in the last two weeks)

When she felt for his head, I asked her if his head feels really big. She hesitated for a second and said, "No, not unusually big." But what is she going to say? "Yes, your baby's head is HUGE, good luck with that." 

She asked if I was feeling kicks and punches all over the place, and I said yes, and that they're getting really strong, but I'm just glad he's not using my ribs as a footrest or punching bag. She said I'm lucky because I'm not carrying super high, I've just popped straight out, so he doesn't need to be up in my ribs.

As much as I like Dr. McCants, I had sort of hoped to see Dr. Norwood this week because I have questions about his personal preferences (how does he feel about delayed cord clamping, under what circumstances would he do an episiotomy, etc.). Also, my company makes a product that helps heal C-section incisions up to two weeks faster, and they have offered to give me a unit just in case I end up having to have a C-section (PRAY THAT I WON'T!). So I need to see if he would be willing to apply it, and if so, would he allow one of our clinical account managers to be in the operating room to help with the placement.

Good news is, I go back in a week, so I can ask him then! I can't believe it's getting so close. Bring it on!

"Big Noggin"

I got a call from my doctor's office saying that Dr. Norwood was going to need to do a surgery this afternoon, so I would need to come in right away if I wanted to see him (a little over an hour early). So I rushed out and got to the office within about 15 minutes, but he had already left. I ended up seeing one of his associates, Dr. Shannon McCants.

She. Was. Awesome. She's YOUNG, I would guess early 30s, and totally down-to-earth and unpretentious. She told me she chose Dr. Norwood to deliver both of her own children, which was a great sign for me! She was very encouraging and positive. I was concerned that I had gained a couple of pounds since I saw Dr. Norwood about two weeks ago. She said basically that it's summer and I'm almost eight months pregnant, so I'm going to be carrying around some extra water weight and I need to not worry about the numbers on the scale. I'm still well within the healthy range, but it's bizarre to feel like gaining a pound or more every week is okay and normal!

I asked her about this thing the baby does where he'll just start shuddering really dramatically for several seconds. I hate sounding like a worrywart, but it feels like a seizure, you know? She said that's perfectly normal and is just the sign of a developing nervous system. It's not a seizure.

I also asked her about the hiccups, and if me feeling them in different places (not just my lower abdomen) means he is not head down all the time. She said he's going to be able to move around for a couple more weeks before he runs out of room, so it's very possible that he would be rotating positions. That's different from what Dr. Norwood told me a couple of weeks ago (he said once they find the head-down position, they like to stay there since it's comfortable). But it makes sense, based on what I'm feeling. Plus, it's no secret that our guy likes to move... I have been feeling him do acrobatics in there since 16 weeks. They can turn him to head down as late as 38 or 39 weeks, so she just said don't worry about it.

My doctor's nurse had told me at my last visit they would do an exam and draw blood this week, but they ended up deciding to wait until I'm 35 weeks and my doctor is back in the office. So it was a pretty easy visit. We heard the heartbeat (it was varying between 150 and 160 bpm) and she pointed out where his butt was. :) The baby was head down during the appointment, and when she found his head, she said, "There it is, what a big noggin!" Groannnnn. Just what I need after hearing last week that his head is really hard, too.

She didn't measure my belly but seemed pretty comfortable with everything. Great "bedside" manner... If my doctor were to retire, Dr. McCants would be an awesome choice for our next baby. She said she may be working weekends in July, which would mean she COULD deliver the baby (since my doctor only works weekdays). I'd be okay with that.

Next appointment is in two weeks, then after that I'll start going every week! It's really getting exciting!

Hardheaded Baby

Took this image of a baby at 32 weeks from BabyCenter.com. Can't believe how much the baby looks like a BABY!

Saw Dr. Norwood this morning. LOVE him, and I know I'm getting great care, but his office has not been on schedule once! This morning I waited for an hour before I saw him. Usually I cut him some slack and assume he was delivering a baby or something, but I don't know. It's just a little frustrating when I have to reschedule conference calls because I'm still sitting in a waiting room an hour after my five-minute appointment was supposed to be.

But enough complaining. There's much to be happy about! As I said, my appointment only took about five minutes, but we were able to hear the baby's strong heartbeat and measure my growth (right on schedule). My blood pressure was good and my weight was on track... I only gained a pound in the last month! What?! I have been eating SO BAD -- burgers, pizza, cake, cupcakes, cookies -- that I thought I was going to get lectured at. The doctor told me I can afford to gain about five to seven more pounds until the baby comes... When I do the math, the baby should gain three to four more pounds, so I have a little wiggle room. Just a little.

There was one very interesting moment during the appointment... The doctor was palpating to feel the baby's position, and he dug his fingers into my lower abdomen and goes, "WOW!" like he was shocked. Not something I really want to hear. When I asked him what was going on, he said, "Your baby has a very hard head! Proves paternity, huh?" Cute joke, but I don't want my baby to have a hard head! His head can suddenly become very hard immediately after birth, but I want it to be soft and sponge-like until he's out of me! You know?

So I haven't googled "unborn baby hard head" yet, but I probably will. Google... frenemy.

The good news is that the baby is head down, yeahhh! I asked Dr. Norwood what the chances of him flipping to head-up are, and he said not high. Apparently our little dude has discovered the most comfortable position, and he's unlikely to want to get out of it until we're ready to meet him. So that's an answer to prayer!

I have had about three Braxton Hicks contractions over the past week and a half. The first two took my breath away because they were so painful, but I have read that they aren't supposed to hurt. So I asked Dr. Norwood, and he said that's baloney -- that in a lot of patients they hurt worse than real contractions because the muscle groups are pulling APART (Braxton Hicks) rather than working together (real contractions).

Now that I'm 32 weeks, I'll start seeing Dr. Norwood every two weeks for the next couple of visits, then every week. Exciting! I can't believe how it's flying by!

Bump, Week 27.5 (plus appointment update)

Today's installation of The Bump Chronicles coincides with the first doctor's appointment of my third trimester!

But before I get to the appointment, a few words about the belly. I swear my Energy & Economics class has just thought I've been getting fatter. While it was easy to tell my Genetics & Ethics class I was pregnant, since it tied to the course material, I never really had the opportunity to tell the energy folks. So they were trying to organize a happy hour a couple of weeks ago, and my prof offered to buy a beer for anyone who wanted one. So he starts to go around the room to ask who wants a beer, and I said "no..." Everyone seemed surprised so I was like, "I've heard that's not a good idea when you're six months pregnant," and I laughed. Suddenly all the guys seemed really uncomfortable and all the girls were like, "Oh Em Gee, you're pregnant!!!" To which I wanted to be like, "Seriously?! I have gained 20 pounds since the first of the semester!" Anyway, I walked into class last night and one of my classmates said, "Aww, you're showing!" I was really excited to be told I look pregnant... a milestone! I went and bought two maternity T-shirts after class to celebrate (haha). :)

Now for Dr. Norwood. Great appointment! My belly is measuring exactly on schedule (27 centimeters for 27 weeks), and the baby's heartbeat was strong and steady. Blood pressure and weight were good. We talked about the royal wedding and how neither of us have TiVo. Then I asked at what point the baby has to be head down, and he told me 35 weeks. He said if the baby is not head down at that time, we'll schedule an external version at 36 weeks to turn the baby into position. So I asked if he could tell me where the baby's head is now, and :::: drum roll :::: THE BABY IS HEAD DOWN!!!!!!!!

I know it might not stay that way, given how much Baby G loves to move, but it gave me a glimmer of hope that my little guy may be more cooperative than I thought. I asked why I always feel kicks so low, and the doctor said they probably weren't kicks, but punches (duh, Katie!).

After my next appointment, I'll start going every two weeks, then beginning in late June, every week. I'm getting excited to meet this baby man of mine!

All's Well in Babyland

Just a quick update on my appointment with Dr. Norwood this morning. I had to do the glucose test to see if I have gestational diabetes. The drink was not as bad as I expected it to be! Just like a flat, super-sugary orange soda or that children's cough syrup, Triaminic. They drew blood and I'll know in a week or so what my results are. Dr. Norwood said my weight is really good and used the line again about how I should give nutrition classes to his other patients. Kind of made me realize he probably tells that to a lot of people. Oh well, still sweet!

It took him forever to find the baby's heartbeat this time, but I wasn't nervous because little man has been kicking me all day! He finally found a different Doppler machine in case his other one was broken. Turns out Baby G was hanging out ABOVE my belly button, which is why the heartbeat was hard to find. SO WEIRD! I really don't even know how that's possible right now, but okay. Strong, steady heartbeat = music to my ears.

Boy, oh, Boy!

By now you have probably heard that we are having a BOY! I must already have this little one pegged, because I KNEW in my bones that it was a boy. And he was not shy about confirming my suspicions, either! We had just started the sonogram, and I was mid-sentence talking to the ultrasound tech when she interrupted me and said "WOW, you are definitely having a boy!" and then kept making jokes about what a proud little boy he was, etc. Photographic evidence is below; see the middle sono pic for the proof!

All in all, we didn't get to see a whole lot of the little babe. The ultrasound tech seemed like she was very to-the-point... nice, but not really one to play around. I asked if she could do the 3D/4D scan, and she said she could but she wasn't going to because it would freak me out to see how skinny my baby looked. Apparently babies look very scrawny until 26-28 weeks. I convinced her to do it for just a second, but the baby was moving SO FAST and OFTEN that it was hard to tell what we were looking at. The tech mentioned how much the baby was moving. So out of the five ultrasounds I have had, four times the technician/doctor has made a comment about how the baby was unusually active. The only time he wasn't bouncing around was before he had arms and legs!

We did get to see two tiny, sweet feet with beautiful toes, the mouth (which looked like Brad's) and the nose, which looks more like Brad's than mine (but really looks like neither of ours, exactly). I know he'll change a lot between now and 37-40 weeks, but it's so fun to feel like I'm peering int a window of who that little boy is!

The baby weighs just under a pound -- exactly what he's supposed to weigh at 20 weeks -- and is as healthy as can be. No signs of any abnormalities (other than possibly hyperactivity -- just kidding :). Placenta is in the best possible place, umbilical cord looks fantastic, brain, kidneys, bones, heart - all ideal. My weight gain is right on track too. I was a little worried at the number I have been seeing on the scale, but the doctor encouraged me and said he wants me to give nutrition classes to his other patients (haha). Obviously, we like Dr. Norwood!

We got a video, which I may try to put online later. It's just that you can't really tell what you're looking at, and the tech kept forgetting to hit "record."

Sadly, this may be the last glimpse we get of Baby G before he enters our lives in the flesh! Unless there's a medical reason to do another one, insurance won't cover it. I'm not sure I can go 20 more weeks without a peek at that little punkin, so I may think about paying out of pocket. But maybe not. Babies are 'spensive.

Now on to the nursery and the registery! EEEEEEEE!

Our "Boy" Turned Into a "Girl"

I had a super quick appointment with Dr. Norwood today to hear the baby's heartbeat again. (Click here for the last heartbeat post. It was 130 last time.) I say "super quick" because there was nothing to do but have a quick check on Baby G's ticker and then they sent me on my way! I was in the exam room for all of four minutes.

Dr. Norwood found the heartbeat RIGHT away and counted 160 beats per minute. He (jokingly) said, "Sounds like a baby girl to me!" to which I replied, "Oh that's funny, it was a baby boy last time!" The old wives' tale is that if it's over 150 bpm it's a girl, under that it's a boy. So Dr. Norwood joked back, "Uh oh, guess the penis fell off!" Haha!

Anyway, click on the player below to hear our strong baby's heart just pounding away!

Genetics

I decided a few weeks ago to do a very standard screening test to see if Baby G has any markers for Down Syndrome. That's when I got to watch the cutest fetus in the world wriggle and squirm on the ultrasound, as you saw in the video. The test involved taking a measurement of Baby's head (the nuchal fold) and drawing a blood sample to see if a certain protein was present. It took a while for my doctor's office to get back to me, but the good news is it looks like the Babe Gaultney has a very low risk of having Down Syndrome or serious congenital heart problems.

To borrow from the American Pregnancy Association's website, this test is approximately 85 percent accurate with a false positive rate of 5 percent. This means that:

• Approximately 85 out of every 100 babies affected by the abnormalities addressed by the screen will be identified.
• Approximately 5 percent of all normal pregnancies will receive a positive result or an abnormal level.
• A positive test means that you have a 1/100 to 1/300 chance of experiencing one of the abnormalities.

In related news, I'm taking a genetics and ethics course at SMU right now. My professor is convinced she is going to terrify me with all of the chromosomal disorders we're going to talk about, but I am truly not apprehensive about the course. I figure there is absolutely nothing I can do about it now, if the baby were to have some abnormality, so why get worked up? The most interesting chromosomal disorder I have learned about so far is called Lesch-Nyhan's, where an X chromosome mutation causes the sufferer to self-mutilate. An M.D. who is a student in the class said he treated a case where the child would try to bite all of his fingers off and bash his head against walls. People afflicted with this disorder have to be strapped into beds, sedated, kept in padded rooms... It's terrible, and truly amazing how important balance is in our bodies. If you have an extra set of chromosomes, a missing set, or if a chromosome is bigger or smaller than it should be, it can throw everything off.

The course has also got me thinking about dominant and recessive traits. What eye color is Baby most likely to have? As it turns out, since Brad and I both have hazel eyes, it's awfully hard to predict. Interesting, anyway!

This is sort of a rambling post. I'll end by saying we're really grateful that Baby G seems to be healthy so far!

And the Beat Goes On

We got to hear Baby G's heartbeat at our appointment today. Just so cool. Dr. Norwood said it was beating at 130 beats per minute. He said at this stage anywhere from 120 - 180 is normal. Guess despite how active s/he was at the last ultrasound, s/he's pretty cool, calm and collected when it comes to matters of the heart!

Click below to play the recording Brad took. That's Brad's voice right at the end. By the way, Brad says, "HE's pretty active..." Wondering if that slip of the tongue means somebody wants Baby G to be a boy?! (We won't find out the gender until early March.)