Ultrasound & Baby Shower

On January 5, we had a 36 week ultrasound to check Baby O's position. During the appointments leading up to that time, we found out that he was breach. I'll spare you the clinical details, but because of the way I'm built, it is more challenging for a baby to turn head down if he is not already naturally facing that way. For this reason, my doctor ordered an ultrasound to see how firmly lodged Baby O's head was up in my ribs, check the amniotic fluid levels to see if it would be possible to do a external cephalic version (ECV) and hopefully, lessen the chances of a c-section. If you don't know what an ECV is, it's basically turning the baby manually from the outside...lots of pushing and pulling on the stomach. The risks are minimal, but it only works about half the time. I looked up some videos of it on YouTube just to see what I might be in for. Owie!!  

The ultrasound began, and we were surprised and happy to see that Baby O had somehow managed to flip head down on his own right in the nick of time (THANK YOU, baby!!!) Once that was confirmed, the tech took some addititional pictures to make sure everything else was okay, which it was. She estimated his weight at 5 pounds, 14 ounces and said she saw lots of hair! She even wiggled him around a little bit so we could see his hair waving side to side. So funny! My favorite part was seeing his nice chubby cheeks. Check them out:

In addition to the relief of knowing Baby O turned head down on his own, I've also noticed that the back pain I had for most of November and December is now completely gone. I'm not sure if this has to do with the change in position, or maybe my body catching up and building the muscle it needed to support my growing front-side. Whatever the reason is, I'm thankful, and a lot more comfortable most of the time.

Last Saturday, my mom hosted a baby shower luncheon for me, Nate and Baby O with help from Nate's mom. It was so much fun celebrating with our close family friends, as well and Nate's sister and our niece. We had a delicious lunch, played games, gave everyone a tour of Baby O's nursery, and he got lots of kind and thoughtful gifts. Nate even got a "Dad-to-Be" gift from his mom.  Everyone was asked to wear pink or blue to signal their guess for girl or boy. My mom, her friend Cindy, Nate's mom Cindy, and Auntie Ashley all wore blue for a boy. Mom's friends Dianne and Donna as well as our niece Madison wore pink for a girl (Madison's shirt was blue, but she assured us that her pink braid and ring means she REALLY wants a girl cousin, haha!) Nate and I ironically wore a nice gender-neutral yellow, even though neither of us knew about the dress code. This proves we REALLY don't know what we're having, even subconsciously. I promise it's not because we try to dress alike for important events. Here are some pictures:

Another fun part of the shower was the "What To Do" jar. Since all of the guests are experienced moms (except Madison, but she is a big sister), they wrote their best pieces of advice down and left some wisdom in a jar for us to look at when we are feeling frazzled. We were advised to take time for eachother, trust our instincts, love and stand by our child always, and enjoy every moment. We were also told to practice our nursery rhymes, that a good babysitter helps, when all else fails...scream, and that boys are crazy. Couldn't agree more with that last one. It must have come from a fellow big sister of boys! Thank you all for a wonderful day. Nate, Baby O and I loved every minute of it.  

Yesterday, we had our 37 week appointment. Although I'm not due until February 3, 37 weeks is considered full-term so that means I could deliver a healthy baby at any time. The doctor confirmed that Baby O is dropping down into position (which I have definitely felt the last few days) and is still head down. She didn't think he would make his appearance before my appointment next week, but qualified that with "never say never." Babies come when they are ready. I know Nate and I are ready!!