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IT'S A...
The other good news is that, as far as can be determined, she is perfect. She measured in at the 54th percentile, so she is almost exactly average. Which is good, since the most pressing concern was that she might be growing too quickly. The other concern was that I might have too much amniotic fluid, but that appeared good also. The doctor said I was just slightly above average, but well within the range of normal. Apparently I just measure big naturally. They were also able to see everything else they were looking for, and it all looked good. I've finally put on a couple of pounds - although I had JUST eaten and also had about 20 oz of fluid in me for the ultrasound - but my blood pressure is still excellent. All seems to be moving along just exactly as it should. Yippee!
Finally, I added the two pics from today's session to my ultrasound page. Unfortunately, she's getting much too big to be seen easily in a camera shot, so I think these pics are actually much less dramatic than some of the previous ones. But one is the gender shot, so if any of you are ultrasound experts, send me an e-mail and let me know if you agree with the tech!
Our Wonderful Hospital
The postpartum rooms, where you go about 2 hours after delivery, are very nice, too. They are MUCH smaller, but they are ALL private�no sharing a room! (The birthing suites are all private, too.) We were told that we can use the phone jack in the room to plug a modem into, so Nate will be able to send an e-mail and pictures out right away using my laptop. Another bonus is that all the rooms come with a fold out couch that dad can sleep in so that he doesn�t ever have to leave. Rooming in with your baby is also highly encouraged, which I was glad to hear. I�ve read that mothers who room in with their babies are, for some unknown reason, far less prone to post-partum depression. However, if you find yourself really frustrated and overwhelmed, they do have a nursery where you can send the baby for a few hours if you feel you need to, so it�s nice to know there is that safety valve.
Finally, this seems to be a hospital that is REALLY supportive of breastfeeding, which is very important to me. Every breastfeeding mother will be visited by a lactation consultant, and once you leave the hospital, the consultants are also always available (for free, at that!) to answer further questions. I�m not 100% clear on whether in-person consultations are free, but phone consultations are. I�m also planning on going to La Leche League meetings pretty soon (once birthing class is over, actually � it conflicts with the weekly LLL meetings), and I hope that will be additional support.
Speaking of breastfeeding, I forgot to mention that I also went to the hospital�s breastfeeding class last Monday. Mostly, I found that it was information that I already knew from the research that I have already done, but I�m still glad I went. First, I really liked the instructor, who is one of the hospital�s lactation consultants, and I came away feeling really positive about the hospital�s commitment to helping me get through those first few tough weeks. Second, though, we watched the greatest video. Actually, the video itself probably could have been much better � it was several years old and filmed, I would guess, on Long Island, so the bad hairstyles and funny accents were often distracting. (No offense, Cheryl!) But there was lots and lots of footage of newborns nursing, and I gotta say�I nearly bawled while watching it. There is something so very precious about the image of a newborn nursing at its mother�s breast. I was really surprised at how emotional it made me.
Well, that�s about it. I�ll sign off for now. Oh wait, one more thing:
Was that game yesterday exciting or what???