Peanut Update #1

15 weeks

By this time in my pregnancy with Mads, I had logged 3 baby updates. So, it is high time for a little news on the littlest one. I'll use the same format that I did for Mads when she was still Bump!.

1. When is your due date:

Estimated due dates range from November 4-18th. Because we use NFP, and because Tim is only home certain days, I am 99% certain when we conceived. I believe the baby will come closer to the 14th, but the doctor's say the 4th. Based on their ultrasound measurements and my fundal height, they still hold to this date. However, Madeleine was conceived on Sept. 2 and born on June 2...We'll just have to see when Peanut wants to appear.

2. Will you find out the child's gender?

Yes, we did and we're having a girl!

3. What names are you considering?

We are 97.3% set on a name, but when I asked Tim if he was willing to share, he told me he likes having a little secret between us. I totally understand; it seems when you are pregnant, all your personal decisions are up for public grabs. Since Tim is more private than I am, it made my heart warm over when he told me this...so, you'll have to wait. And we do hold true to this, not even my mom knew Madeleine's name until I held her and said "Hi, Madeleine baby!".

4. How are you feeling?

Great! I was a little scared in the first 8-10 weeks because I had almost no pregnancy symptoms (don't hate me-God made me this way). I remember flying to Texas and actually getting a little queasy in the CPK express lunch spot and getting very scared that my tummy troubles were signaling a miscarriage. I thought for sure that if I didn't "feel" pregnant, that it was either a false, or weak pregnancy which my body would expel. I've gained 9 lbs so far over the 20+ weeks. Baby is getting close to 1lb, and I'm trying to keep exercising, but I pretty much hit a wall at 10 weeks. I was doing P90X, it just so happened that I started week 1 the week I got pregnant. So 10 weeks into P90X, I just stopped. This was when exhaustion set in. I'm very tired, I never did get the 2nd trimester "wind" because I felt so great in my 1st trimester that there wasn't a marked difference. After taking care of Mads all day, I am really beat by bedtime.

5. How is Tim feeling?

You'll have to ask him. He's excited, but I think the ultrasounds, some kicks and a rounding belly are making it more real for him. He is looking forward to the new baby because he says then Mads will pay more attention to him as I will be preoccupied.

6. What do you mean homebirth?

Ok, last time this question came up because we decided to deliver Madeleine at home. Although we really wanted to do it again, and even met up with a midwife in the area who we liked and helped deliver Madeleine, we just couldn't afford it. When I called Kaiser to see what the baby would cost, I was hoping they would say ~$3,000. Then we would feel justified in spending the $3,800 to deliver at home. But because we are a one-income home and Kaiser actually told us we would pay zero dollars, we decided to birth in a hospital. Tim firmly decided I was not to deliver at Inland or Rancho Springs. We toured Palomar Hospital in Escondido and decided to deliver there. I am trying to find out hospital policy on IVs and fetal monitoring and such because I still want to go natural. The rooms were bigger than I expected and since it's really the nurses that make the difference during the birth, Tim is going to start heading upstairs to meet and great and make sure he gets a good vibe from the ladies who will be assisting us. I know it seems silly, but one of the reasons I don't want to deliver there is because I don't want Peanut's birth certificate to say "Escondido" as place of birth. I also don't want her to think we love her any less because we couldn't afford to deliver at home. I tried to convince Tim that he could deliver with my mom's help, but he firmly decided he was not willing to do that. I asked him if he would consider researching more of our options for "unassisted" homebirth with our next babies and he said he'd think about it.

7. Can I rub your belly when I see you?

Oh sure, why not? I'm bigger than with Mads- everyone says those lax muscles will aid in delivering faster. Of course, I am all for that; in fact, if we cut our labor in half this second time around, I can expect to deliver in 15 hours!!! =) Yea, hopefully Madeleine was a total fluke and Peanut will come in only 4 hours like my mom's 2nd baby did (I was a 6 hour delivery). But, at least I know I can do 24 hours of natural labor and live to tell about it.

Love, Lauren