Hospital Tour

Well today we went to Kiaser for the hospital tour. With traffic it took almost an hour to get there. I just hope there is no traffic when Yissel goes into labor. If we get to the point of no return, we can always go to Queen of the Valley which is up the street. The tour was pretty interesting. The first part we went to a conference room with 7 other couples while the mid-wife went through a presentation. She showed some slides and passed around around different objects. We got a packet of info like a list of stuff to pack and take with us.

After the mid-wife was finished with her presentation we got a break before we were led around the delivery department, so we knew where to go. Apparently Yissel said I was falling asleep a couple times during the presentation.

I have to tell you that the delivery room is huge. It looked like room at a hotel. There's a couch, a TV, and a shower. The post delivery room is a little smaller with no shower, but there's still a TV and a small reclining chair. There should be more then enough personal rooms, but the lady said that there were some post deliver rooms that had two beds. But they always try to have is so you get your own room.

Of course with the hospital tour we got lots of information that will make it easier in writing down what we what in our birth plan.

Week Thirty One: Baby detects light

It looks like we are now onto week 31 with 62 days remaining. Time keeps on ticking by and it is amazing the kinds of development we goes through week by week. Today is no different, according to a great book he now weighs in at 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 pounds. He will continue to gain weight faster then his length. This weigh gain gives him those cute chubby cheeks. Individual growth rates vary, but he should be about 14-16 inches tall.

At this point he is beginning to run out of room in the womb as he gain the weight. They say he should be kicking 10 an hour, but I think peanut has not gotten that memo according to our kick count chart (a good way to keep track of your babies activity). If there is a difference in activity, normally being less active then usual then it would be important to call your care provider.

We have also begun to develop our birth plan for when peanut gets here. With this birth plan we have begun to consider things like: if my wife wants to do it naturally or with epidural, if I am going to cut the umbilical cord, if there going to be family in the room, and many other things.

9 weeks to go

Good afternoon everybody. Hope all is going well. Today I just wanted to say that we have 9 more weeks to go and baby Will is going to be here before I know it. He kicks a lot still and I look forward to feeling his kicks every night. My wife sometimes puts a piece of paper on her stomach and it fly's off every time he kicks, which is really funny. I think we have a ninja on our hands.

Next week we have another appointment coming up and it will be the first time that I won't be able to go. I like going to the appointments, but it was scheduled at about 10 am and I'm at work. I believe that after this appointment we will go every two weeks instead of once of month. So there's going to be lots of more chances to go. We have also signed up for a couple classes and a hospital tour. So I'm also looking forward the things that are coming up

Week Thirty: Baby puts on pounds

Well we are now at 30 weeks, with only about 69 days remaining. For this week in development he is around 16 inches (about as long as a laptop computer). He weighs in at about 3 pounds. From now until d-day his weight gain will be at more individual rate. So far peanut has doubled in height over the past 6 weeks and will only gain a few more inches. Within the next few weeks he will move down into the head-down position.

He is floating in about 1 1/2 pints of amniotic fluid and has some room to move. His brain continues to develop at a rapid pace. His eyes are able to track light and there's a theory that exposing my wife's belly to light may stimulate peanuts development.

kick count

It has been a little over a week since we started the kick count chart. We are supposed to track how long it takes baby Will to move or kick 10 times after my wife eats. It says that it it takes more then 2 hours it's not a good sign. Of course baby Will does move a lot throughout the day, but we have been finding out that he will kick 10 times in 20 minutes after my wife eats. I am amazed at how much he moves and have had the chance to feel him kick when I put my hand on my wife's tummy. I think it is really cool to feel and see such a thing. It makes it more real

Week Twenty Nine: Movement is more forceful

My wife is now 29 weeks pregnant. (fetal age 27 weeks). Here's what is going on this week. Peanut now weighs about 2 and a half pounds (1150gm) and is about 15 inches (38.5cm) long from head to heel. Brain is busy developing billions of neurons. Peanuts muscles and lungs are continuing to mature. He can taste and respond to pain. The milk teeth have developed under the gums. Peanuts head is growing bigger to accommodate the brain, which is busy developing billions of neurons. The eyes can move in their sockets. They may be able to follow a blinking light. As well as his increasing sensitivity to changes in light, he may also be able to taste. Various studies show that a baby may indicate preferences or dislike for particular tastes at this stage. Peanut is also moving from side to side, but probably still is in the head up position. In the next few weeks, he will move to the head down birthing position. At times my wife may feel as if peanut is performing somersaults for an Olympic gold medal. He may be performing fewer movements because living conditions in the womb are becoming more cramped. But I don't think that is the case, because he is still super active. Peanut is still doing a lot of kicking and stretching. Some of peanuts kicks and punches may even take my wife's breath away. We still think we have a ninja on our hands. Peanut hears things better from the vibrations all around, and can now distinguish real sounds and voices. Experts say that we shouldn't forget to continue to 'teach' him in the womb by exposing him to music, literature, and simply talking to him. At this stage his eyes are almost always blue and can distinguish bright sunlight or artificial light through the uterine wall.

Week 28

We had another appointment today. It's is always exciting to go to the appointments with my wife, even though they last for about 20 minutes. But today's appointment took longer because we had a different doctor and had to do a couple other things as well. The doctor did the usual test, like checking his heartbeat; which was at 140 and they said he was doing great. They sent a packet of information for the birth plan, a kick count chart, and some other stuff.

I like to refer to lots of books that I have, when it come to the development of the baby during pregnancy and after birth. The most common book is Great Expectations and of course Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads.

In the Great Expectations book it says that as of week 28 the baby has doubled in weight and is the size of a flour bag. My wife of course is so amazed that there is a human being created inside her and baby Will moves a lot, which I guess feels weird. When it comes to his development he is capable of breathing with his lungs. So if we were to be born early he will have a better chance of surviving with less medical intervention. Also his main task now is putting on the final touches to his organs, like his brain, lungs, and liver. According to the book other things that are happening is that he is gaining more fat, his eyelids are capable of opening and closing, and he is improving his sucking and swallowing skills.

It looks like there's lots of stuff happening this week and there's still more to come. So I'll keep you posted with more updates as they happen. Talk to you soon

Happy New Year

Hi everybody just wanted to wish you a wonderful New Year. I have to say that 2008 has been a great year, but I am looking forward to what 2009 has to bring. Well, we already know one thing 2009 will bring...and that's baby Will. I can't believe that we have about three more months to go, time is flying by and it's probably not going to slow down anytime soon. But hey I am looking forward to all the excitement of being a father.