He's Here!

As most of you know, Gavin Reed Frost arrived early on 11/10 at 2:42pm. He arrived via c-section and weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz., 20 inches long. We are now at home resting after 4 days in the hospital. We are so blessed he is healthy and doing well! And, he is changing every day with his cheeks getting chubbier each day.

Thanks to everyone for your gifts and well wishes!

Induction Date Set

We are full term - here at 37 weeks! Yesterday when we went to the doctors, they confirmed I will be induced on Friday, November 14 if I do not go into labor before. We will go to the hospital at 6am and hopefully all will go well with a fast labor! The doctors do not want me to go past my original due date of 11/20 since I have high blood pressure. Other than that, Gavin is thriving and healthy!

I finished my last day at work today, so it will be interesting not going to work next week. I was surprised today with a wonderful shower just before I left, so I really appreciated the thought that went into it and my exit was very bittersweet!

Nights and mornings continue to be a struggle especially because my nausea has returned, which I read can be common in the third trimester. It is nothing like what I had in the first trimester, but it is back and I have to take it very easy in the mornings to avoid making it worse. And, now we wait these last 2 weeks...

Waiting...

I thought I'd add a picture of Riley and Hudson that I took a while back. They are waiting patiently for their new leader and best playmate to arrive.

I just returned from the doctors. At each appointment I get hooked up to a fetal monitor which monitors the baby's heartrate and my uterine contractions. I sit there for about 15-20 minutes to get readings and then I have an ultrasound to make sure my fluid levels are still normal. At this appointment, the doctor said Gavin is about 6 & 1/2 lbs, and he said by delivery he should be about 7 & 1/2 lbs. I was happy to hear this and hope he is right! I know it's hard to predict the weight, but I have been thinking all along he is going to be big. 7-8 lbs would be great! I will continue to go to my Monday/Thursday appointments and hope everything continues to go well. But, the nurse mentioned since I have hypertension, I probably will not go past my due date.

At our last birthing class, we learned about all the types of medical interventions and we had to do a short presentation on labor induction. At our next and final class, we'll go over massage techniques! But, at this point I am opting for the edipural. We learned our hospital has a new way of dispensing the epidural, and I'll have a button to press if/when I want more medicine. So, that eases my concern of it running out before the labor ends.

I have one more week of work then it's complete rest time. Although, if I have any energy, I'll probably try to freeze food or nest somehow. Less than a month to go!

Countdown to G-Day!

Well, here we are at almost 35 weeks. It has been quite an active week since we went to the doctor last Thursday. The doctor was a little concerned since I am swollen, have gained quite a lot of weight and have hypertension, so we went over to the hospital for bloodwork after. Thankfully, the test came back normal and everything is still progressing well! At that appointment, the doctor said Gavin is right around 5 & 1/2 pounds. We returned to the doctor this morning to be monitored and both appointments the doctor said we get a 10/10! So, we are very thankful everything is right on track, and he is still in the head-down position! To continue to make sure everything goes well, I now have to go to the doctor every Monday and Thursday until delivery!

I continue to have very restless nights and find it really hard to get a good nights sleep. Therefore, I am pretty cranky all the time and poor Patrick has to deal with my ups and downs! I believe I have started to feel slight contractions but not quite sure if that's what they are. The pain radiates from my lower back, so I am pretty sure that's what they are - I felt the first of these a few nights ago.

We go to our third birthing class this Wednesday night, and we get a tour of the hospital at this class and learn about the next stages of labor. Our last class was interesting and we learned about pain reduction techniques for early labor. We also learned how to time contractions and when to leave for the hospital.

The countdown begins!

Hiccups & Heartburn

Well, we're at 33 weeks and we've been quite active lately! Gavin has been moving/kicking a lot and he'll get (what I think are) the hiccups occassionally. We had a doctors appointment last week and he is still head-down and measuring well! We liked the doctor, and he was really young - only 29, but seems to know what he's doing.

We go back again next week, Oct. 9th for another routine 2-week check. We had our first birth class last night, and it was fun and informative. We go to these classes for 5 weeks and they are 2.5 hours each session, so we're hoping to learn a lot.

As for me, I am getting more and more out of breath and even walking is becoming harder and harder, but my horrible heartburn is under control with my lifesaver, daily prilosec. And, Patrick has been great about giving massages, which help a lot. Sleep has become a luxury, and I find it rare if I can get more than 4 hours of sleep a night. I think this is just a way of preparing me for what's to come.

7 weeks to go!

30 Weeks & Counting

We just had our 30-week appointment on Friday. The dr. checked my size and Gavin's heartbeat (152 bpm) and everything is still looking good. Gavin's head is positioned downward right now, but he will still move some between now and when he runs out of space. Hopefully he will not want to move out of this position though!

(This is a pic of us before we went to a wedding yesterday.)

I begin working 10am-2pm this week, and officially stop working for good on October 31st (if I make it that long). I definitely did not want to be at work with any chance of going into labor!

My next appointment is September 24th, and we meet the third (and last) doctor in the office. We begin our birth education classes on October 1, which run for 5 weeks in October. Then, we are pretty much all set for his arrival!

Welcome Third Trimester!

We had our 28-week appointment yesterday and were very happy to hear everything is healthy as can be! We got more ultrasound pics, but nothing compares to the 3-D pics! My chronic high blood pressure is not making its mark, so I will continue on the regular 2 week schedule from here until 36-weeks when I'll go every week. We saw one of the other doctors this time, and he had a completely different personality (complete opposite) of the doctor we had been going to since the beginning. He made jokes about everything and was really high-energy. We didn't mind his personality, just as long as I made sure everything was ok.

According to the doc, little Gavin weighs 2lbs., 13oz.! I read at this point, the average weight is about 2 & 1/4 lbs, so he is really growing in there. My gestational diabetes test went well two weeks ago, so no problems there. I am so grateful everything is going well and he is healthy, so all the aches, pains and extra weight are more than worth it! Gavin has been moving pretty much non-stop since Saturday, so he has gotten pretty active.

We finally finished assembling the dresser last night (we meaning Patrick) so now we just have to add the finishing touches and organize everything. Here are some pics of the nursery, and I'll try to post more pics when Patrick can take some.

We go back to the doctor on September 12 at 9:30am for another routine check. 12 weeks to go!