21 Weeks (2 days late!)

1. How far along?: 21 weeks.
2. How big is baby?: Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.
3. Weight gain?: -7 lbs.
4. Stretch marks?: None yet. 
5. Maternity clothes?: I'm wearing my maternity pants, although they are too big (pre-pregnancy jeans aren't working anymore) and maternity shirts. My belly is getting bigger! :)
   
6. Best moment last week?: Cara's nursery is almost all painted!! We have 1 more wall and then we will start to put it together.
7. Food cravings?: Food in general.  I'm hungry all the time.  Now if I could just start to gain some weight.
8. Symptoms?:  I am feeling pretty good, other then some back pain and constantly hungry.
9. Exercise?: Not really exercise but stretches for my tailbone/sciatic pain.
10. Gender?: Baby Girl!! Cara Joyce.  
11. Movement?:  I feel her every day.  Some days its more then others but nothing consistent.
12. Belly button?: Still in.
13. What I miss?: Nothing this week.
14. Labor signs?: Better not have these yet.
15. What I'm looking forward to?: Progress on her room!

4 weeks vs 20 weeks

Baby Cara is definitely getting bigger.  Here is a comparison of 4 weeks (right when we found out) to now at 20 weeks.  I can't wait to see what I look like towards the end and then of course once Cara joins us!!

20 weeks. . . Half way there!!

1. How far along?: 20 weeks.
2. How big is baby?:Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)
   He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).  Cara was 9ozs. at our ultrasound last week!
3. Weight gain?: -8 lbs.
4. Stretch marks?: None yet. 
5. Maternity clothes?: I'm wearing my maternity pants, although they are too big (pre-pregnancy jeans aren't working anymore) and maternity shirts. My belly is getting bigger! :)
   
6. Best moment last week?: Finding out we are having a healthy baby girl!
7. Food cravings?: Nothing this week. 
8. Symptoms?:  I am feeling pretty good, other then some back pain and constantly hungry.
9. Exercise?: Not really exercise but stretches for my tailbone/sciatic pain.
10. Gender?: Baby Girl!! Cara Joyce
11. Movement?:  She has been moving all around.  I don't feel her consistently yet but hopefully soon.
12. Belly button?: Still in.
13. What I miss?: Nothing this week.
14. Labor signs?: Better not have these yet.
15. What I'm looking forward to?: Nice weather this weekend!  Hopefully we can get some garden stuff done.

It's A Girl!!!!

We found out yesterday that Mini Finney is going to be Cara Joyce Finney!  We are very excited (although we would have been just as excited if it was a boy).  Here are some pictures of our baby girl!  After the ultrasound we went to Kohls and Ryan picked out an outfit for her.  :)  My heart melts!!

A quick clip of our wiggle worm!

19 weeks!

1. How far along?: 19 weeks.
2. How big is baby?:Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. The hair on her scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.
3. Weight gain?: -8 lbs.
4. Stretch marks?: None yet. 
5. Maternity clothes?: I'm wearing my maternity pants, although they are too big (pre-pregnancy jeans aren't working anymore) and maternity shirts. My belly is getting bigger! :)
   
6. Best moment last week?:  I think I felt baby move.
7. Food cravings?: I really want some fresh peaches.
8. Symptoms?:  I am feeling pretty good, other then some back pain
9. Exercise?: Not really exercise but stretches for my tailbone/sciatic pain.
10. Gender?: Unknown. Should find out today!!
11. Movement?:  I think I felt baby yesterday.
12. Belly button?: Still in.
13. What I miss?: Nothing this week.
14. Labor signs?: Better not have these yet.
15. What I'm looking forward to?: Anatomy scan today!!

Our Birthing Plans

I have been seeing a midwife since about 12 weeks.  We started out with an OB but I have always wanted to use a midwife.  With the IVF and twins at the beginning we thought we had to see an OB. I want to be able to be comfortable with my provider and know that I am getting individual, 1 on 1 care.  I don't want to be just another patient.  I am using a midwife that 2 of my past doula clients have used.  Everything I have heard about her has been great so I knew when the time came that I wanted to use Melissa.

We are planning a med-free birth at a freestanding birth center.  I hope it is a short (hehe!!), intervention free birth.  I am not planning too much because I know that labors go however they do.  I want to try things and if they work great, if not then we will try something else.  Some things I plan to try are heat, cold, water, massage, different positions, breathing and relaxation.  We will have a doula, as I feel they are valuable to both myself and Ryan.

I read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and feel very empowered by it.  I'm excited for labor and delivery and to hold my sweet baby.  I will probably re-read the book once July gets a little closer.  I'm not 100% sure who will be with us for labor and delivery.  I want to be able to relax and focus on myself birthing without having to think about all the people in the room.  The birthing center is different then the hospital because the only medical staff in there is the Midwife and her assistant.  In addition to them, Ryan will be present and our doula.  Everyone else is still up in the air.  At this point I'm leaning toward my mother in law and mom if she is able to be there only for the pushing stage.  We have time to decide and will do whats best for Ryan and I.

After the birth we will stay at the birth center until we feel comfortable going home.  I'm excited that we don't have to spend a day or 2 in the hospital afterwards.  It will be nice to go home to the comfort of our house.  I look forward to breastfeeding and Ryan and I bonding with our baby together.

I will post our birth wish once we have one.  I like to call it a birth wish because that's what it is.  Our wishes for our birth.  We understand that we don't have control over a lot during the labor and delivery so we will state our wishes and hope that things go as we wish.  We do understand that things come up and are prepared for our plans to change if needed.  We want everyone involved to be healthy and safe in the end.  That's all that matters!

18 weeks!

1. How far along?: 18 weeks.
2. How big is baby?: Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.
3. Weight gain?: -8 lbs.
4. Stretch marks?: None yet. 
5. Maternity clothes?: I'm wearing my maternity pants, although they are too big (pre-pregnancy jeans aren't working anymore) and maternity shirts. My belly is getting bigger! :)
   
6. Best moment last week?:  Scheduling our gender ultrasound.
7. Food cravings?: Strawberries.
8. Symptoms?:  I am feeling pretty good, other then some back pain
9. Exercise?: Not really exercise but stretches for my tailbone/sciatic pain.
10. Gender?: Unknown. Should find out in 1 week.
11. Movement?: Not sure.
12. Belly button?: Still in.
13. What I miss?: Nothing this week.
14. Labor signs?: Better not have these yet.
15. What I'm looking forward to?: Anatomy scan next Tuesday!!