My wife asked me this the other day. I definitely want to find out. For some reason I feel that I will be able to prepare myself better mentally if I know whether we're having a daughter or whether we're having a son.

The first ultrasound is next week.

Hopefully he or she will not be shy and will moon you!

My (soon-to-be) daughter did!

Last time she'll be doing that, if I have any say in the matter!

Just found out my old lady is due in July, 07.

We are already have a 4 yr old girl.

Keeping my fingers crossed for a boy to carry on the family name.

Yeah, but not now. Too tired. Thanks for all the well wishes.

Trip Report teaser: I cried.

Congratulations. Life is pretty good, ain't it?

That's hilarious. You can name them Turn and River.

Ok Dave, add me to the list of proud papa's.

Girl (#2)
Born 9/23/06 3:15pm
5lbs, 2oz, 19 1/2" long

Joe

PS: I might win the smallest baby at full term award.

Updated cast, in order of expected appearance
(bold=new/updated):

12/17/06 - JDVegas5 - (#6, boy)
12/22/06 - gharp (#2, boy)
01/15/07 - Runner Runner (#3 & 4, unknown twins)
01/24/07 - johnwit (#1, girl)
01/30/07 - moldman (#2, unknown)
02/05/07 - dcasper70 (#1, girl)
02/21/07 - MuckerFish (#1, girl)
02/26/07 - pauliewalnuts (#1, boy)
03/03/07 - Daniel Magix (#2, girl)
03/05/07 - vetman81 (#1, boy)
03/07/07 - WilliamLowe (#1, unknown)
03/15/07 - Jbrochu (#1, unknown)
03/29/07 - Stu Pidasso(#7, boy)
03/30/07 - CrazyEyez (#2, unknown)
04/05/07 - DesertCat (#2, girl)
04/16/07 - SpeciesFlora (#1, boy)
04/17/07 - samjjones (#1, unknown)
04/18/07 - Nottom (#2, boy)
04/19/07 - DING-DONG YO (#1, unknown)
04/27/07 - kevstreet (#1, unknown)
05/15/07 - KennyBanya (#1 & 2, unknown twins)
06/12/07 - jamzfive (#1?, unknown)
06/20/07 - Hopey (#1, unknown)
06/29/07 - Jeff P (#1, unknown)
07/07/07 - carpmentor (#2, unknown)

<font color="green"> Welcome to 2+2!
11/29/06 - Knight Vision (#3, girl) 8lbs. 8oz.
11/04/06 - DrewDevil (#1, boy) 7lbs. 10oz.
10/27/06 - dlk9s (#1, girl) 6lbs. 15oz.
10/10/06 - ChipWrecked (#2, boy) 7lbs. 12oz.
09/30/06 - Rduke55 (#1, boy) 8lbs. 0oz.
09/23/06 - JoeU (#2, girl) 5lbs 2oz</font>

<font color="blue"> In Loving Memory
09/02/06 - poincaraux - Allan Frederick Lerner, 7lbs. 0.9oz. </font>

Congrats, Joe! And 5lbs2oz at full term? That is one tiny baby.

Thank you, and my wife is grateful for the size.

Here's a pic of little sister with her proud big sister.


Joe

Congrats Joe!
She is a little peanut! Beautiful girls...they will be best of friends. Two girls are the best!

One week to go!!!
Best wishes, and Happy Holidays!

12/18/06 - JDVegas5 - (#6, boy)
12/22/06 - gharp (#2, boy)


Knight Vision's trip report expected soon.
(now you're committed! )

We actually just found out today that the little guy still hasn't turned head down and engaged. Our doctor told us that we can schedule a "turning" (as I understand it, stomach groping to try and spin the baby) for sometime next week or just wait and see. If he ends up settling in butt-down (breech), they'll do a c-section which my wife is trying to avoid (just because she wants the shortest possible recovery period). Still, we plan to just wait and see, since we're not quite at the due date yet, anyway.

Anyone else have a similar experience with the baby not engaging late in the pregnancy?

1st
Due 4/6/07
Little Guy, naming him Boston

What they will do is called a version.

This is what happens. Around here the procedure is done on the Labor and Delivery unit.

The doctor will do a bedside ultrasound to determine the position of the baby and placenta. If all looks ok, mom is given an injection, just under the skin of Terbutaline.(it kind of stings going in) Its a med we give to women who are in preterm labor and it will relax the uterine muscles. It will cause in increase in mom's heart rate too, so some moms may feel a little anxious.

The doctor will gel up mom's belly, usually with the ultrasound jelly, and knead and push and try to spin the baby. Some doctors are very skilled at this, some not. Baby's size and position will also play a role in this.

No matter the result mom will stay on L&amp;D, on a monitor for 30-60 minutes to make sure she does not start contracting resulting from having her uterus massaged.
I honestly do not know the percent rate for sucess.

If they baby does not turn vertex(head down) then a section is scheduled.

I don't know any doctors that will labor a breech baby...too dangerous.

I will keep my fingers crossed for you!

I was hoping you would respond

Thanks for the description, and we'll see how it goes from here. Hopefully the little fella turns around on his own.

Updated cast, in order of expected appearance
(bold=new/updated):

12/17/06 - JDVegas5 - (#6, boy) It's a busy week...
12/22/06 - gharp (#2, boy)</font>
01/15/07 - Runner Runner (#3 &amp; 4, unknown twins)
01/24/07 - johnwit (#1, girl)
01/30/07 - moldman (#2, unknown)
02/05/07 - dcasper70 (#1, girl)
02/21/07 - MuckerFish (#1, girl)
02/26/07 - pauliewalnuts (#1, boy)
03/03/07 - Daniel Magix (#2, girl)
03/05/07 - vetman81 (#1, boy)
03/07/07 - WilliamLowe (#1, unknown)
03/15/07 - Jbrochu (#1, unknown)
03/29/07 - Stu Pidasso(#7, boy)
03/30/07 - CrazyEyez (#2, unknown)
04/05/07 - DesertCat (#2, girl)
04/06/07 - stan1541 (#1, boy)
04/16/07 - SpeciesFlora (#1, boy)
04/17/07 - samjjones (#1, unknown)
04/18/07 - Nottom (#2, boy)
04/19/07 - DING-DONG YO (#1, unknown)
04/27/07 - kevstreet (#1, unknown)
05/15/07 - KennyBanya (#1 &amp; 2, unknown twins)
06/12/07 - jamzfive (#1?, unknown)
06/20/07 - Hopey (#1, unknown)
06/29/07 - Jeff P (#1, unknown)
07/07/07 - carpmentor (#2, unknown)

<font color="green"> Welcome to 2+2!
11/29/06 - Knight Vision (#3, girl) 8lbs. 8oz.
11/04/06 - DrewDevil (#1, boy) 7lbs. 10oz.
10/27/06 - dlk9s (#1, girl) 6lbs. 15oz.
10/10/06 - ChipWrecked (#2, boy) 7lbs. 12oz.
09/30/06 - Rduke55 (#1, boy) 8lbs. 0oz.
09/23/06 - JoeU (#2, girl) 5lbs 2oz</font>

<font color="blue"> In Loving Memory
09/02/06 - poincaraux - Allan Frederick Lerner, 7lbs. 0.9oz. </font>

Hi gharp....if you are out there, were they able to flip that baby?

We're going in tomorrow morning to try, so I'll let you know...

My wife and I had our first ultrasound this week, because when she went in for the first appointment the nurse thought she was farther along that first estimated so the doctor asked her to come in the next day for an ultrasound. Turns out we're a full 4 weeks further along than first thought.

Our updated due date is 6/3/07, and it looks like we're going to have a little girl.

A little daughter? Aww, congratulations Jeff P. That's awesome.

Lyla Carole Snyder - due 11/30/06, born 11/29/06 at 10:38 PM

Trip report:
My wife calls me at about 12:30 in the afternoon on Wednesday 11/29. She tells me she's feeling a bit different than before, but nothing too major. This will be our 3rd baby and Wife has never gone into labor without a bit of help, so we don't necessarily know what to expect. Wife has a history of quick labors though, so we are on alert to anything that could be a signal. In fact she had gone in to get checked out 2 weeks earlier, because she was feeling rather strong contractions. I guess they were only Braxton Hicks contractions. So anyway, Wife's cousin, an anethesiologist (sp?) is with her when she calls me this time. Cousin sees a lot of births and labor and what not. Cousin helps Wife decide it's not time yet. We hang up and I am kinda at the ready, so trying to wrap [censored] up at work.

Wife calls again at 2:45, she's on her way (with Cousin) to the hospital. I close my stuff down, fold up shop and head out to meet them there. I arrive and meet up with them in the Delivery Room at 3:30. For the first time, I'm nervous. I mean really nervous. I wasn't nervous at all with the earlier two kids. I wasn't nervous at all for the past nine months. Now I'm real nervous. Some of you might have read about how I had been feeling about things in general (tradgedy abounding). I am guessing I was still feeling it.

So it's 3:30 and things are going pretty slowly. Wife is definitely in labor, but not mega bad yet. Baby's heart beat is lower than nurses like to see it, so they constantly monitor it. My wife is a "cup is half empty" type a lot of the time, so hearing that the baby's heartrate is slightly low is more like hearing "There's a reasonable chance they baby is in distress and there will be problems." Not good for the situation. Nurse assigned to us has only been in Labor and Delivery for about 8 weeks, so I don't think she knows when to tread lightly. Anyway, they monitor Wife and Baby continuously - so no big deal. I've learned from the previous, if there is a problem, the staff makes you know it pretty quickly. They are not in the business of [censored] around with that kind of thing. So you first timers just realize, if there is something to worry about, the Staff will let you know by word and/or action (foreshadowing here).

Around 7:00, Cousin convinces Wife to spend time in the shower. Each delivery room has a nice sized shower. So Wife strips and sits down on the birthing ball (recommend this) in the shower, while I sit next to her (clothed) and rub her lower back as contractions hit. I start getting soaked, so I take my pants, shoes and socks off. So there we are:

Wife: Naked, big tummy, sitting on a ball holding a shower hose.
Me: Skivvies, sitting on a stool, rubbing Wife's back every now and then.

We stayed there for about an hour and a half. From time to time the nurse would come in to check on us. I wondered if she was uncomfortable with me being skivvied, cuz she had to get down on her knees right next to me to put the baby monitor on Wife and all. Nurse had to do this 3 times during the shower scene. And Yes I thought of this thread while all this was going on and got a little tingly (lead to a personal session a few days later).

Anyway - the shower lasted until about 8:30, by that point Wife was so relaxed by the shower that we were now afraid things had slowed down! Not what she wanted. So shower ended.

Once out of the shower and back on the bed, things ramped up quickly. Over the next hour and a half the contractions got real intense. Wife had not taken any drugs with first two kids, and did not take any now. Not a macho thing, she was just too fast the first couple times and some reason paranoid of the needle this time. So there was a lot of pain for Wife. I sat astride her on the bed and pressed hard on her lower back as the contractions went. Cousin sat in front of her on the bed and Wife leaned forward and put her head on Cousin's shoulder and rode out the pain.

This went on until about 10:00. At that point, the Mid-wife checked Wife's cervix. Wife is now 9cms and about fully effaced (sp?). Water still not broken and baby not dropping down to the canal as far as we'd like. Mid-wife suggests breaking water to get things going. Wife says, "Okay, but you'll stay here right?" Mid-wife: "I have a patient 3 doors down, she is well behind you, but very "needy". I'll be back and forth between you two, but you get priority, cuz you are closer." Wife: "Okay, let's do it." For those who don't know, breaking the water basically tells the kid: No time to chat, time to head out.

Things get going pretty quick now.

10:20 - Wife is in real active labor, urges to push getting very strong. Mid-wife steps in: "Well, other patient is now active too. It's gonna be close between you two." Me thinks: "[censored] wonderful." Nurse now has and elder partner in with us. Elder is running the show, while Mid-wife is in with Other.

10:25 - Baby still up. Elder suggests Wife turn around and face the bed. The head of the bed is up. So Wife would be on her knees, arms/head resting on the end of the bed. Wife had success with this with Kid #2, so agrees to it.

10:30 - Position switch worked. Baby now putting tons of pressure on Wife. Wife gets urge to push. Elder says: "Hold on! You need to turn around and face us." There is a bar over the end of the bed now, so wife can duplicate this position while being face out, so staff can get to her. No sign of Mid-wife. Elder tells Nurse to go find Mid-wife, cuz we are ready to go!

10:31 - Mom is switched to face out. Baby real low now. No Mid-wife. Me pissed and anxious.

10:35 - Mom can't hold back anymore. No Mid-wife. Elder says, "Can't hold off any more. Let's get teh baby out."

10:36 - Mom makes first push. I can see baby's crown.

10:37 - Baby head out. But oh [censored], the cord is wrapped. I can see it. I am cool, cuz I am ignorant to what it could mean. Standard stuff, right? Still no Mid-Wife. Elder running things. Elder, "Don't push. No matter what, don't push." Elder turns to the table full of tools. Fumbles around for what seems like a minute (prolly 3 seconds). Mid-wife now running in. Elder grabs the tools. Puts two clamps on umbilcal cord. Snips the cord. Now baby has to come out real quick. Elder: "Wife we need you to lay back now." (try to visualize wife on knees, just going straight back without adjusting her leg position. personally, i don't bend that way). Mid-wife gets aside of Elder. Mid-wife: "Cousin and Dad! Pull her legs out straight!" Done.

10:38 - Mid-wife and Elder literally pulling the baby out by the head and shoulders. Baby out. Lyla born.

I breath huge sigh of relief momentarily, then I see Lyla being held up by Mid-Wife. Lyla is purple from head to toe. Like nothing I have ever seen before. I am sure I was just staring at her wide-eyed. Mid-wife wraps Lyla up and hands her to Wife to hold. Craziness settles down.

A few minutes later I get to hold her. I realize what I just saw and begin to cry. Visualizing her purple body, knowing what was at stake, I couldn't hold back. I was retro-scared or something. For days afterward, any time I would hold her and think of her purple body, I would choke up.

Kids are precious.

/trip report

Wow! Awesome! Now THAT's a trip report!
Congrats, and thanks for making me tear up at work.

Good luck to you, sir. It's like nothing else.