I got a sonogram on Thursday. It was my first. This fact often sends well meaning people into fits. Like babies need sonograms. I only had one very early on with Aidan, because he was conceived after a miscarriage, and I had no period to set a due date by. So it was strictly for dating and he was like a little peanut and the whole thing was totally unimpressive, rather unpleasant, and short.
This sonogram was just lovely. The technician was a friendly, gentle woman who was happy to answer my questions about what she was looking at. The lights were out and there was just the light whirring of the sono machine as it sort of massaged my belly. Head, kidneys, cross section of the umbilical cord, placenta, heart, brain, amniotic fluid - it went on for at least half an hour.
At one point she said she can tell the sex of the baby, trying to tempt me. I assured her that I didn't want to know.
I could see the femur right up where it is poking me all the time at the top left of my belly.
It was all very sort of like biology class and not very emotional, but then she got a profile. Who does it look like, she asked me? "It has big lips", I said. I remember thinking that Aidan had beautiful lips, but not big lips. Steve doesn't have big lips. The technician looked at me, "do you have big lips?" I puffed them out for her. Not particularly.
Then she got the face which blew my mind. I cried on the way home looking at the face. With both pregnancies, I've felt pretty disconnected from the baby until it is born. Seeing the face really set my mind going. "Does it look like a boy or a girl?", she asked, teasing me.
I asked her all of the questions that I knew would be important for the birth and got reassuring answers for all of them. The head is down, the placenta is on top, butt toward the front of me. There is a little more fluid than they would expect. The baby is so big that the averages generated by the machine sets my due date to Feb 3rd. (It's actually Feb 15th, and there is no doubt that that date is accurate because my last period was on Mother's Day.) I am not put off by this at all. I am so big that I thought I might be carrying twins. Aidan was 10lbs. and I am bigger than I was with him. I loved that he was big, he was fabulously healthy and although I had a terrible labor, I had no trouble delivering him. I only pushed for about 20 minutes.
I expected the doctor to come in and congratulate me about how healthy everything was, but she didn't. She wanted to talk about what a big baby it was and could I deliver a baby that big and there might be trauma in the birth. If I wasn't so well educated on this, she would have scared the shit out of me. I think she would have lined me up for a c-section right there. She prescribed another sono in 2-3 weeks. I quizzed her on this and I can't really see a good reason, unless you believe that there is something inherently dysfunctional and dangerous about big babies. What a fabulous waste of money.
Comments
I do love that little peek into the womb! Your baby looks beautiful! But yeah, big baby scare - Spike was almost ten pounds, too and everyone made such a fuss about it - the only thing I did to appease my midwives was quit eating donuts (Country Donut Whole Wheat. I tried to live off them the last couple months of pregnancy) and everything was, of course, fine, and my big baby was in perfect health! I'm a tall girl. I've got hips. I trust my body to make a baby I can get out.
Let's discuss your last delivery. How many hours (days) where you in labor before we ended up going to the hospital? What did they give you so that you could relax and push the 10 lb. Aidan out in 20 minutes? I am glad everything is looking good. Please discuss this with your midwife - size and all that. I am concerned since I and your grandmother had to have c sections because of the size of the baby. Of course we had baby's back in the 'olden' days and this may not apply to you!
Love, Mom
Congratulations on your sonogram and your healthy baby! I never had a sonogram, and somehow felt strangely guilty when people would ask me about it. But I ended up with a perfect baby! After Phoebe was born (which was really hard, and I pushed for over 5 hours), everyone told me a second baby would be a piece of cake.
Well, I'm sure that my mom and I could argue about this endlessly on our own - but just for the record - I induced with castor oil with Aidan at the threat of being put on pitocin in the hospital (I was 2 weeks late). The castor oil started my labor, which was long, difficult and fruitless - after 2 1/2 days I was only at 8 cm. We transferred to a hospital at my request for some pitocin to get me to 10 cm. I asked for an epidural at that point because after 2 1/2 days of labor (with back labor) I didn't think I could handle the pitocin.
This is a scenario that I have since heard over and over agian from other women who started their labors with castor oil. If their bodies weren't ready, they had horrendous, unproductive labors.
All of this has nothing to do with being able to birth a large baby, but has more to do with the medical establisment's (and malpractice insurance's) demand that birth stick to a schedule.
And just so that noone thinks that I have some kind of issue with my mom around this, she spent a month with me before Aidan was born to help me get ready and to be there for the birth and was with me throughout my labor. She was by my side when the midwife wasn't doing anything to help me manage the pain and when my husband couldn't stay awake. No matter how we my disagree on details like these, I am endlessly grateful for her compassionate presence there.
My goal, before the baby is born, is to write Aidan's birth story. I did it once, but it was horribly long and detailed, and it got lost in a computer disaster.
Christy I never knew that, BUT I also induced with castor oil and had a 3 day labor that ended with pitocin,,,interesting......
That's such a great image of the baby's face from the sono - really lovely! You - and the whole fam - are in our thoughts for a quick labor and healthy baby!!!! My cousin N down the road has almost the same due date....
And for the record - I felt like the luckiest Mother in the world being by Christy's side during Aidan's birth - I wish I could be there this time.
Love Always, Mom
Christy, that sono is gorgeous!
And best of luck to you on your delivery. I'm certain you will know exactly what you need when the time comes. My thoughts will be with you.
I know all will be well.
Sending love and happy birthing vibes.
coming in very late, but just wanted to say, hey, i'm only 5' 3" and i have now delivered THREE babies that were ten pounds or over. labors were difficult, pushing not long at all in all three. and we're all fine. i'm sure you will be too! xoxoxox
Christy-
what's really scary is now they are doing primary c-sections for "large for gestational age" (diagnosed by sono) and sometimes those babies come out and they're barely 8 pounds... when it comes to diagnosing size, ultrasound can be off by 2 pounds either way. we've had some moms that are really pissed about having to recover from major surgery when they most likely could have birthed vaginally.
i've been thinking about you. the other day H said to me, "i'm going to lose my tooth and get a baby brother and aidan is going to get a baby sister." I don't know where she came up with that, because i haven't even told her about the her baby brother (or sister) yet... i'd be interested to see if her prediction is correct.
The pictures are great. Hope everything is ok let me know when it the big day comes. I know that waiting is very hard. Aunt Marsha
Comments
I do love that little peek into the womb! Your baby looks beautiful! But yeah, big baby scare - Spike was almost ten pounds, too and everyone made such a fuss about it - the only thing I did to appease my midwives was quit eating donuts (Country Donut Whole Wheat. I tried to live off them the last couple months of pregnancy) and everything was, of course, fine, and my big baby was in perfect health! I'm a tall girl. I've got hips. I trust my body to make a baby I can get out.
Let's discuss your last delivery. How many hours (days) where you in labor before we ended up going to the hospital? What did they give you so that you could relax and push the 10 lb. Aidan out in 20 minutes? I am glad everything is looking good. Please discuss this with your midwife - size and all that. I am concerned since I and your grandmother had to have c sections because of the size of the baby. Of course we had baby's back in the 'olden' days and this may not apply to you!
Love, Mom
Congratulations on your sonogram and your healthy baby! I never had a sonogram, and somehow felt strangely guilty when people would ask me about it. But I ended up with a perfect baby! After Phoebe was born (which was really hard, and I pushed for over 5 hours), everyone told me a second baby would be a piece of cake.
Well, I'm sure that my mom and I could argue about this endlessly on our own - but just for the record - I induced with castor oil with Aidan at the threat of being put on pitocin in the hospital (I was 2 weeks late). The castor oil started my labor, which was long, difficult and fruitless - after 2 1/2 days I was only at 8 cm. We transferred to a hospital at my request for some pitocin to get me to 10 cm. I asked for an epidural at that point because after 2 1/2 days of labor (with back labor) I didn't think I could handle the pitocin.
This is a scenario that I have since heard over and over agian from other women who started their labors with castor oil. If their bodies weren't ready, they had horrendous, unproductive labors.
All of this has nothing to do with being able to birth a large baby, but has more to do with the medical establisment's (and malpractice insurance's) demand that birth stick to a schedule.
And just so that noone thinks that I have some kind of issue with my mom around this, she spent a month with me before Aidan was born to help me get ready and to be there for the birth and was with me throughout my labor. She was by my side when the midwife wasn't doing anything to help me manage the pain and when my husband couldn't stay awake. No matter how we my disagree on details like these, I am endlessly grateful for her compassionate presence there.
My goal, before the baby is born, is to write Aidan's birth story. I did it once, but it was horribly long and detailed, and it got lost in a computer disaster.
Christy I never knew that, BUT I also induced with castor oil and had a 3 day labor that ended with pitocin,,,interesting......
That's such a great image of the baby's face from the sono - really lovely! You - and the whole fam - are in our thoughts for a quick labor and healthy baby!!!! My cousin N down the road has almost the same due date....
And for the record - I felt like the luckiest Mother in the world being by Christy's side during Aidan's birth - I wish I could be there this time.
Love Always, Mom
Christy, that sono is gorgeous!
And best of luck to you on your delivery. I'm certain you will know exactly what you need when the time comes. My thoughts will be with you.
I know all will be well.
Sending love and happy birthing vibes.
coming in very late, but just wanted to say, hey, i'm only 5' 3" and i have now delivered THREE babies that were ten pounds or over. labors were difficult, pushing not long at all in all three. and we're all fine. i'm sure you will be too! xoxoxox
Christy-
what's really scary is now they are doing primary c-sections for "large for gestational age" (diagnosed by sono) and sometimes those babies come out and they're barely 8 pounds... when it comes to diagnosing size, ultrasound can be off by 2 pounds either way. we've had some moms that are really pissed about having to recover from major surgery when they most likely could have birthed vaginally.
i've been thinking about you. the other day H said to me, "i'm going to lose my tooth and get a baby brother and aidan is going to get a baby sister." I don't know where she came up with that, because i haven't even told her about the her baby brother (or sister) yet... i'd be interested to see if her prediction is correct.
The pictures are great. Hope everything is ok let me know when it the big day comes. I know that waiting is very hard. Aunt Marsha