She's here

I didn’t know that labour could be this way. Everything went so much better this time. Being continuously on a monitor calmed me significantly. People came to visit ahead of time in the hospital which helped me get my mind off the waiting. While we had to wait many hours (well over 24) I had a peace. As true labour began it went quickly. I had the sensation to push this time and could express that. I was tired but not exhausted. As she crowned and came out there was a burp and a cry. There was not an eerie silence. I felt relieved and lighter. The tears of joyous crying were uncontrollable. They placed her vernix covered body on mine and I was in another place. She is beautiful. I would be taking her home.

It didn’t seem long afterwards that the neonatal nurse practitioner took her down to NICU to help get her blood sugars under control…but not before we introduced her to our family as Imogen Grace Wallace, weighing 8 pounds and measuring 55 cm--what joy. My healing has been so much better this time around as well. Physically and emotionally I know that birthing a baby and life shortly after can be wonderful. Yes, sleep deprivation and worry are a part of the afterwards but I never knew that I could feel so good. Imogen certainly has contributed to that. And while nothing was as painful as losing and giving birth to Gordon he helped me in this labour. My body knew the work that it must do. I also knew that emotionally I could manage if I had done this before in the worst circumstances. And then of course there were the prayers. I do not even know the number or all the individuals who were praying but I know that we were covered. God was certainly present. There were many in attendance in that birthing room.

Her name? Yes there is a singer with that name. Yes, there is a Shakespearean reference to it. Years ago when we saw that name we immediately liked it. When we looked it up there were two meanings: maiden and made/ created in the image or likeness of. I have always liked the reminder that we were made in God’s image. Psalm 139 is a favourite as well. Grace: God’s favour. And so her name means In the image or likeness of God’s favour. We think that’s pretty perfect. Pronunciation: IM-OH-JEN (without dwelling or emphasizing the “O” too long. John refers to the O sound as more of an AW sound).

This Christmas we feel truly blessed. We are surrounded by our family. We are immersed in love. We have been given Imogen and for her we will always be grateful.

Imogen Grace Wallace
Born Dec 15th 2007
8lbs

Eagerly waiting to take her home. :)

last ultrasound

Well here is Baby Wallace. This will probably be our last ultrasound. My doctor gave me two choices: 1--stick with the original plan, be induced on the 17th and have an ultrasound and non-stress test or 2--get induced on the 14th. So we're thinking of having the baby in seven days on the 14th! The baby measured 6lbs. 11 oz. yesterday. His or her score was perfect. My cervix seems to be ready so the countdown is really on and this is our last weekend just the two of us. Please keep us in your prayers.

Dates and numbers:
There are 28 days until my due date on January 06, 2008.
I am 252 days pregnant.
I am 8.3 months pregnant.
I am in my 9th month of pregnancy. (huh?)
My 1st trimester: March 31, 2007 to June 29, 2007. (0 - 12 weeks)
My 2nd trimester: June 30, 2007 to October 12, 2007. (13 - 27 weeks)
My 3rd trimester: October 13, 2007 to January 05, 2008. (28 - 40 weeks)

By this week of pregnancy my baby's crown-to-rump length reaches about 13.5 inches and the total length is approximately 20.7 inches. My baby weighs about 6 pounds now. The top of my uterus has moved further up under my ribs and is about 5.5 inches above my bellybutton. My uterus has grown a lot in the past few weeks as my baby has gained weight. I may have gained about 30 pounds by now and it is common for my weight to stay about the same from this point onwards.


Almost full-grown baby at about 36 weeks pregnancy. Because the top of the uterus is high as it will be, breathing may be getting very uncomfortable at times. I might notice jabbing pains from my baby's kicks. However, within the next few weeks, my baby will drop into the birth canal and this will make breathing easier again. Most doctors like to see their patients weekly from now on to check for labour progression. (One more weeks!)

My baby's face has filled out significantly and looks smooth and plump. Because my baby has powerful sucking muscles and has had layers of fat forming for quite some time now, the cheeks have filled out like a newborn's. My baby's skull is firm, but not hard. Every baby's head has the ability to give slightly so that there is room for him/her to fit down the birth canal during delivery. Some babies are born with cone shaped heads from the pressure of delivery, but this will go away after delivery. The amount of amniotic fluid is at its maximum amount now and ymy baby may not be moving as much as s/he had been. The placenta is now one-sixth of the fetal weight.

35 weeks--16 days to go!

Dates and numbers:
There are 34 days until my due date on January 06, 2008.
I am 246 days pregnant.
I am 8.1 months pregnant.
I am in my 9th month of pregnancy. (huh?)
My 1st trimester: April 01, 2007 to June 30, 2007. (0 - 12 weeks)
My 2nd trimester: July 01, 2007 to October 13, 2007. (13 - 27 weeks)
My 3rd trimester: October 14, 2007 to January 06, 2008. (28 - 40 weeks)

My baby now weighs over 5.5 pounds and its crown-to-rump length is approximately 13.2 inches. My baby's total length is around 20.25 inches at this point. My uterus is now 6 inches from the bellybutton and the average weight gain is approximately 24 to 29 pounds.

Most pregnant women begin to feel cramped and heavy around this time and often become tired of being pregnant(no kidding!). Some women feel like they do not have to room to breathe or eat. I should eat small, but frequent, meals and rest as often as I can throughout the day. My cervix will begin to dialte and efface within the next few weeks to make room for my baby's head to emerge from the birth canal. My cervix needs to be 10 cm dilated in order to deliver my baby.

This week of my pregnancy my baby's fingernails will have definitely reached the tips of his/her fingers. When my baby is born, his/her nails may look long and pointy. My baby is less likely to scratch him/herself at this point because of the lack of room in the uterus. Fat deposition will still continue and my baby is getting chubbier and more round. My baby's shoulders are plump at this point.

The baby begins to develop his/her own immune system.

34 weeks--3 weeks to go!

Well another week down. Not much further now. I need to get through this week of work and then I think I'll enjoy the wait more.

There are 41 days until my due date on January 06, 2008.
I am 239 days pregnant.
I am 7.8 months pregnant.
I am in my 8th month of pregnancy. (huh?)
My 1st trimester: April 01, 2007 to June 30, 2007. (0 - 12 weeks)
My 2nd trimester: July 01, 2007 to October 13, 2007. (13 - 27 weeks)
My 3rd trimester: October 14, 2007 to January 06, 2008. (28 - 40 weeks)

My baby's crown-to-rump length this week is approximately 12.8 inches and the total length is around 19.8 inches at this time. My baby now weighs almost 5 pounds (on Thursday I was told 5 lbs. 11oz). From my bellybutton, it is about 5.6 inches to the top of my uterus. Measurements of my uterus vary from woman to woman. I should not worry if I do not measure the exact same as my pregnancy friends or family members as long as I am growing appropriately. When my uterus grows and gets larger at an appropriate rate, it shows that my baby is growing well inside of my uterus.

Braxton-Hicks contractions are going to get stronger and more frequent within the next few weeks. Braxton-Hicks contractions feel like a tightening at the top of your uterus that spreads down and then relaxes. Many women mistake Braxton-Hicks contractions for true labor contractions, but this is rarely the case. Braxton-Hicks contractions will diminish if I get up and walk around and they should not be painful.

My baby's hair continues to get longer and thicker. My baby's hair color probably is not going to be the same color from birth onwards, so yI should expect it to change in colour. My baby is shedding most of lanugo, but the amount of vernix caseosa is increasing. My baby is taking calcium from me to lay down lots of bone.

If I were to deliver my baby now, it would probably be called a pre-term infant instead of premature. The only difference is in the maturity, particularly lung maturity. A pre-term baby is less likely to need intensive care because his/her lungs have developed. Doctors can test lung maturity with an amniocentesis that checks levels of surfactant.

The baby now rests on my uterus and is no longer floating.

Fingernails now reach over the finger tips and the baby can scratch him/herself.

4th ultrasound

Well today we got to see baby again. He or she is measuring approximately 5 lbs. 11 oz. Yes--I am 33 and a half weeks. So we'll see what this baby weighs at 37 weeks! All things are good. It didn't even take long to get a strip during the NST (Non-stress test) because the baby was so active. I wish I could be so active! 10/10 for a score (fetal tone 2, fetal mov't 2...) During the ultrasound we could see a foot right by baby's head--contortionist? Just two and a half weeks and there will be more room for baby and for me.

33 weeks--4 weeks to go!

Dates and numbers:
There are 48 days until my due date on January 06, 2008.
I am 232 days pregnant.
I am 7.6 months pregnant.
I am in my 8th month of pregnancy. (huh?)
My 1st trimester: April 01, 2007 to June 30, 2007. (0 - 12 weeks)
My 2nd trimester: July 01, 2007 to October 13, 2007. (13 - 27 weeks)
My 3rd trimester: October 14, 2007 to January 06, 2008. (28 - 40 weeks)

My baby weighs about 4.4 pounds at this point. The crown-to-rump length of my baby is approximately 12 inches and the total length is around 19.4 inches. Measuring from the top of my uterus to my bellybutton is 5.2 inches. Total weight gain at this point of pregnancy is usually 22 to 28 pounds.

With the exception of crying, my baby is capable of doing everything that a newborn baby will do. My baby is restricted now inside of the uterus, but still can kick and move. My baby sleeps a lot of the time, just as newborn babies do. My baby's eyes move in the manner of REM sleep and researchers believe that babies can dream vividly in utero. When my baby is awake, s/he is listening, feeling and learning. There are billions of neurons in the brain that make trillions of connections. My baby will probably have settled into the birth position by now and my caregiver can most likely tell which way my baby is presenting. If my baby were to be born now, the lungs would probably be strong enough to function properly, but my baby may still need extra care from specially trained doctors and nurses.

During these last few weeks of pregnancy, most women experience an increased urge to urinate. The uterus puts a lot of pressure on the bladder and can send me to the restroom frequently. My uterus has actually grown 500 times throughout my pregnancy! Red blood cell production catches up with the production of plasma and physiological anemia may begin to fade at this time.

My baby's eyes open during alert times and close during sleep. The eye color is usually blue, regardless of the permanent color as pigmentation is not fully developed. The final formation of eye pigmentation requires exposure to light and usually happens a few weeks after birth.