The Birth: Baby Out of my Baby!

The Day of our Birth - April 2, 2012

3:00AM I came out of a very deep sleep to the sound of my wife talking and the lamp turned on. I could not understand what she was saying at first as it took me a few seconds to wake up. I saw her frantic look which awakened me faster. She said "Honey, I don't mean to alarm you, but I'm having strong contractions frequently which I am unable to sleep through."

I asked her how painful they are. She said painful enough so she couldn't sleep through them. She also said after timing them for over an hour they were approximately 4 minutes apart and lasted 45 seconds to a minute. We both knew about the 4-1-1 Rule which means when the contractions are at least 4 minutes apart lasting at least 1 minute for at least 1 hour you should go to the hospital.

I started to get goosebumps and felt slightly sick to my stomach with anticipation. We then called the nurse line to get some advice. As expected, they did not advise us to hurry to the hospital just yet. They suggested her to take a warm shower and call back in an hour see if that affected the contractions.

4:00AM Called the nurse line back and she reported that the shower didn't slow the contractions, actually they had increased in the intensity and were lasting a little longer now, about 1 minute. She said okay a couple more times quickly and hung up. Then she looked at me with a excited/worried look. "We're going to the hospital! Quick, finish packing our hospital bag"

After grabbing her robe and a few last minute items, we were off! She was having contractions while driving to the hospital, but it wasn't like the movies. No water had broken yet, I wasn't speeding, and she wasn't screaming in pain. We were calm, turned on some classical music and drove the speed limit. I was a little fast around corners which prompted her to tell me to slow down so she could stay comfortable.

5:00AM Arrived at the hospital. We parked in and headed up to labor and delivery. After checking in the front desk, we were seated in a triage bed. The nurse on staff came and hooked Nikki up to monitors. The also checked her cervix. She was 2 centimeters dilated. Nothing to be alarmed about since most women labor at home until they get to 4.

Nikki was upset and was thinking that she might get sent home. She was uncomfortable and didn't like the prospect of leaving the hospital. She wanted to have the baby now! So, the nurse suggested that we walk around the hospital for about an hour to see if that helped her progress.

6:25AM It seemed like forever, we made several laps on the first and second floor and Nikki's feet were really starting to get swollen and hurting her. Surprisingly, the contractions dulled and she couldn't feel them as much while walking. After 45 minutes of walking we sat down to rest by the doors of labor and delivery. Then the on-call midwife showed up. She was very nice and explained that we might not be progressing fast enough to stay at the hospital.

This made Nikki more upset and she wanted to have the baby. The midwife sympathized and said why don't we check your cervix again to and go from there. We agreed and headed back into the triage room. The contractions were intensifying now and she was in more pain. I was holding her hand now. We both waited impatiently as we watched the baby's heart rate and the contractions go up and down on the monitor.

8:00AM After about another 30 minutes I was just about to get someone and the midwife and nurse came in. They asked her how the contractions were and she said more painful and just as frequent. They checked the cervix again to find out she was 4 centimeters! She also had some bloody show which was a sign that labor was starting. A sigh of relief came over both of us and they transferred us to our labor room!

8:40AM Now the real pain started! If you read our birth plan, you know that Nikki did not want an epidural. I showed the nurse and the midwife our birth plan I had saved on my cell phone. She wanted to try a water birth if possible and no pain medication if possible. We quickly learned this was a tall order to live up to! Her contractions were increasing in intensity and duration. The pain now was centered on the sides of her hips more than anywhere else.

She described the pain from the contractions as sharp stabbing on the sides of her hips and she asked me to start rubbing there on each side as she was having the contraction. It alleviated the pain somewhat and I was happy to help in anyway I could even if I couldn't help much.

10:15AM They checked her cervix again, she was at 6 centimeters! The contractions were getting more painful now and I had to rub her hips harder each time. My hands were starting to hurt, but I didn't care, it was nothing compared to her pain and it seemed to help somewhat. I did have to keep readjusting where I rubbed because her pain seemed to change locations slightly each contraction but still along the sides of her hips and lower back.

We tried several positions to help the labor along. First she tried hands and knees, which seemed to help for awhile but then it became too painful again. Each contraction I rubbed vigorously until the pain subsided. She then told the midwife that she wanted to get in the bathtub. We knew that laboring in the water can be easier for women and it relieve some of the pain from the contractions.

She sat in the tub cross-legged facing the tiled wall and I continued my rubbing during contractions. She said it did help significantly and I could even gently pour warm water over her between contractions which was soothing she said.

I learned many of these comfort measures from our lamaze class at Baby Love Childbirth Education Classes in Eagan, MN. They taught me to basically be at her beckon call through labor and to do anything she asked. It seemed to help and it was the least I could do for my beautiful wife.

11:30AM after over an hour in the tub, the water was losing its effectiveness in relieving the pain. She was starting to cry and I cried with her. It was so hard seeing her in pain with her teardrops hitting the bathtub water each time a contraction came. It seemed unbearable pain at that point. After a particularly painful contraction, she looked at me and said "I want an epidural!" I said okay dear and kept helping her through the pain while we waited for the midwife to come back. We mentioned it to the midwife and she suggested we check the cervix again to see where she was at and then if we wanted we could start the process of getting the epidural.

11:45AM She laid back down on the bed and the contractions got worse still. The midwife asked her where her pain was on a scale of 1-10 and she said a 9. They suggested some mild narcotic pain medication also called opiods. They would help with the pain but be relatively harmless to mother and baby and would feel like you had a couple glasses of wine. After injecting the medication by IV she felt some relief right away. It didn't help much with the pain of contractions, just helped her rest in between.

She was in a lot of pain now and uncomfortable on the bed. They then suggested the exercise ball. She sat on the ball with her head and arms resting on the bed. They suggested I sit behind her to support her since she now as a bit uncoordinated from the medication. They suggested she do a hula hoop motion with her hips during the contraction as I rubbed still in about the same spot. They also suggested that she say some phrases to help her breathing. She said "Owie Owie Owie" over and over during the contraction that seemed to help. The nurse then said "You're going to hula that girl out of there!" We both laughed briefly and Nikki even cracked a smile for a second which the nurse and the midwife were delighted to see.

12:15PM Nikki carefully climbed back on the bed and they checked her cervix again. She was at a 9! The midwife was astonished how fast she was progressing and just then her mom showed up. She jumped right in comforting her on one side with me on the other while the nurse and midwife monitored. Between contractions I spent my time getting fresh cool washcloths for her forehead, eating a brief meal for energy, and I quickly called my mom to let her know it was time for her to come to the hospital.

12:45PM The pain was off the charts now. Nikki was screaming and crying at times like I had never seen her do before. She seemed barely conscious, almost in a trance like state of pain and anguish! I couldn't contain myself as I sobbed over her. My teardrops fell on her back as I continually massaged her hips. The muscles in my arms were burning now from the pain of rubbing for nearly 6 hours but still I kept going. I know she needed me to continue and it was the least I could do.

We then changed positions again. This time draping her body over the front of the bed with it elevated. This position helped as she didn't have to hold her body up anymore on her hands and knees. It seemed never ending!

1:00PM Between another whopper of a contraction, the midwife asked if Nikki wanted her to break her bag of water. The midwife warned if she did this it would speed things up drastically and the pain would get even more intense. Without hesitation, she said loudly "Let's do this!" My mother-in-law and I couldn't help but laugh a bit because she was so confident in her answer. She was determined to have this baby now!

1:05PM Just after they broke her water, my Mom came in the room in between contractions. I briefly hugged and kissed her when another one started. Now they encouraged Nikki to push. She was completely exhausted so the only position left now was on her back. Now her mom and mine stood back and watched. The nurse took one leg and I took the other. We held them as to have counter pressure for her to push against. Nikki was pushing so hard that the midwife told her to stop, she needed to take more breaths between pushes.

1:10PM Things were happening so fast now thinking back it was like a blur of motion. The bag of water was leaking out and during one of the pushes the midwife saw the crowing of the head. Meconium," the midwife said and suggested that the nurse call the nic unit to stand by to suction the baby off after birth due to thick meconium (the baby's first stool) in the amniotic fluid. Just then I looked down and saw it too. Anxiety flushed over me in a wave. I asked the nurse is the baby okay? She said yes as the baby was still being monitored and the vital signs looked good. Still, I couldn't imagine how the baby could breathe with how think the Meconium looked!

1:20PM The pushing was extremely intense now. The pain was off the charts, we were all encouraging her to push as much as she could. The baby's head was coming out a couple of centimeters. Whew, another contraction done. I noticed that the baby's head would sink back in a couple centimeters between contractions. Almost like 2 steps forward, 1 step back. I thought, how much longer can we go? Then another contraction was starting. This was the most intense one yet. Nikki seemed to push forever with all she had. I was absolutely in awe as I watched what happened next...

The head came out 3 centimeters, then 4, 5, 6, 7, and then enough for the midwife to grasp the head on both sides. She came out face down or in the anterior position which we learned in our class is the preferred method.

It was jaw dropping amazing! I don't understand why I used to and many men still say they wouldn't want to watch it. It was truly the miracle of life right before my eyes. Sure, she was messy and bloody and covered with meconium, but you overlook the gross stuff. Her little chubby body was pulled out in one fluid motion by the midwife. She flopped onto the bed head first quickly the midwife turned her and made sure she was breathing.

1:26PM A nurse called the time of birth and she was born!!! Then the nurse quickly cut the umbilical cord and whisked the baby over to a nearby auxiliary table where she was promptly suctioned off to get all the meconium off of her and to inspect her. We were all silent. We just walked over to inspect the baby ourselves and she was still purple, and was silent. They gave her a little oxygen but then took it off as she was breathing on her own. They said she luckily hadn't aspirated any meconium. She opened her eyes and was looking around for the first time in a new world!

After making sure she was okay, they brought her back to my wife, her new proud and exhausted mom! We had almost forgot about Nikki for a minute there, but I apologized for being distracted, I just wanted our baby to be okay.

Then Nikki held little Josephine for the first time!



That's right, we decided to name her Josephine, or Josie for a nickname. It's one of those old fashioned sounding names that's coming back into style. She was 7 lbs. 3 oz. and 19.3 inches long!



So now that my beautiful baby is officially out of my baby, blogging about our pregnancy has come to a close. I enjoyed writing about this and I hope you have enjoyed reading about my experience. I will continue to post on this blog about my journey into fatherhood raising Josie and at my New Blog:

Very Inspiring Blogger Award





Thank you for reading from me (Justin), my wife who is my baby (Nikki), and from my baby now out of my baby, Josie! (right before we left the hospital, pretty in pink in her car seat)

33 Weeks Pregnant - The Final Stretch! (pun intended)

My wife is now at 33 weeks pregnant, the Final Stretch! (pun intended) My baby girl is now 4 pounds and 17 inches long from her head to heels, weighs as much as a Pinapple! OUCH!!! I'm sure glad I don't have a pineapple inside me...

Our baby is quickly losing that wrinkled look and starting to really plump up fast. She's moving more and I can feel the different body parts pushing against the tummy. I think I could feel a foot, a hand, elbow, back, head, and even the mushy butt! Also, it's amazing to put my ear against her belly, I can hear the heartbeat clearly and can hear lots of moving in there. My mom's a nurse and I'm going to borrow a stethoscope so my wife Nikki can hear the baby too.

Speaking of Nikki, my wife, have I mentioned how beautiful she is? I don't think I have nearly enough. People keep telling her that she has really "popped" in the last couple weeks. She keeps saying she's fat, in fact she even said it in her sleep tonight saying it's hard to flip over to her other side. I just comforted her and told her how beautiful she is. Honestly, curves just adds to her beauty :) She is my dream girl that's gracefully carrying my baby girl, I couldn't ask for more in life!

So much has happened this week. We just finished our Lamaze classes at Babylove. If you live in the Minneapolis / St Paul (Twin Cities) area and are expecting you simply must check them out! They are all about natural healthy childbirth and our instructor Brittany was second to none! Also, the baby has been breached for about 4 weeks up until now. My wife's chiropractor practiced the "Webster Technique" to turn the baby head down like she should be. After only one adjustment of her hips it seemed to create more room. Last week my wife felt the baby starting to move way more after the adjustment, and when we had another prenatal exam on Monday, she had finally turned! It really seemed to work for us.

So that's it, for now, we're in the final stretch, we have our first baby shower this weekend and we're hoping to start filling up our nursery.

Sympathy Weight Update: lost a few again, back down to 204 lbs, my sympathy weight gained stands at 19 lbs so far! I went running with our dog Harry so maybe I'll do that some more and eat healthier.

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will weigh as a cantaloupe... GOOD GOD, believe it or not! I feel so bad for my poor wife. I love her so much!

See How My Baby's Growing at 33 Weeks

See What's Happening Inside the Fetus this Week

See how big my baby is getting week by week, now she weighs as much as a Pinapple! Ouch!!!

30 Weeks Pregnant - Belly Button Popped Out!

My wife is now at 30 weeks pregnant. My baby girl is now 15.7 inches long from her head to heels, as big as a Large Cabbage! Right now there is about a 1-1/2 pints of amniotic fluid and is starting to hit her growth spurt.

She now keeps her eyes open most of the day even though it's pitch dark, however she can sense bright light coming in through her skin. Her eyesight is not very keen yet, about 20/400 put is improving all the time.

My wife's belly button popped out now. She actually started to cry when she realized it and I didn't know what was wrong until she told me. I tried to comfort her, she really wasn't that upset, she says the hormones just overcame her and it just made her cry.

We also had our fouth Lamaze class in a 6-week program. I learned it's not just about breathing anymore. It's run by 2 Doulas and is called Baby Love in Eagan, MN. Our Instructor, Brittany is very nice and informative. We are learning so much about how to create a birth plan that's right for us and how to be good to yourself during this important time.

Also, I'm learning more about how to prepare for the big day. I'm learning techniques how to support her like massage, holding her hand, walking through the contractions, sitting in the tub with her through labor pains, a technique called the butt squeeze where you put pressure on her upper buttocks. This is supposed to alleviate back pain especially if she starts to have back labor

Sympathy Weight Update: I'm a seesaw and gained another 5, now 208 lbs, my sympathy weight gained stands at 23 lbs so far! What are you going do right?

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will be as heavy as four large navel oranges, believe it or not! I feel so bad for my poor wife. I love her so much!

See How My Baby's Growing at 30 Weeks

See What's Happening Inside the Fetus this Week

See how big my baby is getting week by week, now she's as big as a Large Cabbage!

28 Weeks Pregnant - 3rd Trimester - Eyes Blinking!

My wife is now at 28 weeks pregnant today, the start of the third and final trimester! Finally!(says my wife) My baby girl is now 14.8 inches long from her head to heels, as big as a Chinese Cabbage! She now weighs 2-1/4 pounds she is getting bigger with even stronger movements.

She now can blink her eyes and has prominent eyelashes. She also may be able to see sunlight through the womb and we saw this in action as she moved with the sun on her belly that was pouring in through the bedroom window one morning. Here's a video I shot of it:


Baby Moving in Uterus because of Sunlight!

We also noticed she's responding much more to music. We have been playing some classical, even some rock. There was this one part in a rock song where the drums started pounding pretty fast and right then you could see a rhthymic thumping in the mid section of my wife's tummy.

We also had our first Lamaze class in a 6-week program. I learned it's not just about breathing anymore. It's run by 2 Doulas and is called Baby Love in Eagan, MN. Our Instructor, Brittany is very nice and informative. I will share more about what we learn very soon.

Sympathy Weight Update: Actually Lost a few Pounds, 203 lbs, my sympathy weight gained stands at 18 lbs so far! Looks like those dog walks are paying off.

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will be as long as an Butternut Squash, believe it or not!

See How My Baby's Growing at 28 Weeks

See What's Happening Inside the Fetus this Week

See how big my baby is getting week by week, now it's a Chinese Cabbage!

26 Weeks Pregnant - Painting Baby's Room!

We thought very carefully on what color we wanted our Baby Girl's Room to be, and after long deliberation, actually my wife Nikki just decided for us :), we went with "Violet Eclipse." Nikki loves purple and this is me painting it on:


Baby Girl - Pregnancy - Nesting - Painting Baby's Room

My wife is now 26 weeks pregnant today. My baby girl is now 14 inches long, as big as a English hothouse cucumber! She now weighs 1-2/3 pounds she is really starting to make my wife's belly move when she moves! The nerves in her ear have grown to be more intricate now so they say she can hear conversations and she is getting used to the sound of our voices.

Also, her lungs are preparing for breathing by her actually inhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid into the developing air sacs in her lungs. She does this to practice and strengthen her chest muscles so when she emerges into the air she can take a gulp of air and continue through the rest of her life.

This week we're really starting the nesting process. I'm finishing painting the baby's room tonight and we will be starting a 6 week long Lamaze class in a couple weeks. Things are really coming along :) This week we've been busy reading and watching movies and I'd like to make a couple of recommendations to help with the process toward being a mother and father...

Recommended Movie:

This week we also watched a movie which I highly recommend! It's "In the Womb," a National Geographic Movie that uses revolutionary 3D and 4D scans to follow a birth from the moment of conception to the day the baby is born. It's so interesting and very educational for Mom and Dad to be.

Recommended Book for Dad:

My wife found a wonderful book which I'm reading, it's "The Expectant Father" - Facts, Tips, and Advice for Dads to Be by Armin A. Brott and Jennifer Ash
It's a great read so far and has a lot of helpful insight for real dads to be during each stage of the pregnancy.

Sympathy Weight Update: Wow, finally lost a couple pounds, I'm now 205 lbs, my sympathy weight gained stands at 20 lbs so far! This is probably due to how much work around the house I've been doing. Maybe "Honey Do" lists aren't that bad...

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will be as big as a Head of Cauliflower, believe it or not!

See How My Baby's Growing at 26 Weeks

See What's Happening Inside the Fetus this Week

See how big my baby is getting week by week, now it's a English Hothouse Cucumber!

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25 Weeks Pregnant - Looking more like a Newborn

My wife is now at 28 weeks pregnant today, the start of the third and final trimester! Finally!(says my wife) My baby girl is now 13.5 inches long from her head to heels, as big as a Rutabaga! She now weighs 1-1/2 pounds she is getting bigger with even stronger movements.

Her wrinkled skin is starting to smooth out as she is looking more and more like a newborn if you could see her. She's beginning to exchange her long lean look for more baby fat. She's also growing more hair and if you could see it you would be able to see the color and texture.

We've noticed her moving A LOT! Sometimes when we least expect it she'll make my wife's belling move in mysterious ways. It kind of freaks us out sometimes but is wonderful to feel our baby moving and trying to figure out what body part it is. We've also seen quite a few moving baby in uterus videos on youtube and this is a shockingly great example:

Alien-like Moving Baby - WOW!

Link

Sympathy Weight Update: Gained a few from residual Christmas/New Years Pounds, 208 lbs, my sympathy weight gained stands at 23 lbs so far! Now that Christmas is finally over I can start eating more healthy and exercising. I need to stay healthy for my baby.

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will be as long as an English Hothouse Cucumber, believe it or not!

See How My Baby's Growing at 25 Weeks

See What's Happening Inside the Fetus this Week

See how big my baby is getting week by week, now it's a Rutabaga, what the heck is a Rutabaga?!?!

Shop CornerStorkBabyGifts.com

24 Weeks Pregnant - My Baby Can Taste, Lungs Developing!

My wife is now at 24 weeks pregnant today. My baby girl is now just over 1 foot long, as big as a ear of corn! She now weighs over one pound and she is growing at a steady pace now and her movements are getting stronger. She is still pretty lean looking but soon she'll start plumping up. Her skin is translucent due to the thin layer but that will thicken soon. Her brain is quickly developing and she is getting taste buds. We had tuna hot dish tonight and I wonder if she could taste it... hmm.. probably not but it's a nice thought.

My baby girl is also getting ready to breathe. Her lungs are developing the infrastructure that allows breathing with little branch like structures that collect oxygen and cells that product a substance called surfactant. Surfactant will allow air sacs in her developing lungs to inflate and collect air once she leaves the womb and she takes her first breath! I suppose it makes sense since we're almost to the third trimester in a couple weeks here.

My wife is doing well. She is really starting to feel large and I think she feels a bit self conscious. We went grocery shopping tonight and the female clerk asked her if she was having the baby in a couple weeks. She said no, I'm only 6 months along, and the clerk couldn't believe it because of the size she is currently at. I try to reassure her that everyone is different and gets pregnant at different rates.

It's also harder for her to exert herself and get around so I'm trying to help by carrying everything, opening the doors for her, and letting her have plenty of time to rest. I also get her water constantly. When in doubt I always refill her cup because she goes through so much. We hear staying hydrated while pregnant is absolutely crucial and many pregnant women don't get enough liquids.

Name Update: We have not picked out a name yet for our baby girl. Well at least not officially. We are keeping it a secret because there are so few secrets left. I will say we are very sure of our first choice and do have a second choice picked out, but that could change of course. We are thinking of the middle name also, it may be a tribute to a late grandparent, but we're not sure. Either way I will Update you here when we announce it to the family!

Sympathy Weight Update: I think I'm leveling off, same weight as last week, 205 lbs, my sympathy weight gained stands at 20 lbs so far! Now that Christmas is finally over I can start eating more healthy and exercising. I need to stay healthy for my baby.

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will be as long as an Rutabaga, what the heck is a Rutabaga?!?!

See How My Baby's Growing at 24 Weeks

See What's Happening Inside the Fetus this Week

See how big my baby is getting week by week, now it's a Ear of Corn!

23 Weeks Pregnant - My Baby Can Hear and Dance!

My wife is now at 23 weeks pregnant today. My baby is now about 1 foot long, as big as a large mango! She now weighs just over one pound and her sense of movement is fully developed and she seems to be dancing in there. Blood vessels in her lungs are quickly developing and getting ready for breathing. She is now becoming accustomed to loud noises like our dog barking.

I've begun talking to my baby. It was a little weird talking to my wife's belly at first, then it became less weird. I even tried singing to her. I sung "Oh Holy Night" to my my little growing girl. My wife laughed when I got to the high soprano part. It also had the dual effect of putting me in the Christmas spirit and in a good mood.

Unfortunately, this week and today my wife is getting the Round Ligament Pain again that I spoke about in Week 19. It is a brief stabbing sensation that usually only lasts for a few seconds or also can be a dull pain which she feels in her lower abdomen between her groin to just under her belly button and along her hips. If you traced a line of a high cut bikini swimsuit that's where the pain is. She keeps telling me she wished I could feel it so I would understand. I keep offering to stab my stomach, but when that doesn't work I just try and be supportive.

Tomorrow we have another doctors appointment, the regular check up. We're thinking our midwife might change and move up our due date a little (now it's 4/15/12) because in the sex determining ultrasound at Week 20 the baby measured larger than it's supposed to be at this point. I'll update you next week about that.

We were wondering some more if her belly button would pop out soon. It's still an innie but it might not be for long. I keep joking that it might sound like the button popping out of a turkey when it's done when we were younger. I did some searching and found that this is a common concern among women. Apparently, some women are quite annoyed with their belly button sticking out so much and even go as far as taping it down so it doesn't show with the clothing they wear. That made us laugh but then my wife said, "that would annoy me too!"

Just to be fair, since this blog is about my sympathy weight in addition to my wife's pregnancy, and because I've been showing pictures of her belly, it's only fair that I show mine! Now this picture really shocked me that my belly is as big as this is, but I shouldn't feel bad because this is how she feels everyday but worse right? This is my heaviest weight of my life, 205 lbs and my sympathy weight gained stands at 20 lbs so far! Time for some exercise for real now. Starting tomorrow... or maybe after the new year.

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will be as long as an Ear of Corn believe it or not!!! Ouch

See How My Baby's Growing at 23 Weeks

See What's Happening Inside the Fetus this Week

See how big my baby is getting week by week, now it's a Large Mango!

Shop CornerStorkBabyGifts.com

Getting the Nursery Ready for our Baby Girl's Arrival

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In this video I show you our messy spare bedroom which will be transformed into a beautiful nursery for our new baby girl. She is our tax day baby, due on April 15, 2012! It is a mess! I have my work cut out for me as we try to clean it up, paint, and decorate it. I am somewhat of an artist, so I plan to paint a cool mural in there.

Do you have any good ideas for a Mural in my little girl's room?

I NEED YOUR SUGGESTIONS, please submit your idea in a comment to this post, and thanks :)

I was thinking rolling hills with fun trees, blue sky with puffy clouds and a smiling sun setting, with animals, birds, and sleeping moon with a nightcap in the distance faintly showing in the sky with the sparkling stars coming out. I thought since the sun is setting the black sky will start to show towards the upper part of the wall and that could continue onto the ceiling. It would be really cool with glow in the dark stars for decorations.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions
~Justin

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I Can Hear the Baby Moving!

So my baby girl is moving more and more now inside my wife's belly, and it's really exciting. While I was feeling the movements the other night, I started thinking I wonder if I would be able to hear the baby moving if I placed my ear to her belly. Sure enough, I could! It sounds like an echo chamber probably because all the fluid and but you can distinctly hear the thumps of the baby's limbs abruptly pushing against the walls of the uterus! It sounds really cool to hear my baby for the first time. My wife felt a little left out when this happened though. She wanted to be able to hear her too. I haven't told her yet but I'm going to get a stethoscope soon so she can hear the movements also. I'm also starting to visualize her more and more. I can almost see her growing if I imagine as I look at my wife's belly. I think the seeds of fatherhood have now been planted as I'm thinking more and more about it and think I'm starting the bonding process. In an email the other day my wife even signed it her name and baby. That made me happy, I look forward to being a father so much. Until next week, thanks for reading!

22 Weeks Pregnant - Developing Tooth Buds

My wife is now at 22 weeks pregnant today. My baby is now 11 inches long, about the length of a spaghetti squash! She is now almost one pound in weight and is now beginning to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more pronounced, and she is even developing the buds of new teeth under her gums!

If you could see inside the uterus this week the baby would have a fine hair covering her called the lanugo and would be have wrinkled skin until her body fills out her skin all the way. Also, her pancreas which produces essential hormones is starting to form.

They also say this is when my wife's belly starts becoming a hand magnet and they are right, and for me too! I'm starting to feel the baby stronger now and have even been able to see the movement on the outside of the belly tonight! Also, her belly button is expected to pop out anytime now but for now it's still an innie.

She hasn't had stretch marks yet. We discovered that despite all the information and creams that claim to prevent them, getting them is actually hereditary and using creams won't prevent them. However, it does help to use a good moisturizer. My wife is also reading a book about breastfeeding. It is quite interesting, but the pictures made us laugh, they are a little over the top.

This week we are finally going to start preparing the nursery. Until now it's been my art studio/office/guitar room/pet room/storage room but soon with some paint and decorations it will become a beautiful nursery for our little girl. Since I like painting, I plan on painting the walls for her with blue skies and puffy clouds and rolling green hills and trees. I don't think we are going to just paint the room pink, that's too boring!

Sympathy Weight Update: 205.5 lbs! My highest ever! I had my yearly physical this week. (I turned 31 yesterday by the way) and they suggested that I start exercising. They are right, it should help with the extra pounds but also with the stress that comes with the pregnancy.

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will be as long as a Large Mango believe it or not!!!

See How My Baby's Growing at 22 Weeks

See What's Happening Inside the Fetus this Week

See how big my baby is getting week by week, now it's a Spaghetti Squash

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I Felt the Baby for the First Time!!!

It was amazing, it wasn't much, I don't think she is strong enough to push against her belly enough, I haven't felt kicking yet, but I did finally feel movement - a nudge as I held my wife's belly! For so long now she has been feeling the baby and I had felt left out. She said it's her reward for all the bad parts she already had to go through like the intense morning sickness and all the pains and cramps and she's right. I hope to feel my baby girl again soon, it's becoming more real now. With each step I become more attached to the baby growing inside my baby.

21 Weeks Pregnant - Eyebrows and Eyelids!

My wife will be 21 weeks pregnant tomorrow! Her belly is getting so big now... and Beautiful - I might add :) She is really starting to feel the weight and is having more pains and difficulty moving around. I'm trying to take care of my baby and my baby girl inside though.

My baby is now about 10-1/2 inches long, about the size of a carrot! (I'm really starting to feel bad for her having something so big in her!) This may seem like a huge jump now because last week she was only about 6-1/2 inches long, but that's because you stop measuring from crown to rump at 20 weeks, then you go by the full lenght as the legs are now fully formed!

She is now 3/4 of a pound in weight and what was once just nudges she feels are now strong kicks! I still am yet to feel them but I think I will any day now... I will let you know when.

I think my wife needs me more than ever now and I'm ready to take on more responsibility. We both just said today that we've thought recently "why did we do this" reacting to the stress and pressure of a pending birth, but we laughed about it and I think this is what many couples go through halfway through a pregnancy. No one is truly ready for the enormous change and responsibility of having a child, and we are just getting ready the best we can.This weekend we are going to clean out the baby's room which up until now has been used for storage. It will be so nice to help my wife nest which I have learned is very important to the process. We even got our first gift of baby clothing, a cute pair of footie pajamas!

Sympathy Weight Update: Unchanged, but hopefully will drop in the next few weeks, I'm starting a workout routine which feels really good. It's been awhile since I've gone jogging several times a week. I think I might start doing more yoga too.

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will be as long as a Spaghetti Squash, Holy Moly!

See How My Baby's Growing at 21 Weeks

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See how big my baby is getting week by week, now it's a Carrot!

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20 Weeks Pregnant - IT'S A GIRL!

Click Here to See the before and after of our Sex Determining Ultrasound on 11/22/2011!

That's right, it is a girl!!! We got the sex determining ultrasound a week and a half ago but I had to refrain from posting the results because we were waiting to tell our family and my mother has seen my blog. Hi mom, love you!

We are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy that we are having a little baby girl. It was simply amazing seeing the sex determining ultrasound and how she was moving and even shaking her head at one point. It's hard to tell from this ultrasound picture (she looks a bit more like a creature than a baby here) but she looked absolutely beautiful and they showed us her growing limbs, fingers, bones, organs, brain, and they even zoomed in the heart beating with the four chambers clearly pumping away. The heartbeat was a little faster than normal, 168 beats per minute.

So, my wife is relieved. In her family they have all girls. She is the middle of 3. She has 2 cousins that are girls, and her sister had 2. In fact the last male in the family to be born was Bob and he's 50! On the other hand, I am one of 5 boys in my family so they are overjoyed to have another girl.

We told them with a riddle poem that has the answer of whether it was a boy or a girl hidden vertically in the first letter of each line. She's so creative!

Baby Gender Riddle
by Nikki

I know you’re all wondering what will it be?
Time & this riddle will tell, you’ll see!
So will it be a historical event, where the men will have joy-
As it is rare in this family to have a boy?
Growing baby, should we buy you dolls & pearls?
If only our family isn’t tired of so many girls!
Rejoice on tax day either way,
Let’s celebrate that a baby has seen its first day!

I showed the first letter's bold for display but if you're going to use this obviously don't make them bold and using a really fancy handwriting helps to mask the answer!

It was a great idea, this could be customized for anyone's family for a baby gender reveal idea and it was really fun for them to figure out, her family really likes puzzles too so it was more interesting than other ideas like cupcakes with colored frosting inside.

We have been thinking of names, but those are still secret for now. Let's just say we're thinking traditional names are making a comeback!

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Transition to a Father's Mind

My mind is rapidly changing now, evolving into a father's mind. I don't believe one can easily define what it means to be a father. It is complex and the change takes place over many years and with many stages. I'm just entering the first stage which is first acceptance, and coming to terms with my pending fatherhood. Right now I'm learning. I'm learning it's not about me anymore. My needs are quickly becoming secondary. I'm starting to imagine what my baby's face will look like. I haven't had any dreams yet but I think I will soon. It makes me deeply content to know I will be a father soon. To me there is no bigger aspiration as an adult male and to strive to be a good father is a privileged I am happy to enjoy.

19 Weeks Pregnant - Hair Sprouting, Sense of Hearing Developing

My wife is now at 19 weeks pregnant today. We are coming up on the halfway point. My baby is now about 1/2 a foot now from crown to rump, about the size of a heirloom tomato! He or She (yet to be determined) is now about 8-1/2 ounces in weight and his or her legs are now in proportion with the rest of their body. My baby also looks very squished in the uterus according to pictures with his or her legs taking up more room. I can't imagine it! It seems like my baby would be so claustrophobic in there, but I'm sure right now my baby is not worried about that.

They also say some studies suggest that the baby will be able to hear sounds now, so I'm starting to talk and sing occasionally in a soothing voice, not sure if it helps but it's worth a try right? Perhaps we will put on some classical music to help soothe our little one. My wife is still feeling the baby move a lot however I still cannot feel through belly. She says it moves a lot but doesn't seem to be pushing forward where my hand is. Perhaps the baby is just faced another direction.

My wife is also starting to experience Round Ligament Pain. It's a stabbing sensation (I know, she has all the luck) every so often on either side as she has moved a lot or sometimes when bending over. It's caused when the ligament supporting the uterus stretches to support the growing weight.

This week we attended a meet the midwives event at Regions hospital in St. Paul, MN. We got to meet all of the midwives that deliver there and got to tour the facilities. The birth center is very nice with modern decor, wide hallways, and spacious rooms. It didn't even smell like a hospital in the labor and delivery rooms and everyone was very welcoming. The also showed us their 2 inflatable water birth tubs!

They are about 6 ft in diameter and look kind of like an inflatable kitty pool but with much higher walls and handles on the inside to help you get in and out. They said your partner can be in the tub also but said to make sure you have a swimsuit on, they had an issue where a husband decided to go au naturale! Funny! They also said they put a new cover over it each time to keep it sanitary. There is even a nice comfy leather chair for me to sit in that rolls out to a bed in case I need to get comfortable while we wait for the baby to come.

As Thanksgiving is approaching we're waiting to schedule the sex-determining ultrasound. Unfortunately it had to get delayed because we're not at 20 weeks yet. I'll let you know when it happens though and I'll deliver the big news. Stay tuned!

Sympathy Weight Update: Unchanged, 201 lbs.

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will be as long as a Banana believe it or not!!!

See How My Baby's Growing at 19 Weeks

See What's Happening Inside the Fetus this Week

See how big my baby is getting week by week, now it's a Heirloom Tomato

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18 Weeks Pregnant - Heard the Heartbeat Again, 1-1/2 Weeks Until the Sex Determining Ultrasound!!!

My wife is now at 18 weeks. That's right, I skipped week 17, got a bit behind on the posting. However, I will catch up in this post. My baby is now about 5-1/2 inches from crown to rump, about the size of a bell pepper. He or She (yet to be determined) is now about 7 ounces in weight and is flexing his or her arms and legs. My wife is feeling the baby A LOT! She will tell me each time she feels it by saying "Baby" in an excited voice and clutching the bottom of her belly. I can't feel it yet, but I hope soon.

So far we've had 2 prenatal exams and an ultrasound at 8 weeks, and we just had another regular exam this week where our midwife measured the uterus to be about exactly 5-1/2 inches in length and we could hear the baby's heartbeat again! It was strong and normal. It was a perfectly normal 145 beats per minute and sounded wonderful. Our midwife is really nice also. She said there are many options for delivery such as a water birth, hypno-birth (which apparently is just like it sounds), and the standard epidural traditional lie on your back ordeal. So far my wife feels like the water birth may be the best option. I can get in the water with her and hold her while she goes through it. Also, they say it helps with contractions and can minimize tearing, but we'll see when that time comes. You cannot have pain medication with a water birth, but they said if the pain is too great when you're in the thick of things you can always change your mind and you're in a hospital so there are many other options. I think the thing I like best about a midwife is that they are really dedicated to a birth plan and really want my wife to make the best decisions for her and our baby. She is very supportive!

Now for the most exciting news. We have the Sex Determining Ultrasound in only 1-1/2 weeks!!! It's a little bit before the standard 20 week waiting period, but they said the technology is there to find out sooner. I can't wait to find out and be able to refer to my baby as he, or she, instead of "It." In case you're interested. I do not have a preference of a boy or a girl. Contrary to popular belief, not all men are so caught up in their own legacy to have to have a boy. I would be perfectly fine with a girl I just want my baby to be healthy and happy.

Sympathy Weight Update: Current Weight is 201. As it turns out I had some scale difficulties last week and it was totally inaccurate and had my at 192 by mistake. Total sympathy weight gained to date - 16 pounds! I would like to stay at 200 pounds or less, I've never weighed this much! I know, some of you that are older are probably laughing. "You ain't seen nothing yet, boy"

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will be the size of a large heirloom Tomato!

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See how big my baby is getting week by week, now it's a Bell Pepper

17, 18, weeks, move, feel, sex, determining, ultrasound, kicking, 2nd trimester, baby, c-section, home birth, Father, Man perspective, Men pregnancy, morning sickness, pregnancy, sympathy weight

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16 Weeks Pregnant - My Baby Has Toenails, Sympathy Weight Update

My wife is now at 16 weeks. This week we are now in the rapid growth phase. The baby has now grown to about 4-1/2 inches long and about 3-1/2 ounces in weight, the size of an avocado from head to bottom! The uterus is now growing and stretching with the ligaments holding it in place are strengthening and growing. My baby's scalp pattern is starting to form which will eventually create the hair growth. She is feeling the baby more now which is very early. She gets happy and tells me when she does. I can't feel it yet but I get happy too just knowing that my baby is doing well and moving up a storm!

Her morning sickness is mostly gone but she still takes a combination of half of a 25mg of Unisom sleeping pill with a vitamin B6. There's no telling when she will be able to stop taking this, but we hope soon. She is also getting very tired and is starting to become more limited in her physical ability. We were raking leaves the other day and I needed to do most of the work because she cannot exert or bend over too much. I love her and am happy to do most of the work though, I gave her the leaf blower and that worked out great!

I think this week we were less stressed. We watched a great movie about pregnancy that you should give a look if you're expecting. It's on Netflix streaming and is called "The Business of Being Born" and stars Ricki Lake. It's a controversial documentary that looks at the business of the hospital system and the potential harmful side effects of things like drugs and Cesarean sections (C-sections) and strongly advocates natural and home birth. It was very interesting and made us think about how she'd like to give birth when that day comes. She doesn't think she would want a home birth, but it's something to think about. We have been bonding more over the little things and are growing closer as mother and father to be.

Sympathy Weight Update: Current Weight is 192. Actually lost a few pounds. Total sympathy weight gained to date - 12 pounds.

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will be the size of an Turnip!

See What's Happening Inside the Fetus this Week

See how big my baby is getting week by week, now it's an Avocado

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16 weeks, 2nd trimester, baby, c-section, home birth, Father, Man perspective, Men pregnancy, morning sickness, pregnancy, sympathy weight

15 Weeks Pregnant - My Baby Can Sense Light!

My wife is now at 15 weeks. The baby has now grown to about 4 inches long, the size of an apple from head to bottom! They say the baby can now sense light, and you can shine a flashlight close to her belly towards where the uterus is and you may be able to sense the baby moving away from the beam. Well we tried it, didn't work, and then we stopped due to an irrational fear of harming our baby with a flashlight. Needless to say we are worried about the health of the baby these days and are watching everything very closely. My wife has also been starting to feel the baby this soon! At first she said it felt like a marble rolling around inside her, but yesterday she said while at work it felt like a little fist punching her insides! That made me laugh.

Her nausea is decreasing but she still takes a combination of half of a 25mg of Unisom sleeping pill with a vitamin B6. The doctor says it can help with the nausea and she thinks it seems to be working. Her belly keeps getting bigger and bigger which is surprising how fast she is showing. She is not a vain person but jokingly says she's getting fat. I keep telling her she's not fat, she's pregnant, there's a difference. Besides, she looks even more beautiful with new curves and a beautiful belly that she didn't have before. I love her more ever day, but with the love also comes stress.

These days I'm more stressed out than ever. It's because of uncertainty. I'm uncertain about my growing baby and knowing it's not yet "viable" yet like websites say, that is able to survive if something went wrong (I think it becomes viable in a month or so). I'm also uncertain about pending fatherhood. I know I have it within me to be a great father but I know I have so much to learn it's overwhelming. Lastly, money is also a source of stress as we are still unsure how much time both of us can get off work and how to pay for any uncompensated time off. But I have to remember to breathe. One step at a time. I do have faith that everything will work out for the best. I know if times get tough, we will get tougher, that's just the kind of people that we are.

Well that's all for now, next week my baby will be the size of an Avocado! Oh no, suddenly I just got a craving for guacamole, just what I need, more cravings! Speaking of cravings I think my sympathy weight has leveled off at around 14 pounds so far, but I'll weigh myself and give an update next week just to be sure.

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15 weeks, 2nd trimester, baby, Father, Man perspective, Men pregnancy, morning sickness, pregnancy, sympathy weight

14 Weeks Pregnant: Morning Sickness is Diminishing, Total Sympathy Weight gained so far = 14 pounds! (1 pound per week)

The morning sickness is diminishing quickly. My wife still gets nauseous occasionally, but at least it's not every morning anymore. For about a month straight or more I would wake up to the sound of her vomiting in our bathroom. It made me sad because I couldn't fully relate. She needed cereal before she got out of bed every morning because the emptier her stomach was, the more she felt sick and this is still true today.

Now we're entering the 2nd trimester at 14 weeks and it seems to be getting better. Our sex life still isn't what it used to be but I'm not worried about it. I know that she doesn't want me when she feels like she might get sick on me and of course that doesn't sound too appealing to me either. I'm nothing if not understanding and am trying not to complain when she needs me. This is good practice for when the baby comes and my time is demanded significantly more.

I weighed myself at the clinic when we went to hear the heartbeat last week, and my current weight is 202 pounds up from 188 pounds when she got pregnant. That's 1 pound a week, WOW, I couldn't believe it! Now that's what they call sympathy weight. I have noticed I have been finding comfort in food more now that she's eating more and it makes her feel better. Perhaps it's psychological... either way I think I'll need to watch what I eat and exercise a bit more to regulate it more.