The grand debut

Here she is, our tiny bundle of joy,
Megumi-Helena LeAnne Henri.  It was a six hour non-epidural induced delivery with two gynecologists, a student midwife and two midwives together with my fiance who assisted me during the whole process.

Was it painful? I'd say I could not remember having the same pain with our little man and it took twice as long but it sure was worth it!

Finally she's here!  All those months of waiting is over, but somehow it still feels so surreal and yet she's so visibly perfectly beautiful and palpable to us.

Glucose level
Mine was okay during delivery. They checked hers as well an hour after she fed.  It was kind of low so they gave her extra milk and repeated the same test on her three times which came returned normal levels and they decided to stop pricking her poor tiny heel with those lancet needles.

Breastfeeding went smoothly the first time as well but last night she had a lot of cramps and we had to change her diaper for times from meconium.  She couldn't sleep well and so I took her in with me in bed.  She latched on and fell asleep from 5 this morning until now! A good three hours of sleep and counting!

Delivery Aftermath

My whole body is sore right now especially down there.  Muscles are aching badly and I only slept a few few hours, but I'm glad I get to open my eyes and see that our baby girl is not just a dream anymore!

What's in a name?
We wanted to give her a name that was meaningful to us.  I have always wanted Megumi for its origin and meaning.  It is of Japanese origin ( it suits or little man's name) that means blessing because indeed she is a blessing to us.  Helena is her late great grandmother's name.  Before we started with this last IVF cycle, we visited her at her resting place and asked her for help.  So we believe that she's a blessing from her - from the heavens above.  Her second and third name is to honor  her godmother (my cousin) and godfather (her grandfather).

Le Moment Suprême

This is it! Our le moment suprême, the moment of truth, the grand debut...

I stressed myself out which ended in one sleepless night.  It was not so smart but it is a very human reaction.

So now we're in the delivery room, well I'm sitting in the toilet right now. That nasty small enema they gave me stings but it worked out pretty fast. Meanwhile daddy is doing all the paperworks for us.  Lola and lolo will soon come this afternoon and some friends will come visit as well if all goes well.

This is day one of our long weekend at the general hospital in Bruges.  Let the baby come already so we can enjoy the rest of our stay in here and forget about the whole labor process.

Playpen

Just today my boys installed the baby's playpen together.  It includes a complete cover set of Quax Theodore set.

Our now 3200 gram baby can now come but I am not dilated yet so that'll will have to wait.  I will have another appointment with the doctor next Friday and if it will not come spontaneously, they will induce the labor on either the third or the fourth.  So no long overdue pregnancies for us.

38 Weeks along with

Last week

We completed our 3D magical journey ultrasound.  It is unbelievable how far we are now and how fast time actually went by.  It is a wonder how our tiny Eskimo develops fast in a matter of weeks.  Our last 3D amazingly shows how it looks like a real baby already.  I am in love with it already!

Now

We are two weeks away from our due date. We are almost there but not quite yet.

Our little man asked me this afternoon when this picture was taken and where...

And I replied with a smile and a thought of relief, "that was taken in the same day when the doctor transferred our tiny Eskimo in my womb.  Also the same day when we drove hours to light a candle and pray at the holy ground of Banneux for this baby. And lastly it is the very same day when we went out for a weekend break at Centerparcs to celebrate your 7th birthday together with the people who loves and cares about you the most!"

The little man then smiled and said, "I still remember that day. It was a lovely day."

Recalling all of that makes me feel grateful.  This is one miracle I never thought would ever happen to me again.  We are blessed.

Baby bump

We took this picture to remind us of how big my bump was during the last weeks...

It is humongous isn't it?

Baby Armani

I have been looking everywhere for an Armani pacifier and I finally found it! Yay!  Best thing of it all is it was on 70% discount! Lol.  Along with it I also bought our baby its baptism outfit from First Baby and another complete outfit from Armani baby as well but a few sizes bigger.

6 More Weeks To Go

The holiday season is here and starting now it'll go by really fast.  I guess like most moms, I'm so excited to see our baby.  To finally get to hold it and shower it with love but on top of that, my tummy is getting really big and heavy.  I waddle like duck when I go out for a short walk and my back hurts a lot as well.

So what's up with us? Nothing much really.  Our child's great grandfather bought her/him an Aerosleep mattress.  It is not just your ordinary foam mattress but, it is designed to be breathable and safe for baby.  That means that the chance of SIDS is minimal!  The mattress comes with a washable breathable mattress protector.  In addition to that, his/her great grandfather bought a compatible mattress cover as well.

Yes the mattress itself costs €159 euro already!  I know there are cheaper alternatives to that, like buying a complete set of cot or getting a cheaper mattress or worse let the baby sleep in her/his parents' bed so you don't have to spend on anything (lol).  However, I think it is OUR personal choice.  For others having baby might be as easy as changing clothes but it is not like that for us.

I don't think our child is not worth to have what's best for it just because others see other people not caring where their child would sleep.

Anyway bompa (great grandfather) said that because he bought the same gift for Elias, there is no reason for him not to buy our child the same thing.  

We are more than thankful for the gift.

29 Weeks Along

We are now 29 weeks along and by far I'm having a "healthier" diet to stabilize the sugar level in my blood.  That being said means that I am not only eating three times a day but almost every hour to prevent a drastic drop of bloodsugar in my body.  My meals would usually consist of: two slices of 10 grained-brown bread with strawberry jam or meusli with dried fruits and a yogurt to mix it with. A piece of fruit an hour later and maybe a fiber-rich cookie depending on how low my bloodsugar is. Then there's lunch that is either a cold pasta salad with veggies, smoked salmon and shrimps or just a regular sandwich with a homemade chocolate paste and then something light in between to bridge dinner which usually consists of a portion of meat, carbohydrates and veggies and a yogurt or a glass of chocolate milk just before we go to sleep.

Yup, I eat more now! Before, my first meal wouldn't start until 2pm and that'd be mostly a piece of toblerone to keep my sugar level high again. O.o I'm just so used of eating a meal a day because I hate eating alone.  But this baby changed all of that because I want him/her to be as healthy as possible.

On a different matter, we went for our third 3D ultrasound but we didn't get to see much of our little Eskimo.  He/she was all curled up like a ball! Uhuh, both its legs were up its head. Most amazing thing was it seemed like it was sleeping comfortably that way because I tried moving up, down and sideways but it could not be bothered at all.  We saw it yawning, kicking back the ultrasound, lots of hair, baby love handles and yes it is still the same baby as it was during our previous ultrasounds but with more body fat that fills the cheeks and everywhere else.

So, 11 more weeks to go and we'll finally be able to hold you!

29 weeks 

29 weeks

26 weeks Gestational Diabetes

On our 24th week, I had to do a glucose test as an S.O.P.  The week there after the hospital called to inform me that I have to do another glucose test because the first test turned out to be positive.

First test

It was complicated. I only had to drink a glucose syrup and wait for an hour.  I was advised not to walk around though.   An hour later the nurse took some blood sample and I was allowed to go home.

Second test

I was not allowed to eat anymore from midnight but I was allowed to drink water.  They took a blood sample when I arrived and afterwards I had to drink they same glucose syrup they have me the first time. They took a blood sample after an hour and another an hour after the second blood work.  Then they released me.

That turned out to be positive and the doctor said that it is possible that it will go away after pregnancy but that in most cases it will come back. In some cases diabetes stays even after pregnancy.

Effect on the baby

There is a chance that the baby will be overweight which will stay even until adulthood.

What now?

An appointment is scheduled for us to meet the endocrinologist and afterwards with the dietician this Wednesday.  So I suppose they will explain to us what we should do and how we cope up with it.

As of now our baby is estimated to weigh 3600gram at the end of 40 weeks and a length around 50 - 75 cm.

Above 4 kilogram would be considered overweight in a baby depending on the height during birth of course. So the doctor assured us that we shouldn't worry about it. Our baby is healthy and is growing beautifully but, I don't want to end up diabetic at all and not even in a later stage of my life...