I noted that all my three girls were born on Tuesday mornings, and Juggling Mother said, "All mine were born on a Sunday ...." It put me in mind of an old nursery rhyme:
Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go;
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for its living;
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.
There you go, Juggling Mother! Your kids are the best of the lot!
I must have been born on a Saturday.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Saadia pictures
This is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen!! Not that I'm biased, or anything ...
When presented with a baby photo, it is obligatory to say, "Aaaaw, how cute!" But you can tell the truth this time: she's an angel!
Now for some revised/additional information.
In my last post, I said that Saadia was not overdue after all, but I may have judged hastily. Saadia's weight, the condition of her skin, and the constitution of the amniotic fluid indicate that she was healthy and of average gestational age - approximately 40 weeks; however, the original date calculations and ultrasound estimate put her due-date at July 14th and 16th, respectively.
Calcifications in the placenta indicate that it may have been over-aged. A battledore insertion of the umbilical cord could possibly account for Saadia's birth weight, which would be considered lower than expected if she really gestated for 43 weeks and 3 days. (A battledore insertion is when the cord is attached marginally, at the edge of the placenta, rather than in the middle as is normal. It's usually not serious but it can slow the growth of the fetus.)
We had a successful home birth, attended by two registered nurse midwives and a midwife-in-training. Those ladies were terrific! They provided medical care and expertise to Michelle and Saadia through pre-natal visits. They offered advise and suggestions while respecting our informed decisions. They provided medical expertise and assistance during the labor and birth. They set up supplies and equipment, and stood by in case of any problems. They worked hard to make our goals a reality! They cleaned up afterward and monitored Michelle and Saadia for several hours after the birth. They also follow up post-natally, checking the health of both mom and baby. I can not say enough about how pleased and assured I felt, knowing that they were working to provide a safe and pleasant birth experience for us. Don't even contemplate having a home birth unassisted! I am grateful for the job they did.
Havilah and Simcha were with my parents during the labor and birth. They met their baby sister yesterday, and they adore her! Michelle will be in recovery for an indefinite period of time, so I am trying to train them to help out more. I am taking on more chores around the house.
Today I got home from a full day's work, took the girls grocery shopping, returned home and put the groceries away, cooked dinner, washed the dishes, got the girls ready for bed, read them a story, did two loads of laundry, got caught up with my e-mail, and wrote this blog post! Now it's after midnight, and I'll have to do everything again starting tomorrow at 6:30! Well, except for the grocery shopping - but there's still a lot of laundry to do.
I did a lot - but Michelle is dealing with more than I am. She needs rest after all her hard work. Saadia nurses every two hours - around the clock - sometimes for twenty or thirty minutes at a time. Michelle is getting less sleep than I am, and she needs it more than I do.
Did I forget anything? Oh, yeah - I quit the car business last week. More about my new job later.
When presented with a baby photo, it is obligatory to say, "Aaaaw, how cute!" But you can tell the truth this time: she's an angel!
Now for some revised/additional information.
In my last post, I said that Saadia was not overdue after all, but I may have judged hastily. Saadia's weight, the condition of her skin, and the constitution of the amniotic fluid indicate that she was healthy and of average gestational age - approximately 40 weeks; however, the original date calculations and ultrasound estimate put her due-date at July 14th and 16th, respectively.
Calcifications in the placenta indicate that it may have been over-aged. A battledore insertion of the umbilical cord could possibly account for Saadia's birth weight, which would be considered lower than expected if she really gestated for 43 weeks and 3 days. (A battledore insertion is when the cord is attached marginally, at the edge of the placenta, rather than in the middle as is normal. It's usually not serious but it can slow the growth of the fetus.)
We had a successful home birth, attended by two registered nurse midwives and a midwife-in-training. Those ladies were terrific! They provided medical care and expertise to Michelle and Saadia through pre-natal visits. They offered advise and suggestions while respecting our informed decisions. They provided medical expertise and assistance during the labor and birth. They set up supplies and equipment, and stood by in case of any problems. They worked hard to make our goals a reality! They cleaned up afterward and monitored Michelle and Saadia for several hours after the birth. They also follow up post-natally, checking the health of both mom and baby. I can not say enough about how pleased and assured I felt, knowing that they were working to provide a safe and pleasant birth experience for us. Don't even contemplate having a home birth unassisted! I am grateful for the job they did.
Havilah and Simcha were with my parents during the labor and birth. They met their baby sister yesterday, and they adore her! Michelle will be in recovery for an indefinite period of time, so I am trying to train them to help out more. I am taking on more chores around the house.
Today I got home from a full day's work, took the girls grocery shopping, returned home and put the groceries away, cooked dinner, washed the dishes, got the girls ready for bed, read them a story, did two loads of laundry, got caught up with my e-mail, and wrote this blog post! Now it's after midnight, and I'll have to do everything again starting tomorrow at 6:30! Well, except for the grocery shopping - but there's still a lot of laundry to do.
I did a lot - but Michelle is dealing with more than I am. She needs rest after all her hard work. Saadia nurses every two hours - around the clock - sometimes for twenty or thirty minutes at a time. Michelle is getting less sleep than I am, and she needs it more than I do.
Did I forget anything? Oh, yeah - I quit the car business last week. More about my new job later.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Saadia Kathleen ...
... was born today at 1:23 AM. On a Tuesday morning, just as her sisters were.
She is perfect in every way. She only weighs seven pounds, zero ounces - so she is not three weeks overdue, as we thought. Rather, she is a week early. Go figure!
We are wiped out. More details to come. And pictures.
She is perfect in every way. She only weighs seven pounds, zero ounces - so she is not three weeks overdue, as we thought. Rather, she is a week early. Go figure!
We are wiped out. More details to come. And pictures.
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