Wednesday, September 10, 2008

I don't want to know


Yes, I do! No, I don't! *ARGH!*
We went in for our 19 week ultrasound this afternoon and all was great! It's amazing just how much the technician can actually see! Our technician showed us everything from the cute little fingers and toes, to the four chambers of the baby's heart! (The fetal heart rate is now down to 147 from 176-178 in the first ultrasound and 154 in the second ultrasound). The kidneys and other organs were easy for her to point out (yet, I had no idea what I was looking at!). Hubby, having some knowledge of these things, was really enthusiastic and oooh-ing and ahhh-ing along with the tech. Hubby always thinks it's so neat to see the wee one do all those kicks and punches, and sway his/her head from side to side (as though he/she is training for kickboxing or something)!

When we found out we were expecting, Hubby and I decided early on that we did not want to know if we were having a boy or a girl. We knew that no matter what sex the baby is, we would love him or her all the same.

Usually I like to be in control of everything. I like to know what is going on at all times and I like to be prepared. Oh, I wasn't always like this. I used to be pretty laid back and extremely easy going. As I get older, I feel like I've become a bit of a control freak. This is why I thought I'd be obsessed with all the planning and absolutely need to find out the sex of the baby so we could decorate the baby's room accordingly and purchase all the clothing according to the baby's gender. For some reason, I'm on the fence on this one. I'm neither freakishly obsessive (don't ask Hubby though, because he might say the opposite!) nor am I all laissez-faire about the pregnancy and the baby.

Well, we are decorating the baby's room in a pretty neutral/non-gender specific motif (yellows and greens). Here are a couple baby room ideas I was thinking of. Of course we have to include a farm theme! We live on a farm! :) Baby's gotta know what a heifer, steer, cow and bull are! There are beef cattle and dairy cattle. Oh, and Baby's most certainly got to learn that not all cattle are cows! Since Hubby really wasn't pressing to find out the sex, I went along with it. I have to say that I have been dying to know though! I've been having dreams of the baby being a boy. Dreams that to the point they almost feel real! However, every now and then I think it just may be a girl.

Today, the baby was moving quite a bit and we didn't end up finding out the sex of the baby anyway. Perhaps it's a sign that we're not supposed to find out and that "Junior" wants to surprise us in a few months!

**Oh, thanks to all our friends and family who have joined our baby pool! We are getting a kick out of all your predictions on the baby's sex, weight, length, and birth date! I must say that some of you shocked me when you predicted that I'd be giving birth to an 8+ lb baby! GAH!!! That's scary huge! I was 5 lb. 6 oz. when I was born! Ooooh...I am soooo dreading delivery day! LOL!
Here are the stats so far:

Statistics
:
Gender:
10 Boy (50%)
10 Girl (50%)

20 Total


Average Length: 20.64 in



Average Weight: 7.61 lbs



Hair:
0 Bald (0%)
12 Black (60%)
0 Blond (0%)
8 Brown (40%)
0 Red (0%)


Eyes:
2 Blue (10%)
16 Brown (80%)
1 Green (5%)
0 Gray (0%)
1 Hazel (5%)

If you'd like to join in on the baby pool fun and we haven't sent you the link already, please e-mail us or leave a comment here and we'll send you the link :) **

23 comments:

Rosie : ) said...

It is pretty amazing what they can see with the ultrasound. I think my favorite part was when the technician zoomed into the heart. It was such a beautiful thing to see it beating so quickly and to realize that it was inside you! I have to admit, though, that I liked the brain and the spine too. All perfectly formed at such a tiny age. :)

As for the baby pool, you can send me an email, I'll join in too. :)

Quick question though: How big was your hubby at birth ?

Unknown said...

Rosie:
I think he was 5 lbs 8 oz or 5 lbs 9 oz. We were both pretty tiny :) That's why I'm hoping (okay, PRAYING!) that I don't deliver some mammoth sized baby! LOL! Ouch!

Anonymous said...

Glad the U/S went well. I have my big 3 hour gestational diabetes test tomorrow, since my blood sugar was elevated in the 1 hour one. I am not looking forward to it...

I actually prefer bigger babies...they seem more sturdy. Teeny little ones make me nervous! Zoë was 8lb3oz at birth (no tears!)and I loved how solid she was!

We also do not find out the gender...we loved the surprise with Zoë,and are excited for it again. Really, it is not so hard to plan. Most of the big things (furniture, car-seat, stroller) are usually gender neutral anyways (and should be, if you want to use them for more kids), and it is pretty easy to add some girly or boyish accessories to a neutral nursery and make it more specific right away. As for clothes, you only need a few gender neutral sleepers...once gifts and hand me downs come in and you get shopping...it's all good. Zoë was the girliest girl ever by the time she was 2 weeks old!

Before you get a fancy crib set, make sure you'll use it. Bumper pads are not considered safe, and are considered a SIDS risk, as are quilts. Public health, the Coroner's Office, and all SIDS authorities advice against bumper pads in a crib. Thats why we just get cute cotton sheets(that is all you need or should have in a baby's crib) that co-ordinate with the decor.

I think you are having a boy.

Ms. Mamma said...

Chrissy- This is exciting stuff! You have my extreme admiration for holding fast to not finding out the sex of the bambino! Seriously, it would be cool if the little angel was born on my birthday! XO

Unknown said...

Fancy:
Thank you :) I hope your GD test goes okay today. Looking forward to hearing the results. I'm sure you'll be fine :)

I was thinking of what you said re: bigger babies. I thought about that too. Bigger babies do seem sturdier :) I guess I'm just such a wuss when it comes to pain that I imagine a bigger baby being really hard to push out. I know...a bit melodramatic here. I guess if our baby is 8 lbs+, I'll have no choice! Baby's gotta come out somehow!

I always meant to ask you if you had a C-section or a vaginal birth. I guess you answered my question. How was Zoe's birth? Was it pretty much a textbook birth with no complications? Questions, questions! :)

P.S. Thanks SO MUCH for the heads up re: fancy crib set! My SIL mentioned that to me too. SIDS is really scary!

Unknown said...

Ms.Mamma:
Hello, my lovely! First off, congrats again on your latest achievement! I think that is sooooooooo cool...and soooooo well deserved! You totally rock, chiquita!

Yeah, well the not finding out the gender part was hard for me. "Junior" had ideas of his/her own anyway, and didn't cooperate much, so I guess it is meant to be a surprise! :)

I can't wait to have our own little one! I love the relationship you have with SF! There's nothing more precious than that!

Tracy said...

I think you're having a girl...there! I said it! :)

I would love for you to write a post on the difference between a heifer, a steer, a cow and a bull. Inquiring minds want to know!

Anonymous said...

i think your having a boy because the heart rate is pretty low. i don't know if thats just an old wives tale but was pretty acurate with all three of my kids. 140 and lower, boy and higher than 140, girl. or so i've been told. who knows it its' real but it's fun to guess!

cute colors and theme! i like!

Cherry said...

I'm so glad to hear that the Ultrasound went well. I do agree that finding out the sex at the birth is one of life's only true surprises, but man I'd be dying to know!
I'm not much of a romantic though. I wonder if my hubby would want to know....In the past he has said he'd want to know but if it were presented to him as an option I wonder if he'd say he'd rather wait.

Anonymous said...

I could not wait!!! Autumn was always napping butt up on ultrasound days. I had six of them til finally it was revealed she was a girl. haha I love the room ideas. The green acres one was way cute :) Good luck to you as always my dear. xoxo

Anonymous said...

Honsetly, pushing a baby out is hard and is gonna hurt, big or small. It is really the labour that is the worst, not the pushing. By then you are so ready to get the baby out! Unless your baby is on the extreme side (like 4lbs, or 10lbs) I doubt the size of the baby will make that big a difference in how much it hurts. Preperation, support and pain management (meds or natural) will make a bigger differce.

Zoë was induced due to my high blood pressure, and I also had an epidural due to the high BP (epidurals bring BP down fast), so I did not go have too difficult a labour or delivery. It was about 14 hours, and I pushed her in about 40 minutes. No complications, no rips or tears. I am planning natural this time (well, I was last time too, but my blood pressure got in the way) so I'll let you know in a few months just how much it hurts.

My SIL has had 3 natural. Her largest tear was with her smallest baby!

Yeah, crib sets are crazy. I don't really even know why they sell them anymore...I guess because people still buy them. I would prefer if the peices were all sold seperately, so people could buy what they'll use and still have the matching look they are going for. I am not personally into matchy matchy stuff anyways...so a cute color coordinated room works for me perfectly.

I should know about the GD in a few days. The 3 hour test was NOT FUN< but it's over.

Anonymous said...

Chris do you have a gift registry? Just want to know what you guys need for the baby. I work near a whole whack of baby and kids stores so the tempatation to go baby stuff shopping is almost unbearable. So many cute things for babies out there

J said...

I've heard that the baby tends to follow the mom in size, so I'm guessing she won't be too big (the she is 'cause I like girls!). I was 5'3", but premie. Maya was 7'4", which is average, but she wasn't premie. She was two weeks late. So I'm guessing a girl, 7'2", and length? I don't know. Let's go with 19.5", K?

I always thought I didn't want to know the sex of the baby...wanted to be surprised and all...but when the time came, I just felt like I wanted to know EVERYTHING THERE WAS TO KNOW about this sweet little person inside of me. So they told us it was PROBABLY a girl, though sometimes a boy will trick you in those ultrasounds.

In other words, neutral is a safe color palate. I love both of the ones you posted, by the way. VERY cute.

J said...

Oh, and I just read your comments...I hadn't heard about baby bumpers being dangerous. Hmmm. We just made sure that Maya's were always tied down TIGHT. The information keeps changing as they find out more and more, doesn't it?

Anonymous said...

Jelly, it is not that new. I started hearing about it before I had my daughter (who is 5 and a half). Public Health has been advising against them for a long time...it is just getting more commonly known now. I knew back then because I work with Public Health, and always am getting their most up to date literature, etc...

If you DO use a bumper pad...it is safer if they are tied very tightly, in the corners and along the sides of the crib, both at the top and the bottom of the pad. Also, smaller thinner pads are safert han the thick plushy ones. HTH!

Here is a good article about it:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/legislation/pol/bumper-bordure-eng.php

Deb said...

i love the room theme you two have chosen! and I can't imagine how difficult it is not to know whether or not you are going to have a girl or a boy! i would have to know! good for you, though. the excitement you guys feel must be so wonderful.

Rosie : ) said...

With all the pregnancies I've had, I actually have to admit a few things.

First thing I noticed was that it doesn't really matter what the baby's size was, but more the shape of the head. My smallest baby was 5lbs7oz and my biggest was 8lbs. The longest labour was for the tiny baby, for a few reasons. Yes, she had a wide head, but being tiny is not necessarily a good thing.

Think of it this way: If your uterus has to push out this baby, and it only has a little pea-size thing to push on, compared to if it was the size of a basketball, which one do you think would come faster? Bigger babies let the uterus have more "grip" on the baby, hence it seems like there are less contractions and/or each contraction brings the baby closer to it's fresh air faster.

Another seeming factor is your womanly shape. From the experiences of my friends and family memebers, it seems that when you are curvy {ie wide hips, short torso}, you birth canal is narrower. When you are narrower shaped {ie you have longer legs, longer torso} your birth canal is like a straight shot. Sorry if it's TMI, my friend, but it just seems that less-curvy = better births. I am thinking of this tiny woman who had a belly like a beach ball, delivered her baby in under an hour and fit in her jeans right after! Grrr... {jealous, yup!} Or my gorgeous tall cousin who's babies almost fell out. Even though they wer almost 10 pounds! Or my neighbour, tall and leggy who barely made it to the hospital.

Although, my most "interesting" births were very special. And, they prepared me for the fact that all my children are born different and will have such different personalities. :)

This is just from observation and my experiences. If anyone has a different opinion, please do share! I'm all about learning. :)

Seriously though C, your birth will be perfect because of the following reason : it is your baby. It doesn't matter in the end, it will be wondrous. :)

This brings me to debunk a certain myth. Labour pains are not "forgotten". They just become so inconsequential after you hold your little bundle, that the pain just doesn't matter. I remember thinking {and telling my hubby} for every labour after the first one :"Oh, God! I have to hurt like this again? Am I crazy?Why didn't you tell me I ahd to do this again?" {see the rationality fly out the window with labour? heehee}But the minute the baby was in my arms, I would look lovingly at my hubby and tell him :"Ok, so the next one is coming when...?" It's all about perspective. ;)

Unknown said...

Starshine:
I'm working on getting Hubby to "guest post" for me! Maybe he'll tell you what the differences between a heifer, steer, bull and cow are!

Hot Mommy:
I've heard about that too.

Unknown said...

Cherry:
That's exactly how I feel! It really is one of life's true surprises, but I am so dying to know! LOL!

AM:
Tee hee! :) Thanks, hot stuff! xo

Unknown said...

Fancy:
Wow! Thanks for the heads up re: crib sets!

Hope all goes well with the GD test :) The waiting for the results is probably really hard. I hate the "not knowing" part. Anyway, enjoy your weekend! xo

T:
Yes, I do. I'll e-mail you the info :)

Unknown said...

J:
Thanks! You know, I always love your comments!! :)

Funny you mentioned the things always changing. My Mom and I were talking about the "proper" way to put a baby down to bed. Do you put the baby on its side? Back? Tummy? When my little brother was born, the nurses said to put the baby on his tummy. Now, I heard that you're not supposed to do that because the baby's not strong enough to lift its head and can suffocate.

Then, my Mom said if you put the baby on its back, what if it throws up? Won't it swallow its vomit and choke on it?

I've got tons of questions to ask in my prenatal class. I've signed us up for classes. I don't know if I mentioned that to Hubby yet or not! LOL!

Unknown said...

Deb:
I know! A few of my friends who are pregnant also asked me that! They said they absolutely want to know so they can be prepared and know how to decorate the baby's room. I also think the knowing what you're having, like what J said is part of the wanting to know everything about the baby. I feel that way too, and think that with #2 (if we have another baby later on) we might find out.

Rosie:
Again, you make a lot of sense!! :) Hey, I got your e-mail. I'll try to shoot off an e-mail to you later today. xo

louann said...

Oh C! I am so excited for you!!! I think your nursery will look absolutely great!

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City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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