Coming up on 23 weeks this Wednesday and there's much to report about the pregnancy.
It's a BOY!
We'll have our boy and girl, really excited about having the pair. We've inherited some newborn boy clothes already which is fabulous. Vida has a strong connection to him already. She kisses my belly and hugs it and makes comments and observations about what it will be like when he's here.
The Name
His name will be Julian James ("JJ" if he prefers). Julian is a legacy name from my Dad's side of the family. Julian and James are both names of sweet, well-mannered boys that my DH and I know from our teaching days. When you're a teacher, student interactions can make a BIG impact on choosing a name for your baby.
Julian's Development
At 18 weeks, we had the anatomy scan and learned of 3 abnormalities:
SUA: Single Umbilical Arrtery-this can inhibit baby's growth
CPC: Cysts in the brain that typically resolve themselves by 30-32 wees and don't pose a concern
Cleft lip and possible the palate is involved: It's this one that concerns me the most.
The SUA has been fine, his measurements have been on target and I am booked for monthly ultrasounds. I already locked in the dates for September, October and November. Yup, I love to plan ahead and get the best times. Only 1% of normal pregnancies have SUA, it's more typical with twins or often linked to other issues but none of the other things that he has...I should really take this baby to Vegas. :-)
The Cleft issue is overwhelming. I had a mild cleft when I was born and it's hardly noticeable today. Still, I was wrought with guilt, any of my babies have a 4% chance of getting a cleft. I've done tons of research online and began the outreach too. DH and I will interview cranio-facial teams in the L.A. area. So far, I am most impressed by St. John's in Santa Monica. Julian will be born at UCLA with the same CNM team that Vida had. I have their full support to do a low intervention, natural birth. Also, if Julian is doing well, we will not have the neonatalogist team present. We'll call them in after an hour or so of bonding. I already met with the chief of the NICU and was grateful that my friend Rosie was able to accompany me for the added support.
We've also already met with a geneticist to rule out other issues and the amnio was not recommended. My mom told me that the geneticist we saw was the SAME one that did the amino on my mom when she was pregnant with me. How crazy is that?!?! The Dr. was much older than I expected, she must have been a pioneer in the field. She has to be at least 70. She was really wonderful.
The Nesting Syndrome:
First there's Craigslist: I got an amazing deal on the baby swing from the Fisher-Price Zen Collection, hardly used.
Etsy: I bought Santa Wool Longies and 2 swaddling blankets
Instead of a baby shower, I am going to have an ongoing Nesting Party...the idea is that I have a massive TO DO List in order to prep our 2-bedroom apartment for this new addition.
That's all for now...Vida has developed a new bedtime routine and we're still trying to work it out. It's been an experience and a post is in order.
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