Checked in

The three of us are all settled into our hospital room awaiting induction. We have snacks, pillows and card games. It kind of feels like camping...only surrounded by machines, weird smells, needles and wires. For now we will take it easy for the night and will begin the process of labor in the early morning.

June 27th!

It’s late.  I want to sleep but my uncomfortable body is competing with my anxiety in a successful attempt to keep me up all night.  I should have no problem sleeping at this point because there is nothing left to do.  Bags are packed, plans are organized, maternity leave in effect, house is ……kinda clean?  I fell asleep for a short while, only to be awakened by the sound of a helicopter hovering over our house. It took me about 20 minutes to realize the “helicopter” was actually our beside fan.  My contractions are getting stronger and more noticeable, but are not following any frequency I can measure.  My back hurts and I feel dizzy, could this be the start of labor?  My induction date is this coming Wednesday (6/27) but it could be anytime now.  I’m ready.

We have everything we need and I am so touched by the support and generosity of everyone in our lives.  Our family and friends have given so much and so freely.  I am so humbled by this and cannot wait until it is our turn to give back. 

I’m so excited to meet this little girl.  I have come to know her so well as she twists and turns inside by body.  She isn’t getting much sleep tonight either. 

I will keep everybody updated on our journey ahead!

Much love,

Melissa

Getting Close!

Getting close! I’m 37 weeks and little Alessandra is now a full term.  This is such a HUGE relief for me.  I went into labor prematurely when I was 7months pregnant with Bailey.  Fortunately, with the help of medicine and 2 agonizing months of bed rest… labor ceased and I was able to carry her to term.  Premature labor was a fear of mine this entire pregnancy but it is now one less thing to worry about.

I am dilated 1.5 centimeters and am carrying the baby super low. She’s almost ready!  My original due date was the 4^th of July, but it looks like I will be induced at 39 weeks, making my due date sometime in the final week of June.  At my appointment last week Alessandra was measuring at about 5.5 pounds and I’m hoping she will be over 7 pounds by the 39^th week.  This is my excuse for eating 9 meals a day plus ice cream.

So far everything is still going really well.  Alessandra’s heartbeat is strong and she is growing exactly as she should be.  She kicks and stretches constantly and now that she’s bigger those sharp movements can really hurt.  If we didn’t know about her cardiac issue, we wouldn’t have any indication that her health was compromised.  She is progressing exactly as she should.

I have my final appointment (as a pregnant lady) with the cardiologist tomorrow.  I’m praying that her heart will look the same if not better than last month.  The last echo showed that she did not have a significant amount of fluid around her heart, which is great news.  Too much fluid could indicate possible heart failure.  I’m also hoping we can get a clearer view of her pulmonary arteries to confirm that the blood flow is adequate.  I am crossing my fat, swollen fingers that this appointment goes well!!

~Melissa

Alessandra Rose Sachet

It took some time to decide on our baby's name.  We wanted to pick a strong name that meant something.... but instead we decided with one that we think sounds pretty.  Not a big story behind this name, I just love the way it sounds: Alessandra Rose :)