Welcome Kai!

Shout for joy!!!

Kai Maddox Colvin is here!!!

Born on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 at 1:08pm weighing 8lbs 6oz. Everyone is resting and doing fine!! Labour was about 7 hours long, pretty intense at times, but went beautifully well. Rachel didn't need any stitches, Kai was nursed on his own less than an hour after birth.
Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.

It's my baby shower in AZ day!!!

Hi everyone in Arizona at my baby shower! Thanks for coming to celebrate my pregnancy with my mom. Wish I could be there with you...

I'm almost 34 weeks now. This is what my baby looks like:
How my baby's growing: My baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

How my life's changing: By this week, fatigue has set in again. My tiredness is perfectly understandable, given the physical strain I'm under and the restless nights of frequent pee breaks and tossing and turning, while trying to get comfortable. Now's the time where I need to slow down and save up my energy for labor day (and beyond)!

How I'm looking: (taken last night)

Starting to stick out there!

Pretty round and firm.

And I couldn't not put one in of my lovely husband...

Hope you ladies are having fun! I'll try calling again now...

32 Weeks!

How my baby's growing:

By now, my baby weighs 3.75 pounds and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in my uterus. I'm gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to my baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.

How my life's changing:

To accommodate my own and my baby's growing needs, my blood volume has increased 40 to 50 percent since I got pregnant. As my uterus is pushing up near my diaphragm and crowding my stomach, I often find I'm short of breath, and I can't eat a lot (at once).

I have some back pain, which I blame on my growing uterus and hormonal changes. My expanding uterus shifts my center of gravity and stretches out and weakens my abdominal muscles, changing my posture and putting a strain on my back. Hormonal changes in pregnancy loosen your joints and the ligaments that attach your pelvic bones to your spine. This is why it's so good to be married to a chiropractor, especially one that specializes in babies and pregnant mums (it seems-- they're always crowding his office!).


Below: Notice the baby bassinet in the corner. That's where our little bubba will sleep the first few months of his life! Underneath is my hospital suitcase, which I still haven't finished packing...

Third Trimester, already?!

I've been in my third trimester for a couple of weeks now. Crazy, eh?! Where did the time go?
This is what my baby looks like right now at 29 weeks...


How my baby's growing:
My baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, I need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, I need to find a good source of it (not cow's milk!) such as goat's or sheep's milk dairy products, green leafy veg (spinach, parsley, broccoli), garbanzo beans, brown rice, and some nuts and seeds (like sesame seeds)... to name a few. This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in my baby's hardening skeleton each day. In regards to nutrition, with the extra time on my hands at the moment, I've been focusing more on eating well. I made a chart of all the vitamins and minerals I should be getting every week, and the foods that I can get those nutrients from. I am then planning weekly meals around them to ensure I get everything I need!

How my life's changing:
My baby's very active now. Mark is often able to feel him kicking... even if we're hugging!

An old friend — fatigue - has returned. I don't like taking naps because I always feel there's more to do (although I do like the actual laying down in bed/napping/sleeping part), but lately I've been giving in. As much as I don't feel like sleeping is useful, I need more of it, and thankfully I am able to get it.

My growing uterus has also contributed to a haemorrhoid! I wasn't sure what it was at first, and in case you're not quite sure haemorrhoids are swollen blood vessels in your rectal area. They are common during pregnancy and usually clear up in the weeks after giving birth. Mine thankfully hasn't been itchy or painful, just sort of there. I'm supposed to avoid sitting or standing for long stretches (difficult!).

Some women get something called "supine hypotensive syndrome" during pregnancy, where laying flat on your back causes a change in heart rate and blood pressure that makes you feel dizzy until you change position. I think it's because the weight of the uterus is bearing down on a major artery. I actually don't get this too bad, but in general I've been a lot more uncomfortable when I'm trying to sleep. I'm using two pillows for my body, in varying positions, to accommodate my restless nights. I'm also working on moving slowly as I go from lying down to sitting and then standing.

I've been regularly working out at least 3 times a week, which has been great. I've also checked out some helpful book from the library, "Pregnancy Yoga," "Pregnancy Pilates," and "Aqua Yoga for Pregnancy." (Are my commas and period in the right place there?) The stretching has been really good.

It's fun actually looking pregnant, and having people take notice. Now I'm wondering how much bigger I'll get. Sometimes I feel huge, at other times I still feel quite small. I'm enjoying the challenge of getting dressed everyday. I can fit into most of my clothes still, it's a matter of finding something that looks cute on my growing bump!

I think I've been sitting too long now, so I'll let you go. Thanks for reading!

Not my baby!

Below I'm holding Piper Lee Loftis, who was then 9 days old! I think she's winking at the camera.

My belly at 28 weeks.

Mark was sneaking in some model shots =)

Week 28

Week 28! Can you believe it?! My friend Erika said that I'm finally looking my gestation. Photos of me to come soon, but first... my baby =)




By this week, my baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can open and close his eyes, which now sport lashes. This movement is more of a reflexive blink than a deliberate opening and closing.

Now, I received an a letter this week, with an interesting comment. They referred to someone having Braxton Hicks contractions as though that indicated an onset of labour. NOT TRUE. To dispell this myth, if you were under that impression...

What are Braxton Hicks contractions?

"Braxton Hicks contractions are sporadic uterine contractions that start about 6 weeks into your pregnancy, although you won't be able to feel them that early. You probably won't start to notice them until sometime after mid-pregnancy, if you notice them at all. (Some women don't.) They get their name from John Braxton Hicks, an English doctor who first described them in 1872.

As your pregnancy progresses, Braxton Hicks contractions tend to come somewhat more often, but until you get to your last few weeks, they'll probably remain infrequent, irregular, and essentially painless. Sometimes, though, Braxton Hicks contractions are hard to distinguish from early signs of preterm labor.

By the time you're within a couple of weeks of your due date, your contractions may get more intense and more frequent, and they may cause some discomfort. Unlike the earlier painless and sporadic Braxton Hicks contractions, which caused no obvious cervical changes, these contractions may help your cervix "ripen" — gradually soften and thin out (efface) and maybe even dilate a bit. This period is sometimes referred to as pre-labor."

I say this because I too have had numerous BH contractions (confirmed to me by a doctor), and when I told someone completely of a non-medical profession... they didn't believe me. But, there you have it. BH contractions can start at 6 weeks! Mine have been uncomfortable, but not really painful. It feels like my stomach is tightening, like a massive charlie horse coming on, but not to that painful extent. It makes my stomach rock hard... pretty weird.

I need to get ready for church, but photos of me to come soon!

26 weeks

Look how big my baby is!

How my baby's growing:

The network of nerves in my baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both my voice and Mark's as we chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. His testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

How I'm growing:

Can't really tell from the front, can you?! My breasts look different sizes, but they're really not. Not sure what they were doing in this photo...

Can't really tell from behind either.

But from the side... I finally have a bump!

Yaah!

With more clothes on, in our bedroom.

I'm wearing a belly band, a wonderful invention... lengthens any shirt.



The baby's room. Above the crib I plan on painting a 3-panel series, blue sky with butterflies on it. It will be nature-y and cute. And I'm hoping to make him a baby quilt, with blues and butterflies on it as well. Is it OK to have butterflies in a little boy's room?


The baby's room also serves as our office. We figure he doesn't need all that room, and he'll be sleeping in our room the first few months anyway!



Hmmm. So I'm enjoying my maternity leave, mostly just being able to relax more and spend more time with Mark. We never seem to get sick of each other. We always just really enjoy each other's company. I've still been very busy. There's been lots of paperwork stuff for me and Mark to catch up on. And there's always a million projects I want to do. I actually still haven't focused as much as I'd like to on the pregnancy, but it's slowly coming. I just joined a gym, and an 'Aqua Mums' class. That's pretty fun. Hopefully I'll make friends with some of them. It makes me feel more pregnant swimming around with other pregnant ladies. =) I wear my bikini and show off my beautiful belly. I feel the baby moving around loads these days. I guess I have for a while now. I love it. Mark feels him too. Overall I'm doing well. Can't complain. It's all been pretty easy. Thanks for your prayers.

I'm actually getting pretty tired-- too tired to focus on this, so I'll leave it for now. Hopefully you enjoyed it!

Love,

Rachel

We're having a boy!

We had our ultrasound yesterday. It was amazing! We're having a boy =) and we found out that I'm further along than we thought. The baby is now due Oct. 31st (plus or minus 7 to 10 days the guy said). Enjoy the images...

Yawning!

p.s. We're moving on Saturday. Please pray for a smooth transition! We're really excited. The house is a modern 'eco' house, complete with solar panels, double-glazing, and a garden with fruit trees and a compost pile.

Growing baby bump, week 18

Hello again! Just thought I'd show you more of the growing belly. I can still definitely pass for NOT being pregnant. However, those that know me can see that my bump is just starting to become noticeable if I'm wearing clothes that accentuate it.

Things have still been fine with the pregnancy. 'No dramas' as they say here in 'Stralia. I'm enjoying returned energy this trimester, as well as an increase in appetite. I have been craving & drinking loads of milk as well as bananas with an almond, brazil & cashew nut spread (since I can't have peanut butter).

The biggest news is that I am finally feeling the baby moving and kicking! Well, I'm finally recognizing it. I've actually been feeling it for a good few weeks, but wasn't positive what it was. Mark has been able to feel it as well =) Next week we go for the ultrasound, and we are very excited about that. We'll keep you updated.

Below I've thrown in some photos of our adorable cats. Bucky is holding her favourite today, a little tiger finger pupper that my mom sent for the baby. Oh well. It's Bucky's now! She's the baby of the family at this point anyway.

Week 16

Hello everyone! I can't believe I'm 16 weeks already (check the recently posted blog below for new belly photos). I have a midwife's visit this week, so that should be good. Then our ultrasound is in less than 3 weeks! Someone asked me why we've chosen to get only one ultrasound. Well... (segments taken from "Well Adjusted Babies" by Dr. Floreani)

Ultrasounds carry with them inherent side-effects and dangers. Many people say the risks are minimal and perhaps this is true, but the reality is that no one can definitely say what the effects of ultrasound are for a developing baby. The level of safety and efficacy of ultrasound has long been debated, although it seems to me that women are not made aware of this. They simply assume that ultrasounds are completely safe. I thought so until I did some reading on the subject. The World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine have issued statements that "women should NOT have scans WITHOUT CLINICAL REASON." Why?? Ultrasounds use sound waves or electric fields to produce the picture of the baby. A sound wave is capable of making a change that is either thermal, vibrational or mechanical in nature. It causes heat to be generated in body tissues and the tiny bubbles inside the tissue may vibrate in reaction to sound waves. Research shows that, "sound waves cause interference to nerve transmission with resultant pathology (tissue damage). This occurs in the presence of sound waves or electric fields in the frequency of 0.5 mHz to approximately 70 Hz. Concerns are therefore raised for ultrasound which has a frequency of 3.44 mHz, measured in watts or megawatts per square cm of tissue exposed. Ultrasounds are especially dangerous in the first trimester when cells are rapidly dividing and are undifferentiated. It is the thermal, vibrational and mechancial changes that occur with ultrasound that may potentially cause a mutation of these rapidly dividing cells, resulting in retardation or damage to foetal growth. Studies suggest ultrasound may cause an increased incidence of miscarriage, neurological deficits, developmental delays including delayed speech, and dyslexia. The International Childbrith Education Association has maintained that "Ultrasound is most likely to affect development (behavioural and neurological), blood cells, the immune system and a child's genetic make-up."

Now, having said this, I completely realize that ultrasounds can serve a good purpose, if used in moderation. Of course they are helpful in determining things like a multiple pregnancy, to confirm foetal viability, imminent misscarriage or death of foetus, to detect foetal abnormalities, to detect foetal masses or placental abnormalities, and to identify any other possible problems. What I do not think they are healthy to be used for are 'just to see the baby another time'. I'm sure it's amazing, and I'll let you know how ours goes. Like I said, we're getting ONE to determine the sex and any foetal abnormalities (so we could prepare our hearts and minds).

Now to some more lighthearted updates-

How my baby's growing:
At 4 1/2 inches long (head to bottom) and 3 1/2 ounces, my baby is about the size of an avocado. In the next three weeks, she'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling her weight and adding inches to her length. Her lower limbs are much more developed now. Her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved toward the front of her head. My baby's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of her more advanced body systems are working, including her circulatory system and urinary tract. Her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating her total blood volume through her body many times. (By the end of my pregnancy, this will increase to about 190 quarts.) The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, her eyes are moving (slowly), and she's even started growing toenails.

15 weeks, 5 days...

Well, I'm almost 16 weeks now, almost into my 5 month of pregnancy, but you couldn't tell. I'm getting a little belly, but I haven't gained any weight. It seems crazy that in 3 1/2 weeks we'll be going in for our first (and only) ultrasound! Yes, we decided to get just one, to determine the sex of the baby and to find out if it has down's or any other disorder/disability. We're excited to know the sex of the baby to mentally and physically prepare, and to make it easier on all you folks that might be sending gifts from overseas (as we couldn't easily return anything). Also, if the baby should have something out of the ordinary I would especially love the time to mentally prepare for that. A friend of a friend didn't have an ultrasound, and her baby did have down's (it was her 3rd child) and when the baby came out she was confused because she knew it didn't look right. And then it was just a bit of a shock. She still loved the baby, but it was difficult as she was unprepared for it.

Here's the baby at week 15:

About my baby... he or she now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If I shine a flashlight at my tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for my baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if I was to have an ultrasound this week, I might be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! Although, like I said, we're waiting a few more weeks.

Enjoy the pics below of my growing belly...

Notice it's a nice sunny autumn day here!

OK, I am SUPER excited about these jeans (as seen in all the photos above as well). They are my first official item of maternity clothes I have bought. I know many of you are thinking, "She's still so small, how could she need maternity jeans of all things?!" Well, I can still fit into my other pants, but they were getting snug. Everytime I sat down I would unbutton the top bottom and then akwardly and sneakily try to fasten everything back up when I got up in hopes that no one would notice. Enough of that. We went to an outlet store in Melbourne last weekend (with our new-found car freedom!) and I decided to just try some maternity jeans on. Well, when I put these on I seriously felt like I was in Heaven. OK, not really, but you get the drift. They are that much more significantly comfortable. The price tag said $70 and although I never spend that much on clothes, I was prepared to for these jeans because they are just that much darn comfortable. When we got to the check out, they rang up $20!!! I was ELATED all day. I love a good bargain =) I'm also pleased I bought them now instead of waiting until I really really needed them, because I'll get that much more wear out of them (I've worn them everyday since!).

Notice you can wear the strechy fabric bit at the top over your tummy as a tummy warmer (which I love) or you can stylishly fold that bit down.

Hooray for comfy pants =)