Adelyn Anna

Adelyn Anna was born on July 19th at 11:50 a.m. via waterbirth. She weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 20.5" long. We fall more and more in love with her every day. To see the full birth story go HERE.

5 days to go

Over the next 3 days, the last of the vernix (the creamy protective substance on the surface of Adelyn's skin) will begin to disappear. The sutures or spaces between the bony plates of Addie's skull are called fontanels, which mean "little fountains," because the pulse of her bloodstream can be easily felt by touching them. The best known of the fontanels is the "soft spot" on the top of baby's head. 

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Mommy is continuing to walk for exercise and practice her breathing and relaxation exercises. Our appointment today revealed that Amy is 3cm dilated, 50% effaced and Adelyn is in a head-down position.

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"Happy is he that is happy in his children." ~Thomas Fuller

6 days to go

Adelyn's skull is not fully solid. it is made up of five large bony plates that are still separated and can be pushed together, which they will be during birth.

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During these last few weeks in the womb, Adelyn continues to receive one of the most important ingredients for survival from Amy's blood, from the placenta, and also from the amniotic fluid (which is swallowed periodically): disease-combating antibodies that will provide an immunity to a wide range of illnesses.

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Amy is trying to keep busy, but not to push herself too much right now. She's trying to rest, eat well and take care of herself as Adelyn's birthday approaches.

39 weeks
Total Weight Gained: +3 lbs

10 days to go

The lanugo (downy hair that once covered Adelyn's body) is disappearing. If any of the lanugo remains by birth, it will be found on her shoulders, forehead & neck.

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Amy has been experiencing some "true labor" contractions, but still not close enough together to head to the hospital. The pressure builds in her uterine muscles and reaches a peak that lasts 30 to 50 seconds or so. Then the pressure disappears rapidly. It feels like a bad menstrual or intestinal cramp, accompanied by a backache. Definitely warming up to the big event!

11 days to go

From about this point, Adelyn will gain about 1/2 oz of fat each day she stays in Amy's uterus.

The muscles at the top of Amy's uterus apply a force comparable to a weight of 55 lbs during each contraction. This shows how much force must be applied to resistant muscles to open the cervix and push the baby out of the uterus during birth.

Mommy's 38 week appointment yesterday showed that she is dilated to 2 cm, is 50% effaced/thinned & Adelyn is (finally) in a (-1) station! Could be any day; could be a few more weeks.

"The toughest thing about raising kids is convincing them that you have seniority." ~Anonymous

13 Days to Go

Contrary to popular understanding, human gestation actually requires 9.5 months, not nine. These last 2 weeks are part of that additional period.

Over the next few days, Adelyn's skin will become thicker and paler.

Amy has been having off and on contractions for a couple weeks now, but never less than 10 minutes apart & they fizzle out after a few hours. At her last midwife appointment, she was dilated 1.5 cm, was 30% effaced/thinned, but Adelyn's head was not yet engaged (which sometimes doesn't happen with the second baby until right before labor).

38 weeks; Total Weight Gained: +1 lb

31 Days to Go

Adelyn's gums are now ridged and may look at first like teeth are about to erupt.

During labor, the amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby equalizes the pressure of the contractions, so one part of the baby's body is not pressed more than another. The amniotic fluid also prevents contractions from interfering with the blood flow from the placenta to the baby.