Jillian Catherine

It's a girl!

Jillian Catherine was born on February 27, 2008 at 6:11 a.m. She weighed 7 lbs 11 ounces, and was 21 inches long.

I'm not able to post much, since I'm just stopping by the house to pick up some things for the stay at the hospital. But, rest assured that Heather and Jillian are doing great.

Photos and stories coming soon!

41-week Photo

This is it!!!

This is the last day before little Baby Woodruff appears to the world. Heather is here in front of R. A. Long High School, where she graduated in 1991.

Heather has said that the last 41 weeks have flown by, and now she is more than ready for BW to be born. We are very excited for tomorrow! It might be hard getting to sleep tonight.

I'll try to post all the details as soon as we get back from the Birth Center ... so stay tuned!

Passing Time

It's a strange place to be, knowing that Baby Woodruff will be born on Monday at the latest, but could come along at any time before that ... for sure the sooner, the better. So, we've been doing what we can to help things along, namely going for a long walk each day, trying to get little BW to settle further down and jumpstart labor. The walks might actually be doing something, since Heather says that the heaviness increases, and there might even be some mild contractions (that feel like crampiness). We've got only a couple more days now, so we'll be putting in a couple more miles of walking ... and we'll see what happens.

Countdown

After the latest doctor appointment today, we now know that Baby Woodruff is going to be arriving within the next 5 days, but not later than Monday, February 25th.

The weekly exam with Dr. Zawacki started right off with a check inside to see BW's progress downward. The doctor said that the baby had moved even further down, and that she could feeel the head "right there". She said that Heather had also dilated up to about 2 cm now. And for good measure, she stripped some more membranes (which Heather said had prompted some small contractions). The doctor finished up with a test for leakage of amniotic fluid, in case the water had broken (but this later came back negative).

Dr. Zawacki did express the opinion that she felt that labor could begin any moment, considering what she saw and the fact that Heather would be 41-weeks along tomorrow. She suggested scheduling induction next week, which would give little BW a little more time to make a move.

So, unless labor begins on its own in the next few days, we will be going to the SWMC Birth Center at 7:00 am on Monday, February 25th!

40-week Photo

Here is the 40-week photo of Heather, Baby Woodruff and Adam! They are enjoying the nice, sunny day outside ... though it was so bright, Little Man could have used a pair of sunglasses for this shot.

The February 15th due date has come and gone, and now we are taking it day by day. Not much has happened to indicate that labor is going to start any time soon, so we are looking forward to the doctor appointment on Wednesday to let us know where things stand. All Heather knows is that BW is continuing to grow!

Overtime

Unless something dramatic happens in the next day or two, it looks like little Baby Woodruff is planning on an extended stay inside Heather, since the due date is this Friday (February 15th).

We made our weekly trip to see Dr. Zawacki today. The usual tests came out good, with both Heather's blood pressure normal, and BW's heartbeat right around 130 bpm. Then the doctor checked to see how things were progressing inside. She mentioned that the cervix was farther forward than last week, but not quite dilated enough to reach 1 cm (so, just a little less). The doctor did manage to strip some membranes, so we'll see if that helps.

The next appointment is scheduled for next Wednesday, though Dr. Zawacki said she hopes to see us before then (at the birth center)!

39-week Photo

Any time now!

Here's the 39-week photo of Heather and Baby Woodruff standing in front of the Family Birth Center at Southwest Washington Medical Center, where the upcoming birth of little BW will take place.

We were at the hospital this past weekend, getting some last minute information and instruction at a Labor & Birth Class sponsored by the hospital. We were in there with instructor Martha and six other couples. It was very good and we learned a lot (maybe too much in my case) about available intervention techniques, breathing and relaxation methods, and post-partum. We are as ready as we are ever going to be.

Last Work Day

After working right up to the 39th week of pregnancy, Heather finally called it quits today. She had hoped to keeping working right up close to the delivery, but the back pain and exhaustion she felt after Tuesday's late shift made her mind up for her. So now, Heather is spending some relax time at home, enjoying whatever sleep she can get before Baby Woodruff arrives.

A Look Inside

At the most recent check-up, Dr. Zawacki wanted Heather to go to the hospital the next day for an ultrasound. Being at 39-weeks along, she wanted to make sure that BW had enough amniotic fluid for the next week or two.

So today, we made the trip to SWMC. The ultrasound technician, Michelle, had worked with Heather in X-ray a few years back. Michelle lubed up Heather's tummy, and started probing around. BW had been sleeping, but woke up with all the poking going on. First to get looked at was the cranial measurement, followed by the leg and arm ... and she also checked out the heart and bladder (which was full). She tried to get a good look at baby's face, but BW was being a shy baby, keeping an arm in the way the whole time.

Everything was in normal limits, including the amniotic fluid. The measurements did show that this might be a bigger-than-average baby ... the current reading was 8 lbs 2 ounces. And that's with 1 or 2 weeks to go! She also measured BW's gestational age at 39 weeks 1 day, so we are right on target there.

Still Waiting

Heather and Baby Woodruff went to see Dr. Zawacki yesterday for the weekly check-up. Getting within 2 weeks of the due date, the doctor wanted to find out whether anything was happening inside to indicate that baby was on the way out. Well, it looks like BW plans on staying in the cozy confines of Heather's tummy for a while longer, since there was basically no dilation or effacement. The doctor did say that she would only wait up to 41 weeks, after which she would induce labor ... so Heather is trying to convince BW to get moving (out). Apart from that, it appears everything still looks good. Heather's blood pressure is still normal, and baby's heartbeat came in at 120 bpm or so.

38-week Photo

Not quite the typical weekly photo, but definitely the favorite spot for Heather lately. Baby Woodruff has gotten heavier by the day, and it doesn't take much to tire mommy out now. At 38-weeks along, we are as ready as we are ever going to be ... and now that BW is full-term, we hope it's sooner rather than later, since baby is not getting any smaller.

Not to worry, though ... we'll get another good profile photo on Wednesday.

Movin' On Down

Baby Woodruff continued with the descent, moving even further down in Heather's tummy today. All that walking around at work is helping baby to squeeze further into mommy's pelvis, so much so that she is having to waddle now. The other way to tell how far baby has moved is by BW's "buns of steel" (according to Meagan) which are no longer in Heather's ribs, but moving closer to her belly button. It has eased a lot of the crowding up high that she was feeling lately, at the expense of even more pressure down low.