Two weeks until Baby D is due! At my weekly
appointment yesterday, the doctor said that he was still head down, heart rate
was lower…around 130, he seems to be growing well, but my weight has been
stable the last three weeks. I’m not as comfortable as I’ve been up until
this point, but that’s to be expected.
Mostly feel like I have a bolder attached to my belly! We can’t wait to meet him soon. He’s due on the 27th.
On Thursday, June 9, Mom had a endoscopic surgery called laparoscopy.
The purpose was to look to see if the tumor at the head of the pancreas
has spread to other portions of the abdomen. And we got good
news! Dr. Gibson found no new tumors, and that means that Mom can
start a combination of radiation and chemo soon.
June 6: We’ve
reached full term! Baby Dotzour is now big enough to be born, but
we’re planning on keeping him in for at least another couple
weeks. All continues to be well with our pregnancy, and the
nursery is nearly ready. We can’t wait to meet him!!
On Friday morning (June 3), Mom met with Dr. Sharon Weber, a doctor of
surgical oncology at the University of Wisconsin Hospital. After
looking at the CT scans that were sent from St. Mary’s, Dr. Weber told
us that it’s her opinion that the tumor is currently inoperable.
So our next step is to do a laparoscopy next Thursday to check for other tumors before beginning chemo and radiation.
He’s almost 6 pounds and nearly full-term, and boy is he feeling big! We’re four weeks from the due date!
The past three days were tough ones. Mom had a couple more
procedures done, and at this point we’re all learning as much about
pancreatic cancer as we can.
In a recent twist of events, my mom is residing at St. Mary’s hospital
while they run a variety of tests to determine what is wrong with her
pancreas.
11/19/2004
An update for the raspberry this week
Here’s the update
I got today: Your baby isn’t much bigger now than last week in actual size — another
quarter inch at most — but that’s almost double what he was last week. He’s now
the size of a raspberry. If you had a window into your womb, you’d notice his
eyelids forming, the tip of his nose developing, and his distinct, slightly
webbed fingers and toes.
Your baby still
appears to have a small tail (actually, it’s an extension of his tailbone),
which will disappear in the next few weeks. But that’s the only thing getting
smaller. Now almost half an inch long — roughly the size of a raspberry — he
has elbow joints and distinct, slightly webbed fingers and toes. In his
oversized head, both hemispheres of his brain are developing. His teeth and the
inside of his mouth are forming, and his ears continue to develop. Eyelid folds
partially cover his tiny peepers, which already have some color, and the tip of
that nose you’ll be tweaking someday is emerging. His skin is paper-thin and
his veins are clearly visible.
Your little one
also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone
insulin to aid in digestion. His liver is busy producing red blood cells, and a
loop of your baby’s growing intestines is bulging into his umbilical cord,
which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from
his tiny body. You can’t feel his gyrations yet, but your baby is like a little
jumping bean, moving in fits and starts around his watery home.
12/03/2004
the raspberry is a grape!
Nine Weeks! (we think…)
Your new resident
is nearly an inch long — barely the size of a grape — and weighs just a
fraction of an ounce, but he’s poised for rapid weight gain now that his basic physical
structure is in place. He’s also starting to look more and more human. His
embryonic "tail" is now completely gone and his body parts —
including organs, muscles, and nerves — are kicking into gear.
His eyelids are
fused shut and won’t open until 27 weeks. He has earlobes, and by week’s end,
the inner workings of his ears will be complete. His upper lip is fully formed,
too, and his mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The tips of his
fingers are slightly enlarged where his touch pads are developing. All major
joints — his shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles — are working,
enabling your baby to move his limbs. As for his heart, it has divided into four
chambers now, and the valves have started to develop. External sex organs are
there, but won’t be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks.
Illustration of the little guy at
two months:http://www.babycenter.com/general/3277.html
Thought you might
enjoy seeing my weekly update on the the baby. It’s my friday morning
treat:) Well, that and a peppermint steamer and an almond scone. Have a
great day! Althea
12/10/2004
It’s a kumquat!
10 weeks
(estimated)… Our ultrasound is on Dec. 21, so hopefully we’ll have a
better date (and a photo!) after that.
Taken from http://www.babycenter.com/mybabycenter/110.html
Your baby’s
started growing tiny fingernails and toenails and can now kick and swallow —
pretty impressive for someone the size of a walnut. Within the next few weeks,
your featherweight baby will more than double in size, from just over an inch
to nearly 3 inches. At your next prenatal appointment, you may be able to hear
her heart beating with a stethoscope-like instrument called a Doppler.
Your baby is no
longer an embryo! Though she’s barely the size of a kumquat — just an inch or
so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, she now
has completed the most critical portion of her development. This is the
beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in
her body rapidly grow and mature. Her vital organs — the liver, kidney,
intestines, brain, and lungs — are now in place and starting to function
(although they’ll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy). Her liver continues
to make blood cells, and the yolk sac, which previously supplied these cells,
is no longer needed and begins to disappear.
During the next three
weeks, your baby’s length will more than double to nearly 3 inches. Her head is
proportionately smaller now than it was a few weeks ago, but it’s still almost
half the length of her entire body. Her forehead temporarily bulges with her
developing brain and sits high on her head; it will later recede to give her a
more human appearance. Each day, more minute details — including tiny
D([“mb”,”fingernails, toenails, and peach-fuzz hair
Sending a big thanks to Ben and Melanie for setting up our website for
us. We’re really excited to have this as a forum for sharing
photos and stories of our expanding family.
