Baby Russ Progress Nick named - "Black-Eyed Pea"

• Somewhere around St. Patrick's Day 1998 - Something happened.  We don't yet know what or how. (Oh God - this Irish connection doesn't look good)

• 20^th-26^th April 1998 - During our move to CA, Lori gets "car sick."

• 3^rd May 1998 - We've been in CA now for a week but Lori is still "car sick." 

• 11^th May 1998 - Lori says "There are TWO lines!!!" (Baby gets the name "Black-eyed Pea," because that is the size the baby books said he/she is.) 

• 5^th June 1998 - Our first doctor's appointment (damn HMO's). Doc says, "Sure enough there's a critter in there, and by the way here is a nice black and white picture to take with you." That was nifty! 

• 2^nd July 1998 - Our second doctor's appointment. We got to hear the baby's heart beat.   Way cool! 

• 3^rd July 1998 - Lori feels the baby move and kick for the first time.

• 5^th July 1998 - The baby is about 5 inches long (crown to rump) and around 6 ounces in weight.  It is now about the size of an avocado. It's circulatory system and urinary tract are up and operating, and it's lungs are inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, and its beginning to fatten up a bit (like dear old dad ;-).

• 12^th July 1998 - I T ' S   W E E K   1 8   A N D . . . 
  We're almost halfway there! The baby is now about 5 1/2 inches long and weighs in at around 7 ounces. It's skeleton is mostly rubbery cartilage, which will harden 
  later.

• 15th July 1998 - Daddy can feel the baby kick for the first time. Nifty!

• 20^th July 1998 - The latest odds from Vegas come in. 
  They are: Boy - 7 to 2 ... Girl- 4 to 1... Bagpiper - 2 to 1

• 23^rd July 1998 - Second and final ultrasound today (if nothing goes wrong).  We got to see a healthy developing baby girl.  Brain, heart, skeletal and organ development is on track and looking good.  We decide on the name for sweet pea - Caitlin Elizabeth Russ.  Take a look at the sonograms we have from the ultrasound.

• 26^th July 1998 - I T ' S   W E E K   2 0   A N D . . . 
  We're halfway to delivery day! The baby measures about 6 1/2 inches and weighs in at around 9 ounces.

• 28^th July 1998 - Mommy and Daddy SEE the baby move for the first time.   That is way cool.

• 31^st July 1998 - I T ' S   W E E K   2 1   A N D . . . 
  The baby is starting to gain fat to stay warm, as well as a whitish coat of a slick, fatty substance called vernix caseosa - this protects the baby's skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid and also helps ease delivery.

• 7^th August 1998 - I T ' S   W E E K   2 2   A N D . . . 
  The baby now weighs about 3/4 of a pound and is 7 1/2 inches long. Her eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed, and her fingernails cover the fingertips. From the uterus, she can hear sounds of conversation. If you talk, read, or sing to her, it's reasonable to expect she can hear you. 

• 14^th August 1998 - I T ' S   W E E K   2 3   A N D . . . 
  The baby now weighs about a pound, measures 8 inches and is proportioned like a newborn, albeit a thin version of one. Starting now, Lori is supposed to gain weight more steadily, averaging about 8 ounces per week. She is craving certain foods (Chocolate Donuts ;-).

• 21^st August 1998 - I T ' S   W E E K   2 4   A N D . . .
  Caitlin now weighs a little more than a pound. Her hearing is well established, and she can make out a distorted version of our voices, the beating of Lori's heart, as well as her stomach rumblings. Loud noises--such as the barking of a dog or the roar of a vacuum cleaner--which are heard repeatedly in utero probably won't faze her when she later hears them at home. Blood vessels in the lungs are developing to prepare for breathing. While she now swallows, she shouldn't pass a stool until after birth. 

• 28^th August 1998 - I T ' S   W E E K   2 5   A N D . . . 
  Caitlin now weighs over 1 1/4 pounds and is almost 9 inches long. Though she still has little body fat and her skin is thin and fragile, she is now well-proportioned.  Her brain is growing rapidly, and she is starting to fill the space in the uterus. Surfactant, a substance that allows the air sacs in the lungs to inflate easily, is beginning to develop. That's one reason babies born after the 24th week of pregnancy have a greater than 50 percent chance of survival. However, if Lori went into labor at this time, most healthcare providers would make every effort to halt the progress of pre-term labor to enable Caitlin to continue maturing. 

• 4^th September 1998 - I T ' S   W E E K   2 6    A N D . . . 
  Caitlin now weighs about 1 1/2 pounds and is 9 inches long.  Though she makes breathing movements, there's no air in the lungs yet. 

• 11^th September 1998 - I T ' S   W E E K   2 7    A N D . . . 
  Caitlin now weighs a little more than 2 pounds and, with legs extended, is more than 11 inches long. She's able to make breathing movements, though there's no air in the lungs yet. Because the retinas still haven't finished forming, an eye problem called retinopathy of prematurely can occur in babies born at this time. 

• 18^th September 1998 - I T ' S   W E E K   2 8    A N D . . .
  Caitlin is between 12 and 15 inches long and weighs about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds--and she has begun to fill the available space in the uterus. Her eyes open and close, she sleeps and wakes at regular intervals, and she may suck a finger or thumb. Although still immature, her lungs are capable of sustaining life in the event of a premature birth, with help from a ventilator and other assistance. 

• 25^th September 1998 - I T ' S   W E E K   2 9    A N D . . . 
  The final trimester typically starts this week and lasts until week 40 and sometimes even a couple of weeks beyond. Most women gain an average of 11 pounds during this trimester. At about this time, Caitlin can open her eyes and turn her head in utero to find the source of a continuous, bright light. Her fat layers continue to form and her fingernails are budding. Lori and I are now visiting the doctor once every 2 weeks until the 8th month, when we'll switch to weekly visits.

• 2^nd October 1998 - I T ' S   W E E K   3 0   A N D . . . 
  Caitlin now weighs about 3 pounds and is about 17 inches long. 

• 9^th October 1998 - I T ' S   W E E K   3 1   A N D . . . 
  Caitlin can see in utero and can distinguish light from dark. She's also capable of blinking and shutting her eyes. Until the she drops, at about 37 weeks, Lori may be feeling breathless or like she can't get enough air. This is due to her uterus, which has grown so large that it presses up against the digestive organs and the diaphragm--the flat large muscle that aids in breathing. 

• 16^th October 1998 - IT'S WEEK 32 AND . . .
  According to the books we should have noticed a change in the baby's movements. They are supposed to seem less frequent and less forceful, but Lori is feeling her move more and more. Caitlin has grown so large that it has become quite crowded inside the uterus. She is squirming around just as much, she just doesn't have much room to move. Caitlin even moves to the beat at pipe band practice. Lori and I think she is dancing.

• 23^rd October 1998 - IT'S WEEK 33 AND . . .
  Caitlin now weighs about 4 1/4 pounds and is about 19 inches long. She's exercising her lungs by practicing breathing--inhaling amniotic fluid. Lori is supposed to be gaining a pound a week now, and roughly half of that goes right to the baby. In fact, the baby gains more than half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks, fattening up for survival outside the womb. Thanks to these fatty deposits, the skin grows plumper and pinker.

• 30^th October 1998 - IT'S WEEK 34 AND . . .
  Caitlin is growing like a weed (but we'd rather think of her as a flower...) these days. By the end of this week she should weigh about 5 pounds and be approximately 19 1/2 inches long. By now, she's probably head-down, ready to come out--most babies are at this point--although she may continue to change positions. Her skull bones are still quite pliable and aren't completely joined, to facilitate her exit from the birth canal. (Of course, it's still like shoving a pear through the eye of a needle, but it will be worth it!)

• 6^th November 1998 - IT'S WEEK 35 AND . . .
  This month, your baby should be about 5 1/2 pounds and have fully developed lungs. If pre-term labor occurs, you'll be happy to know that babies born prematurely at this stage in a pregnancy are usually fine and have an excellent chance of being healthy and strong.
  Lori's ever-growing belly, however, is causing new and unexpected discomforts. Tingling sensations and/or numbness in her pelvic region--it's just the pressure of the baby on the nerves in her legs and pelvis. As well as shortness of breath and sudden coughs due to pressure on her diaphragm.

• 13^th November 1998 - IT'S WEEK 36 AND (Only 28 days and a wake up to go so they say!) . . .
  We are feeling ready to have the baby! She now weighs about 6 pounds and is over 20 inches long. The doctor will start seeing us weekly until Lori delivers starting next week. The books say Lori is supposed to have gained between 25 to
  30 pounds, but she has only gained 20 so far, and her weight gain has hit its zenith. She is supposed to gain little or no more weight from now until she is due. The books also say "the womb has become so snug that many women notice the baby no longer seems to be moving around very much," but Lori says she is moving around as much as ever if not more.

• 20^th November 1998 - IT'S WEEK 37
  The baby is now considered to be full-term! She now weighs about 6 1/2 pounds and is close to 21 inches long and can be born any day now. (Babies born before 38 weeks are considered preterm and those born after 42 weeks are considered post-term.) The baby is gradually dropping. This is called lightening or engagement and it is the baby preparing for birth. At our weekly checkups, the doctor or midwife will check to see whether Lori has started dilating (when the cervix opens) and effacing (when the cervix thins) and what station the baby is in, which is a way of estimating how far the baby
  has dropped into the pelvis. For us, the baby has turned and is now head down, ready to take the plunge, but Lori has not started to dilate yet.

• 27^th November 1998 - IT'S WEEK 38
  This week Caitlin begins to shed most of her downy coating of lanugo and vernix caseosa -- the cheese like coating that covers a fetus in utero and protects developing skin. Some may remain at birth. The next couple of weeks are a waiting game. Still no dilation or effacing going on.

• 4^th December 1998 - IT'S WEEK 39
  The baby is ready to greet the world. At this point, the average full-term newborn -- who is still building a layer of fat to help control body temperature after birth -- weighs 7 to 7 1/2 pounds. The doctor is estimating Caitlin will come in at 6 1/2 to 7 pounds.   At our appointment this week the Doctor said Lori was 1 cm. dilated.  Next week Lori begins to work from home.

• 11^th December 1998 - IT'S WEEK 40
  The big day is almost here! But don't panic if by the end of this week you're still waiting--only 5 percent of babies are born on their expected due date. In fact, most doctors and midwives will wait another two weeks before considering a pregnancy overdue and inducing labor.
  

• 15^th December 1998 - Expected Due Date
  Caitlin Elizabeth Russ, born 6 lbs. 8 oz. 18.5 in. long at 1:29 AM
  Click here to see pictures from the hospital.