NapiSoul, you have gone the distance! There are no medals given for sticking it out all 40 weeks, but there should be, and you deserve one! You are probably feeling very uncomfortable by now and unfortunately, there is little anyone can say to make you feel better. But soon it will all be worth it; just prepare yourself for the biggest and most enjoyable change in your life!
To say she's uncomfortable would be an understatement. Napi's hips hurt; her butt hurts; her oonie hurts; you name it, it hurts. They say the pain just vanishes the minute the baby gets here. Let's hope that's true. PW offers a host of information on the days following the birth of the baby. More on that tomorrow...
Your baby weighs about 7.5 to 8 pounds and is around 21.5 inches in length. While you may be impatient to meet your little baby, remember that only 5 percent of women actually give birth on their due date, and many first time moms go past their due date. Immediately after birth, and then again approximately 5 minutes later, your baby will be assessed according to established criteria and given an APGAR score. This is a standard way to measure the physical health of newborns.
I think this is the first I'm hearing about this APGAR business, but as usual PW comes to the rescue...
APGAR Scale Test
As soon as your baby makes his or her grand entrance into the world, she will be given an APGAR test. This test helps your doctor or midwife to evaluate your baby's condition and determine if he or she needs any treatment. It is quick and painless, and if the test indicates your baby is in distress, doctors can administer necessary medical attention immediately.
The APGAR scale and testing methods were developed in the 1950s by noted obstetric anesthesiologist Dr. Virginia Apgar. Your baby is first tested one minute after birth to determine how well he or she experienced the birth process, and then again at five minutes after birth, to determine how well he or she is adjusting to life outside the womb or responding to any medical procedures.
The test is not only named after Dr. Apgar, it is also an acronym for the five characteristics on which your baby is tested: Appearance, Pulse, Grimace (reflex response), Activity (muscle tone), and Respiration. Your baby is given a score between zero and two for each characteristic and then the scores are combined. Very few babies score a perfect ten - even perfectly healthy ones - particularly at the one minute test. A score of between 7 and 10 indicates your baby is in good shape and doesn't require any extraordinary medical attention, while a score between four and six indicates your baby is in fair condition and may need some help breathing. The nurse or pediatrician may administer oxygen under your baby's nose or vigorously rub her skin to aid circulation and respiration. If your baby scores under four, she is considered to be in poor condition and may require more serious, immediate measures such as oxygen administered from an oxygen mask.
The following is a breakdown of the APGAR scale:
Appearance
0 - Baby's entire body is bluish-gray or pale
1 - Baby's body has good color, with a bluish tinge to the feet or hands
2 - Good color over entire body
Pulse
0 - No heart beat
1 - Fewer than 100 beats per minute
2 - More than 100 beats per minute
Grimace
0 - No response when airways are suctioned
1 - Baby grimaces during suctioning
2 - Baby grimaces and pulls away, coughs, or sneezes during suctioning
Activity
0 - Baby is limp, no detectable movement
1 - Baby displays some flexing of arms and legs
2 - Baby moves vigorously
Respiration
0 - Baby is not breathing
1 - Baby cries weakly, may sound like whimpering, with slow or irregular breathing
2 - Baby cries strongly, with a normal rate and effort of breathing
Even if your baby has a low score at one minute doesn't mean that he or she won't be perfectly healthy eventually. Many babies who are delivered via c-section, a difficult labor and delivery, or who are premature have lower-than-normal initial scores, but recover fully.
The APGAR test is an invaluable part of your baby's first moments and can ensure that he or she receives critical medical attention in the event of a low score.
There's some other stuff, but nothing worth mentioning. Now we're just in the countdown. Either this boy shows up on his own by tomorrow evening, or in about 25 hours the doctors will make him come out! As for us, we're chilling. Napi and I tried to take moms out to dinner tonight, but she reminded Napi that we were saving for a house and needed to save our money - soooo, we went without her. I think we can afford a little PF Changs the day before our baby is born. So on to the real countdown. Our own little episode of 24!
And here now, probably the final picture of some other lucky couple's kid before we start plastering this place with pics of our own little Peanut - a before and after shot of a baby at 40 weeks:
