Baby Byrne Names

Everyone keeps asking if we have any names picked out for Baby Byrne. We have 3 names picked out so far and have decided that we'll choose his name when we see him. Since both of our families are Irish, we've decided to go with an Irish name.

Here are our top 3 choices:
1) Cormac Michael Byrne

2) Michael Anthony Byrne

3) Eamon Michael Byrne

We clearly want to use Michael's name (both after him and his father). With the 2nd name, we chose it after Mike's dad and my dad. Cormac and Eamon are Irish names that we really liked.

Well, that's all for now.......only a few more days before our move. And Mike's parents are coming back into town on April 30th so it will be an exciting week for us.

We'll keep you posted on any updates, otherwise, my next post will be after the May 5th appointment.

34th Week Update

Today, we had another appointment. It was an ultrasound to check the fetal growth of our baby. It was an exciting appointment. We had to be there at 8 am and needed to leave by 7 am to make sure we were there on time. When I woke up Mike, he said to me with a big yawn, "the baby is already making us get up early!"........too funny.

Anyway, I've attached some profile pictures of him and attaching a video of our son. We took a few more videos, but only loaded a short one. During the video, the technician is showing us where the baby is located in my stomach. So you'll see his spine, his head, etc.

The ultrasound went great. We found out that the baby is measuring/weighing at 5 lbs 3 oz. There is about a 12%-15% +/- variance in that weight, which means Baby Byrne's current weight could be more or less than that by about 12%-15% so not that much. He is between the 50th-75th percentile for his femur and abdomen, but his head is in the 75th-95th percentile. In other words, he's got a big head. If the baby stays around the 50th percentile and comes when he's due, then he will be around 8 lbs.

During the ultrasound, they checked to make sure the amniotic fluid is normal, which it is. They also checked to make sure Baby Byrne is getting enough blood and oxygen through the umbilical cord and he is.......so again, everything looks great and he seems to be a healthy little boy!! Oh and we did double check that our baby is a boy and he definitely is. We didn't want any surprises so we thought we'd ask again! The technician did show us where his back, head, feet, hands are all positioned. We figured where everything was but we love knowing for sure so when I feel a jab or we see a movement across my stomach then we can tell what body part it is.

I had my blood pressure checked and it was 106/62, which is good. We also heard Baby Byrne's heartbeat which was around 137 bpm......strong little heartbeat. Mike had a heart murmur when he was a baby and he asked if they can hear if our baby has one. My doctor said she does listen for it and didn't hear one in Baby Byrne.......more good news!

As for me, I gained some more weight which my doctor said is a lot of fluid. She also said that the fluid gain has a lot to do with why my hands and feet have been so swollen and achy. She said to cut back on sodium and that should help with the fluid intake. I've definitely have been more achy lately (everywhere) so the effects of the 3rd trimester are hitting me........only 6 more weeks! However, I'm still exercising at least 2-3 times a week - prenatal yoga and prenatal water aerobics.

My doctor also confirmed that our decision not to breastfeed is a wise one especially if the baby could be at risk so that was good to hear! We also told her that we've decided to donate the baby's cord blood. I've already requested a kit from LifeSource and just need to bring it to the hospital when we deliver......hopefully it will save another baby's life!

We are taking a few baby classes and have 2 of them this week. We're looking forward to them!

Our next appointment is scheduled for May 5th, which starts the weekly appointments. We move next Wednesday, April 29th so wish us luck. I keep telling Baby Byrne he needs to stay inside until June 2nd, although he's getting plenty big already. And my doctor is going to be on vacation as of May 29th through June 7th.......so I'd be ok if he came before she goes on vacation.

In any case, we'll keep all of you posted. As always, thanks for following our blog and for caring about our little Baby Byrne! I'll update the blog again after our next appointment if not before then.

32 Week / 8 Months Update

Mike and I had another doctor's appointment today. It was another general checkup but another great appointment. My blood pressure was 110/62 (excellent), my weight gain was 4 pounds in 2 weeks (yikes, but my doctor said that's good because I haven't gained a lot during the pregnancy), and our baby's heartbeat was between 136-141 beats per minute........so it's slowing down from where it's been, but my doctor said that's normal as you get closer to the due date. Anyway, everything was positive which we like to hear.

I did find out that I won't be able to breastfeed due to my Crohn's Disease medication that I have to take. There would be side effects to our baby that Mike and I didn't want to risk. I was disappointed to hear that I wouldn't be able to experience that, but I know that I need to be healthy and clearly want our baby to be healthy so in the end it's the right decision. Mike's response though was "That one call from your doctor just cost me a lot of nights sleep!".......aaahhh, my CFS husband!!

Other than that, I'm having trouble sleeping at night......I wake up during the night and stay awake for 1-3 hours at a time. My doctor suggested I take Tylenol PM, which has been helpful, but I've only taken that a couple of times when I'm really exhausted and need my sleep.

Lil' Baby Byrne gets the hiccups a lot, which are so cute. He gets them at least 2-3 times a day on average......poor little guy!

Our next appointment is April 21st, which is the 34th week ultrasound. We are really excited for this because we haven't seen our baby since the 20 week ultrasound. If he's anything like his father, he'll probably sleep through the whole thing. Ha!

Thanks for staying close to our blog. I've been bad about posts lately because we're moving soon (April 29th), but will definitely update it after our appointment on the 21st.

Baby Shower - April 4, 2009

My family and Mike's family put on a wonderful shower for me. Here are some pictures from my shower. If you want to see some additional pictures, please click on the link below.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=u0twltd.2bv4auth&x=0&y=-y2uyri&localeid=en_US

My shower was on April 4th from 12 to 4 at Osteria Via Stato Restaurant in downtown Chicago. It was beautiful. It was in this gorgeous room with different rustic tables. My sister, Erin (with the help of my niece, Shannon) put together several beautiful flower arrangements for the tables. My family also organized a fun game of "Guess the Baby Food". Shannon also was a huge help with this along with my cousin's daughter, Maeve (see the last picture above)! Those that won the game got to bring home an arrangement (lucky them, they were amazing!). Finally, the food was excellent. It's an Italian restaurant so of course I enjoyed every last crumb!

After the meal, we played the game and opened the presents. Wow did we receive a lot....thank you to everyone that came and contributed to Baby Byrne's new wardrobe, nursery or playtime. He will be very grateful to all of you!

I think two of the best parts of my shower were 1) my sister, Holly surprised me by coming in town all the way from London for it; and 2) Mike's parents drove up from Atlanta to be at that shower, which is so thoughtful considering that was their first of 3 trips to Chicago in 3 months! I'm so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful, loving and caring family members!

So I need to tell you a little about the pictures:
1) Baby Byrne's parents after my shower!
2) Everyone's generosity....wow!! Thank you to all of you!
3) This picture is of all the ladies at my shower who were pregnant. Mary Beth, Andrea and I are days apart, then Courtney is due in August and Lauren is due in October. So exciting!
4) In this picture, I'm holding the "personalized" onesies from Keelin, Ed, Ryan and Carter. They were a big hit and will be when Baby Byrne finally wears them.
5) A picture of all the Barrett women!
6) Catherine (my mother-in-law), myself and Triona (my sister-in-law)
7) We were the last to leave and thought we'd take a picture since my dad and Mike were there. My mom pointed out that there are actually 4 generations in this picture. Mary Jane (my grandmother's sister), my mom, me and Baby Byrne.
8) My niece, Shannon and my cousin's daughter, Maeve monitoring the "Guess the Baby Food" Game.

Thank you to my family and Mike's family for everything you did to make my shower so special and perfect. I really loved it and can't tell you how much that day meant to me!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

30 Week Update

I had another doctor's appointment today. It was a general check up. Unfortunately, my doctor wasn't in so I had another doctor. The other doctor was ok, but rushed through the listening of the baby's heartbeat, which is my favorite part of each appointment. Overall though, the appointment was fine. I've gained 2 pounds since my last appointment, which is good. I'm gaining about a pound a week. My blood pressure was 108/62 and the baby's heartbeat was around 150 bpm......similar numbers as the last appointment.

My appointments will now be every 2 weeks for the next 2 months. My next appointment is scheduled for April 7th.

We only have 10 weeks left before Baby Byrne arrives. We're getting excited, but also worried since we're moving a month before his due date. We hope everything is ready for him to come home by the time he's ready to meet the world!

Other than that, I've been feeling good, but have been experiencing some low back pain daily for about the last 2 weeks so the doctor suggested that I go for Physical Therapy. This Friday (3/27), I'm going for an assessment and then starting physical therapy next week. I've always had chronic low back pain so I'm actually surprised and happy that it hasn't bothered me until now. You have to count your blessings, right?

Baby Byrne continues to be active and I can tell he's growing. His jabs and movements can be a little painful at times, but still cute! I love feeling him and so does Mike so I'm not complaining!

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for keeping an eye on our blog and I'll continue to provide updates as they come! Love ya!

Glucose Results

I received a call from my doctor that the glucose tests came back Normal. Yeah! We were relieved to hear that.........not sure I was more relieved to hear it b/c I know it means the baby and I are healthy or if it's because I can continue to satisfy my sweet tooth........wins all the way around!

Also, I forgot to mention that Aunt Erin was over here recently and felt the baby kick/move..........she's been the only one to see and feel Baby Byrne moving and kicking besides his lucky parents! It was fun to see her reaction.

And no names yet for the little guy......we have a few in mind, but haven't settled on anything. We still have a few more months and will let you know if we do come to a decision......until then it's still Baby Byrne!

7 Months/28th Week Update

We had another doctor appointment today for our 28th week checkup. It was another general check up, but they also drew my blood for a glucose screening to check for gestational diabetes. I should get those results back in the next day or two.

My blood pressure was 108/60, the baby's heartbeat was ranging from 148 to 151 to 155 bpm and I've gained about 5 pounds since the last visit. All great numbers once again. When we were listening to Baby Byrne's heartbeat, we could also hear my heartbeat (71) so we were hearing mine and his at the same time. How cool is that? We really enjoyed hearing both beat together.

I've been feeling good for the most part. I had a bad day yesterday with dizziness, some lightheadedness and nausea, but it just lasted a day. I also came down with the stomach flu a couple of weeks ago, but again that only lasted a day. Other than that, I've been doing really well and feeling great.

Baby Byrne has definitely grown since my last update. I can feel him moving more and more and the kicks are getting stronger. Mike and I enjoy watching my entire belly move from the little guy. He still seems to be very active which is starting to worry us that he's up more than he's down. Yikes! We are hoping for a sleeper but might not get that.

We have 12 weeks to go and are starting to prepare for him to arrive. We have purchased most of the nursery furniture by now and my baby shower is April 4th (thanks to our families for organizing it), which we'll get more stuff for the baby then. However, we won't be preparing the nursery until May because we hope to move into a new house by the end of April (keep your fingers crossed for us). Nothing like getting a new job (me), having a baby and moving into a new house all within 6 months. Mike and I love change and I guess we like to do it all at once to keep our lives exciting.

That's all that is new with us. We will now have our doctor appointments every 2 weeks so the next one is scheduled for March 24th, which is just another general checkup. I did confirm with my doctor that we'll get another ultrasound at the 34th week appt for them to check the fetal growth. It will be fun to see how big he's gotten since the 20th week ultrasound.

Thanks to everyone who continue to follow our blog and for your support. We are getting very excited for little Baby Byrne to arrive and for all of you to meet him!!