Today is the due date. It is February 15th, the day that this baby was supposed to arrive. A friend of mine told me that 95% of all babies are not born on their due date. That means that of all the days in the next week or so, this is the one to least expect that trip to the hospital. Not surprisingly, we have no baby yet. Honestly, if he was on time I would have to wonder if he and I were related.
Erin looks great and seems not to be bothered at all by the fact that she is now more than 9 months pregnant. This kid is really lucky with who his mother is (going to be).
We ended up seeing the doctor today anyway, if only for the regular check up. Each nurse we met had a happy comment when they found out today was the due date, which made the atmosphere kind of fun. The appointment started with an ultrasound where they took measurements to make sure he is a healthy baby. We confirmed that the baby is well developed, probably about 8 pounds and definitely a boy. We even got some pictures of his face, though neither of us thought he was immediately cute. I guess its hard to look good in a two dimensional black and white image when you are running out of room.
Next the doctor performed a non-stress test which gave us additional assurance that this kid was doing well. Instead of the required 2 spikes in heart rate (apparently an increased heart rate indicates fetal activity) he had 7 in the ten minute test. It was nice to hear his heart beat for that amount of time. To this point that is the only communication I have had with him. After reviewing the test results, the doctor decided that he was comfortable and safe in his current position. What a relief it was to witness positive results in a small but thorough battery of tests. In the end, the doctor decided that if the baby does not make an appearance before Friday, she is going in to get him. I guess he has been warned.
When we got home Erin's mom compared the ultrasound photos to a picture of me the day after I was born. Unfortunately, there was a striking similarity. Those ultrasound images which gave us parents some pause were carbon copies of my admittedly disturbing newborn baby photo. Here is hoping that the extra time inside does the baby some good.
Sounds as if baby is doing great and just helping to build the anticipation. (That's why Strunks procrastinate, right?) That first ultrasound looks like a 3-D ultrasound, which I think may have been designed to freak out soon-to-be parents. But I have no doubt that my future nephew will be a looker, like both of his parents. (Even if his father did begin life as a Beast Baby.)
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