Yup, he's big

We went for an ultrasound last Thursday, because the one performed at 28 weeks showed that the kid measured in the 86th percentile for size. (We were sent for one at 28 weeks, because the one at 20 weeks made it seem like my placenta might be low - it wasn't). This last week (the 35th) he measured in the 90th percentile -- his weight was estimated at 7.2 lbs! This is quite a bit more than the 5.5 pounds that What to Expect says for 35 weeks. Estimates by ultrasound can be off, but this is the second one where he measured big, so I think it's probably generally accurate. Both the sonographer and the doula (more on that later) said that he'd probably be about 9 lbs at birth.

On the one hand, it makes me feel a little better about the weight I've gained. Above-average weight gain makes sense for a bigger-than-average baby. On the other hand, my internal mother-guilt voice is saying that I ate too many sweets, and I've made a porker out of him in a sort of not-quite-diabetic-but-insulin-resistant way. I should probably nip this mother-guilt thing in the bud.

I'm actually not too freaked out about birthing a bigger baby. J and his dad are both 6 foot or taller. My dad and brother are both 6'4", so I'd expect a baby of ours to be on the big side. I'm 5'8" and think of myself as being of sturdy, peasant build. I think me and my hoo-ha can deal with a nine-pounder.

J on the other hand is pleased. He says he thinks of a big baby as healthy. And he's having all sorts of fun referring to the baby as "Moose."

At my last OB appointment (before the U/S) my Dr said that Moose doesn't seem too squished in utero, so she was doubting that he was all that big. I'm a little worried that now she's going to start talking about inducing labor. I would resist that mightily. My next appointment is Tuesday, so we'll see what she says. I may be getting my hackles up for nothing. She mentioned that she (at 5'4") had a 10-pound baby vaginally.

In other news, we got a doula! We met with two of them, and one was a clear standout. She's also a certified lactation counselor AND (be still my heart) a licensed massage therapist. We felt really good about her.

In other, other news, my awesome parents came for a visit this weekend to help us prep the house. Me and mom stripped wallpaper from the baby room, and Dad and J (acting on a suggestion of a friend of mine who used cloth diapers) installed kitchen sprayers in the two bathrooms (using the toilet supply line) so that we can spray baby poop off the diapers before tossing them in the pail. The sprayers are surprisingly powerful. Comical mishaps may ensue. The sprayers may prove to be a bad idea.