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Today we went for our first prenatal checkup with our midwife. We really liked her and enjoyed talking with her. She was able to answer many of our questions and calm many fears that I have been having. Although our time was cut short, due to her being called out for a birth, we appreciated her care and time as she calmly talked through birthing options and any questions we had.

The most exciting part of the visit was getting to hear our little Baby's heartbeat. At first, it sounded so fast that I was worried, but she said that is how they start out and that it was normal. Kyle and I both exchanged huge grins as we got to hear our Baby for the first time. What a special moment we will always treasure! We could not be more happy or excited about becoming parents! :-) Praise the Lord for a healthy Baby today! The Lord is so gracious!

Here is Baby Roland's heartbeat! We were able to record it! :-D


Baby Roland Heartbeat @ 11 Weeks from Michelle Roland on Vimeo.

We are having our baby at The Family Birth Place, which is a birthing center that is part of Clark Memorial Hospital in Clarksville, Indiana. The office I go to is Woman Care. It's a great place and has come highly recommended to us by multiple friends. We left with a whole bag full of helpful booklets, pregnancy magazines, coupons, etc... I was impressed! Woman Care has two Nurse/Midwifes on staff who are open to and encourage natural birthing and I was told today that all of the nurses on staff at the Family Birth Place are all trained for natural births so they can assist us. They are also open to having Doulas there and they even allow the family of the mother (including child siblings of the new baby) into the birthing room, if the mother and father so choose! What a great option! We are planning on doing a natural birth with our baby and look forward to taking childbirth classes together in the coming weeks. :-)

Well, here's an update on how Baby Roland is growing from the The Bump:



"Baby's now the size of a lime! Your [baby] currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through it. But fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds, and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future."



From the Baby Center:


"Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming."