Sarah Pope is in labor

[pixydust]

Sarah posted that at 32 weeks today the ultrasound estimated the fetal size at 3 pounds 11 oz which is on the small side but within the range of normal.

She must feel like she has been pregnant forever! I hope that little Annalee stays put a little bit longer!

[lexiloumarie]

She just posted today is baby day. Glad she made it to 32 weeks which is farther along than I was as a preemie, and I was only in the hospital for a little over a month I think.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Great to hear that Sarah has got this far, 32 weeks is pretty far along, so the baby probably wont have any serious health issues from it-my cousin was born at about then, and hes now a healthy 2 year old.

[BoomerLynn]

My daughter was born at 32 weeks and you would never know it to look at her now. She is a happy, healthy, 4-year-old ball of energy that has no problem keeping up with her older brothers. I hope Sarah's baby girl does just as well. Best wishes to them both.

[laura oz]

My son was born at 33 wks and 5 days and my daughter was born at 32 wks and 5 days. Was in the hospital for a month with my son and about 2 weeks with my daughter. That was such a difficult road to travel and my heart goes out to her and all the families that are experiencing such difficult pregnancies. Alex stayed in the NICU for 2 weeks and Olivia was in there for a month and came home Christmas Eve and was the most welcome and loud Christmas gift I've ever received. They both are speech delayed and receive special therapy, but other than that you would never know they came early. I've noticed that Josie has slow speech too and wish she could get the same treatment my children are getting because it would benefit her so much. The Duggars live about an hour from me so I know they could get her help and wouldn't have to pay a penny, but first they would have to admit that something was wrong. It makes me so angry that that poor little girl has to suffer due to the willful ignorance of her parents.

[Coconut Flan]

Annalee was born at 4 pounds even. Her father says she's needing some breathing support, but came out crying. He said he'll be getting more info later.

[greek_chorus]

This is very good news. I'm glad Annalee made it this far along and 4 lbs is more than double Samuel's weight at birth. I hope this road will be a bit smoother for them all. Sarah and Michael should be very proud of themselves for doing all that they have. I hope her feelings of guilt and shame have passed and that she's able to see what a great mother she has been, and I'm certain will continue to be, to both of her children.

Good job Sarah! Many congratulations to you and your family on the birth of Annalee!

[ILoveJellybeans]

Congratulations Sarah! :)

Im happy that Annalee is doing well.

[pixydust]

Congrats Sarah and welcome little Annalee! 4 pounds isn't that bad....hopefully she will be 100% ok.

[lovefromgirl]

Congratulations to the family! May little Annalee grow up healthy and strong.

[Katiebug]

Great news! At 32 weeks the odds are overwhelmingly good that the baby will do very well in the long term. At that point, preemies are in the NICU for a while, but the Popes shouldn't have anywhere near the extreme stress and high risk of serious complications that they experienced with Samuel.

A friend had her first child unexpectedly at 32 weeks and the baby was on CPAP for a bit, then normal room air. She was considered a "feeder and grower" and while she spent a month in the NICU/special care nursery there was never any question of her survival. She's in kindergarten now and you'd never know that she had been born nearly 2 months before her due date.

[freejugar]

congrats to them!

she seems like she's a good mom

[Buzzard]

I'm glad that she and the baby are doing well... but I cant shake the thought "this is the last pregnancy, right?" Samuel was one thing, but the risks shown in this pregnancy prove that she's likely to have a problem should their be a third. I'm hoping that she's reasonable enough to stop here rather than risk another...

[lilwriter85]

I'm glad Sarah and the baby are doing well. LIke Buzzard, I'm also wondering if this will be last pregnancy.

[Coconut Flan]

Based on comments Sarah has made, it sounds like she wouldn't even consider a third round.

[laura oz]

I am so glad Annalee(sp?) is doing well, Yay! I hope this is her last pregnancy for her sake. I had 2 preemies about the same gestation as her. While I would love to have another baby, I am smart enough to not press my luck again. Had 3 miscarriages before my babies were born(Irish twins) and that was just nearly destroying.

[Coconut Flan]

Annalee escaped the ventilator and Sarah was even able to hold her about an hour after birth.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Aaaaaaaawwwwww shes so cute!

[lovefromgirl]

Where is my "like" button when I need it? Adorable. :)

[pomology]

I'm glad that she and the baby are doing well... but I cant shake the thought "this is the last pregnancy, right?" Samuel was one thing, but the risks shown in this pregnancy prove that she's likely to have a problem should their be a third. I'm hoping that she's reasonable enough to stop here rather than risk another...

From her blog it seemed she was very cautious about having a second and only proceeded because she was told what happened with Samuel was probably an anamoly. Now that that has been proven wrong I can't imagine shed even consider having another. I think she actually realizes how precious life is (having faced serious cancer as a child) and is more than thankful to have two kids who will likely grow up without serious problems from their premature births. Just the idea I get by reading her blog.

[graciebeth]

Am I the only one that feels a little squicky about photos of Annalee being posted here? I mean its not like the family is in the limelight or fair-game fundies, and if both parents have private Facebook pages they probably intended for the photos to stay private. They haven't posted anything on the blog so it's not like there's pictures for open consumption. Just my $.02.

[JenniferJuniper]

Am I the only one that feels a little squicky about photos of Annalee being posted here? I mean its not like the family is in the limelight or fair-game fundies, and if both parents have private Facebook pages they probably intended for the photos to stay private. They haven't posted anything on the blog so it's not like there's pictures for open consumption. Just my $.02.

Moral of the story (the same one I keep telling my kids): Don't Facebook friend people you don't know and trust if you aren't okay with your photos and posts being snagged and posted somewhere else, now or sometime in the future.

[Vex]

I'm glad that she and the baby are doing well... but I cant shake the thought "this is the last pregnancy, right?" Samuel was one thing, but the risks shown in this pregnancy prove that she's likely to have a problem should their be a third. I'm hoping that she's reasonable enough to stop here rather than risk another...

I agree. I think earlier I said she doesn't seem compatible with pregnancy. However, I really do think they're the kind of people who would decide to not take any more chances, especially since they asked all the doctors for their opinions (all of which were positive) when they thought about conceiving again after Samuel.

I'm so happy that Annalee came out with such a good start compared to Samuel, and I hope she develops quickly so they can be out of the NICU as soon as possible.

[valsa]

Am I the only one that feels a little squicky about photos of Annalee being posted here? I mean its not like the family is in the limelight or fair-game fundies, and if both parents have private Facebook pages they probably intended for the photos to stay private. They haven't posted anything on the blog so it's not like there's pictures for open consumption. Just my $.02.

This.

[NurseNell]

From her blog it seemed she was very cautious about having a second and only proceeded because she was told what happened with Samuel was probably an anamoly. Now that that has been proven wrong I can't imagine shed even consider having another. I think she actually realizes how precious life is (having faced serious cancer as a child) and is more than thankful to have two kids who will likely grow up without serious problems from their premature births. Just the idea I get by reading her blog.

What childhood cancer did she have?