Brynns Birth
I was 36 weeks 3 days on Friday June 27th. I
spent the morning with my sister in law in Cypress where I had a few tings of
pain but nothing intense or any different than my day to day pains. I drove
home and by afternoon time my back was killing me and I just didn’t feel very
good. However, my back is always killing me due to the fact that I broke it
when I was 18. So I brushed it off and tried to just rest. Rest with a 2 year
old is a relative term but I tried. I
figured it was just the end of pregnancy and this was how I was going to feel
for the next month. Justin put the swing together and we did some last minute
baby things before I went to sleep early and hoped that Saturday morning would
bring relief. I woke up Saturday and felt semi-ok- still in pain but manageable
as long as I did nothing. The second I started moving/doing anything the pain
was immense. I did some laundry, put away Brynns clothes, played outside, etc.
Around 3 again the pain was sooo bad. I couldn't get comfortable nor would the
pain go away. We went over to our neighbors 40th birthday party and
I pigged out. We ate and I tried to get comfortable but was miserable the whole
time. When we came home I took a bath to try and help my back and it felt great
when I was in the tub- however, before I even finished drying off I was in dire
pain again. Different now from my normal back pain. I got in bed and told
Justin- if we lived 5 minutes from the hospital (instead of an hour and a half)
I’d make you take me. He asked if we needed to go to hospital and I said no I’m
fine. (haha)
Saturday night was awful. I had the worst heartburn even though Id
taken nexium, I couldn’t sleep thru the pain, I peed 900 times, dizzy, upset
stomach and just felt plain miserable. Around 5 I decided to start timing my
contractions/back labor. They were only 2 minutes apart. That freaked me out
but I assumed I was just timing them wrong. So at 7 am I texted my nurse who
happens to be my friend so I didn’t feel too bad texting her at 7 am. (plus she
has 2 little kids so I assumed if Ascher was up, so were her kids) I surely
couldnt be in labor- I was not even 37 weeks pregnant. I told her what was going on and she texted
the doc. He said come on in and lets check it out. WHAT! No way. I’m fine…tell
me to take some Tylenol and rest. Not come in.
So I called Mom and asked her to
come watch Ascher for a few hours (surely we would be home later this
afternoon). She hurried over here and was in disbelief when she got here (an hr
and half later) to find me and Justin casually eating a bowl of cereal, hanging
out. After Kristi told me to come in, I laid in bed and went back and forth. I
don’t need to come in. I’m fine. Do we really need to go? My back just hurts.
Then I had convinced Justin that we didn’t need to go so he joined the do we
really need to go train. We both showered and took our time. I lay back down
for a few minutes (hello lauren- that should have told me something). Finally we hugged Ascher bye and told him we
would be back later today (Had I known I wouldn’t be coming back without his
sister, I would have lingered holding onto my little baby for a few minutes
longer but God has a way of handling things-I would have been a blubbering mess
if I thought I was really leaving for the last time pregnant). So off we went.
Justin still determined we would be home this afternoon and me nervous we would
get there, hook me up and tell me I wasn’t even contracting. We drove there and
Justin kept asking me to time my contractions and I would sit real still and he
would say see you aren’t even having any. (Because some were bigger than others
and harder to hide my pain) And my response would be I’ve had 3- I just haven’t
shown you my pain. He quickly piped down. J
We arrived at 11:30 and since it was Sunday we had to go
thru the ER. We got there and hooked me up. Before we had finished hooking me
up, the nurse said yup you’re having a contraction. Over the next hour they
monitored me and my contractions were indeed 1-2 minutes apart. (Thank you
Jesus, I wasn’t making this pain up). However, I was still only 2 cm dilated.
So at 2:30 Justin and I started walking- we were waiting to see if I was contracting
due to an infection- however all my tests came back clear meaning I was
contracting because I was in labor. Still at this point Justin keeps thinking
we are going home. Meduna (my doc) kept saying we will just keep monitoring.
Well my contractions weren’t slowing down and I was getting so tired. We walked
again at 5:45 and at this point knew we would be staying overnight (still not
sure about if baby would come or not). Still no progress dilation wise, yet my
contractions were heavy as ever. When we walked at 5:45-6:15 we had to stop
quite a few times because my contractions were so big! (again I should have
realized then I was having this baby!) Meduna stopped by one last time to check
me and I was now a 2.5 (big whoooop!) He said we would monitor me overnight on
lots of fluids and then in the morning re-evaluate and probably start me on
some pitocin.
So I had a miserable Sunday night. I slept maybe 3 hours. I could
not get comfortable and pretty much contracted all night long. I couldn’t wait
for 7 am when I just knew he would come in and tell me that we were gonna start
medicine. Well 7 am came and the nurse checked me. 3.5 cm. I had to be a 4 in
order for him to “help” me along (even though I was in labor!!!) So again, back
to being “monitored” and Meduna would come in later that day to check me again.
SERIOUSLY! By lunch time I was soooo annoyed/tired/in pain I just cried and
cried. I was tired and I felt like he kept putting me off. Really its because I
was so early he was trying to let her cook as long as possible. (This was
Monday and I would be 37 weeks if I
could hold out until Tuesday---not happening). He came by around 1 and checked
me and I was a 4 (Praise Jesus!) and so we discussed options. He said we could
start pitocin and have her tonight or I could wait and have her in the morning.
We talked about the risks of having a pre-term baby. However, after discussion
we decided that if she needed oxygen at 7 pm she was gonna need oxygen at 10
am- its all the legal side of 36 weeks 6 days vs 37 weeks. After the
conversation with Meduna everything got moving so quickly. Suddenly I changed
my mind, I wasn’t ready. They started me on pitocin at 1:15 and at 3:15 I got
my epidural. I kept telling the nurse I want my epidural. I know I just got
pitocin but I want my epidural I have been contracting and in pain for the last
3 days give me some medicine!!! I got my epidural and stayed at a 4 for awhile.
Dr. Meduna came back and broke my water at 4:20. After my water broke I cruised
along for a little while. They moved me into different positions ever so often
(trying to get her to move down into the birth canal) then I suddenly could
feel everything again. I could tell when I was having a small contraction and a
large contraction. I told the nurse- she checked me and I was still a 5 so they
called the anesthesiologist and he came back with some knock you out drugs.
Whatever he gave me was fabulous. After he gave it to me I passed out. Literally.
Justin went to get some dinner and I took a nap. After awhile the nurse came
back and honestly I was annoyed- I was like I’m sleeping here people leave me
alone. However, she checked me and said lets do this! You’re ready to have a
baby!! And before I knew it we were blowing and going getting everything set up
and ready. I started pushing around 7:05 and 10 minutes later (7:17 pm) and a
couple pushes later, Brynn Madison came into this world weighing 6lbs 13
ounces, 20 inches long with a head full of black hair.
They
cleaned her up a little and then I did skin to skin almost immediately. I
wanted to have that bond and hopefully help with my milk supply. I will never
forget though the first thing she did when they put her on my chest once she
had been cleaned up a little. She was completely swaddled and she opened her
eyes for the first time and Justin was leaning over me and she looked up at
Justin and my heart melted. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. An immediate
love for her father. (Im crying writing this- it was honestly the sweetest
moment). Justin was in love and so was Brynn. I may have been holding her but
in that moment it was just the two of them. Something I will never forget. They gave her the bath, let me nurse and waited
for her temp to rise (it was a little low), gave me some time to recover (I
FELT AWFUL).
Finally at 10:30 pm they moved us
to our post partdum room. Once in that room, Mom and Dad came to meet her for a
few minutes (since it was so late). They had been in there all of 5 minutes
before I threw up everywhere. I remember feeling sick with Ascher as well but I
didn’t throw up like I did with her. Once I threw up I felt much better but Mom
and Dad left anyways to let us get some sleep.
I still can’t believe that I had
her and that I had her 23 days early. Unbelievable to me. Now for pictures...
