That's right...in one day we made it to 40 weeks and welcomed Brooke into the world. She was born on her actual due date September 15, 2010 at 1:27am. Only 4% of babies are born on their estimated due date...we feel pretty lucky. She was 6lbs 12oz and 20 in long! After delivery our nurse also told me it was Neonatal Nurses Day...it must have been meant to be, LOL! I'm going to add more pictures but for now I will leave you with Brooke's birth story! It's kind of long but I wanted her to be able to have it for when she is older :-). It has truly been an emotional week but everything has been worth it for her and I am so glad I could document all that happened!
Brooke’s Birth Story
9/14 9:30am I woke up to contractions 6-7 minutes apart.
9/14 12:00am I think this MAY be the start of labor as contractions cont throughout day about 6 minutes apart but we have a midwife appointment today so we will see.
9/14 3:30pm At the birth center for midwife appointment and the contractions are 5-6 minutes apart…I need to sit and rock on birth ball while waiting for the midwife…Susan is our midwife today and she checks me. I am 5-6cm and 90% effaced with Brooke’s head low…it REALLY is labor. She tells us it’s ok to go home for now because the contractions are still far enough apart but that it would be tonight or tomorrow when she would come!
9/14 4:30pm We just left the birth center and WOW checking me must have kick started labor because contractions are 4-5 minutes apart and strong…I am feeling them in my back! I call Auntie Meg to tell her the news. We stop at Wal-Mart to pick up a “birth ball” for me to rock on…walking around Wal-Mart is a little uncomfortable. We then stop at Fry’s to pick up labor snacks…I tell Brant to go in alone and hurry because I am now very uncomfortable. I squirm like crazy in the car while waiting…sitting with back labor is NO fun! We fill up on gas just in case and grab Arby’s (I was starving and it sounded amazing!). I am so uncomfortable in the car now.
9/14 5:30pm I am eating Arby’s and hanging out on the birth ball.
9/14 6:30 I get into warm bath to relax…it feels great and makes a huge difference for my back…I get the feeling Brooke is OP with all this back labor!
9/14 7:30pm We start calling everyone to let them know labor has started.
9/14 9:00pm I continue snacking and drinking plenty of water.
9/14 10:00pm I am somewhere between late first stage and transition…think it’s time to lay down and having Brant give me the massage we learned in Bradley…I need to moan through each contraction now. Contractions are 4 minutes apart…I think I will be doing this throughout the night and until tomorrow some time.
9/14 11:15pm Oh m goodness…in one contraction I hit transition HARD…I jump up and tell Brant we have to go to the Birth Center NOW…there is lots of pressure and contractions every minute!!! Brant runs around like crazy to get everything ready and I call the midwife…she says come NOW! I have to stop every minute to have a contraction…I start crying because I don’t want to have her in the car!
9/14 11:18pm We are in the car and racing to the birth center…people are driving SO slowly around us and I am angry…I feel the contractions completely in my back L but I can moan through them…I can’t believe this is happening.
9/14 11:30pm We pull into birth center and run in…CeCe is the midwife on-call (she was also when Brooke tried to come at 32 weeks so we know her well) and Fania is our nurse…both are super amazing and talk me through everything. CeCe checks me and I am 8-9cm and 100% effaced. Brooke’s head is engaged. The tub is filled so I get ready and jump in! It’s a whirlwind of checking my vitals and listening to Brooke’s heart rate (which did AMAZING the whole time….I remember praying each time the Doppler went to my belly that I would hear that perfect little heartbeat…it was a little scary for me because I kept thinking like a NICU nurse).
9/14 11:43pm Back labor is INTENSE but I am so close I just have to deal with it and meet my little girl…my body starts naturally pushing on its own but I have to make it through some more contractions before I’m ready to push. I pray she doesn’t come too soon…if she waits just a few more minutes she can be born on her due date!
9/15 12:15am We made it to 9/15/10 her original due date and I am officially 40 weeks! I begin pushing and water breaks after two little pushes! Pushing is very hard with the back labor but my body just keeps giving me clues as to what I need to do…CeCe and Fania gently give me tips on what will help bring Brooke down. Brant is being AMAZING…he has not panicked once and knows exactly what he needs to do! This is happening so fast there is no time to really think. I know I can’t turn back now and keep saying out loud that I can do this! Laboring on your hands and knees usually works best for back labor but I think I may have pulled something in my back and my wrists are going numb from holding myself up…they have me get in the most comfortable position I can and it helps SO much. Brooke is right there!
9/15 1:00am My most effective pushing started about this time. I am still able to talk after each push…of course I would be able to J! This part is SO hard but the fastest…I have to be patient and breathe her out. Fania is fanning my face and it feels amazing. Brant is trying to give me as many sips of water as he can…I can’t get enough.
9/15 1:27am Brooke is born peacefully in the tub!!! She looks up at us from the water and Brant and I pull her up to my belly…we are both crying. Oh my goodness she is here and I…WE did this! She cried for just a second then lay calmly on my belly while we waited for her cord to stop pulsing. While we wait we all take turns guessing what she weighs…we all think 7-7 ½ lbs. It takes about 12 minutes or so then they let Brant cut the cord. They have Brant hold her while they finish with me and help me out of the tub. For the next two hours we lay in bed with our sweet beautiful baby girl on my chest. I sip lots of juice and eat cheese and crackers…I need my strength now more than ever.
9/15 3:45am Fania comes to weigh/measure her…she sneaks in just under 7lbs at 6lbs 12oz and 20 in long…she’s perfect! At this time they want me to get up and use the restroom…they know I am weak so the nurse goes very slowly. I end up passing out for a few seconds anyways and we decide it’s best to get an IV with fluids…I didn’t want too many medical interventions for her birth but when it came to our health and safety there were no questions asked. They also check my CBC just to make sure I didn’t lose too much blood or wasn’t anemic before giving birth. (I find out the day after having her that I am anemic and this leads to a whole other story…see the end)
9/15 7:00am Brant goes out and gets us IHOP…it tastes AMAZING and I can’t believe I’m eating IHOP after just having her. My mom, Aunt Gina, and sister arrive from Phoenix to meet her and help us the first day at home. Delivering her with just Brant and I was truly amazing but it is so nice to see family and show her off!
9/15 1:00pm We leave the birth center with our beautiful baby girl.
9/16 10:00 We go to Brooke’s first pediatrician appointment…she is doing great but I really do not feel or look good. The birth center wants us to come back for breastfeeding help and to talk to me about my H&H (Hemoglobin & Hematocrit results).
9/16 11:00am We are back at birth center and trying to breastfeed…I am in tears and in so much pain. They come back with my results and it looks like I am not only pretty anemic now but have been since before having her. After another blood draw I get two liters of fluids there and then after the results come back even lower we are sent to the ER for a blood transfusion. It was so horrible to have our sweet new baby in such a dirty place but her daddy was doing a good job of protecting her. They confirm that I did not have a hemorrhage after birth but that I have been anemic and the birth put me over the edge. My mom, grandma, and sister show up from Phoenix to take Brooke home. We have to have them bottle feed her for the night with formula…when they take her away I can’t stop sobbing but I know it’s for the best.
9/17 5:30am After a very long night in the ER we arrive back home to our little girl and hope the craziness is over.
9/20 We had a few more speed bumps along the way but I am now feeling MUCH better. They said I could have tried eating very healthy but it would have taken 6 weeks to regain my strength without the blood transfusion. I am so glad I did it. We had a lactation consultant come to the house the afternoon after coming home from the ER and with her help we are now doing very well with breastfeeding. It’s a learning process and we are both getting better at it with each feed. Now only if we can get some sleep?! I want to mention how absolutely amazing Brant has been through all of this but words cannot describe what he has done for me…for our family. We feel truly blessed and thank God for how everything turned out.
