Welcome Brennan Patrick!

Brennan Patrick was born on Thursday September 6, 9:31am, 7 lb 8 oz, 20 1/4 inches. Here's our story.........

Left work Wednesday feeling slightly crampy, though this was nothing new for me! So I got home and decided to lay down for a while. And then I started getting contractions, but this time they were different. I could actually time them...so I started doing that. PJ got home and he did something that just put me over the edge - the next thing I know, I am sobbing over nothing, which was a sign I guess! After a few hours, we noticed I was having consistent contractions lasting anywhere from 30-50 seconds every 3 minutes. Our doctor told us we should head to the hospital when they were 1 min long and every 5 minutes.......well, mine were never that far apart! Anyway, as the evening progressed, the intensity increased. Though I told my parents not to start the drive from St. Louis just yet, as I wasn't 100% sure I was really in labor. In the meantime I started passing my mucous plug as well - and this time I was sure!

PJ and I took Tucker on a walk to see if that changed the contractions - it didn't. I then took a nice long shower to see if that did anything to relieve my pain. Nope. So I just tried to relax, using my Bradley method techniques. PJ was preparing for his cases for Thursday, just in case it was not real and he had to go to work. I decided to call the family practice resident on call at the hospital to discuss my experience with them. She thought that it might be labor onset, but that I probably was not ready to come to the hospital and that to be admitted, I would need to be 4 centimeters.

Finally, around 2am, I looked at PJ and said, we are going to the hospital. This is it, I know it. He thought that they would probably send us home and I said I don't care, let's go. So we go to the hospital and as we checked in I started crying and the nurse looked at me and said, oh honey, you're in labor. So she hooked me up to check baby's heartrate and my contractions. His heart rate was fine and she was AMAZED at how strong, often, and consistent my contractions were. The resident on call finally came in and was also amazed at my contractions (ha ha - I KNEW they were intense!). Then she checked me - I was ONLY 1.5 centimeters dilated but 95% effaced. The baby was at a stage 3 - really high in my uterus still and my bags of water had not broken. The doctor was surprised I hadn't progressed more! She asked us to go walk around the hospital for two hours at which time she would check us again. So we started walking (the nurse wanted to see me every 30 min to check the contractions and baby's heartrate).

After an hour, we were getting checked a second time by the nurse, and the doctor returned, opting to check me sooner. I had progressed to 3 centimeters and was admitted to a room. PJ and I got a natural birthing room - which included a tub, and had them bring us a birthing ball. We also shared our birthing plan with the nurse, who did not question any of it and was great to work with.

I continued laboring in our room - by 6am I was 5 centimeters and opted to labor in the tub. Around this time most of my bags of waters also had broken, which was good. Unfortunately, the baby was still very high. His heart rate was great the entire time.

Around 8am my doctor arrived. She asked me if she could break the last bag of waters, which happened to be the one right below his head, closest to the exterior. I agreed. She thought that doing this would help let the baby move down into my cervix, which was 100% effaced. After she broke the bag, she felt around for his head, looked at me and said, I think I feel I bottom. So she conducted an ultrasound and confirmed our fear - the baby was breach. No wonder he was still at a stage three! He was folded in half - with his bottom at the bottom and his feet and head at the top of my uterus.

At that point, she looked at me and said, your labor is over, we're calling the surgeon, you're having a c-section, you will not deliver a baby like this. I burst into tears, as this was the last thing I wanted. I did feel lucky that I was able to labor drug-free for 13+ hours, as I am sure it was beneficial for the baby. PJ was also really upset. Neither of my parents had arrived yet, but my mom was close. She got there about 5 minutes before I was taken to surgery.

Honestly, at that point, I was ready for the drugs - once I knew that a c-section was not an option, I was ready to be done with it all. No joke, labor hurts. A. LOT. I would love to think that if things had been better, I could have done it all natural, but I really don't know. I am hoping it was so intense from the get go for me b/c he was breech.........or that next time we can try again and have a different experience. Anyway...

Had the c-section - which is seriously one of the hardest things emotionally - I hated not being able to see and hold my baby right away! I hated not being able to feel my legs and move and just be so at the mercy of everyone else - so out of control. It is what it is.

Recovery went fairly well - Brennan was very healthy and took to the breast as soon as I could hold him (and as not let go!).

Since his birth -
We spent 48 hours in the hospital and were discharged Saturday am, leaving in the early afternoon. I feel pretty good considering I had major abdominal surgery! My mom, dad, deb, and in-laws were all able to come to the hospital and it was wonderful having them all there. PJ is doing great with it all - he is such a natural at being a dad.

Let's see - my milk has already come in and Brennan feeds like a champ! So far so good in that department.

Now, you will notice in some of the other pictures I post that Brennan has a nice little brace on his little legs....turns out that in about 26/1000 (which IS common I guess) breech boys born, they are prone to their hip dislocating. And low and behold, that is what happened to Brennan. So....for the next few weeks, he will wear the brace to fix the issue, which 95% of the time, the brace takes care of. He is in no pain, but because their bones are still hardening now, it is best to treat now rather than later!

We think Brennan must have been breech for a while - and since I had not had an ultrasound since 18 weeks, as there was no need to, we just didn't know. I had been checked by three different doctors and numerous nurses both during my pregnancy and throughout labor, and until the bag of waters was broken, no one had any inkling. I guess if he had been a feet first breech, they probably would have known. Anyway - all I know is that I am so thankful for a healthy little boy!

We are sleeping some - though much better at home than when we were at the hospital (where the nurses and everyone else is constantly in the room check on something!) Thank goodness our doctor let us go after 48 hours (most c-sections have to stay three days!). PJ and I are both doing well - and Brennan is doing great!

Okay - hopefully will post more pics later or will provide a link to a place you can access more pics - blogger is acting strange!