Brody

The Crazy Boy.  We found out that we were expecting again in February of 2012.  We were so excited and happy to make Brenna a big sister.  My pregnancy with Brody was so much easier than my pregnancy with Brenna.  Well, until the end, that is.  But i'll get to that.  I had pretty bad morning sickness in the beginning.  But it eventually tapered off to nothing.  Throughout the entire pregnancy, I would get nauseous if I waited too long to eat.  But it was easily fixed with food.  Because I had Gestational Diabetes with Brenna, my doctor made me test early and often for Gestational Diabetes again.  I passed each test.  I was so excited.  Little did I know, by the end of this pregnancy, I would rather have had GD again.  

I got to live the 2nd and 3rd trimester of this pregnancy in the spring and hot as heck summer.  It was not fun.  But I didn't end up getting as big this time so it wasn't the worst it could be.  I wasn't working because it was summer but I did have to keep up with a 2 year old.  I decided to take a leave of absence from teaching at the end of last year.  Brody was due in October and I didn't want to go back to work establish a classroom, just to go out on maternity leave and have to re-establish the classroom and possibly inherit a mess when I came back.  So far, I am liking being home and considering not going back until my kids are in school.  

The summer was busy, my cousin got married in New Hampshire in June and I flew up there for a beautiful wedding on the lake.  We had a vacation to the outer banks planned in early September.  I was to be 34 weeks for the vacation and was certain my OB wouldn't let me go.  But she said as long as all was well, I could go if I promised to take it easy.  So we prepared for vacation.  She asked me to schedule an appointment with her for the Friday before we left, just to make sure all was well.  She ended up having an emergency and I saw another doctor in her practice that day.  And that was the end of our vacation plans (even though I had already packed).  This OB who was much more blunt than my OB looked at me and said "You know you are pre-eclamptic right".  My eyes were about as wide as saucers and tears were about to come pouring out and I felt like saying "Do I look like a person who knows she's pre-eclamptic?" But I quietly squeaked out "No I didn't".  And from there she went on about how I would need 2 monitoring appointments per week and weekly OB appointments from here on out. And that I would not be allowed to go past 37 weeks.  All of this at once made my head explode.  On top of the fact that I had been hoping to go into labor naturally this time and have a VBAC.  All of that was squashed in one minute.  37 weeks?  There was no way i'd go into labor naturally at 37 weeks.  So I knew then, i'd be having a repeat c-section.  Oh yea, and no vacation.  "You're on bedrest".  So for the rest of the pregnancy, I laid on the couch, took my blood pressure constantly, and went to my zillion doctors appointments and did my zillion blood tests.  Every week.  It only lasted 3 more weeks because as the pregnancy progressed, so did the pre-eclampsia and my OB (who said she'd let me go as far as 39 weeks as long as the pre-e was staying in check) was now not comfortable letting me progress past 37 weeks.  

So on September 28, 2012, we arrived at the hospital at 10am to prep for surgery.  And this time, I didn't cry.  I knew what to expect.  But I was nervous about the health of my 37 weeker but I didn't want to risk both of our lives either by continuing the pregnancy.  And I knew they were equipped to take care of him should he need assistance.  I was wheeled in for my spinal and this time, the spinal didn't take right away.  So I held everyone up for a while.  The anesthesiologist was thisclose to putting me to sleep before it finally took, Jason came in, and they got started.  Then there was no pediatrician in the room so they had to wait to pull him out while the pediatrician came running down the hallway.  Brody was born at 12:55 pm.  

I didn't hear him cry.  They didn't call Jason over to see him.  There were no guesses at his weight.  There were no post birth pictures.  He did need assistance.  So we waited for what were the longest minutes of our lives to hear him cry.  He finally did.  But we still weren't allowed to see him.  He went straight to the NICU (Level III nursery).  He had fluid in his lungs, he was laboring to breathe.  They hooked him up to O2 and I only got to see him after leaving recovery on the way to my room.  And I didn't hold him until the next day.  I was sad.  But he was here, and they would help him.  Brody was 6lbs 5oz.  

We stayed in the hospital with him for a week while he was on antiobiotics.  He did really well after about a day and a half of O2.  And then it was like just get us out of here!  But we needed to be sure he was ok.  And we left the hospital on October 5.  One whole week after he was born.  

Brody James

6lbs 5oz

19 inches

9/28/12

12:55pm