Last weekend, my parents (the proud new grandparents) came to visit along with my brother. Grandma Marty, Grandpa Dave and Uncle Adam enjoyed their time with Brooks. My dad is still getting used to the "grandpa" name, but seeing him hold that little baby reassured me that he'll do just fine in his new role. I can already see him slipping Brooks all kinds of sugar and candy when mom's not looking. And my mom was wonderful helping out and preparing all the meals. Thanks mom! Here's some pictures from the weekend.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Grandma & Grandpa
Last weekend, my parents (the proud new grandparents) came to visit along with my brother. Grandma Marty, Grandpa Dave and Uncle Adam enjoyed their time with Brooks. My dad is still getting used to the "grandpa" name, but seeing him hold that little baby reassured me that he'll do just fine in his new role. I can already see him slipping Brooks all kinds of sugar and candy when mom's not looking. And my mom was wonderful helping out and preparing all the meals. Thanks mom! Here's some pictures from the weekend.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Birth Story of Brooks David Anderson - Part 1
Monday, June 15th
Brooks' birth story actually starts on Monday. It was one day past my due date and we were scheduled for an ultrasound that morning to check the fluid level around baby. The fluid was good, but the doctor noticed that the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck two times! He said it wasn't tight and the baby wasn't in immediate danger but said he wanted to see this baby delivered sooner than later ... in fact, in the next 48 hours. Then he said what I really didn't want to hear ... he wanted to induce me into labor, even as soon as that afternoon!
Immediately after that, we saw our midwife for a routine check on baby. I'm still trying to process all this news and emotions and attempting to not break down and cry in the waiting room. When we met with Lisa, she discussed our options of inducing. Again, I really didn't want to be induced due to all the medical interventions that would come with it. I wanted my body to do things on its own, the way it's supposed to happen ... and the way we wanted it to happen. She checked my cervix and said I was dilated to 2cm and fully effaced, which she was extremely pleased with; that would make an induction much easier.
While I was hooked up to the external fetal monitor, Chris and I discussed the situation. We always had the option of refusing the induction, but we didn't want to put our baby at risk either. After 30 minutes on the monitor, baby's heartbeat looked great! So with that, we decided to "postpone" the induction. We wanted to try some things at home to get labor going before moving forward with inducing. Our midwife was very supportive. So we made an appointment to come back Wednesday to do another heartbeat check, and went home.
That afternoon I went to the chiropractor and asked him to work his "pressure point" magic to get labor going. Then I met up with a friend at the mall and power walked for an hour! Contractions were coming more often during our walk, but they were still very mild and irregular. That evening, I went to the gym and worked out for 1/2 an hour. One way or another, I was going to get this baby out!
That evening Chris and I prayed ... I mean, really prayed. We prayed that my body would go into labor the next day and that we would get a good night's rest beforehand. We prayed that our little boy would be safe ... that the cord would come unwrapped from around his neck and that there would be no complications during labor or delivery. We knew if this was going to happen naturally, it would have to be God.
Brooks' birth story actually starts on Monday. It was one day past my due date and we were scheduled for an ultrasound that morning to check the fluid level around baby. The fluid was good, but the doctor noticed that the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck two times! He said it wasn't tight and the baby wasn't in immediate danger but said he wanted to see this baby delivered sooner than later ... in fact, in the next 48 hours. Then he said what I really didn't want to hear ... he wanted to induce me into labor, even as soon as that afternoon!
Immediately after that, we saw our midwife for a routine check on baby. I'm still trying to process all this news and emotions and attempting to not break down and cry in the waiting room. When we met with Lisa, she discussed our options of inducing. Again, I really didn't want to be induced due to all the medical interventions that would come with it. I wanted my body to do things on its own, the way it's supposed to happen ... and the way we wanted it to happen. She checked my cervix and said I was dilated to 2cm and fully effaced, which she was extremely pleased with; that would make an induction much easier.
While I was hooked up to the external fetal monitor, Chris and I discussed the situation. We always had the option of refusing the induction, but we didn't want to put our baby at risk either. After 30 minutes on the monitor, baby's heartbeat looked great! So with that, we decided to "postpone" the induction. We wanted to try some things at home to get labor going before moving forward with inducing. Our midwife was very supportive. So we made an appointment to come back Wednesday to do another heartbeat check, and went home.
That afternoon I went to the chiropractor and asked him to work his "pressure point" magic to get labor going. Then I met up with a friend at the mall and power walked for an hour! Contractions were coming more often during our walk, but they were still very mild and irregular. That evening, I went to the gym and worked out for 1/2 an hour. One way or another, I was going to get this baby out!
That evening Chris and I prayed ... I mean, really prayed. We prayed that my body would go into labor the next day and that we would get a good night's rest beforehand. We prayed that our little boy would be safe ... that the cord would come unwrapped from around his neck and that there would be no complications during labor or delivery. We knew if this was going to happen naturally, it would have to be God.
Birth Story of Brooks David Anderson - Part 2
Tuesday, June 16th
(Note: all times are approximate)
5:00am - I started having contractions that I could no longer sleep through. They still didn't hurt, but they were different from the ones I had the day before. This might have been it, but I still wasn't sure.
5:30am - The contractions were still coming with consistent strength. I woke Chris up to let him know. He was excited and started timing contractions. At the time, they were about 8-10 minutes apart.
6:00am - We got up, showered, got dressed and ate some breakfast. The contractions were still coming strong and closer together. I did my best to relax through each one.
8:30am - Chris called the midwife clinic to let them know that I was having contractions about 6 minutes apart. They said when my contractions were consistently 5 minutes apart and I could no longer talk through them would be a good time to come in. They also offered to check me at the clinic before going to the hospital.
10:00am - Chris and I started walking up and down the hallway ... an almost guaranteed way to increase the speed of labor. And sure enough, the contractions were stronger and were coming closer together. We continued to labor at home. Chris was an amazing coach. He helped me relax and breath through each contraction, just like a good Bradley coach :o) All morning I was drinking juice and eating what I could. Knowing this could be a long day, I wanted to store up as much energy as possible.
12:00pm - The contractions were 5-6 minutes apart and increasing in strength. We decided it was time to go in. Chris loaded up the car and we headed to the clinic. When we arrived, our midwife checked me and I was dilated to 4cm, fully effaced and she said my bag of waters was bulging. In her words, "you're a keeper; let's get you to the hospital". She offered to break my water to help 'get things going', but we declined, wanting my body to do things on its own.
1:00pm - We checked into the hospital. I gowned up and they hooked me up to the external fetal monitor to do an initial read on the baby's heartbeat. His heartbeat looked and sounded great. Then they asked a thousand questions. This whole process took about an hour and my contractions were spacing out to about 10 minutes apart. Sitting on a bed is the worst way to labor, and I told our nurse as much. As soon as she had the info she needed I was off the bed. I certainly didn't want to wait around all day for this baby to be born.
2:00pm - We moved to the ball and labored there for a while. Chris, again, was an amazing support, getting me water in between each contraction and talking me through everything. In between contractions, Chris read some scripture verses I had written down earlier. He read the one that said, "Whatever you ask for in prayer shall be given to you." He asked what I wanted to ask for in prayer. I said I wanted this labor to be quick and easy. I wanted this baby today. So we prayed just that.
2:30pm - We decided to do some walking in the hallway to move things along, but I didn't make it very far. As soon as I stood up and put my robe on, I headed straight to the bathroom and threw up. I started shaking for no good reason and was freezing, then sweating. I was in transition.
3:30pm - Contractions were quite strong by this point and I wasn't talking during them, or in between them. I was focused. I moved back to the bed so they could check me and listen to baby's heartbeat. I was dilated to 6cm. We were making progress. I stayed in the bed for a while. It was nice to lie down and rest between contractions. I threw up again. This time I really knew I was in transition.
4:30pm - I moved to the whirlpool tub. I realized then I should have done that a lot sooner. It felt amazing. The contractions were very strong, but sitting in the warm water helped take the edge off. After what felt like 10 minutes (but was more likely an hour), I felt the need to push.
5:30pm - I moved from the tub back to the bed. By this time, the room was filling up with people getting ready for the baby. I was dilated to 9cm with a cervical lip. The nurse re-positioned me on the bed and it seemed like minutes later I started pushing. The nurse firmly told me to stop pushing as it was just her and Chris in the room with me. But I couldn't stop; it was time for baby to come out. The room immediately filled with people, most of whom I didn't know. I didn't care. Then I was informed that my midwife was in the next room delivering another baby. Great. There was a resident doctor who was there, along with a supervising doctor to deliver the baby. It wasn't my preference, but I didn't have much choice. This baby was coming!
I was pushing for about 30 minutes or so when my midwife arrived. Hooray! Well, at that point I didn't really care who was catching the baby, I just wanted him out. Because of the nuchal cord, they kept a really close watch on his heartbeat. But I knew God was protecting him and it never wavered. I pushed and pushed. I was instructed to stop pushing once his head came out so they could assess the cord situation. I pushed through a crazy amount of pain and finally his head came out. The baby's cord was loose enough that our midwife was able to safely unwrap it from around his neck before he fully came out.
6:40pm - Brooks David Anderson was born. The cord was actually wrapped around his neck 3 times when he was born. But like I said, they were able to quickly unwrap it and he was never in danger. We had originally wanted immediate skin to skin time and to allow the cord to finish pulsating before cutting it, but because of the situation Chris cut the cord almost immediately. They quickly moved him to the warmer and put oxygen on him. But our little boy is a trooper and God is so good. He was breathing on his own, his heartbeat was strong, his oxygen levels were great and within minutes he was back in my arms! What a miracle baby.
(Note: all times are approximate)
5:00am - I started having contractions that I could no longer sleep through. They still didn't hurt, but they were different from the ones I had the day before. This might have been it, but I still wasn't sure.
5:30am - The contractions were still coming with consistent strength. I woke Chris up to let him know. He was excited and started timing contractions. At the time, they were about 8-10 minutes apart.
6:00am - We got up, showered, got dressed and ate some breakfast. The contractions were still coming strong and closer together. I did my best to relax through each one.
8:30am - Chris called the midwife clinic to let them know that I was having contractions about 6 minutes apart. They said when my contractions were consistently 5 minutes apart and I could no longer talk through them would be a good time to come in. They also offered to check me at the clinic before going to the hospital.
10:00am - Chris and I started walking up and down the hallway ... an almost guaranteed way to increase the speed of labor. And sure enough, the contractions were stronger and were coming closer together. We continued to labor at home. Chris was an amazing coach. He helped me relax and breath through each contraction, just like a good Bradley coach :o) All morning I was drinking juice and eating what I could. Knowing this could be a long day, I wanted to store up as much energy as possible.
12:00pm - The contractions were 5-6 minutes apart and increasing in strength. We decided it was time to go in. Chris loaded up the car and we headed to the clinic. When we arrived, our midwife checked me and I was dilated to 4cm, fully effaced and she said my bag of waters was bulging. In her words, "you're a keeper; let's get you to the hospital". She offered to break my water to help 'get things going', but we declined, wanting my body to do things on its own.
1:00pm - We checked into the hospital. I gowned up and they hooked me up to the external fetal monitor to do an initial read on the baby's heartbeat. His heartbeat looked and sounded great. Then they asked a thousand questions. This whole process took about an hour and my contractions were spacing out to about 10 minutes apart. Sitting on a bed is the worst way to labor, and I told our nurse as much. As soon as she had the info she needed I was off the bed. I certainly didn't want to wait around all day for this baby to be born.
2:00pm - We moved to the ball and labored there for a while. Chris, again, was an amazing support, getting me water in between each contraction and talking me through everything. In between contractions, Chris read some scripture verses I had written down earlier. He read the one that said, "Whatever you ask for in prayer shall be given to you." He asked what I wanted to ask for in prayer. I said I wanted this labor to be quick and easy. I wanted this baby today. So we prayed just that.
2:30pm - We decided to do some walking in the hallway to move things along, but I didn't make it very far. As soon as I stood up and put my robe on, I headed straight to the bathroom and threw up. I started shaking for no good reason and was freezing, then sweating. I was in transition.
3:30pm - Contractions were quite strong by this point and I wasn't talking during them, or in between them. I was focused. I moved back to the bed so they could check me and listen to baby's heartbeat. I was dilated to 6cm. We were making progress. I stayed in the bed for a while. It was nice to lie down and rest between contractions. I threw up again. This time I really knew I was in transition.
4:30pm - I moved to the whirlpool tub. I realized then I should have done that a lot sooner. It felt amazing. The contractions were very strong, but sitting in the warm water helped take the edge off. After what felt like 10 minutes (but was more likely an hour), I felt the need to push.
5:30pm - I moved from the tub back to the bed. By this time, the room was filling up with people getting ready for the baby. I was dilated to 9cm with a cervical lip. The nurse re-positioned me on the bed and it seemed like minutes later I started pushing. The nurse firmly told me to stop pushing as it was just her and Chris in the room with me. But I couldn't stop; it was time for baby to come out. The room immediately filled with people, most of whom I didn't know. I didn't care. Then I was informed that my midwife was in the next room delivering another baby. Great. There was a resident doctor who was there, along with a supervising doctor to deliver the baby. It wasn't my preference, but I didn't have much choice. This baby was coming!
I was pushing for about 30 minutes or so when my midwife arrived. Hooray! Well, at that point I didn't really care who was catching the baby, I just wanted him out. Because of the nuchal cord, they kept a really close watch on his heartbeat. But I knew God was protecting him and it never wavered. I pushed and pushed. I was instructed to stop pushing once his head came out so they could assess the cord situation. I pushed through a crazy amount of pain and finally his head came out. The baby's cord was loose enough that our midwife was able to safely unwrap it from around his neck before he fully came out.
6:40pm - Brooks David Anderson was born. The cord was actually wrapped around his neck 3 times when he was born. But like I said, they were able to quickly unwrap it and he was never in danger. We had originally wanted immediate skin to skin time and to allow the cord to finish pulsating before cutting it, but because of the situation Chris cut the cord almost immediately. They quickly moved him to the warmer and put oxygen on him. But our little boy is a trooper and God is so good. He was breathing on his own, his heartbeat was strong, his oxygen levels were great and within minutes he was back in my arms! What a miracle baby.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Welcome Brooks David Anderson
Brooks was born 6/16 at 6:40pm. Weighed 8lbs 4oz and 21 inches long. We are so happy he is finally here! To see all the pictures, click here.
Monday, June 15, 2009
40 Weeks
Well, the due date has come and gone and no baby. I can't say that I'm surprised, just a little disappointed. We knew all along that he'd be late, but it's a bit tough to see that date on the calendar I've been telling people for 9 months now just slip on by. But, good things come to those who wait, right? He'll come when the time is right.
Saturday I had quite a few contractions, more than I ever had before, so I thought he would come then. But when we went to bed that night the activity slowed way down. Sunday was pretty quiet. At least from what I could tell. Most of the contractions I have I don't even feel or notice, so it's hard to tell when I'm having them. And the one's I do notice, don't hurt. It's just a really strong tightening in my tummy. Hopefully more will come with some consistency.
This morning we had an ultrasound. Couldn't really see much of the baby because he's so squished in there, but he's definitely head down and in position for birth. That was good news. They really just wanted to check the amniotic fluid level and that looks good too. Then we saw our midwife after that. They put the external fetal monitor on for about 30 minutes to listen to baby. His heartbeat is as strong as ever and he even held up during a few contractions. I'm already so proud of him! I also discovered that I'm dilated to about 2cm and effacing quite nicely. My midwife seemed really pleased. With some work on our end and a few prayers, we should have a baby by the end of the week. We can't wait!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Nursery Complete!
Well, with less than a week to go, we finally finished the baby's room. To see all the pictures, click here.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
39 Weeks
Ok, so I think we're all set and ready to go. The baby's room is complete. The car seats are installed. All the paperwork for the hospital is collected. Bag is packed (mostly). Work things are wrapped up. Now we just need baby to come.
On Friday I realized just how glad I am that this baby is coming at the beginning of summer instead of at the end. When I got home I noticed that my feet had swelled up like balloons; puffy sausage toes and all. Wonderful. I've always really liked my feet and even when I felt unattractive in every other way, I knew my feet were still cute. Well, not anymore. Looks like the baby gets to take over that part of my body too. I guess I shouldn't complain since I've gone 39 weeks without any swelling, but it was a hard thing to accept. So Saturday I went to the gym and spent over an hour in the pool, hoping that would reduce the swelling. It did some, and now today it's cooler outside so they're almost back to normal.
Last Monday we toured the hospital birthing unit. I love it! I had seen certain areas of it before while visiting friends, but seeing the whole place made me really glad (once again) we chose Avera. The labor and delivery rooms are huge and very homey. And on the postpartum floor there's a private cafe for mom and dad and a spa where I will receive a complimentary massage. I'm looking forward to that! Plus there's a "dad den" with a large screen TV and leather recliners. Although I'm sure Chris will be spending most of his time with his new son. We're both so excited for him to arrive!
Today at church, a friend's 4 year old son came to me and said he couldn't wait to play with our little baby and that they were going to play 'rattle tag'. Then he 'pet' the baby :o) It's so fun seeing other people get excited about his arrival too. I know he will be well loved. But for now, we just wait for him to get here.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Nesting
So I think the intensity of the nesting has increased. I find myself unable to leave any dirty dishes in the kitchen. Previously my motto was "Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow" and so dishes sat for days, piled up and un-scrubbed. But now as soon as dinner is over I'm washing pots and pans, loading up the dishwasher and wiping down counters. Now, it doesn't matter if our bedroom is a disaster or if there's a thousand things on the kitchen table, but let me assure you, you will not find a dirty dish in my house.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)