Wine and Rice: Braylon's Birth

I was looking over the blog today and I realized that I did not write about Braylon's birth. I did not start this until he was almost two months old and I guess I just forgot to tell the story of how he ended up coming into the world a month early and be a preemie. So Bryalon here is you birth story:

      It all began at 35 weeks pregnant. On September 9th I went to the doctor for my normal one week check up. My blood pressure was a little high so the doctor, my midwife was on vacation for the month of September, asked what could be causing the rise. I thought that it was the stress of classes and my comprehensive exam that I would be taking on October 4th. The doctor told be to relax, try breathing techniques, take baths to try to lower my levels. She wanted me to come back in on the next Tuesday, the 14th, for another blood pressure check by a nurse at the office, even though I had a regular appointment on the 16th. So Tuesday came and it was the first appointment that I went to by myself. Colin was finishing his clinicals for paramedic school and had just finished a 12 hour night shift at the UNMH emergency room. When they took my blood pressure it was really high and I started to cry immediately. I felt like I was letting you down and that my body was failing you. Because my blood pressure was so high they sent me straight over to Labor and Delivery. I called everyone I could on the short drive over and no one picked up. Upon arriving at L&D I was placed in a room and hooked up to all the machines. After three hours, my blood pressure started to go down and since your heart rate was good and my fluid levels were perfect they sent me home to do a 24 urine catch and to return the next day for another blood pressure check.
          I returned on the 15th and blood pressure was scary high, 183/115! I was immediately placed in a wheel chair and pushed to the birthing area. This was at 330. I was immediately placed on magnesium which meant I would not be able to get out of bed until I was taken off of it, 24 hours after you were born. I had to have a catheter placed immediately and without any pain medication. At roughly 6pm they started me on a dose of cervidell because I was no where near ready to have you. Later that night we were informed that we would not get any more cervidell, you were not responding well and so they wanted to try something else. It was about 1030 pm when the doctor tried to place the foley bulb (this was the worse thing ever, it was a balloon inside of the cervix and one on the outside and the pressure of them was to make you dilate). Mind you this is still without any meds. It took three tries to get this placed. I really thought I was not going to make it past this part. I even asked for a c-section when they were doing this. Once it was placed I started to feel contractions. They were hurting pretty bad so after an hour I asked the nurse for some pain meds in my IV. This helped and I was able to get a little sleep. I was woken up every hour by a doctor asking me a series of questions, so I did not get too much sleep.
        At 10am they took out the foley bulb and I was dilated to a 4. I got my epidural then and was given a pump so that I could add more whenever I needed it. At 2 they broke my water. At 6 grandma, my mom, got there. I got the antibiotics for strep-B and then right before I started to push I got coreo (a fever which could be a sign of infection). Finally, at 930 I started pushing and you were born at 1129 pm on the 16th. You came out so blue. You were immediately rushed over to the four pedi's doctors that were there. You were not breathing and did not really care to (magnesium makes a baby lazy). You spent what seemed like forever over there and it took you like five minutes to cry. About 15 minutes after your birth the doctors decided your lungs were strong enough and they gave you to me. I really wanted to hold you when you still had all the birth stuff on you, but when I got you, you were all clean and dry. You were 5 pounds 15 ounces and 19.5 inches long
         You were a great eater and latched on without a single problem. I was on magnesium until 1130pm on the 17th. You had to have antibiotic shots every four hours for 48 hours because of all of the stuff I was on. Your poor little thighs. On the 19th we were moved to a different floor, I was released but you had to stay, so that you could be under the blue lights for jaundice. Grandma and me thought we were never going to get out of that hospital! Finally, on Monday the 20th we were released and we took you home. When we left the hospital you only weighed 5 pounds 3 ounces! It would take you another nine days until you would get close to your birth weight (5lbs, 14ozs on Sept. 29th).
     Your birth was nothing that I had envisioned it. I wanted no meds and to hold you as soon as you came out. However, the end product was very much what I wanted. A healthy, growing baby.