Pregnancy and Brandon's Birth

I thought it would be awesome and fitting to recall Brandon's first year of life month by month as his first birthday approaches.  I had several baby books and scrapbooks to help me jar my memory.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pregnancy

Sean and I were trying to have a baby for one month during March of 2010.  At the time, Sean was unemployed but we thought it would take several months so we figured we would try.  Sean found out that he got a job with Coca Cola and we were thinking about taking a last minute vacation before he started work to Mexico or Hawaii when I thought I would just check to see if I was pregnant even though my period was due in a few days.  I peed on the pregnancy stick and nothing happened.  I asked Sean why we didn't see anything and he said it was upside down and then that is when he saw the two lines nice and bold for being pregnant.  We were so excited and surprised!  Needless to say we decided to cancel the expensive trip and save money for the baby and go to Sun River for a few days instead.

I had to take three tests to just make sure I was really pregnant

Right after I found out I was pregnant

I was very anxious to go to my first doctor's appointment.  It felt like forever when I finally got to go at 6 weeks.  I was really happy too when I found out that my doctor wanted to do an early ultrasound to determine the correct due date.  They determined that my due date was December 8th off my last menstrual date but the early ultrasound put my due date at December 1st due to size of the baby.  It was so amazing to see my little baby at 8 weeks.  It made it seem much more real.  At almost 12 weeks I had some scary bleeding and thought there was something wrong.  I got to have another ultrasound then and luckily everything was fine.

Baby Brandon at 8 weeks

Brandon at 12 weeks

The most amazing ultrasound was when I found out my baby was a boy!  I kept worrying that during the ultrasound his private regions would be hidden and I wouldn't get to find out.  I even drank some surgery juice so he would be active before.  We planned to have the appointment on a Monday so Sean would have the day off and my mom drove up to Portland.  We found out five days before our 4th wedding anniversary in July.  I remember being so excited the whole morning at work and I couldn't wait.  My appointment was in the early afternoon.  The tech zoomed in to figure out the gender and I knew right away it was a boy.  It was very obvious!  Sean was so happy, he was beaming.  He really wanted a boy!

It's a boy!!!!!!!

Brandon at 20 weeks

During my 20 week ultrasound, they decided they wanted to do a follow up ultrasound at 25 weeks to track the position of the placenta.  I went in to get the ultrasound and found that my cervix had shortened dramatically from my 20 weeks ultrasound.  They wanted me to go to the hospital immediately to make sure I was not contracting (luckily I was not).  A shortened cervix is linked to pre-term labor.  I was put on pretty strict bed rest.  I was only able to go up the stairs once a day and was only allowed to get up briefly to eat and to go to the bathroom.  I was able to work from home but was pretty lonely and had cabin fever.  I also was going through some crazy anal cleaning pregnancy urges as well, which was really hard since I was unable to get up.  I was able to go off bed rest and go back to work at 32 weeks.

Brandon at 28 weeks with 3-D ultrasound

 They measured my cervix around 35 weeks and I was already 2 cm dilated.  I kept dilating and effacing and we all thought I was going to have Brandon early, but Brandon had other plans.  I tried many natural measures in hopes of having Brandon when my sisters were in town over Thanksgiving but Brandon had other ideas.  Less than one week later after Thanksgiving at my 39 week apt. my blood pressure had crept up and I was very bloated and uncomfortable.  My doctor decided to give me the option of being induced.  I went into the hospital on December 2, 2010 and had to be there at 5:30 AM.  Sean had to work the night before but got off around midnight.  Both of us were excited and nervous.

My pregnancy belly at the hospital on December 2, 2010 (just before I was induced)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Birth

I was already 5 cm dilated when I got to the hospital before they hooked me up to the Pitocin.  I think I was only on the Pitocin for maybe an hour or so and my contractions were going on there own without it.  They had to turn the Pitocin off once as Brandon's heart rate started to decelerate but then were able to turn it back on when it regulated.  My parents stayed at a hotel nearby overnight and came to the hospital around 8:00 AM.  By about 9:00 AM, the contractions were getting really strong and I was about 7 cm dilated.  I decided to get the epidural.  I got the epidural around 10:00 AM and it was heaven.  I remember the doctor being surprised it did not hurt me at all to put the needle in because my contractions were so strong.

The next couple hours went by quickly.  Sean napped.  I visited with my parents and then it was time to push around 12:30 PM!  I pushed hard for about an hour and knew something was not right.  We found out that Brandon was face up which was making it really hard to fit down below my pubic bone.  I kept pushing hard and we were slowly making progress.  My nurse was awesome and was really good at helping me.  I was pushing so hard that I threw up three times.  I don't remember too much of the pushing other than it was harder than any of the triathlons I did in my life.  I think if I was not so young and in good shape I wouldn't have been able to do it.  I really did not want to have a c-section so that was helping me through it.  At one point, my doctor brought in another doctor to assist me and her.  She was awesome and determined that I could push Brandon out but would probably need assistance with a vacuum.

I was really scared at that point but had been pushing for almost 4 hours and did not want to have a c-section at that point.  I wanted more kids and did not want to have to have a c-section with the other kids.  The vacuum was scary it was kind of like a toilet bowl plunger.  The top part of it suctions around the baby's head and then you slowly assist with pulling the baby out.  The first time it did not work and there was a loud pop.  The second time it did and Brandon was pulled out.  I don't remember much at that point because I had been pushing so long.  I just remember seeing Brandon and they cleaned him off and NICU there because of the vacuum birth.  He handled the birth beautifully and had a 9.5 APGAR score.  He was alert and pink and had lots of dark hair.  They put him on my chest almost immediately.  He snuggled up to me well and even latched on and started breast feeding right away.

Just born and being weighed

Brandon and I right after he was born. Noticed he was sucking his fingers already

Brandon getting his hair washed and getting all cleaned up

All clean and only minutes old.

Daddy and Sean meeting each other

Brandon was 21 inches and 8 lbs 15 ounces at birth and was born at 4:25 PM on December 2 2010.  He was in the 75% in height and 90% in weight when he was born.  He was a plump baby with skinny long legs.  His head was cone shaped from having to use the vacuum.  I had been in labor from start to finish for only about 9 hours but almost half of that was pushing.  I got to spend about an hour with Brandon alone while they cleaned me and him up.  Then Sean's parents and my Dad came in and Sean's Grandma, mom, Aunts and Uncles came to see us.

The first night in the hospital was a blur.  They moved me to another room around 9:00 PM (out of the delivery room).  That room was much smaller.  I had Brandon go to the nursery that night to get some rest and Sean stayed with me in the room on the fold out couch.  They brought Brandon in every 4 hours to nurse.

I remember the next day at the hospital just being full of people coming in and out and checking on us and Brandon.  We got a little nervous because Brandon failed a hearing test and had to go back again when he was about a month older to get it re-tested.  A photographer came and took newborn pictures of Brandon and the family and charged a lot.  Brooke, Taylor, and Logan visited and so did Kelli who was on call at the hospital.  I just wanted some time to relax and was looking forward to getting out of the hospital especially since the next day was the Civil War and with a victory the Ducks were going to the National Title game.  The second night my mom stayed with me as Sean stayed at our house with his parents.  Brandon went to the nursery but then was promptly returned around midnight as they ran out of room for him in the nursery.  We did not get very much sleep at all that night as Brandon kept waking up.

Brandon 1 day old at the hospital getting some shots in his reindeer outfit

Brandon 2 days old all dressed up ready for the Civil War game 

We were finally released on December 4 at around 11:00 AM just in time to watch the game.  It was so nice to be home but scary was we were fully in charge of Brandon.  It was hard too because my milk came in and I was sore and having problems breast feeding and getting Brandon latched on.  The Ducks won the Civil War game and got to go to the National Title game!