Barrett's Birth Story

This is long and mostly for myself because if I wait to document, I’ll forget.

Here goes nothing…

August 2nd- little did I know what was coming...

I have a condition called Rapid Labor. With it, when I go into labor- I go fast. Because of this and being a single carrier of MFTHR, I was scheduled to be induced the night of August 2^nd and have baby on August 3^rd. This would be ten days early, but my sweet doctor was confident that it would all work out fine because of how it went with Deacon.

The last week of July, I noticed some changes. I noticed that baby had dropped and there was some movement down below (I won’t give details) that suggested to me baby may come sooner than expected. I tried not to over analyze it, but part of me thought- baby may be two weeks early. Matt had a couple things he needed to get done school wise, so I was semi-hoping it would not happen right then, but I also was pretty miserable and ready to meet our girl/boy.

Well with all the movement, everything had stopped by the weekend. I was still spotting but I wasn’t contracting. I thought I had cried wolf, so I just continued my daily chores of getting ready for our house to sell and move. Fast forward to Tuesday- August 2^nd. I woke up and was really spotting. I also had consistent contractions. I called the OBGYN who was pretty sure I was in labor. She said with being induced that night- I would just check into hospital and wouldn’t need any medicine to get things started. She did warn me to come in earlier if I felt like contractions were 7 minutes apart and 1 minute long. I didn’t really listen.

I told Matt what was going on and we just got everything ready for the boys to be cared for and house set up for baby. Bags were packed and clothes were washed. We were ready. Around 2 pm that day, I started to notice that the contractions were strong and 10 to 15 minutes apart. They were painful but I still wasn’t too worried.  I didn't want to cry wolf again. We decided to do one last family dinner together the four of us around 6 pm that night. At this point they were every 8-10 minutes apart and I couldn't walk off the pain. I had wondered if the baby would come that night, but I still was uncertain.

We drive home and meet Chandler (who will help us with the boys) and I give her the low down on the boys’ summer school and had everything set to go. She walked out of kitchen to talk with boys and I felt a burst. My water broke- fluid all over the floor. I hadn't had this before, so needless to say, I was shocked.  Matt walked in right as I was headed to bathroom- I told him that I thought we should head over early because my water broke. His face is stunned and he quickly gets go mode into action.  It was 7:15 pm and I was supposed to be checked in at 8 pm, so I figured it would be fine.

We arrive at the hospital around 7:30 and I’m really in labor. I forgot to pre-register, so I’m trying to sign paperwork as I’m pushing through contractions. At one point I ask for a barf bag because I was pretty sure I'm about the lose the dinner and gelato. The lady hurries through the registration and gets me a room around 7:47.

We get to room, I use bathroom, and I ask immediately for the epidural. The nurse lets me know that she will order one but need a liter of fluid into me first. At that point, I’m concerned I’m going to miss epidural. My nurse- Rindy- sits me on the bed and checks. I’m at a 6. A new nurse brings the bag of fluid in and starts to get the IV set up. My stubborn veins gave her trouble which didn’t help- my clock was ticking. I was contracting every 3 minutes for 1-1.5 minutes long and dying. With all the wires, I couldn't really move or walk it off.  I just kept praying and hoping the pain would subside.  Once the IV is in,  I am BEGGING for the epidural.  They let me know doctor is on the way. Rindy checks again- I’m at an 8.

Fast forward probably 5 minutes, I’m contracting I can tell something has started to change because the contractions won’t stop. I ask to use the bathroom because of all the pressure and warn them that I think the baby is coming. They at first tell me I’m ok. BREATHE is the line everyone was repeating.  I am insistent that something has changed. One of the nurses checks- baby is crowning. 

No doctor, just nurses- I ask them- HAVE A MISSED THE EPIDURAL? This sweet nurse looks at me- nods her head- says "Yeahhhhh you missed it." I think I needed to know so I could pump myself up to get through it. PS-I had read zero books on natural labor and they were worried that with how baby was coming that I’d tear. 

They wanted me to go slow- blow out the candles. Well, that’s not really possible although I tried. Matt just held my hand and kept telling me  to breathe.

Well, I missed the epidural, nurses caught the baby, and Barrett Samuel was here at 8:17 pm. (about one hour after my water broke- crazy). He was 6 pounds 6 ounces 19.5 inches long and a feisty little thing. We hadn’t settled on a name but Barrett or Bear completely fit him and we were both smitten. 

Natural labor was incredible despite my begging for the epidural. My recovery was easy- I can't believe I'm saying that- but it's true. I did not tear and really felt like myself by the next day. Barrett successfully nursed almost instantly. 

Matt and I both couldn’t stop talking about the whirlwind of a day and all the things we were so thankful for. If we had not left our house when we did, Matt would have delivered me on the side of the highway. My doctor said that once your water breaks with third child-it’s a race to the gates. The Lord’s provision and goodness is marked all over Barrett and his story.  

Barrett Samuel: One Month Old

Weight/Length- I have his appointment next week- we will know more then. (I'm waiting for insurance, so I say it's next week- but we will see- new job which means new insurance). I would guess around 8 pounds and 20.5 inches length. He is getting chubby- there are neck rolls.

Eating- Bear eats every 2-3 hours. He will give me a 5 hour stretch at night, which I take for granted. Looking back, neither of the brothers did this. He’s been doing it since 3 weeks- not every night- but probably  75% of the time. 

Bedtime/Awake- There isn’t a set schedule for this. I try to have his last real long awake time from 6:30-8:30. With all that we have had going on, I have not been able to be real consistent. He also tends to have a night about every third night where he’s up from 8pm-11 just fussing. He gets overstimulated. Once he is asleep for the night however, he stays asleep. With feedings, he’s easy to put back down.

Diapers- Barrett is in newborn diapers.

Clothes- newborn clothes- some are getting tight around that big belly

Dislikes- car rides. Homeboy notoriously cries most car rides which is hard and exhausting for all parties involved. We are in the car for an hour each morning/ afternoon between dropping off everybody and picking up. It makes for a stressed mama. I know it’s a phase and we will get past it.

If Barrett is fussy or hungry, he dislikes everybody but his mom. I haven’t had a kid like this before but he’s super attached to me. B can tell when he’s napping on me if I try to pass him off. It doesn’t fly so well for him.

Likes- Barrett loves baths. He loves to splash and feel the water. I have a tummy sleeper this time around. He likes to sleep on his belly or on his mom’s chest. I still swaddle him at night just because it’s the safest way, but naps during day are now on tummy. 

Bear loves the pacifier. I had about ten left over from Deacon who never cared for it, so I'm glad they are getting good use. 

Barrett gave his first real smile to Noah, which made big brother’s heart explode. Barrett loves to bounce and will coo while doing so.

Favorite memories for the month- This month was a whirl wind. We survived a move from Texas and adjusting to new city. His birth story is probably my favorite memory. I’ll have to blog about it when things slow down. I don’t want to forget- it was a sweet blessing and just God providing once again. I’m so thankful to be a mommy again to another boy. Barrett’s life is precious and something I will never take for granted. I'm pretty partial to the boy mom life. 

If you are curious what's on his ear, it's called an ear mold. His specific type is called Earwell. He had one ear that was sticking out and one that was in. It's all cosmetic, but we decided it was easiest to fix now and let it be even. It should be off in two weeks. It's a newer invention that is now covered by insurance. Hoot!