Most of you already know, but Brooklyn Grace was born Monday,
December 16th at 2:20 am. She weighed 3 pounds 2 ounces and was 15 ½
inches long. Here is her magical birth story…
On Thursday (December 12th) I started bleeding
quite a bit. This was a scary moment for us. We rushed in to do an ultrasound
and all looked good. The bleeding stopped after about an hour. The doctor was
in fear that the placenta was detaching. If this happens we would have to get the
baby out quickly. Well everything leveled off and there was no sign of blood or
distress on the baby. We were just waiting for me to start bleeding any minute.
After three days of
constant watching and waiting I sent Austin home. He and my mom had not left my
side for days. We were all in fear something would happen and I would be by
myself. Sunday night about 11:00 PM I decided to go to the bathroom one last
time in hopes that I would not be up all night. You know when you are drinking
over a gallon of water each day; you are up all night going to the bathroom.
Well I started bleeding. I called my nurse and Austin was the second call. My
mom, who has pretty much moved in with us stayed at home with Colten while
Austin came to the hospital. Within a few minutes there was a lot of blood. We
put me on the monitor to check Brook. We decided to wait a few minutes to
determine how much blood I was losing. After a few minutes, I stood up and
blood poured out on the floor. I knew at this moment that Brook was coming
soon. The nurse called my doctor and started prepping me for surgery. Dr. Hook
was at the hospital waiting on me in a matter of minutes.
Once I was wheeled up the labor and delivery I was scooted
to the surgery table. The anesthesiologist
worked quickly to start my spinal anesthesia. He had a hard time getting it
started. At this point I was scared and
worried. I was about to have a 29 week baby. I knew it was God’s plan, but
could still not see how it was going to be positive. I began to shake and cry
due to the fear and the pain of the needle in my back. I can honestly say that
the needle was the most pain I have ever experienced in my life. The whole
right side of my body was in lots of pain from the waist down. The doctor was a
little put out with me because I could not stop shaking and he couldn’t do his
job if I was moving. Doctor Hook (my OB) stepped in and stood in front of me.
She wrapped her arms around me and took control of the situation. She held me
and let me sob on her shoulder. I could not have made it through this part
without her comfort. After the spinal got in I quickly went numb and the
doctors got to work on getting that baby out. We had a whole team of NICU doctors
and nurses ready to help Brook in any way she needs.
Austin was there by my side the whole time. His has been
such amazing support. When Brook came out she let out the most precious little
squeal. Everyone that has had a baby knows how that first noise touches your
heart. Since she is so small, it was not a loud cry, but it was enough to bring
tears to my eyes. The NICU staff worked quickly on Brook, while the labor and
delivery team worked on me. After a few minutes it was time for Brook to make
her way to NICU. Austin went with her while the doctors finished up on me. I
had my own personal labor and delivery nurse that was sure to make sure that I
was ok. Mandy Rigler was amazing. Once Austin left, Mandy stood by my side and
held my hand. She stayed with me during recovery and reassured me that Brook
was ok.
Soon Austin came back from NICU and found me in recovery. I
could see in his face that he was so in love with that little girl. She has
stolen his heart from the first minute. After I was done in recovery I went
back to my room. Mandy was sure to take me by NICU for a few minutes to take a
peek at that beautiful baby girl. By the time I got back to my room it was about
5:30 am. Austin and I were both exhausted but full of adrenaline.
Brooklyn is working hard to fight an uphill battle in NICU.
We praise God for the progress she has made. We are expecting her to be in NICU
for about 10 weeks. We take every day one at a time. We will have good days and
bad days, but I can now see this amazing plan that God has for us. Right now
Brook is working on keeping her heart rate up, keeping her oxygen level up,
gaining weight, and regulating her body temperature. She has gone back and
forth on and off oxygen. Brook is so young that she does not remember to
breath. When she does not breathe, her heart rate and oxygen level drops. These
are normal challenges that she will face as she matures.
For
the past few weeks I have struggled with understanding why this nightmare was
happening to us and how it could be God’s plan. I have had, and am still having
to have faith in God on a whole new level. What I have learned so far is that
once you really give God control he will take it and show you the good.
Brook has now been alive for 3 full days. I am leaving the
hospital today. I am so excited to be with my family again, but I am just not
sure I am going to be able to leave that precious girl here. I have been full
of tears today. How and I supposed to leave such a big part of me here. I know
that she has an amazing team of people closely monitoring her. I just can’t
help but feel like I am abandoning her. There will be such a plus to being
home. I can once again be a mommy and a wife. Having those roles taken from me
for a few weeks has been really hard. I am so excited to give Colten night
night kisses tonight and sleep in my own bed! Thank you to all the people who
have supported us and continue to support us. As we make this next transition
on our journey I know it will be tough, but we can do it!
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