Birth Story and Birth Pictures

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I worked all day Monday - trying very hard to get as much accomplished as possible. I picked the girls up from school, grabbed some Chinese food for supper and we headed home (Brannon had a patient scheduled, so he wasn't due home until around 7 or so). The girls and I ate supper and while they watched a Christmas movie - I vaccuumed the house (most of it at least), cleaned up the kitchen and straightened up the house! Brannon got home and he gave the girls a bath and ate some supper. I had been having contractions for a while (couple of weeks) but I pulled my hip or something while vaccumming, so I went to bed while Brannon put the girls to bed. He ended up falling asleep in their bed for a while.

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Around 10:30 pm I woke up with contractions and Bella kicking me in the back. She was whining and restless and I was the same as the contractions were in my back (a sure sign for me)! We finally got it out of Bella that her ear hurt - so Brannon got her some ear drops and some motrin and she seemed to calm down. I got up out of the bed and walked around the house, stood in front of the heater - just trying to see if the contractions would stop or if they were "real"! They did not stop and I told Brannon that I thought he should get up. He did and would rub my low back with each contraction. We debated whether we thought it was time to leave (only for a few minutes this time) and he finally said that he thought it was time. He called his Mom to let her know so she could head over and then called his dad (who lives about 2 seconds away) - so he came immediately so we could leave. We left around 11:30 pm and arrived at the hospital at about 12:35 am. We went in through Emergency because of the time and a Labor/Delivery nurse came down and wheeled us to Labor/Delivery. She first took us to a triage room and told me to change and for Brannon to go wait in the waiting room. When she told him to leave - I said whey does he have to leave - he's my husband? She said she had some questions to ask but wouldn't elaborate and I said no I did not want him to leave. She got a little not nice but said something to the effect that they had rules they had to follow but whatever. At this point I was contracting again and had two back to back - at which point she asked how far apart my pains were. Brannon told her between 2-3 minutes and she said let's just go to a labor/delivery room first. So we did and we got Vicki - a great nurse! She was great. They got me hooked up to the monitors at about 12:48 am and she did an internal check and I was 6 cm, paper thin, -1 and a "bulging" bag of water. Things were progressing! She went on and asked a million and one questions to which we provided answers. They were great - I was in control of everything - when a contraction came, the questions stopped, Brannon massaged my back, etc until I was ready to start with the questioning again. They also put a heplock in - just in case they said. We finally finished all the questioning and I needed to get up and walk around - I don't care for laboring in bed! I was free to do as I wanted - the contractions continued. As with Brooklyn's labor - I felt the urge to urinate with the contractions, so I ended up just sitting on the commode at the hospital (much to the nurse's dislike - they kept saying "please don't deliver your baby in the toilet" - haha)! With one contraction - I suddenly had a lot of pressure. I told Brannon I felt pressure, he called for the nurse and we headed back to the bed. She kept telling me not to push, not to push - and I tried BUT!!! She did another check to ensure I was complete and I was. My water broke, I pushed a few times and HE was born! 1:53 am, 8 lbs 1 oz 21 inches long (our biggest baby)!!

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I'm not sure if you noticed that I never mentioned the doctor!! That's because he didn't make it to the delivery. He arrived about 15-20 minutes after Brady was born. It was funny because all during the pregnancy he would ask me what our plans were for laboring at home and my response always was "we don't plan to"! Never really thought the doctor wouldn't make it! When he walked in the room I said "We made it, where were you?!" He did the necessary delivery of the placenta, checked everything and did the minor repair needed and that was that!

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We came home Wednesday night and everyone is doing well!

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Here are the pictures from Brady's birth.

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Vicki - the labor/delivery nurse who delivered Brady

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