Brooke Taylor joined our family on Tuesday, February 19th at 7:24 am. She was 5 lbs, 12 oz, and 20 inches long. A beautiful baby, with a head full of dark hair. We're used to towheads around here! I think it's no secret that I was nervous about having a girl. But the minute she arrived, I knew what a special spirit she would bring to our family. She's been my angel baby, truly sent here to add a new (wonderful) dynamic to our home. We love you already baby Brooke!
For those who care to hear the "birth" story (and mostly for my own documentation), here's how everything went down.
Monday, February 18th was President's Day, so a holiday and day off from school. We spent the day doing random stuff around the house, and even decided to move Ryan to one of the downstairs bedrooms. We'd moved him and Colton into the same bedroom a couple months prior, and the sleeping arrangement still wasn't great. Ryan was willing to sleep in the basement so we decided to give it a shot. We spent the day at the hardware store buying nightlights to help make his transition easier. I also started writing up lesson plans for my classes for the upcoming week. I had most everything ready for my substitute whenever the baby came, but I got serious on Monday about some last minute details. We went to bed Monday night ready to start a new week the following morning.
I hadn't slept well in quite awhile. Between Colton's terrible sleeping habits, Ryan being moved from room to room, and "pregnancy insomnia," a good night's sleep was few and far between. So it was nothing out of the ordinary for me to wake up around 4 a.m. I got up, went to the bathroom, then came back to bed. I soon realized, however, that this was different than just the normal "uncomfortable." I started having contractions about 4:30 or 5:00, but they really weren't anything major. I knew they were real (not just Braxton Hicks) but they weren't very painful or consistent. I tossed and turned in bed for awhile, then got up and walked around. Within an hour, the contractions were becoming more severe and I had a feeling the baby was coming. Colton's labor had been rather fast, so I knew I probably shouldn't wait around. I woke Andy up, told him we probably needed to go to the hospital in the next little while, but I wasn't in a huge rush. He decided he'd start getting a lesson plan ready for the day while I went to soak in the tub. I tried to relax in the bath for about 10 or 15 minutes, but knew the contractions were coming stronger and that we needed to head to the hospital. I told Andy we needed to get going, he kept typing up lesson plans, looking for his clothes and shoes, etc. for a little while longer. Finally, I looked at him and said, "I'm going to the hospital to have this baby, are you coming with me or not?" I think at that point he realized he better get me there soon! Just as we were ready to leave, Ryan woke up. The 3 of us got in the truck & headed to our awesome neighbors, the Hallams. Andy took Ryan and a monitor (Colton was still asleep) to the door as I hollered at him to make it quick. He dropped Ryan off and we sped down the road to the hospital. We got to the hospital shortly after 6:30.
We arrived and let the nurse know I was in labor. She looked at me and said, "So you're having a few contractions, huh? Both of our labor and delivery rooms are full, we'll have to find you another room somewhere else." I could tell she was thinking I was another one of these crazy ladies who thinks she's in labor and has like 10 hours till the baby comes. Based on my experience with Colton and what my body was telling me, I knew that wouldn't be the case. I looked right at her and said, "Ma'am, when my babies come, they come fast. You need to get me into a room right away!" I then told Andy to text Dr. Morgan and let him know we were there; I knew he would understand how fast this baby might come and get there as soon as he could. The nurses rearranged a few things and got me in to a L&D room right away (turns out one of the rooms was scheduled for a c-section at 8:00, but not yet occupied). As soon as they got us settled in the room, a nurse checked me and I was already dilated to a 6. Within minutes, Dr. Morgan arrived. I looked at him and said, "Well that was fast!" He responded by telling us that he felt prompted that morning to come in early and that he was already at the hospital when we arrived. I broke down in tears, knowing that we were truly in good hands. Not only is he a wonderful doctor, but he allows the spirit to guide his decisions in his work. We couldn't have been more blessed!
By the time this had all happened, it was about 7:00. I'm having serious & consistent contractions at this point, progressing quickly, and we're waiting for an anesthesiologist to come in. Living in a small town and delivering at a rural hospital, sometimes you have to wait for the people on call to come in! The CRNA did arrive rather quickly, but I was also progressing rather quickly. (I've only been at the hospital about 30 minutes by this point, and I'm now dilated to about an 8). The CRNA came and told me he'd do his best to get me some relief, but it was too late for an epidural. Between contractions (or whenever I could force myself to sit still) he was able to do a spinal tap. That certainly didn't take away all the feeling or even the pain, but it did take the edge off. I was at least able to focus and breathe after that! As soon as I had the spinal tap done, Dr. Morgan decided to check me to see where we were at. He put on his gloves, started to check me and said, "oh, you need to push!" I pushed 2 or 3 times (all through the same contraction) and Brooke arrived! From the time we arrived at the hospital to the time she was born, all of 45 minutes had elapsed. It was a crazy, whirlwind adventure, but we feel blessed that everything went as smoothly and quickly as it did. Andy and I both feel that the Lord blessed us to have such a quick delivery so that there would be minimal strain on my heart. I had no complications throughout the labor and Brooke also came without any problems.
Andy and the nurses took her to get cleaned up and tested, while I got to do all the fun post-labor stuff, and then then brought her right to me. She was a content baby from that moment. She latched on and was ready to nurse right away, she's been a great eater ever since. She also slept well from the first night, and continues to be my best sleeper of the 3. We spent 2 relatively peaceful days in the hospital, then headed home to be with the boys. Peaceful is not how I would describe our current situation (somehow 3 children 3 years old and younger doesn't equal peaceful!), but we're loving our newest addition.
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