She Finally Came!!!

Before I post a bunch of pictures of Brooklyn, I would like to share a little about how she finally decided to come into this world. From the beginning (in the womb), Brooklyn had a personality bigger than herself. We were not surprised that she decided to enter the world with a little pizzazz and on her own terms and in her own time.

Leading up to her birth, I hadn't dilated any and for weeks all my doctor could say was that my cervix was "softening". Although, as any pregnant woman knows, things can change quickly but it was still discouraging to hear. Since my due date came and went, we decided to set an induction date. I really wanted Brooklyn to come on her own, without the help of drugs. However, once my due date came and went, I was ready to be done. They had plan to induce me a week after my due date.

My contractions started on Friday morning, but they were really far apart (about an hour or so). I had Braxton Hicks contractions from 6 months on, so I knew these were different. However, they were so far apart, we didn't really do much about it. My contractions stopped by the afternoon and then picked up again early Saturday morning. Brandon and I killed some time in these two days, just waiting for the contractions to really do something. We saw Brave and just hung out until the show really got rolling. All day Saturday, they were coming and going but still really far apart. By Saturday afternoon, they actually picked up into strong labor contractions. We stayed home and worked through them for a couple of hours. We were going to wait until I was 5-7 minutes apart, but 10 minutes apart was all I could take. By Saturday night, we were finally off to the hospital. I will admit, I wasn't excited or thrilled to be going to the hospital (like I thought) because I was in so much pain.

Well naturally, they wouldn't admit me for an hour, even though I was in active labor. In that hour I dilated from 1 to 3 and then everything just jumped up from there. I was admitted at 11 pm and asked for my epidural right away. At this point my contractions were 2 minutes apart and getting closer. Before I could get my epidural, the doctor broke my water. She found meconium and let me know that Brooklyn already had a bowel movement. The reason for breaking my water, I found out later, was because Brooklyn's heart rate was starting to drop. They put in two fetal heart monitors to get a better idea of what was going on with Brooklyn. The pain was so bad, that I had no idea any of this was happening. By the time I was able to get my epidural, my contractions were right on top of each other and I was already dilated to a 6 and dying! I didn't even notice any of the epidural either.

Shortly after my epidural, they put an oxygen mask on me. That made me panic a little because I had no idea anything was going wrong. At this point, my blood pressure was also starting to drop. Just after 1:30 am, the doctor came in to check me because she was worried about Brooklyn and I. I was already dilated to an 8 and she was hoping I could push. I was so exhausted and the epidural was only partially working. Pushing seemed like the last thing I wanted to do right then. However, soon after that, Brooklyn's heart rate was spiking so much, they decided to do an emergency C-Section.

I really started to panic! At no point in all of this pain had I thought about my baby or that anything could be wrong. As soon as she said C-section, I was so worried about my baby. For just a moment, the whole experience became more serial than I had ever imagined. I had no idea that her heart rate was dropping or their was an issue, so this took me by surprise. I am blessed with a great husband, who was strong for the both of us. His confidence was extremely reassuring for me!

The C-section happened so fast, it is a complete whirl-wind and you have no idea what is happening. I would just like to mention a few things before finishing the birth story:

1. Brandon was my coach through all of this and he was absolutely amazing. The doctor and nurses told us later that they have seen few husbands coach as well as he did. I could never have done any of it without him.
2. The Lord really prepared us ahead of time to be ready for Brooklyn's birth. We didn't know it at the time, but when we reflected on her birth, we saw His hand through all it.
3. One of the ways we were prepared was a decision we made long ago. We love my OBGYN and the whole practice. We decided that we would be ok with whatever their decision was in labor and delivery. They were aligned with what we wanted and so we had complete confidence in their ability to make good choices for me and the baby. Once they decided to do a C-Section, we were ready to support their decision.
4. I had decided an epidural was the most likely route. Since I had the epidural, Brandon was able to be in the room with me for the C-Section. If we hadn't already had the epidural, they would have knocked me out during the delivery and he would have had to wait outside the room

There were many other miracles and blessings that happened along the way, but those are a few of the ways we felt so blessed.

The C-Section only takes about 10 minutes to do. Brandon wasn't even in the room before they started cutting me open. As previously discussed, he knew not to look (I am glad we talked about it before hand). I was in lots of pain during the surgery. They gave me morphine, to which I had a bad reaction to. Before they sedated me because of the pain and nausea from the medicine, I was able to see my baby girl. We heard her cry on the other side of the curtain and then they brought her around to the nurses. Brooklyn was alert and completely healthy at delivery. The Doctor let us know that not only was she facing up, she also had the umbilical chord wrapped around her belly. She never would have come on her own!

We were so grateful and full of joy the moment we saw Brooklyn Ann. She was born at 1:55 AM (5 minutes before Daylight Savings). The nurses told us she received her shots "before" she was born because of the time change. She was the most beautiful baby I have ever seen! 

Brookly Ann Simon

Born Nov. 4, 2012 at 1:55 AM

6 lbs and 19 in