Thursday, July 21, 2011

Bradley's Birth Story

He's here!
He came yesterday on July 20th, 2011 at 5:30 am.
I WAS originally due on June 22.
He was almost a WHOLE month late!
He had the signs of being overdue.
His skin was peeling, he has long fingernails,
He was meconium stained from being in a bag of meconium filled water,
and the cord was around his neck
(which none of my other kids have ever had)
Labor finally started on it's own and on July 19th.
 At 3pm I was dilated to a three almost a four.
Tom and I stopped, ate dinner
and took clothes over to the kids who were staying at Grandma's overnight.
The labor was different from Charlotte's.
 Each contraction was deeper, harder, but shorter.
At 10pm they were gaining intensity.
We called Margie and she arrived by 10:30.
We sat up with her till midnight having several contractions.
At midnight she check and I was 5cm.
 She suggested we all get some sleep and that we'd see how it progressed by morning.
She stayed on Madeleine's bed.

At 4am they were getting really, really hard and I was crying and could not sleep.
 She came into the room and check and said I was at a seven.
She suggested that I push and grunt and see if it would open me up more.
I sat on the birth ball and paced and sat on the toilet and paced some more.
Then suddenly I felt him come down.
I knew he was coming.
I told Margie he was coming.
 I held onto Tom's waist, and while standing he was born into Margie's hands.

Margie exclaimed "oh my, this is NOT a big baby"
We were expecting a 6-7 pounder.
She said he looked tiny.
I looked and it was a boy as I'd hoped.
 They my heart sunk as I looked and him and realized he was SO small.
His skin was also coming off in hunks and he had a greenish-yellow tinge to his skin.
He was less than 3 seconds old so he was still blue.
I got really worried!
Margie had to reassure me he WAS okay, just small.
She weighed him and he was 4lbs 8oz.
It still blows my mind that he is so TINY!
Four weeks overdue and half the size of a normal infant.
 Didn't think that would happen!

Bradley Herrick Brinkerhoff

Bradley Herrick Brinkerhoff
Born July 20th 2011
4lbs 8oz
18 inches
This is our newest and our littlest!



Jacob is happy to have a little brother!

I'm in love!