On Friday evening, my mood was a little off. I was a little pouty and tired. Saturday, I woke up around 7:00 a.m. when Keane got up. He was heading to town to get a load of beans to calibrate and prepare drilling beans with the new drill, until it rained and stopped all the bean plans. All the while, I rocked for a bit in the rocking chair in the nursery, picked up around the house, and eventually laid down for a nap, which usually never happens. Keane's best friend, Jared, came by in the afternoon because his wife and kids were out of town for a softball tournament. When evening came, he invited us to join him and his family at a Mexican restaurant for supper. I was all on board because it meant that I didn't have to cook supper, which I was not feeling up to. Just before we left, I had a pretty strong contraction. One that I made Keane feel and it had me pretty distracted.
We got to the restaurant and we enjoyed the food and the company of our friends who we had not seen for quite some time. Their kids gave us a good laugh or two with some dancing and wisecracks. After I ate, I had another contraction and told Keane and Melissa about it.
When we got home, I wasn't feeling very uppity. I told Keane that if the next two weeks of pregnancy were going to feel like this, it was going to be hard on me, physically but mostly emotionally. To try to wind down and collect my thoughts, I took a nice relaxing bath, and by the time I got out, the kids were tucked into bed and Keane was sitting in their room playing them each a song of their request on his guitar. I went into the nursery and sat in the rocking chair to listen to him play and sing. After he finished their songs, he came into the nursery with me and told me that Farrah got a song before bed too, and he played Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Isreal Kamakawiwo'ole style).
Our cat had been extremely sociable this evening and since it has warmed up outside, he hasn't been spending much time sleeping with us, but this evening he joined us in bed. Keane leaned over and turned the alarm clock off and said confidently, "We are going to sleep in tomorrow morning!" We settled in bed, watched some TV, and were asleep by about 11:30 p.m. or so.
At 1:15 a.m., like clockwork, I woke up to pee. I stood up, had to stand there for a moment to let my body adjust to standing, and then sleepily made my way to the bathroom. While I was peeing, I felt a "pop" and knew instantly what that meant, but I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do about it exactly. After I was done peeing, liquid kept coming out. I even stood up to try to reassure myself that my water had really broke, and clear fluid kept coming out, first at a trickle and later in bigger gushes.
"Keane," I said, "I think my water just broke." He sat up in bed and asked, "Really? But we were going to sleep in for once." Knowing that my doctor was on vacation and would be for the next 9 days, I was a little hesitant with what all to expect. I called the hospital and spoke to the nurse for the on-call doctor, Dr. Bernard, who the operator assured me I would love. The nurse asked me how far along I was, confirmed that I was sure it was my water that broke, and told me we needed to come on in and she would let the hospital know we were on our way.
"Keane," I said, "I think my water just broke." He sat up in bed and asked, "Really? But we were going to sleep in for once." Knowing that my doctor was on vacation and would be for the next 9 days, I was a little hesitant with what all to expect. I called the hospital and spoke to the nurse for the on-call doctor, Dr. Bernard, who the operator assured me I would love. The nurse asked me how far along I was, confirmed that I was sure it was my water that broke, and told me we needed to come on in and she would let the hospital know we were on our way.
I finished getting all the last minute things in the hospital bag, woke the kids up, called Keane's mom who offered to watch the kids even though we decided to take them with us, sent my family a text (to which got no response), Keane cut his hair and took a shower, and 45 minutes later, we were on the road, at 2:00 a.m.
My mom and brother were in Liberty, Missouri, for a baseball tournament so I called my dad to let him know and to encourage him to come to the hospital soon and told him we would keep him updated. I called my mom who was sleeping in a hotel room with a few others, and told her the news. She was upset because she wanted to be here for this, which made me cry like a girl in labor once I got off the phone.
There was nobody on the road, it was a dark and cloudy night, Kaden fell asleep, I was having contractions that were 5 minutes, 7 minutes, 15 minutes (I may have missed one, you'd think), and 6 minutes apart, and Keane had Kylie, who was wide awake, sing "House that Built Me" since I like that song. I was calm, which Keane told me helped him stay calm, but I was distracted by many thoughts and what all my body was going through. I wasn't really up for conversation and certainly not for any jokes or chatter.
When we pulled around to the hospital's entrance, I tried to buzz for security to let me in when Keane read a sign saying after hours we needed to enter via the emergency room. We loaded back in the car and drove around the hospital. Keane dropped me and the kids off at the door and he parked and joined us. We went in, followed signs for labor and delivery, and checked in with the nurses who were expecting us. I had pre-registered online which made our signing in quick and pain free.
We were brought to a nearby room where I put on a robe and met a nurse, Karen. I must have been nervous and flooded with emotions because I kept crying about everything. I know I was upset my doctor was gone, that my mom was out of town, and just the unknown. The nurse hooked me up to machines, said she could hear my heart dysrhythmia, checked my cervix, and said I was dilated to 3 cm, maybe 4 cm, and very thin. She swabbed me to make sure it was indeed amniotic fluid, and a 10 minute test proved that it was. "It's the real deal, honey," she said. "One way or another, we're having a baby." This made Keane and I smile at each other and he squeezed my hand. Up until this point, I kept questioning myself if my water had really broke (even though I knew it had). This, again, made me cry. Good tears but nervous-as-hell, not-really-sure-what-I'm-supposed-to-be-feeling-or-doing tears.
The nurse thought it felt like the baby had turned, but I didn't think she had. I actually told Keane that I hoped for a C-section because I wasn't prepared mentally to have her vaginally after all. My contractions were beginning to pick up and they were getting stronger, and since I hadn't received any medication, I wasn't ready for that. They wheeled in an ultrasound machine and decided that Farrah was still breech.
The nurse kept preparing things for what was to come. She put in my IV and said I had really good veins. She joked at first telling me it was her first IV. It was a good comic relief for all the emotions I was dealing with. She said we made her night a lot better!
Another nurse came in and talked us through everything that was about to go on, from Keane getting suited up and waiting in the hall while I go into a brightly lit surgical room where the anesthesiologist would be administering a "spinal," which was stronger than an epidural and would make me not feel pain from the bottom of the ribs down. Everything she detailed out and it all went exactly like she said. Keane asked about how far away from the C-section we were and her answer was, "About 30 minutes."
We were so close to having this baby, it seemed surreal. All because my water broke. And practically two weeks early. This little stinker. The excitement and realness of it all was overwhelming. Especially for us who had only had about 1.5 to 2 hours of sleep.
We were now about 10 minutes away from surgery and about that time my dad arrived and gave me a hug and kiss and said he was excited and wished me luck. It wasn't much longer that they had Keane get suited up and had me walk to the surgical room, while my dad and the kids waited in the labor and delivery room.
Karen walked me into the surgery room where it was very bright and white. She had me sit sideways on a surgical table and I put my head all the way down and relaxed my arms and slumped my shoulders as far forward as I could. Karen did a great job holding me, standing in front with her head next to mine and holding my hands, talking me through each step, letting me know it would be cold, then I would feel a bee-sting-like feeling, and then I received the spinal. Once that was done, I laid back and they put a drape on my belly and one in front of my face. My legs started going numb and getting warm and tingly, then it went up my body. I kept them informed of what I was feeling and they kept me informed about what they were doing. I've watched so many episodes of Grey's Anatomy, I felt like I was in one of those episodes. They did a "time out" where Dr. Bernard told all the nurses and everyone in the room my pregnancy details including being "38 and 2" and baby was breech.
Finally, Keane got to come in the room. They rolled a stool in for him to sit on next to my head, and he held my hand, kissed my face, and surgery began. It was the strangest thing; I could feel everything they were doing, but it just didn't hurt. I feel like I could tell every incision they made and each layer they were dealing with. It started to get really scary and uncomfortable the closer they got to baby, but they kept us updated and I kept them aware that I was feeling things happening but assured them I wasn't feeling any pain. I was still hoping I could get more meds to not feel any of that, but they said that's how it was supposed to be.
Keane took a picture of me and I told him a tear was coming out. It was all so much but I was loving it and taking it all in. Keane was keeping me calm and it was great having him there to look at and distract me. The doctor asked Keane how much he wanted to see of it and he said he was okay where he was, but then he peeked around the curtain, and then peeked around it again. The doctor said there wasn't a lot of excitement going on yet and that she would let him know when the baby was being delivered.
They wrapped her up and brought her over to my face and Keane and I looked at her and I kissed her and could only look her over, staring at a baby that I had never seen before, that nobody had seen before, and I was such a proud mommy. It was a moment I will never ever forget.
And before long, that's what was happening. She said she had the butt, and legs, and body, and that the baby was definitely breech, and then in a moment she would have the head. I'm pretty sure Keane stood up at this time and I heard everyone laugh and comment on her being a gymnast because she was doing the splits. Then the next conversation was about all her hair. The doctor said she styled it but didn't have time to French braid it. She told me she was going to hold her over the curtain for me to see her, and when she did, I saw this blue baby who I couldn't believe was mine, because I didn't recognize her at all. She was cute, though. They quickly took her to a table where they invited Keane to come over and trim the umbilical cord. Another person offered to take photos on Keane's phone and I just listened to the chatter around me.
I started to cry because she was here. We did it, even though I didn't feel like I did much, and we were at the moment everyone looks forward to, meeting their baby. We were meeting her, she was here and real and crying and with hair and an actual person and the subject of the entire room and conversation!
I started to cry because she was here. We did it, even though I didn't feel like I did much, and we were at the moment everyone looks forward to, meeting their baby. We were meeting her, she was here and real and crying and with hair and an actual person and the subject of the entire room and conversation!
They too soon left to take her to the nursery and Keane kissed me and went with them. I watched them all leave behind me and as soon as they all left, it was just me, the doctor, Karen, the anesthesiologist, and another lady I believe. Now there were no distractions besides my thoughts and memories of the moments before. The doctor talked me through some steps she was making and about 10 minutes or so later, she was stitching up the final layers.
The anesthesiologist asked if I had high blood pressure during my pregnancy and I told him the last two weeks it had been high on the machine at the doctor's office, but it was fine when they look it manually. Because my blood pressure was high now, I was bleeding a little extra so Dr. Bernard ordered a couple extra small sutures. A couple times, they did a count of supplies. There was 5 of something and 8 of something else. They chattered about someone's father-in-law having a numbing sensation after a hip replacement or something. I tried to sleep to ignore the discomfort of the surgery. But when my doctor ordered a blood test for a couple things, including pre-eclampsia, I woke right up. By this time, they had taken down the curtain, and in the reflection of the light, I could see my scar. I asked what time Farrah was born and someone told me 5:11 a.m. When they were all done, it was 5:40 a.m.
I was lifted from the surgery table to a bed and rolled back to my room where I was glad to see Keane, my dad, and the kids back from the nursery. They brought baby Farrah into the room and I held my baby girl and then her proud daddy held her with a smile on his face.
She was passed to Papa and then to big sister and then her big brother. They had to take baby Farrah back for some more testing and we had to wait a little while before they brought her back in, so during this time, Keane and the kids got the couch pulled out to a bed and they all squeezed together to take a nap. I visited with my dad until he decided to let me have a nap and he wandered to the cafeteria. I guess I fell right to sleep because the next thing I remember, they rolled in a nursery cart with our brand new baby and soon after my dad returned and with him was my sister and nephew.
Kimberly got her first glance at Miss Farrah and got to hold her, and McCoy decided he didn't want anything to do with her and that he didn't like her. He instead wanted to show me his hot wheel car and the laundry basket full of goodies they brought as a welcome gift, which included some outfits, nail polish, and snacks for the big kids.
I was lifted from the surgery table to a bed and rolled back to my room where I was glad to see Keane, my dad, and the kids back from the nursery. They brought baby Farrah into the room and I held my baby girl and then her proud daddy held her with a smile on his face.
She was passed to Papa and then to big sister and then her big brother. They had to take baby Farrah back for some more testing and we had to wait a little while before they brought her back in, so during this time, Keane and the kids got the couch pulled out to a bed and they all squeezed together to take a nap. I visited with my dad until he decided to let me have a nap and he wandered to the cafeteria. I guess I fell right to sleep because the next thing I remember, they rolled in a nursery cart with our brand new baby and soon after my dad returned and with him was my sister and nephew.
Kimberly got her first glance at Miss Farrah and got to hold her, and McCoy decided he didn't want anything to do with her and that he didn't like her. He instead wanted to show me his hot wheel car and the laundry basket full of goodies they brought as a welcome gift, which included some outfits, nail polish, and snacks for the big kids.
This is when I first breastfed; I was anxious to do this early on. By this time, I was also slowly able to have control over my lower body and I was able to wiggle my toes. Some time went by while we waited for a room on the postpartum floor. It took a couple hours for the blood test results to come back, but when they finally did, they said everything was fine.
We finally got to move to the room where Farrah and I would stay for the next three days. A couple hours later, my mom and brother finally arrived! My mom teared up as soon as she saw me and she gave me a great big hug. It was so hard for her, and for me, for her not to be there, but she was doing what she needed to for Kollin and was reassured that there wasn't much she could have done had she arrived earlier in the day. Luckily for her, she didn't have to wait any time to hold her granddaughter! Uncle Kollin was next to hold his niece and he did so with pride.
I settled in and the nurses took great care of me. I chose my meals for the following days from a menu which were delivered promptly at breakfast, lunch, and supper. Delicious food might I add. That evening, everyone ended up leaving, and it was just me and Farrah in the hospital room. It was tremendously hard to tell Keane goodbye that evening, and if he had come back in for anything, he would have seen his wife crying. The kids weren't allowed to stay, and their mom had stomach surgery, and so I knew he needed to be with them.
The following day, they took my catheter and IV out, and I was able to take a shower, and was encouraged to walk around the nursery floor a couple times each day. The floor was pretty empty during my entire stay, so I felt pretty comfortable getting out of my room to fill up my water, or get some snacks.
My days and nights consisted of feeding Farrah every two hours, for at least ten minutes on each side, and I had to mark it on a paper they kept on a clipboard on her nursery cart. We also had to log every dirty and wet diaper. Throughout my stay, I had multiple nurses, and the ones I had toward the beginning were so very helpful, especially with breastfeeding. They each had completely different advice for me, and they showed me different holds and tactics. I felt like there was always someone coming into my room: someone delivering my food, picking up the tray, cleaning the room, the lactating consultant checking on me, the nurses administering my pain medications and checking my blood pressure, coming to get Farrah for her checkups or a bath, the anesthesiologist came and checked on me, someone offering to take Farrah's photos, flowers being delivered, the pediatrician updating me on Farrah, etc.
But I always looked forward to mid-morning when Keane would return. On Monday, him and the kids returned, and my mom and brother visited. We ordered out pizza and then Keane took the kids to a batting cage.
On Wednesday, we got the news that we would be released. They were a little hesitant because by this time, Farrah had dropped 10% of her birth weight and was down to 6 lb. They scheduled a weight checkup with the pediatrician for the following day, and since my milk was just coming in, they allowed us to leave with hopes that Farrah would start gaining weight again.
We got Farrah buckled into her car seat and into the vehicle for her ride home. It was nice to be out of the hospital with my family, but I was very used to the constant care there and I was a little nervous about what to expect. We picked up some pain medications, I went into Target for a nursing bra, Keane went into Home Depot, and then we were hungry and decided to eat at Cracker Barrel (yes, with a 3-day-old baby). She only cried a little right when we got our food, but I was able to nurse her discreetly.
We made it home and by this time, my milk had come in, so I spent the next couple days trying to figure out nursing.
And that, my friends, is the story of how Farrah arrived! Farrah Oakley Brooks. Born at 5:11 a.m. by C-Section on June 14, 2015, a rainy Sunday. She weighed 6 lb 10.7 oz and was 19.25" long. She is so very perfect.
The following day, they took my catheter and IV out, and I was able to take a shower, and was encouraged to walk around the nursery floor a couple times each day. The floor was pretty empty during my entire stay, so I felt pretty comfortable getting out of my room to fill up my water, or get some snacks.
My days and nights consisted of feeding Farrah every two hours, for at least ten minutes on each side, and I had to mark it on a paper they kept on a clipboard on her nursery cart. We also had to log every dirty and wet diaper. Throughout my stay, I had multiple nurses, and the ones I had toward the beginning were so very helpful, especially with breastfeeding. They each had completely different advice for me, and they showed me different holds and tactics. I felt like there was always someone coming into my room: someone delivering my food, picking up the tray, cleaning the room, the lactating consultant checking on me, the nurses administering my pain medications and checking my blood pressure, coming to get Farrah for her checkups or a bath, the anesthesiologist came and checked on me, someone offering to take Farrah's photos, flowers being delivered, the pediatrician updating me on Farrah, etc.
But I always looked forward to mid-morning when Keane would return. On Monday, him and the kids returned, and my mom and brother visited. We ordered out pizza and then Keane took the kids to a batting cage.
On Tuesday, a coworker of mine and his wife came to meet Farrah. Also, I had Keane to myself. I really enjoyed the time I got with Keane, cuddled in my hospital bed next to me and little Farrah. I really needed that.
On Wednesday, we got the news that we would be released. They were a little hesitant because by this time, Farrah had dropped 10% of her birth weight and was down to 6 lb. They scheduled a weight checkup with the pediatrician for the following day, and since my milk was just coming in, they allowed us to leave with hopes that Farrah would start gaining weight again.
We got Farrah buckled into her car seat and into the vehicle for her ride home. It was nice to be out of the hospital with my family, but I was very used to the constant care there and I was a little nervous about what to expect. We picked up some pain medications, I went into Target for a nursing bra, Keane went into Home Depot, and then we were hungry and decided to eat at Cracker Barrel (yes, with a 3-day-old baby). She only cried a little right when we got our food, but I was able to nurse her discreetly.
We made it home and by this time, my milk had come in, so I spent the next couple days trying to figure out nursing.
And that, my friends, is the story of how Farrah arrived! Farrah Oakley Brooks. Born at 5:11 a.m. by C-Section on June 14, 2015, a rainy Sunday. She weighed 6 lb 10.7 oz and was 19.25" long. She is so very perfect.
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