Birth Story

Today is Brenna and Brooke's first birthday and for the last 24 hours I have been remembering the events of that special day as best as I can. Since I didn't start my blog until they were 6 months old I will share their birth story. It's kinda lengthy so grab a snack to tide you over cause this might take a while:)

Tuesday, Sept. 4th 2007 I was in my Dr's office for a routine NST (non-stress test). Brenna failed the test so my Dr. decided to send me to get an ultrasound done just to be sure that everything was OK. So off to Banner Desert OB Triage I went. It was about 12 noon when they got me back, they did an ultrasound and another NST and everything looked good. I was still strapped up to monitors and thought I would be going home soon when I started to feel contractions. The nurse came in because she noticed them on the monitor and wanted to check me. I was dilated 1cm which was something considering I wasn't dilated at all a couple days ago. They decided to keep me there for a few more hours to see if I progressed. At this point it was about 5pm and I was starving. All I ate that day was a nectarine because I knew I was going to be weighed at my Dr. Apt and I desperately wanted to weigh less than Kevin. It made me feel better if I could tell him that I still weighed less than he did because he always teased me about my weight gain. It was my way of sticking it to him and luckily I weighed in that day 2lbs less than Kevin:) HAAA-haa ! Ok so back to the story. At about 6pm they check me and I had progressed to a 2 so they decide to admit me to the hospital. They take me up to a L&D room and stick an IV in me for good taste, gotta love those! Oh and by the way I'm not allowed to have anything to eat or drink until they decide if the babies are coming or not (c-section rule). Apparently an IV is drink enough and my horse of an appetite will have to thrive off of that. They kept me strapped to monitors charting my progress and told me that the Dr. on call will make a decision by midnight. The contractions were uncomfortable but bearable. We waited and waited for 12am to come and lo and behold although I progressed to a 3-4 cm the Dr. on call didn't feel comfortable making some sort of a decision, so he had us wait for my Dr to come in the morning. I was pretty ticked at this point and just wanted to go home. Don't they know not to mess with an extremely pregnant lady with an empty stomach? The nurses were on my side, they were sure the girls were coming that same day and didn't know why the Dr on call was being such a weenie.

So we spent the night at the hospital, me on the bed and Kevin on a cot. I can't say that we slept very much, the babies kept moving and the monitors would lose their heart rates, so a nurse was in moving the monitors on my stomach every hour or so. At about 8am the next morning my Dr. came in and without even checking me to see my progress he simply says "How does a 9am c-section sound?" FINALLY!!!! It made all the wait seem worth it. They prepped us, I said goodbye to my lopsided belly and they wheeled me into the operating room.

I was nervous all of a sudden, freezing and shaking. I knew everything would be ok (I had a blessing previously) but nevertheless major surgery scared the heck out of me. I hummed a Child's Prayer in my head to keep myself calm. I didn't even feel the spinal, my mind was somewhere else. I held Kevin's hand as they began and we looked at each other, anxious and excited. I heard the first cry at 941am, it was Brenna who came bum first as Kevin witnessed. The cry was surreal to me but it was so amazing to hear. I think they showed her to me briefly and then she was gone along with Kevin who was wildly snapping pictures. I was suddenly alone on the chopping block.

Brooke came a few minutes later at 943am and I laid there extremely sedated waiting for the next glimpse of my girls. Kevin brought them over one in each arm. They were wrapped in blankets with little beanies on their heads. I remember trying to touch their faces and then they were gone. I heard the staples going in but didn't feel a thing. Next thing I know I am being wheeled in to our recovery room and there were my girls.

I look over at Brooke and am amazed at the Johnston resemblance in her face. I remember thinking "Hello Reed" (my FIL) as I looked at her. Then I looked at Brenna and tried to distinguish who she looked like but I couldn't quite put a finger on it. They were both so cute and tiny, and had heads full of dark hair. I got to hold Brenna for the first time while they were bathing Brooke. A few minutes later they told me that Brooke was having a hard time breathing and would need to go to the NICU. As I watched her I could see that her tiny chest was heaving with each breath. My motherly instincts kicked in and I had a million questions but they would have to wait. Kevin followed as they wheeled Brooke away to the NICU. My Mom and MIL came in to visit, they hold Brenna and then left to see Brooke in the NICU. About an hour later my room was ready and they wheeled me to the NICU so I could see Brooke first. She was surrounded by small cords and had an iv. It was hard for me to see her this way. I finally got to hold her for the first time. I felt a whirlwind of emotions holding both of my girls for the first time, I realized that things are never the way you picture them to be. I was extremely exhausted, sleep deprived and consumed with these sweet little babies that were mine.