Sunday, January 4, 2009

My Beautiful Baby Boy

WARNING---THIS IS A LONG POST---POP SOME POPCORN AND SETTLE IN!

One week from today will be Braden's 2nd birthday. I cannot believe that time has passed so quickly. For the past 2 years whenever it gets close to Braden's birthday I am reminded of how anxious and excited and scared I was about giving birth (especially since my friend Michelle is due at any moment- come on Baby Killian!). Brad and I didn't find out if we were having a boy or a girl so I was especially anxious about that. The last 3 weeks of my pregnancy were purely miserable. I had no cervical change, I couldn't sleep, I was uncomfortable and all I wanted was for the baby to get out! I was so tired of being pregnant! We tried everything to get the ball rolling, even eating the eggplant parm at Scallini's and mud bogging to pop the baby out. Of course nothing worked and I demanded to be seen by my doctor on my due date and luckily because my fluid levels were low they admitted in to be induced! Hallelujah!

Tuesday, January 9 (my due date): After my 4:00 appointment I had to be at the hospital at 7:00 pm so I called Brad, my principal, my parents, and a few friends and raced home to get my bags. On our way to the hospital Brad and I stopped by to see my parents and then we headed to check in at the hospital. By 7:45 I had blood work drawn, a port inserted and they started my induction using Cervidel. By 8:00, my parents, Brad's parents, my brother, my aunt and uncle and cousin and his wife were at the hospital to cheer me on and bring me Wendy's. I started having contractions immediately and the night was long and I didn't get much rest. The next morning they checked to see if I had any changes and there were still no changes. I was beginning to get frustrated. Why wouldn't the baby just work with us and come meet us? It was our first indication of how stubborn our precious boy would be.

Wednesday, January 10: By 9:30 my 2nd round of cervidel was inserted and the contraction became more intense. I was able to eat lots of yummy food though- my dad brought me a salad from Longhorn's and Brad kept me supplied with LOTS of mushroom pizza from the hospital cafe. Oh and my mom brought me strawberries. Isn't it weird that I remember the food that I ate? Anyway I had lots of guests to keep me company- Brad, my parents, my brother, Brad's parents, Sarah, Krysti, Kylie, Andy, Cassie and Michelle and plenty of phone calls- the only missing was the BABY! After 12 hours of cervidel, LOTS of painful contractions, and NO pain medication I was still undilated and had NO cervical change. I am not a crier. It takes a lot to make me cry, but this had me crying like a baby. I was so frustrated and I really just wanted to get the show on the road. So my choices were another round of cervidel or they could start the potocin and see where it led. Oh and a potential C section. So after a warm bath they hooked the potocin to my IV port and then they also gave a Statal drip (I know that I am misspelling all of these medical terms!) It was 11:00 Wednesday night at this point. Potocin is HELL. That is all that I have to say. Oh and it had to be invented by a man because there is no way a woman would put others through that pain! The statal didn't do much to help the pain it just made me VERY sleepy and almost drugged. This was when I became the VERY ANGRY PREGNANT woman and I was very mean to my wonderful husband and mother.

Thursday, January 11: By 1:00 am I was in so much pain that I demanded to be taken off the potocin and given a C section. By 1:15 I complained that I peed on myself (EMBARRASSING). Not even 5 minutes after my sheets were changed and I was cleaned up it happened again except at that point my nurse realized that I wasn't peeing and my water actually broke. And I was dilated to a 4. That was when I started calling for an epidural. Too bad the anesthesiologist was on call and asleep at home. Oh and my midwife was snoozing at Newton while I was at Rockdale. 15 minutes later I was dilated to a 6 and by the time the anesthesiologist arrived I was at a 9. He told me that he could give an epidural but I might not be able to sit up and I might give birth before it actually took full effect. I decided to proceed without an epidural and my midwife finally arrived and after 10 minutes of pushing I heard the most beautiful words come from Brad's mouth, "It is Braden Wright Hoffman." Born at 2:03 am. And when they laid that beautiful boy with the dark hair and the huge eyebrows on my chest I knew that I had been given the best gift possible. He is my precious blessing from God. Less than 30 minutes after giving birth I was up moving around and I felt amazing and I actually said, "I think I can do this again. That wasn't so bad" and my nurse told me to not even think about that!

Brad and I brought our amazing boy home that Friday afternoon and our lives have not been the same since! It has been busier and way more hectic...I don't think my house has been clean since he came home! But, it has also been more enriched and happier and content. It is much more fulfilling.

Here are a few pics from his first few weeks.


Braden Wright Hoffman
January 11, 2007 @ 2:03 am










Before Braden's 1st visit to Dr. Miller





4 comments:

Krysti said...

what a sweet post...I can't believe how much he has grown!! Which means Hoffman Baby #2 needs to be thought about.... :-) hahahaha

~Michelle~ said...

awe sweet! It makes me sooo excited to meet my little guy :)

sarah may said...

awwww...you can't be that sentimental, I've got pregnancy hormones racing through me!!! Crazy that it seems like just the other day he was born and bam it's already two years later.

Hodges Five said...

How sweet! I had such mixed emotions on the day that I gave birth...Evan at home, Baby Lije in the NICU...and Ella by our side. So wonderful!