Landon Brooks – A Birth Story

Monday, April 22, 2013 was the best day of my life. Not that our wedding day or the days our other children were born aren’t VERY special to me, but it’s just we were ALL there this time..so it was SO special to me. The completion of our family.

We sent the kids on to school with plans on having them picked up and brought to the hospital when I was about 5 cm.

Josh and I arrived at the hospital bright and early at 6:oo am. As we walked in the door of the hospital Josh said to me, “I’m team Blue.” It caught me off guard a little because pretty much the whole pregnancy we thought girl. I was SO anxious. I wanted to soak everything up and not take one single moment for granted. Josh got us moved in to our room and I changed into my gown.

Then we just waited on my BFF, Jamie, who was my labor nurse to arrive! SO SO SO thankful to have the opportunity to have her. She knows me well and that really helped.

Once she was there she got my IV going and got the pitocin started. Then my doctor came in to break my water. Y’ALL!!! I have never in my LIFE…there was SO MUCH fluid. It was insane. My sister and Josh were both in the room and they said it sounded like a balloon pop. Even Jamie said she had never seen that much and she’s been delivering babies for a long time! We did know from an ultrasound that there was extra but we had no clue it was THAT much extra! All of that happened around 8:30am and I was only 1cm dilated.

The next hour was pretty uneventful but I could tell the contractions were getting a little stronger. Then by about 9:45 they were UNBEARABLE. I was shaking from the pain…I have never had contractions that strong. I think it was just because he was SO low for so long and once I started dilating it was just going fast. Lucky for me the anesthesiologist came and gave me the best epidural ever! He was SO nice and patient with me as I had some really bad contractions through it. Poor Jamie, I was clinging to her so hard I thought I would rip her scrubs! About 5 minutes later I was in NO pain at all. It was glorious. I don’t see why or how anyone could do that without an epidural.

Meanwhile, family and friends were coming and going. They were picking which team they wanted to be on. I was talking with Josh and mentioned that if it was a boy that I thought I wanted to call him Brooks instead of Landon. Well, apparently that was the plan all along and I had forgot. Actually I really think that I was so sure that it was a girl that I wasn’t worried about it. HA! Hopefully our sweet BOY will forgive me for thinking he was a girl!

My fabulous sisters patiently waiting with their team pink stickers! 

Around 11:15 I started feeling  really weird. My head felt funny. I asked Jamie to take my blood pressure because I just didn’t feel right. It was normal. She decided to check me. I wish I had a picture of the look on her face. I was 5cm but she could tell that I would be 10 VERY soon. About that time her lunch relief came and so she ran to eat. We sent everyone to get the kids. As time ticked on I could just tell that it was getting really close. I could feel the baby moving down and started having pressure. The kids arrived and I got to see them briefly before it was go time! It was SUCH a relief to have them there because it was so important to me that they be the very first ones to know what the baby was!

Last pic as a family of five! Honestly, I was just trying to hold the baby IN at this point.

Around 12:15 Jamie got back from lunch and I told her that I was pretty sure it was time! She checked me and said it was! One of the other nurses called my doctor to tell him to hurry on over to the hospital and Jamie told me not to move! HA! Dr. R said no pushing until he got there.

This is about the time that I just wanted to hold Josh’s hand and cry. And cry. And cry. Happy tears. He called a few minutes later and said he was there and that I could push. I pushed a couple of times and had to stop. We called Dr. R and told him it was time to deliver! Once he arrived I pushed a couple of times. I felt the baby coming out and made eye contact with my doctor, we both smiled and at 12:41pm I got the biggest and best surprise of my life when I heard my husband say, “IT’S A BOY!!”

He came out kicking and screaming. Perfection.

Still can’t believe he was 8 pounds and 3 ounces!

I was cleaned up and so was he. And y’all know EXACTLY what I did as soon as they handed him to me! KISSED THOSE SWEET LIPS 975 TIMES!!!

Josh went and got the kids. They were all team pink! They walked in the room and gathered around me and the baby. Josh told them they have a baby brother! They were quiet….but smiling as they checked him out! Griffin cried. Sweet boy. He had been really worried about me for a few weeks. I was huge and miserable and everything hurt…I tried to prepare them as much as I could for when they saw me in the hospital but he was still emotional. He cried more the next day when he was holding Brooks and said, “I’m just so glad he’s here!”

After we had a little family time the kids went to the waiting room to tell everyone the news ! Needless to say I wasn’t the only one surprised!

Daddy’s first time to hold him! He’s a pro! Reece’s first time to hold him…she loves him SO much!

Peyton’s first time to hold him! And Griffin’s first time to hold him! 

And then there were SIX! I’ll be back soon with more from our hospital stay!