Stefan and Jessi Brown: Birth Story 5.12.15

I am finally taking the time to sit down and write about Oakley's birth! This is my journal of what happened so you get all the long details you might not want:) My due date was originally May 21st. After weeks of basically being on bedrest, hours hooked up to fetal monitors, weekly shots and horrible medication because of preterm labor, I still hadn't had her on Monday May 11th. That day I went into the doctor, I was dilated to 2 and 85% effaced and she told me that they were going to start me that day. At first she was going to have me go straight to the hospital, but then decided to have me go in at 8 that night. So I left the doctor in a rush! Trying to get everything together and do all my last minute things I needed to do. They told me to call into the hospital at 7 and make sure they had an open delivery room because they were remodeling the hospital and they only had 3 of the rooms available. We dropped Roxi (my dog) off at my parents house and had the bags all packed in the car ready to go. I got a blessing from Stefan and my dad when we dropped Roxi off. I am so grateful for the priesthood in our lives and that I have a worthy husband and father, I am very blessed! 7:00 rolled around and I called and they said they didn't have room for us yet and they would call me when we could come. Stefan and I went to the Habit grill for dinner and tried to keep our minds off of it! We were both nervous and excited and didn't know what to expect. We went back home and laid down for awhile. Finally they called and told us we could come about 11 pm. Not the ideal time to go into the hospital! When we got there, we had to check in at the emergency room, they claimed they were really busy but the waiting room was empty besides us and some crazy drugged up lady. After waiting forever we finally got into our room about 12:30 am. I got changed into my hospital gown and we got situated in our room. I had the cutest nurse who I loved!! And she had a nursing student who was shadowing her that was with us too. When it came to do my IV they asked if it would be okay for the nursing student to put it in. I get IV's every 8 weeks so I am used to getting IV's and needles don't bother me at all. I said that was great and she got started... Lots of gushing blood and about 20 minutes later my IV was in. They had me start to fill out all my paperwork, when I feel something on my arm... I look down and blood was running down my arm from my IV. So we had to get that all fixed and cleaned up finally! Luckily I am not really bothered by that. By now it was about 1:30 and they gave me some pills (don't know what its called but it isn't pitocin) to soften my cervix so that things could get moving. My doctor wanted me to dilate more before they broke my water and got things really going. So then we went to bed! Again at 3:30ish they gave me some more pills and I started having more contractions. I had been having contractions for weeks so it wasn't really bad. By about 6 in the morning I was getting really nauseous, I couldn't eat while I was there and I think that was why I was feeling nauseous. So they came in and gave me some zofran and I felt a lot better. My doctor got there by about 8:45 and told me if I hadn't dilated anymore they were going to send me home and have me come back when my contractions got closer together. Luckily she checked me and I was at a 3 and 90%. She pulled out her weird looking chopstick and broke my water. Which was WAY weird feeling. I didn't know it would be that much fluid and I didn't think they would just do it on the bed! I felt like I lost 10 pounds after that. Then they cleaned it all up and Stefan kept making me laugh and I kept thinking I was peeing my pants and they kept assuring me that I wasn't! Weirdest feeling ever. Haha then the waiting continued! Stef and I just sat around and talked, my contractions got stronger and closer together. I ate lots of ice chips, Italian ice and jello since that was all I could eat... Seriously that was the worst part- not eating! By about 11 my nurse kept coming in and asking if I wanted an epidural because my contractions were really strong on the fetal monitor. But I really was doing pretty good and it wasn't too bad. My nurse came in a little later and said that my contractions were getting too close and her heart rate was dropping so either they needed to give me medication to slow my labor or hopefully if I get my epidural my labor would slow. So I voted for the epidural then because I definitely did not want them giving me anything to slow it down!! While we were waiting to get my epidural my contractions were getting pretty strong. Stef was so cute about everything and was trying to help me feel better. He was rubbing my back and I finally told him he had to stop touching me because it was making it worse haha poor stefan. They came in and checked me and I was at a 5. The anesthesiologist was about 12 years old but really nice. I sat up on the edge of the bed and held Stefan's hand and he gave me the numbing shot which burned in my back for about 10 seconds and then I couldn't feel anything! He put in the epidural and it was over. Not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I feel like people had talked about how awful it was and so I was way more nervous. It was a peace of cake! They numbing set in and I started to get a shooting pain in my back so I wanted to call in the nurse to tell her but I couldn't reach the call button. So I turned to Stef "Hey I am having a horrible pain in my back can you push the button?" Meaning the call button for the nurse and he pushed the epidural button instead! Haha oops. We laughed and it was all good. I stayed at a 4-5 for hours. We just sat around and hung out, talked, laughed, took a nap, seriously epidurals are the greatest! I did not feel like I was in labor. Honestly we got really bored just sitting around waiting! In the middle of the day Stef said "I pictured this day going a lot differently, like with a lot more screaming" haha! Around 4 I was finally at a 6 and 100% effaced... Finally some more progress! About 30 minutes after they checked me I was feeling A LOT of pressure... They told me to tell them if I was feeling pressure because that could mean the baby was getting close! I felt dumb calling my nurse back in to check me again because it had only been like 30 minutes but I finally did and she checked me and I was at a 10! Woo! Best news ever. We texted our families telling them she would be here pretty soon! Dr. Macy came in and she checked me again and said that she could see her head and it had lots of hair! I didn't believe her. My contractions were still pushing the baby down so she wanted me to sit there for a little longer so she could move down farther and I wouldn't have to push as long. As we were waiting I started feeling my contractions really strong on my left side! My whole left side was starting to get the feeling back and I started to panic a little! Why did my epidural stop working as good right when I was at the worst?? But luckily I pushed the button again and the pain went away! As we were waiting my parents came in! They came after we said she would be there soon and they came and said hello and then went into the waiting room. My nurse came in and wanted to go over how I needed to push, what position she wanted me in, where she wanted Stefan and what he should do etc. Then she wanted me to do some "practice pushing" so that I could get the feel for it. I did a practice push and she instantly started saying "Stop stop stop!! Her head is coming out!!" and Stefan looks at me and said "AH! Her head looks like a hairy golf ball!" Haha just what every mom wants to hear haha. So we stopped my pushing and waited for my doctor. She came in and it all began. It was an amazing experience! Not at all what I expected. We were all just laughing, talking, high fiving through the whole thing. Stefan was amazing! I couldn't have done it without him!! He was amazing. After about 20 minutes of pushing, Oakley Mae Brown joined us at 5:22pm with a full head of hair! My doctor had asked me before hand if it was okay if she held her down on her lap for 90 seconds after she was born so that the cord blood could run into her because supposedly she would be smarter haha. I told her that was great and that she better get into Harvard;)! She held her down on her lap and I just stared at her. I couldn't believe it! Stefan cut the cord and they put her slimy little perfect self up on my chest. It was amazing! After a little, they took her over and did the tests, weighed her, measured her, and wrapped her up while they stitched me up and put the room back together. They handed her to Stefan, it was amazing to watch him hold her for the first time. They left us alone for awhile and Stef, Oakley and I just sat there as our own little family. It was amazing. It felt like I was in a dream! I couldn't believe that she really was all ours. After awhile my parents came into the room it was fun to have them there so soon after she was born! Awhile later my sister Amy and her family came, then Stefans sister Paige and husband Morgan came- and brought Chick-fil-a since I was starving, and then his parents and other sister Kelly came as well. Then they got me all cleaned up and Stefan went to give Oakley a bath in the nursery! It was so adorable to watch.

The whole day was completely amazing. I would deliver babies all day long if I could. I absolutely loved the whole experience! The veil is so thin, she was fresh from heaven! What an amazing experience. I couldn't have done it without Stefan. He is absolutely amazing. The next few days we spent at the hospital with plenty of visitors. We are so blessed to have so many amazing friends and family around us! We have enjoyed our little perfect Oakley and love being parents. More blog posts coming about being home etc. :)

So here are the pictures!