Baby Fletcher

Eek, I KNOW I need to do this now, or it simply will not get done(like most everything in my life right now)

My gorgeous, wonderful little sweetheart baby was born May 16, 2014. I am beyond smitten.  I will do my best to recap his traumatizing entry into the world.

FLETCHER JENSEN HEATH

First let me start by my usual complaining. The last month of pregnancy was so so so so horrible. We had a couple major scares, with my amniotic fluid levels and some findings on an ultrasound regarding the baby's heart. I endured about a million extra examinations and was constantly in fear.
My back, pelvis and hip pain was out of control. I did not sleep, and my heartburn made  it almost impossible to eat anything but ice water. I was a true joy to be around.

May 16th I was 39 weeks pregnant. I had decided to just plan on the little guy being late. Nothing special happened during the day, but while I was snuggling Hudson in his bed(top bunk). I felt my water break. It was such a weird, but kind of cool feeling. I ripped into the bathroom and drained and then told Shane, who was snuggling Cooper. That happened at 7:40. Shane called our sister in law Cherie to come and watch the boys, while I packed a bag, and made our bed, and we tidied up a bit. My contractions started pretty quickly, and there was pretty much no lead in to them. They came and were at a 10. I knew then things were going to move quickly.

Fletch has the best hair and 2 adorable little dimples. He is such a cutie!!

Thankfully, Cherie was able to come really quickly. Shane and I drove like maniacs to the hospital. By this point, I was pretty sure that I would not be able to get an epidural, because the contractions were so fast, maybe 1.5 minutes apart, and they lasted a minute, so there was only a very short break between them and they were so strong.

We made it to the hospital and I checked in at Emerg at 8:30. I waited for the porter and tried not to make a scene in Emerg,  as the contractions were so painful. I started to tear up on the ride upstairs as I knew I was on my own and that there was not going to be enough time for an epidural. Once upstairs we waited a minute or two for the nurse, who quickly checked me and had me change in the bathroom. As I was changing I knew I needed to push. I was scared.

The unit was super busy, so there was only a couple rooms that were rarely used at the far end of the unit. Both Shane and I were nervous as we thought we were going to have the baby in Piper's delivery room(which is also at the end of the hall, where you don't have to hear all of the other babies crying). They didn't even have a wheelchair to push me in, so the nurse grabbed my arm and pulled me down the hall, while Shane pushed my back.

In the room the nurse managed putting the monitor on me, and I literally started pushing.  NO EPIDURAL:( I can honestly say there has been nothing ever in my life so painful as this experience. I had NO control over my body. My body just took over and did it's thing. I was scream grunting so loud, but again, I could not control it. I remember thinking, I am so embarrassed because a young nurse kept telling me to stop screaming. At the point of the baby's head coming out they asked me to stop pushing to unwrap the cord from the baby's neck, which again, I had no control over. My legs were shaking, and I am pretty sure I was asking God to let me die. Finally he was all out, and they placed him on my stomach. It was only 8:38. I had only been at the hospital for 18 minutes!!!! A delivery this quick is very rare, and is called a precipitous labour.
My first impressions were, whoa, that baby is GREY, like really really grey. He did not cry or move and he felt limp on  me. I knew he was not okay, and I just wanted him off me so they could help him get air. Shane was cutting his cord.

They took him over to the side and started working on him, then I heard them decide to call a code pink(which is like a baby code blue). The nurse was so funny, as she explained to me that many people would come running in the room frantically but that everything was okay. My nurse was a total gem. She was about 68. I totally made her work!

By this point the doctor came in and they helped me deliver the placenta and did some"repair work". Holy Moly, that was also very very uncomfortable! The med student or resident, took forever.

Shane and the baby were taken away, as well as my nurse, and I basically hung out in my L&D room by myself and worried. I just kept thinking about the looks on Shane's face while they were working on our baby. He looked seriously frightened.

I got to shower, and get cleaned up, then I finally got to go to the nicu to see Shane and my boy. Shane was doing kangaroo care with Fletcher, and then he told me what actually happened.
The doctor figured that the umbilical cord was clamped between my pelvis and the baby and limited the oxygen to the baby. Fletcher's Apgar scores were 3 immediately, then 5, after 5 minutes, then 8. All which are very low. His oxygen stats were 9%, and the SP02 in his cord were 15%. The neonatologist told Shane if he had been born even 2 minutes later, he would have been born dead and needed a full resuscitation.
When Shane told me that, I knew exactly why he needed to come so quickly and immediately knew how lucky we were, and that Heavenly Father was really watching over us.

They then told me that Fletch was
8 pounds 9 oz. and he was almost 21 inches long. HUGE!!!!
I must admit, I was feeling pretty proud/sorry for myself-haha.

snuggles with Dad

First bath at 3 days old(not to mention at 1 am)

The Doctors decided to keep Fletcher in the NICU for the next 4 days. He had quite a few drops in his Oxygen and they were worried about tremors/seizures and jaundice. I was discharged on the second day, so I had to sleep on a bench on Fletcher's room. It was a bit crazy. Poor Shane was at home taking care of the boys. We really did not know too much of what was going on, and we were truly just hoping our sweet little guy was going to be okay. When they discharged us we found out that Shane was correct with his internet diagnosis and that Fletcher had TTN(Transient Tachypnea of Newborn). This TTN was likely caused due to the fast delivery, but had nothing to do with the compressed cord. Thankfully there are no lasting effects and our sweetheart is doing really well right now.

I still can't believe that I had a precipitous labor, compressed cord and the baby had TTN. And that folks is why I am an advocate of having your baby at the HOSPITAL!!! I am truly overwhelmed with gratitude that everything is okay. So many things could have changed the outcome.

Tuesday May 20th we brought our baby home. He did struggle with jaundice for the first 3 days, making him so so sleepy, but now he is eating better and hopefully in the next little bit we can get on some sort of a schedule.

All ready to go home in his homecoming outfit.

Hudson and Cooper are absolutely over the moon with their baby brother. They are obsessed. Cooper will walk around and say in his raspy voice, baby is awesome. Hudson on the other hand just helps himself to holding his baby whenever he wants. He just loves him SO MUCH!
On Wednesday when the nurse came over, Shane and I were talking to her, and Fletcher was upstairs sleeping on our bed. All of the sudden Hudson comes walking down the stairs holding the baby. I almost died(of being scared and of embarrassment). Hudson announced that he was trying to help as we said we would go get the baby but then didn't. It was nuts.

Obsessed with the rubber gloves at the hospital haha.

checking out baby

Brother Loves

Hudson with his black eye and fat lip holding his baby.

Sharing spiderbear with Fletch!

Bed time stories with baby bro!

Now that our baby has been with us for a week, we are so completely and fully in LOVE with him. I love having him around and I am so glad that I am not pregnant anymore:)

We LOVE YOU Fletch! You are a gift from God to our family and you complete us!