Tallulah meets Brodie

Our dog Tallulah had been our "child" for the last year and a half. We were anxious to see how she would react to Brodie but had a feeling she would be fine. Our worries were totally unwarrented because Tallulah has been outstanding! She is so protective of her "little brother". She sits beside him and follows us wherever we take him. She used to never bark and now goes crazy when someone comes over. I took Brodie strolling and she barked when a boy in our nieghborhood got close to his stroller. She brings her toys to him and wants to play with him.

The sweetest thing ever, though, was the night Brodie's tummy was hurting so bad from his formula. He was constipated also and just screaming. We had laid him on a blanket on the floor to change him and he fell asleep. Tallulah laid down by him and put her head on his side and fell asleep on him. She was so worried about him. Here are a few pictures from that night:

What a good dog she is. She loves Brodie so much!

So Sweet

Here is my favorite picture of Eric and Brodie at the hospital. It just melts my heart. So sweet!

Flowers

A big thanks you to my best friend NixB and her family, Eric's work, and to Brodie's grandparents, Honey and Daddy Mack for the beautiful flowers celebrating Brodie's arrival. How pretty! And isn't the fire truck so neat that Sherwin Williams sent. It's a toy to use later. Love it!

A Good Day

On January 4, 2008 we got to bring Brodie home. We woke up to the phone ringing at 7am that morning. It was the pediatrician calling to tell us Brodie was set to go home. We were so excited! Originally we were told his meds via iv would not be done until 11:00 that night so we would have to wait until then. Bringing him home earlier was perfect. No more back and forth to the hospital, no more losing sleep because I missed the little guy and felt sad he wasn't in our cozy home. It was time to load him in his new car seat and bring him back to 24th Street!



We arrived at about 9:00 am and dressed Brodie in his "Life is Good" ensemble so that he could get his birth pictures taken before we left. The outfit was big on him but he looked so cute. Here he is in his outfit:



The picture man came about 10:15 and took Brodie's picture. Eric told him he had the hardest job in the world. It's not easy getting a newborn to pose and look at a camera! The pictures turned out really cute. When I look at them now I see how bloated Brodie is from all the antibitotics he had pumped in him through his iv.



After pictures the nurse sent for a wheelchair so that I could be wheeled out to the car ( I was fine to walk but this was a hospital policy). The wheelchair came and we thanked Dr. Avi and the nurses and said goodbye. Doctor Avi said, "Oh, this is a good day!". And it was. Here is Brodie in his carseat for the first time.

Funny Feet

When we would feed Brodie in the hospital nursery we noticed the cutest, funniest thing. He straightens his legs and feet out and flexes his toes while he drinks. He still does this and I just love it! It makes me laugh everytime he eats. Check it out:

How Cute is that!

Feeding Brodie

As I said before, during Brodie's stay in the hospital, we went to feed him every 2-3 hours. We would go knock on the nursery door and wash our hands and put a hospital gown on.The nurse would roll Brodie in is little plastic tub cart to a "family room" in the back.There he is in his tub:

The family room had 2 chairs and a tv and was very small. He would nurse for maybe 10 minutes then drink a little tiny bottle, about 1-2 ounces.

Some pics of Me, Eric, and Brodie while in the "family room":

Eric feeding Brodie his tiny bottle

Me and Brodie

Mad and wanting his milk already!

NICU

Welcome to the Nursery/NICU at Munroe

From December 28, 2007-January 4, 2008 Brodie stayed in the NICU. I was discharged December 30 but Doctor Hall was nice and gave me an extra night and the hospital gave me a "sleepover" night so I actually went home on January 1. It was an awful feeling going home without our baby but I knew Brodie was in good hands.

While in the NICU we got to know several nurses. The two in particular that stand out to me are nurse Stacy and nure "Hatchett". Nurse Stacy was really sweet and always talked to us a lot. Her son has cerebral palsey and she knew I taught special ed. so we talked about that every time I went in to feed Brodie and she was working. She helped me with nuring a lot also.

We also loved Nurse "Hatchett". Of course she took some warming up to at first but when you got to talking to her she was very nice...smart about babies too. I think it was my dad that named her nurse "Hatchett" because of how rough she was with the babies. She really wasn't rough, she just knew what she was doing. When she fed Brodie she would lean him back and worth real quick and beat on his back to burp him. Those of us who are scared around newborns are taken aback by how nurses can just "sling" babies around. I don't know nurse Hatchett's real name..I forgot it-oops!

Brodie ate every 2-3 hours so it seemed as soon as we got home we were back in the car to go feed him again. I was glad because I missed him everytime we left. When we arrived at the nursery door the nurses all new who we were b/c we were there so often. I felt very at ease with Brodie staying overnight ther with the nurses b/c they were so good and so loving to the babies. I am so thankful for them. Here are so pictures from the NICU/nursery.

Dad holding Brodie in the nursery.

Here is Nurse "Hatchett" teaching me how to bottle feed Brodie

Dr. Roig and Dr. Avi

Doctor Roig and Doctor Avi were the neonatologists who looked after Brodie while he fought his infection and to get his repiratory system strong . I didn't take any pictures of them but wish I did. They were awesome!

Doctor Roig was a neonatologist from Shands. He explained to the tee to me what had happened with Brodie and what needed to be done before he could go home. He said Brodie was a strong little boy and that a lot of times babies who go through what he did end up on a ventilator. I am so thankful he was at Munroe Hospital. They had recently staffed the nursery with neonatologists. If Dr. Roig hadn't been there, Brodie would have been air lifted to Shands in Gainsville

Doctor Avi was also great. She looked very young and had a really neat accent, not sure where she was from. She always said Brodie was "gorgeous".

We are forever grateful to Doctor Roig and Doctor Avi for saving our baby boys life.

Mimi and Tig

MIMI and TIG in front of the Munroe Regional Sign

After an exhausting labor and scary situation to deal with, I was glad to have Eric with me. He was great at making me feel like everything would be ok. But even though I am 32 years old, I still wanted my mom and dad because I was so upset. I was so relieved when "Mimi and Tig" arrived at the hospital to see thier new grandson. They went with me right away to see Brodie in the NICU. I am so grateful they hopped on a plane and were here with us. Here are some pictures from when they came to the hospital.

Me and Dad/Tig with Brodie in NICU

Me and mom/Mimi on our way to the nursery

Bittersweet Picture

Why is this picture bittersweet?
Bitter because I know Brodie was hurting to breathe. He was sick, gray, and scared.
Sweet because there is my new baby boy, finally here after such a long wait. He is beautiful.

The Birth Story-Part 3

So what was it Brodie had to fight? An infection and holes he blew into his little lungs from trying to breathe so hard due to swallowing meconium during birth. He has also caught my fever. His was 102.

I remember being super tired but so excited lying in the delivery room after they took Brodie. Eric had walked down to the nursery to see him. The 2 nurses who had helped me push were in the room with me. A nursery nurse came into the room and asked, "Are you Mrs. Denison?". "Yes", I replied. Then she said, "I want you to know you have a very sick little boy. He has swallowed meconium and is trying hard to breathe and we are doing all we can. He is on oxygen. You can go visit him but just know he is really sick". "I'll go find your husband and explain to him".

WOW-What a shocker. I was devasted, scared, crying, and I wanted Eric or my parents to be in the room with me because I felt the tears begin to flow. My 2 nurses told me that they always have to treat a baby with the worst case scenario and that babies are very resiliant. The eased my mind a little but not much. Eric came back and they all got me ready to go see Brodie.

So what is this meconium? Meconium is when a baby passes a stool before birth. About 10-20% of babies do this before they are born. These babies respond with fetal distress and the stress relaxes the sphincter muscles and pushes the stool out. BUT...in only 2-5% of babies born in meconium stained amniotic fluid inhale this thick, tarry yuck stuff and plug thier small airways. This causes respiratory distress. So Brodie fell into this 2-5%. I felt horrible for him and somewhat guilty. Did this happen because of my fever, because I didn't know my water broke?

When we went to see Brodie I was even more scared. His breathing was fast and erratic. He ws pale gray. He had IV's of antibiotics in his little hand taped all the way up his arm, his face was enclosed in an oxygen helmet. His bright blue eyes were big and scared and I couldn't hug and hold him to give him any lovin'. So I held his little hands, talked to him, and said lots of prayers. I wouldn't get to hold my precious little baby for 2 days.

Here are a few pictures of Brodie in the oxygen helmet in the NICU shortly after his birth.

So Brodie's birth was scary but he was a strong fighter and was going to be ok.

Insert: Tallulah

So I feel I need to insert a story about our wonderful, good ole dog Tallulah before proceeding to part 3 of the birth story.




Tallulah, or "T-Bear", or "Sweet T", or "T-Bear-T-Bossa", as we like to call her is our peekapoo. She just loves Eric. She follows him around and waits in the window for him to get home from work. She loves me, too, but doesn't give me half the attention as she does Eric.




Well, remember how I said I felt "weird" for those 2 days before going into labor. I truly believe Tallulah knew my water was broken or that Brodie was coming because she was stuck to me like glue for those few days. If I laid on the couch, she laid on my stomach, right on top of me. Wherever I went, she went. Once I woke up from a nap in the recliner and she was watching me. I think she knew what was coming and she was watching over me. What a good ole dog my T-Bear is. I love our little puppy and will be forever thankful for her taking care of me. Here are some pictures of Tallulah.

Me and T-BearT-Bear lounging

Birth Story: Part 2

So I get home from the non-stress test and rest, calling my friends and family to tell them how upset I am that I have to wait until January 2 to have my baby. All this time I tell Eric I just don't feel right.
Eric's parents arrive from Nashville around 5:00. We visit and then go get some dinner. I order a some chicken-spicy, because I have heard spicy food sends you in to labor. I still just don't feel right. Mainly, I felt lots of pressure when I walked.
We get home and visit some more. I decide I feel so "blah" I am going to take a shower and go to bed. I go to sleep around 12:30 and wake up at 2:00 am with a terrible pain in my back that goes to my sides. Ohh, it hurt! I think it's just a mild contraction and decide to just lie in bed and see if they go away. 4 minutes go by and another one. Another 4 minutes and I feel the same pain. I decide this has got to be something but I am just so confused. I get out the ever trusting, "What to Expect When Your Expecting" book and read about labor. I decide this may be it. I get out of bed and tell Eric I think I should go to the hospital but I want him to time my pains. He times them at 3-4 minutes apart and we decide to head to Munroe Hospital.We get ready and get in the car. The whole way there I am saying, "I hope I'm not going in and they laugh and send me home". But the pain comes again and I am sure I definitely need to be going to the hospital. At 3:30 we check into Labor and Delivery and I am put in a bed. The nurse times my contractions and checks me. I am still 1 cm (of course). She tells the doctor I am in pain and he says to keep me and give me some pain meds. She said the on-call doctor is Doctor Hall and that if it would have been my doctor, Doctor Marquette, he probably would have sent me home. Doctor Hall is who ordered the shot for pain. I decide I love Doctor Hall.
The nurse who gives me my pain shot shift ends and a new nurse, Stephanie, comes in. She is very nice and takes good care of me. I am given patocin to speed up my labor. Doctor Hall comes in to break my water but he says it must already be broken. We decide maybe this is why I have felt so weird. Maybe my water has been broken for a whole day and I did not know.
The day goes on and on and Eric and I sit int he room, napping occassionally, listening to music. Eric calls our parents and tells them that Brodie would be born today. My parents jump on a plane and head to Ocala from Nashville.
At some point during my labor I develop a high fever of almost 104. Stephanie tells me that sometimes a c-section is necessary with a fever and they start me on antibotics so my fever goes down and the baby is ok. I am sweating horribly but sleeping on and off so don't realize it.
When my epidural kicks in full force I am totally paralyzed from the waist down. It is the weirdest feeling. I had to switch from my left to right side while lying in bed and Eric and Stephanie had to move me each time because I couldn't feel my legs to do it. Very strange...and embarressing.
At about 3:00 pm Doctor Hall checks me and says it's almost time to push. Stephanie gets called away to an emergency c-section and 2 new nurses come in and have me start pushing. I can not remember thier names but they are very nice, also. I did wish Stephanie would have been there, though b/c we had spent the whole day with her.
The nurse had me start pushing and calls Doctor Hall when Brodie is close. Doctor Hall enters the room, dancing, saying "Lets have a baby!". He says, "I've got my catchers mitt ready" as he sits down. He is very funny! He sees Brodie's head and tells us our son has a conehead.
At 4:06 Brodie makes his way into the world. I pushed for 40 minutes and it hurt like heck but the pain was well worth it. Eric cut the cord, the nurse put him on my chest for a second and they took him away to do the apgar. I remember asking, "Why is he not crying". Dr. Hall tells me to give him a second. I see Eric taking his picture and think all is ok. The nurses take him to the nursery.
But Brodie was not ok, he had to put up quite a fight.
Part 3 to come!!

The Birth Story: Part 1

So I figured I should write everything that happened the day I delivered Brodie, so here it goes. I will have to write the whole story in parts because it's so long, and a newborn won't wait for mom to sit and type for hours! So while he is napping, here is part 1:

On Thursday, December 27, 2007 I had my 41 weeks pregnant doctor appointment. I was miserable and hoping to be sent right away to the hospital for induction. Doctor Marquette checked me and said the phrase I was not hoping to hear, "You are 1 cm and you cervix is very thick". For the past 3 weeks I had been 1 cm. He sent me to the hospital for a non-stress test and said they would call him about induction.

Eric and I arrived at the hospital for my second non-stress test. Baby looked great, I was having conmtractions but couldn't feel them. The nurse went to call the doctor so they could set up an induction date. Thank Goodness, I thought. Eric and I were so relieved. Surely, we thought, it would be set for tomorrow, or in a few days. We sat discussing the possible dates. The nurse came back and said, "We have a date of January 2 set". January 2! But that was a whole week away! A whole new year! I could feel the tears coming. That was too long to wait. I felt huge, I was tired but couldn't sleep, I was nervous, and I wanted to meet my new baby boy. I went into the bathroom and cried. When I had calmed down I came out and the nurse told me, "Anything could happen, you could be back in here tonight, you never know". And yes...little did I know.

We got into the car and drove home. Eric's parents were coming into town and I needed a nap. Here a picture of me from that week. It is the last picture I have of me pregnant with Brodie.

Growing Fast

It seems like just yesterday our sweet baby boy, Brodie Mack Denison was born. December 28, 2007 at 4:06 pm will forever be my most exciting day ever. Eric and I are in love with our little man and our lives are completely changed.
I had been wanting a baby for the past few years. After a very upsetting miscarriage, Brodie was an answer to my prayers. Today Brodie is 7 weeks and 2 days old. Eric and I have finally gotten the hang of what his cries mean and somewhat of a feeding schedule down. He is sleeping about 5 hours a night, which is a big relief for any tired, new mom. So since the chaos is dying down, this is the perfect time to start documenting events and happenings of Brodie's life that I do not want to forget.
Before all the stories to catch up on, here is a picture of my precious baby, Brodie Mack Denison. He is growing fast, and I don't want to forget a THING!