Welcome to the World!

He's here!  Brett Jacob Jacklin was born on April 13, 2009 at 10:58 pm.  He was technically a "late pre-term" baby since he was born at only 36 weeks, 5 days. He weighed in at 9 pounds, 1 ounce and 20 1/2 inches long.  I'd hate to see how big he would have been if he had decided not to come early!

The labor process did not exactly go as planned... after being in labor for over 24 hours, I was finally fully dilated and Brett had dropped down low enough (but still only at a zero station) for me to begin pushing at around 8:00 on Monday evening.  After two long hours of pushing, the doctor made the call that an emergency C-section was necessary due to "failure to descend".  Essentially, I pushed and pushed for two hours but because of Brett's size and the fact that he was face up instead of face down, he had not moved down any in two hours.  In a quick scramble of preparations I was whisked into surgery.  Unfortunately, somewhere in the midst of me being moved onto the surgical table my epidural line unknowingly came out.  So, after numerous efforts by the anesthesiologist to numb me from the chest down failed, it was necessary for me to be given general anesthesia, meaning I was put to sleep and was not awake during the surgery.  In addition, Ben was not allowed to come into the room as he would have been if only local anesthestics were used, as was the original intention.  

Brett was born at 10:58 pm and Mommy remained in surgery for nearly an hour afterwards. The doctor said there were some complications with a laceration and blood loss.  Luckily, everything ended well and we both came out just fine.  Brett was able to spend his first couple of hours of life snuggling with Ben while I was in the recovery room after surgery.

Here's Brett's first picture after being born.  He is such a little man!  

36 weeks today!

I went to the doctor today for my 36 week appointment. I am officially "9 months" today!  Ben was able to go with me since we are on Spring Break this week.  It was nice having him with me, and he was able to hear the heartbeat again.  It's been several appointments since he's been able to go with me because of his soccer schedule, so I know he was excited to hear that little whooshing sound again. He was grinning ear to ear as soon as the nurse found it and we could hear it on the doppler. Only a few new side effects to discuss with the doctor today... my fingertips have started getting numb and tingly, which she explained was totally normal, and due to the swelling that is occurring throughout my body.  Also, last night I freaked Ben out because I started having lower back pain, cramping in my lower abdomen, and then had 8-10 contractions within about a two hour period.  The contractions were very irregular and never got stronger, so the doctor said these were just Braxton Hicks and would probably increase in frequency over the next few weeks up until delivery.  She assured me (and more so Ben, I think) that we would definitely recognize when it was the real thing because they would get very strong, very regular, and not stop.

Next she measured my belly... still VERY large... measuring at 41 at 36 weeks.  Guess I'd rather have my belly measure that big than my butt ;)  Then she examined me to check the baby's position and for dilation.  She said Brett is very low and his head is engaged in my pelvis already.  I'm sure that's why walking has become so uncomfortable and I've already perfected the art of the "pregnancy waddle".  She also confirmed that my cervix is "soft" and I am "at least 1 cm dilated".  Whoo Hoo!  Although she said this doesn't necessarily mean I may be going into labor any time soon, I can't help but feel some sense of accomplishment that things are already beginning to progress in the right direction.  Also, she said it was a good sign that Brett's big noggin was already down in my pelvis, which suggests it's not too big to fit through that part...  

Ben and I got a laugh when the doctor asked about my "heritage", which I told her was Irish and German.  She said while women of this descent (Eastern European) tend to have bigger babies, they also tend to have the bodies/hips to be able to handle delivering them.  On the way home Ben said, well, I guess my Polish genes may be helping with Brett's size then, huh?  YES!  He finally (sort of) admitted this big baby isn't all my fault ;)

Next Wednesday we have an ultrasound appointment and visit with the doctor scheduled.  That should give us the best measure of just how big this little boy is going to be... I can't wait to see his chubby little face :)

BIG boy!

I went to the doctor today for my 32-week check-in. The doctor came in and took measurements of my belly and was quite surprised to find that I had grown from 31 cm at my 30-week visit to 36 and 37 cm (She measured twice to be sure!). She recommended we check and make sure everything was OK so she ordered an ultrasound. Although somewhat excited for the ultrasound, since I hadn't seen the baby since our last ultrasound at 18 weeks, I was also nervous. You never like to hear that something comes as a surprise to the doctor or that something isn't as it should be-- as a first-time pregnant woman you automatically assume the worst and all kinds of crazy thoughts start racing through your head as to what could be wrong.    

I went in for the ultrasound and the tech was very friendly, which put me a little at ease, and started measuring all of Brett's parts.  She started with the head circumference... after the first time she said, "Let me try that again".  After measuring a second time she said, "Well that was right".  She then measured his body circumference. She said, "This is a big boy! You're 32 weeks, 5 days right now and his head and body circumference are measuring at 37 weeks already!"  After she finished all of his measurements she was able to estimate that Brett weighs about 6 pounds, 5 ounces ALREADY!!  

Seriously?!  This kid could possibly have up to 7 more weeks to grow and he already weighs almost 6 and half pounds?!  I talked with the doctor after we got the results and she didn't seem concerned.  She said we will just check the measurements again when I come back in two weeks, and if he keeps growing at this rate we may need to consider an induction prior to the due date, or possibly a C-section.  

I am just so relieved that everything checked out fine... while there is no escaping he's probably going to be chunky monkey when he gets here, he is healthy and that is all I really care about! We'll deal with what the safest way (for both me and Brett) to get him here may be when we reach that bridge...

I Finally Did It!

I've been meaning to start this blog for several months now, but I was once again very successful at what I do best--procrastinating!  I finally realized if I don't get our blog started before Brett arrives then it probably will never get done, seeing as our life is about to go from 0 to 60 in 5 seconds in a few short weeks.  So here it is... hopefully this will help our friends and family in keeping in touch and up-to-date with all of the exciting changes that are coming our way.  

The new addition to our family, Brett Jacob Jacklin, is due to make his big arrival in 7 weeks and we can not wait for him to be here! I can only imagine the overwhelming joy I will feel when I am finally able to hold his tiny little hand, look into his face while trying to determine what parts of Ben and what parts of me he inherited, and tell him just how loved he really is!  

We hope all of you, near and far, enjoy seeing and reading the updates we will add as our family grows and changes!