The Story of Baby Danny

So, people have been asking me the story about Baby Danny's birth, so here it is! It's pretty long, but I need this for record keeping...so feel free to skip if you want. By the way, I'll have more photos up tonight...I seriously can never figure out how to use our cameras, and since we have 3, I have no idea where all our photos are! Anyway, on with the story...

It started on Friday, July 3rd. My stomach felt really tight and I was having a lot of cramps that felt similar to menstral cramps. I rested most of the day (thank goodness I already had the day off of work!), but don't worry - we still went up the canyon with Kenneth's siblings - Chantale & Mike, and also Steven & Britney. I sat on a cot the whole time while people rock-climbed. I was feeling pretty miserable thinking that I would probably endure this type of pain for the next 6 weeks. I wasn't going to complain too bad though because I had a very easy pregnancy up to this point.

On Saturday, July 4th, I was still feeling pretty crummy. We had a family BBQ for the 4th, and after talking to my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Rachelle, we decided that what I was feeling was probably just Braxton Hicks contracts (practice contractions before the real deal) and that the pain I was feeling was probably just the muscles supporting the uterus - as I was getting towards the end of the pregnancy, these would obviously be more sore.

Well, thank goodness we opted out of the firework show and instead went home and went to bed, because around 12:45 am, I woke up to go to the bathroom and my water broke!! It was crazy! I was obviously really nervous since I still had 6 weeks. I finally was able to get up and wake Kenneth up. How suprised we were!! We had absolutely NOTHING ready! Kenneth hurried and packed a few essentials and then we headed to the hospital.

Funny thing - since my water broke I actually felt much BETTER than I had the previous two days! I no longer felt any pressure, and I didn't feel any sort of contraction. I felt pretty silly walking up to the ER and telling them my water had broke...typically you think of women going into the ER and screaming their heads off because they are in so much pain...no pain for me. Whoo hoo!

Anyway, they set me up on a moniter and the nurse did several tests (to determine whether or not it had actually been my water breaking) and she came back every time and said that it was NOT my water that had broken...okay lady, I know I'm new at this, but I'm pretty positive I did NOT just urinate all over myself! She told me however, that it was very good that I came in since I was already 1 1/2 cm dilated, 80% effaced and my contractions were coming every 6 minutes apart (kind of funny since I didn't even feel them). NOT what you would expect for 34 weeks. Anyway, I figured that apparently I didn't know what contractions felt like (since I'd been experiencing them for about 2 days), so maybe I was wrong about the water breaking as well...They gave me 2 shots to stop the contractions, gave me a steroid shot to help Danny's lungs develop just in case, and sent me home at 5:30 am with instructions for me to be on bed rest for at least 1 week.

I went home, and slept most of the afternoon, and got a call from my midwife, Gretchen, around 5 pm. She was in the office and wanted to see me. We went in and Gretchen was like, "Yeah, I don't know what they were talking about. Your water OBVIOUSLY broke!" She immediately sent me over to the hospital. Typically once your water breaks they want you to deliver the baby within 24 hours to prevent infection. Since I was sent home initially, I only had 6-7 hours before my 24 hour window was up.

I was feeling pretty calm until they admitted me to the hospital and the doctor from the NICU unit came to talk to me about some of the problems that could occur from Danny being born early. It is pretty emotional hearing them say that they will probably take him away in a rush to resucitate (sp?) him, etc. etc. NOT the highlight of the night. Kenneth was great about being supportive and helping me remember to have faith - that everything would work out, and that things happen for a reason.

Once at the hospital things progressed very quickly. I went from feeling no contractions around 6:30pm to having moderately intense ones, and around 8:30pm they started getting really intense. I opted for the epideral (never really considered delivering without one because I am a wimp) and was very comfortable at that point. I was about 4 cm when I got the epideral, and by 10pm I was at 10cm and ready to push. I didn't even realize what was happening...we were just hanging out in the room with my brother, Michael & Kim, and our friends Danny (Baby Danny is named after him)& Heather and Debbie.

Because Danny would be going to the NICU, I had to deliver in an operating room that had a little NICU unit attached to it. The labor itself was actually very easy for me. After a half hour of pushing, Danny was born at 11:02 pm on Sunday, July 5th. I was able to see him while Kenny cut the cord. Danny was so adorable and cried as soon as he came out which was SUCH a relief! He also was pretty big for being 6 weeks early - 4 lb. 12 oz. They took him and started working on him. Now, I don't know why Baby Danny had to come 6 weeks early, but I know things happen for a reason! My midwife said that the umbilical cord was attached to the outside sac of the placenta, instead of directly to the contents of the placenta as it should. There is a name for this, but I can't remember it right now. Anyway, there was no problem with it at the time, but it could have been a problem later on in the pregnancy. It very well could have happened that the cord could have become disconnected from the placenta, and then Danny would not have received any of the blood, or oxygen flow that he needed. Like I said, I know things happen for a reason!

Overall, Danny is pretty dang healthy! It is normal for babies that early to have some trouble breathing. Babies don't start producing a substance called surfactant until about 36 weeks. Surfactant coats the lungs and makes it so the lungs aren't sticky when you breath out. Because Baby Danny doesn't produce surfactant yet, when he exhales, the lungs collapse and stick together. As a result, he has to put a lot of effort into re-filling the lungs. He is utilizing a machine called a C-Pap which creates positive pressure which helps keeps the lungs slightly inflated so he doesn't have to work so hard. Right now, he is having oxygen administered at about 28-30% (normal oxygen level we breath is about 21%). Other than that, he has a little jaundice which is totally normal. He is our little sun-bather!! He is adorable when he sprawls out his arms and legs and takes in the "sun." Love it!

Anyway, so that is our story! We don't know when Danny will be able to come home. It could be anywhere from 2-6 weeks. I'll keep up all updated on his progress! We are so happy to have Baby Danny in our lives. We are so grateful that he is healthy. He is a beautiful baby and we can't wait until we can bring him home!