Bradley's Arrival

I don't think I blogged about it but the week before Bradley's arrival was difficult. I was back and forth from the doctor or labor & delivery pretty much everyday. I swelled, my blood pressure went up, I didn't feel like myself and I gained 16 lbs in the last 11 days which was fluid. Monday I was told she didn't want me to work but she wouldn't put me on bedrest yet but I had to cut back more than I already had. Tuesday I was put on bedrest. Wednesday I spent 6 hours in labor and delivery for a full blood work and monitoring due to swelling. Thursday I spent 6 hours in labor and delivery due to contractions.

Monday before Bradley was born I had an ultrasound done and the tech sad he was 9 lbs 6 oz, but my doctor said he had a lot of fluid around him and she felt like the size was off and I should still be able to have a vaginal delivery. She told me pretty much we were just waiting on me to go into labor. I had a good many contractions that evening and through the night. When I woke up Tuesday morning they were continuing so I hydrated, ate, took a warm shower and rested. Then they all stopped. But that wasn't the only thing that stopped. I had not felt Bradley since around midnight when he had hiccups. I kept telling myself he was just in position and babies always slow down before delivery so I'd just wait on my contractions to pick up. Just before lunch they had not picked up and he still had not moved even after drinking caffeine so I decided to call my doctor. They told me to be in the office at 1 pm.

When I arrived at the doctor's office I did my normal routine and waited on the nurse. The doctor passed me when I was waiting and she told me we were going to do an ultrasound and a NST. The nurse weighed me and in 11 days I had gained 16 lbs that was all fluids. I went for the ultrasound and I heard a good strong heartbeat which made me feel so much better. The ultrasound tech didn't say much and we were done quickly. She told me to sit in the waiting area and the nurse would get me in a few minutes for my NST. When the nurse came and got me she took me to a room and when I asked about the NST she told me the doctor was going to talk to me. When the doctor came in she explained the ultrasound tech did not like the way Bradley wasn't moving on the ultrasound and the doctor wanted to do a CST instead of an NST and see how he responded to contractions and if he didn't respond the way he should then I would have to deliver by c-section that day. I left the doctor's office and walked down to labor and delivery in tears. Once I got to labor and delivery they took me to a room to start the test. The nurse explained I had to have three contractions in 10 minutes and this test could send me into labor. I thought that's ok, I'm ready to deliver.

Once the test was done the nurse told me she thought I was going home, that was at 4:15 pm. At 4:30 pm the nurse came back and said the doctor did not like how the test looked and we were having a c-section. At 4:45 the doctor came in and explained to me and Adam that the baby had a position CST meaning he failed the test. His heart did not respond the way it should and if I went into labor he wouldn't make it and I'd have to have an emergency c-section so she felt it was best to go ahead and deliver immediately. At 5:10 I was wheeled into the OR. I was a nervous wreck, my mind was going a million different directions and I had a ton of questions. There was 3 nurses, 2 doctors, the person to give me the spinal block and his tech; they were all running around me like crazy and they wouldn't let Adam in there so I was a nervous wreck. Once I had the spinal block, they laid me down and it kicked in; they brought Adam in. At 5:35 pm Adam Bradley Anderson Jr was born. He weighed 9 lbs 7 oz and 20 3/4 in.

Before I delivered I knew there was a big chance he'd go to the NICU. When he was born they leaned over the drape so I could see him and then took him to be cleaned up. A few minutes later the NICU nurse came over and told us he needed to go with her to have his breathing checked out. After Bradley got to the NICU we also learned his blood sugar had dropped way below where it should be.

Through the next week he has made great improvements and everyday he continues to improve. His blood sugar has stabilized, his breathing has slowed down and he is now eating from a bottle at every feeding. His white count wasn't where it should be at birth so he also has been on antibiotics and he is taking them for a full 10 days. He is almost done with them. Hopefully in the next few days I will be able to nurse him and we will be on our way to bringing him home. We just continue to pray for him each day.