Happy Due Date/ 1 week to our sweet Brewer!

It has been the absolute BEST week with our sweet baby!

Today is Brewer’s actual due date but boy are we glad that he decided to show up early!

We are loving every minute of being his parents.

Today, I wanted to share his birth story and everything that led to his sweet arrival!

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As of last Thursday night (2 days prior to his arrival), I had still been moving about my normal routine. I was working, taught a virtual class that my school hosted on Thursday night, I was out running errands, giving the dogs a bath, etc.

I really think that moving so much & not letting myself slow down helped speed up the process of getting to labor. I was dilated to a 3 at my appointment that week and I was starting to feel lots of pressure.

That Friday was supposed to be my last day of work before maternity leave. Well, I woke up Friday morning & I knew I couldn’t go into work. I was feeling the pressure X 10, my lower back was hurting abnormally, and it was sorta painful to walk. I just knew if I stayed on my feet, I’d probably go into labor that day. I also had a hair appointment scheduled for that afternoon and I definitely didn’t want to go into labor at the hair salon so that was cancelled, lol!

By mid afternoon, I called the doctor & told them what I was experiencing. They suggested that I go to the hospital to be checked out. I thought for sure I would be sent back home because I’ve heard of that happening to so many other women.

The next thing I knew, I was being hooked to so many cords & monitors. I was emitted to the hospital! I was having minor contractions & considering my symptoms + I was 38 weeks & 6 days, the doctor who was there from my clinic, felt better about me staying vs. going home!

They are not allowed to “induce” until 39 weeks so I basically hung out in my labor & delivery room until midnight (when I turned 39 weeks) waiting on pitocin. Harry & my mom were both there! Thank goodness!!

Once pitocin got started at midnight, it became a waiting game- waiting on me to dilate more & I was waiting on contractions to get more intense before getting the epidural. I wanted to be able to feel the difference in getting the epidural so I waited until 4 am, when my contractions were getting really painful & I got the epidural.

Bam! It was like instant relief. I felt numb all over & I was able to get an hour or 2 of rest. Getting the epidural was not that bad. It felt more like a bee sting. The part I didn’t like was feeling like something was being sown up my back. That was a weird feeling BUT so worth getting the epidural.

Around 6:30 am, the doctor from my clinic came in and checked my cervix and I was 6 cm dilated & baby’s head was low. All the nurses kept commenting throughout the night on how low baby’s head was. Baby boy was ready to make his appearance!

The doctor also noticed baby’s heart rate starting to take a dip around that time. He wanted me to start pushing sooner rather than later. The doctor helped speed things up to 10 cm dilated & broke my water so I could begin pushing.

At 8:00 Saturday morning, the doctors changed shifts and my actual doctor from my clinic was there. I began pushing at 8:20 am with my doctor there to deliver!

In the beginning, pushing wasn’t a big deal. I felt pressure but no pain! Then my epidural began wearing off FAST! I started feeling extreme low back pain & I could feel the contractions in my stomach. Ouch!! I knew this wasn’t normal.

I was trying my best to push through it but as the contractions got closer & closer together, the pain was unbearable. My doctor was able to put more medicine in my IV & once it kicked in, I felt a million times better!

Baby’s head was super low BUT his head was stuck behind my pubic bone & it was not coming around on it’s on. My doctor stopped & looked at me and said, “We have 2 options: c-section or I can use a vacuum which is essentially a suction cup on the baby’s head to try to get him around the pubic bone.” I looked at Harry & Harry looked at the doctor, and she said, “I’ll say this, I’ll know in 5 minutes if the vacuum will work because I only get 3 tries at it.” So I said, “Let’s do it!”

Third time is the charm! On try number 3, baby was around the pubic bone and I was able to push him the rest of the way out! At 9:47 am, Brewer made his grand appearance into the world! I pushed for about an hour and a half total!

By the time Brewer was born, we had so many nurses in the room helping & assisting. There was also the chance that I could go to the O.R. for a c-section so they had all hands on deck! Everyone was cheering me on & crying. It was the most incredible experience ever!

They laid that 8.3 lb // 20.5 inches long, baby on top of me and I was in Heaven!! I’ve never felt a love like this in my entire life!

Every doctor who assisted and every nurse who was there made this process so incredible!! The whole thing was like a close to God feeling. It was so surreal, I can’t put it into words.

For the next 2 hours, I was able to do skin to skin with baby before being transferred to a new room on the mom & baby floor!

I’m not going to lie, after all of the IV’s were unhooked, I was in a lot of pain. I tore & had to be cut. I couldn’t feel it as it was happening but after the fact… ouch! Thank goodness for pain meds!

Those ice packs & mesh undies are your best friend after giving birth! Keeping it real, lol!

Later that evening as Brewer’s vitals were being checked, his blood sugar was a little low. They wanted him go to NICU to be checked out. Thankfully, Harry & I were able to sit with him for 2 of the 3 hours he was there. He checked out fine & was able to come back to our room! Praise Jesus!!

Shortly after he was back in our room, they thought he had jaundice. My poor baby couldn’t catch a break! My heart was breaking! They tested him for jaundice and sure enough he had it. It’s extremely common in babies. They can be born with yellow tented skin. So he spent a lot of time under a blue light to help with the jaundice.

Brewer loves to be swaddled and feel close to something. I mean, that was what life was like in the womb so that’s all he knows! The light required him to lay there nakey. Ugh! He didn’t like it & neither did we. By Monday his jaundice was cleared, praise Jesus! They had us stay one more night at the hospital just to be on the safe side!

We were discharged Tuesday morning with a happy and healthy baby! We were so eager to get home!!

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Brewer Anderson Cochran

Born 1.23. 21

(the numbers are the same forwards & backwards!)

@ 9:47 AM!

8.3 lb // 20.5 inches long

Namesake:

Brewer was my precious grandmother’s maiden name who went to be with Jesus a year & a half ago. I just know she helped God pick this sweet boy to send to us!

Anderson is also a family name! Harry’s dad, who is one in a million- carries this middle name and we are tickled that our son gets to have it too!

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More sweet memories from the hospital:

Y’all… this guy! He was my number one cheerleader during labor! He prayed over me, encouraged me, & cheered for me to help push me along! I love this man so much!

He has taken on dad life like a champ! I love seeing him in this new role! 

SO IN LOVE!

My heart!

BABY BOY BREWER!

I want to reiterate how amazing every single doctor & nurse was at Spartanburg Regional! They truly went above and beyond for us. I’m forever grateful for their love & care they showed us!

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That completes Brewer’s birth story! I would do it a million times over for my sweet baby! Since then, life has been amazing! I’m a little tired and a little sore but being a mama is SO fun! Harry & I just feel extremely blessed that we were chosen to be his parents. Brewer is also a really good baby, so far! He loves to swaddle, make kissy faces, sleep, and look around the room! He’s just so sweet! 

I’m honestly in complete awe! 

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