Brady' s Birth

As you can imagine, it has taken me a while to finally be able to sit down and blog about the birth of Brady William Cook! It all began on the morning of July 25th. I went to my 39 week checkup at 8:55 in the morning. My doctor checked me and revealed that I was still at 3cm and that my
cervix was starting to soften. She then asked if I wanted my membranes "swept" which I had done with Carter. At that point, I was hot, tired, and extremely anxious. I felt a little intervention was necessary to move things along. It worked like a charm! That morning and afternoon was spent with Steph, Doug, and Carter. We went to the mall and then to the Butler County Fair. I wanted to stay active because the contractions were beginning to come. We went to my mom and dad's for dinner and I started timing the contractions. At about 9pm, I decided to call the doctor. She had us come in at 10 minutes apart knowing about my short labor with Carter.

When we arrived in triage, things got a little dicey. Upon checking my dilation, my nurse discovered that Brady was in an unusual position. He was positioned face up, neck back. My doctor then explained that he would have to turn on his own and if he didn't we may be facing a c-section. Needless to say, I was very worried. I never considered the possibility of a c-section and really hoped to deliver like I had with Carter. My doctor admitted us and it then became a waiting game. I held off on the epidural because I knew things would slow down once it was administered. Jim helped me take a bath and I tried to walk as much as possible. Around 5 am the pressure began. My water broke on its own and things began to happen very quickly. Dr. Bonar checked Brady's position and reported that he had miraculously turned and could now be delivered like expected. Once I felt the pressure continuously my doctor had me begin to push. It was all so exciting and I could really feel the effects of pushing. I felt so active in Brady's birth and the experience was one I will never forget. In the end, I only pushed for about 10-15 minutes and he was out. We felt so blessed that his delivery was without incident! His cries were very strong and lasted about 10 minutes. Brady weighed in at 8lb .02oz and was 21 inches long.

As for Carter, he met his new brother about 5 hours after he was born. When he walked in the room he headed straight for me in the bed. He laughed nervously and began saying, "My baby!" He touched his brother gently on the head. Carter seems to be okay with having Brady around. We left the hospital after one evening and looked forward to coming home. Our first evening home, friends and family gathered to celebrate Brady's arrival. It was such a wonderful birth experience and we thank everyone who was there for us throughout Brady's arrival. We are lucky to have all of you in our lives. I promise to update this blog and share some of Brady and Carter's significant milestones. Our love to all!