As I Grow..
Joel Christopher Brown was born on March 17, 2009, to Matt and Jackie Brown.
Early in the morning, Jackie couldn’t sleep. I had picked up Skyline for dinner the night before, so she thought she had indigestion. She went to sleep to the couch, trying not to disturb me and trying to feel better. She was still there around 10:30 in the morning (the last day we had to sleep in for a very long time), when suddenly she realized something was wrong. Her water had broken! This baby was finally ready to come. I was surprised how calmly she told me, “My water just broke.”
That was all it took, and all of a sudden we went into panic mode. The next few hours were commotion, nerves, and excitement as I ran around gathering all the things we had packed for the hospital, calling the doctor, and getting the car ready. Jackie had to stop every few minutes while she had contractions, so everything of course took longer.
About noon, after getting to the hospital and being wheeled up to the third floor, the nurse finally took her to the room to examine her. But when Jackie got up from the wheelchair, the nurse realized that her water was definitely broken, and so she decided to go ahead and give her a room. As she passed the other nurses at the nurses station, she informed them, “This one’s grossly ruptured!” Later on we thought that was hilarious, but then not so much.
The soon-to-be grandparents showed up before too long. I had been calling and texting everybody I could, so of course everyone was very excited and kept asking how everything was going. There were 30 people who all wanted to be updated as soon as the baby came.
We were very fortunate, because the rest of the labor and delivery process went very fast. Jackie was 5-6 centimeters dilated when she got to the hospital, and the nurse went to process blood work right away so she could give her an epidural. Jackie’s contractions were long and agonizing, especially as she waited for the epidural. But when she finally got the epidural, it definitely made her feel a lot better. Dr. Tetirick, who was a funny, quirky doctor with a gravelly voice, turned out to be a sympathetic man with an excellent bedside manner.
As Jackie progressed through labor, things got easier, then harder. The baby’s head was turned the wrong way, so the nurse turned Jackie on her side to try to get him to move. This was incredibly painful for Jackie, and they finally let her sit up again. After another hour or so, the nurse said she was fully dilated, the baby had turned, and she was ready to push. At that point, though, there was no doctor. The nurse called him and he was on his way, but those five minutes took forever. Everyone was just waiting.
The doctor returned a few minutes later (he had to cut short dinner with his wife). Jackie started pushing, and the baby was coming fast! The doctor even had to slow things down. After only thirty minutes of pushing, the baby was here! And he was huge! Over ten pounds when they weighed him. The nurses were even surprised.
We introduced Joel Christopher Brown to his family. We gave him the middle name of Christopher after my cousin, Chris Simons, who had passed away just three months before.
As new parents are, we were very excited and a little nervous and didn't have a clue of what to expect from there. But we learned how to care for the little guy and now wouldn't know what to do without him. He is a bright and happy child who always has a smile, but has already shown his stubborness. He loves to play and give hugs and kisses. We are so thankful for our little boy.
Many thanks go to Emily Faith Photography for use of these beautiful photos!
Early in the morning, Jackie couldn’t sleep. I had picked up Skyline for dinner the night before, so she thought she had indigestion. She went to sleep to the couch, trying not to disturb me and trying to feel better. She was still there around 10:30 in the morning (the last day we had to sleep in for a very long time), when suddenly she realized something was wrong. Her water had broken! This baby was finally ready to come. I was surprised how calmly she told me, “My water just broke.”
That was all it took, and all of a sudden we went into panic mode. The next few hours were commotion, nerves, and excitement as I ran around gathering all the things we had packed for the hospital, calling the doctor, and getting the car ready. Jackie had to stop every few minutes while she had contractions, so everything of course took longer.
About noon, after getting to the hospital and being wheeled up to the third floor, the nurse finally took her to the room to examine her. But when Jackie got up from the wheelchair, the nurse realized that her water was definitely broken, and so she decided to go ahead and give her a room. As she passed the other nurses at the nurses station, she informed them, “This one’s grossly ruptured!” Later on we thought that was hilarious, but then not so much.
The soon-to-be grandparents showed up before too long. I had been calling and texting everybody I could, so of course everyone was very excited and kept asking how everything was going. There were 30 people who all wanted to be updated as soon as the baby came.
We were very fortunate, because the rest of the labor and delivery process went very fast. Jackie was 5-6 centimeters dilated when she got to the hospital, and the nurse went to process blood work right away so she could give her an epidural. Jackie’s contractions were long and agonizing, especially as she waited for the epidural. But when she finally got the epidural, it definitely made her feel a lot better. Dr. Tetirick, who was a funny, quirky doctor with a gravelly voice, turned out to be a sympathetic man with an excellent bedside manner.
As Jackie progressed through labor, things got easier, then harder. The baby’s head was turned the wrong way, so the nurse turned Jackie on her side to try to get him to move. This was incredibly painful for Jackie, and they finally let her sit up again. After another hour or so, the nurse said she was fully dilated, the baby had turned, and she was ready to push. At that point, though, there was no doctor. The nurse called him and he was on his way, but those five minutes took forever. Everyone was just waiting.
The doctor returned a few minutes later (he had to cut short dinner with his wife). Jackie started pushing, and the baby was coming fast! The doctor even had to slow things down. After only thirty minutes of pushing, the baby was here! And he was huge! Over ten pounds when they weighed him. The nurses were even surprised.
We introduced Joel Christopher Brown to his family. We gave him the middle name of Christopher after my cousin, Chris Simons, who had passed away just three months before.
As new parents are, we were very excited and a little nervous and didn't have a clue of what to expect from there. But we learned how to care for the little guy and now wouldn't know what to do without him. He is a bright and happy child who always has a smile, but has already shown his stubborness. He loves to play and give hugs and kisses. We are so thankful for our little boy.
Many thanks go to Emily Faith Photography for use of these beautiful photos!