Garrett Benjamin Hulse

Garrett Benjamin Hulse was born on Thursday June 16, 2011 at 2:43am. 8lbs. 9oz. 21 inches.

I knew things were getting going Wednesday morning when I started losing my mucus plug and having stronger contractions, but they were not steady. I took the boys for a walk, watched them swim, cleaned the floors, and ran a few errands. For some strange reason I had it stuck in my head that I absolutely required Chinese food before having the baby. I had called Johnny and told him to head home, but after eating Chinese food and laying down for a while my contractions completely disappeared and I called back to tell him not to come. Of course because he is amazing he told me he felt the baby was coming tonight and had a good feeling about coming home. Good thing he did. After he came home we went on another walk, ate fajitas and ice cream, and were pleasantly surprised when my contractions returned strong and consistent. We headed to the hospital about 10pm, checked in by 11pm and promptly requested my epidural. I was already 4cm when we checked. My water broke about 1:20am. I could tell my nurse was new, very nervous about some things, and unsure about others. She kept asking me the same questions over and over again. My epidural was wonderful at first, but then my self medicating button would not work. It just flashed "disconnected" every time it was pushed. I was promised the anestiesiologist would be by to fix it, but he was not there in time. By 2:20am when the nurse checked me I was still only 5cm. The nurse put me on oxygen because Garrett's heartbeat dropped after every contraction. I rolled over once and went from 5cm to 10cm in two seconds. The doctor was called but didn't make it for 23 minutes! It seemed like forever. I was telling them I was going to push and I didn't care if he was there. The doctor walked in just in time for two pushes and Garrett was out.

After he was born we found out why his oxygen levels and movements dropped over the last few weeks. He had a gigantic knot in his cord!

Too bad the pediatric nurse was terrible. She didn't let me hold Garrett during her exam. Johnny had to stop her cutting off the umbilical cord so he could do it himself.

After only an hour with him she took him to the nursery to test his blood sugar levels promising he would only be gone for half an hour, but then never brought him back and never came back to tell us what was going on. We had fallen asleep and by 6:30am when the nurse woke me to clean me up and move rooms my baby was still gone.

After we moved rooms I sent Johnny to the nursery to find Garrett and bring him back. He was told to come back after shift change! When I sent him back again he was told they were going to transfer Garrett to a NICU 90 minutes away because he was hypoglycemic. They had even bottle fed him and given him his first bath without ever asking me or telling me or inviting me to come watch. I was SO MAD! They wouldn't even let me nurse him.

Total and complete lack of communication. I made a complaint with the social worker and talked to the head nurse. Maybe that is why they arranged for me to be released only 12 hours after delivery. Johnny had gone with the medical transport team to the NICU with Garrett and I followed that afternoon. I have since spent the last 3 days driving 3 hours round trip every day to sit by Garrett's bedside, nurse every 3 hours, and hold him when possible. His sugar levels steadied out and he was taken off antibiotics yesterday but he was not released due to his billirubin levels (jaundice) until this morning.

I hated leaving him every night! It was so sad. I know a lot of women have sat by their babies bedside like this for much longer than 3 days. It is awful. My heart goes out to all women who don't get to take their baby home right away!

He is home now and my other boys are absolutely in love with him.

Daniel wants to learn to change diapers and asks to kiss him all the time. Wesley just growls at him, but does say Garrett's name and I love you. Jaxon was the first to ask to hold him. Looking at him reminds me of each time I have brought one of my other boys home. How were they ever that small? They all look so much alike it is hard to tell who he looks like more.