Wy Guy - the first 24

Moving has this funny way of opening up your memory banks, doesn't it? When we were packing and moving, I found a diary I was keeping when Sis was a baby, recording the early stages of her life. I have memories like this of each one of my kiddos since we've had so many "experiences" with each of them, some of them recorded on paper, many stored in my mind. And, while a momma NEVER forgets these "experiences", I'll admit that as the kids grow and time passes, the sting of those early worries and stumbling blocks lessens. I'm grateful for that, but really don't want to ever let go of those memories because they've made me the mom I am and made my children the people they are becoming. I love having this perspective in my life now as I see my friends going through the early stages because hopefully it can give them a little encouragement of where they'll be in 10 years or so.


At 21, I was a pretty young newlywed and soon-to-be first time mom, due to have my first baby on January 3rd. Around 36 weeks pregnant, I began to have some anxiety about the baby coming and feeling that something had changed. At my 37 week checkup, I mentioned this to my doc who reassured me it was just my first time mom jitters. I insisted it felt like my baby was now upside down, or else had no legs, because I could wrap my hands completely around it's "butt" just under my rib cage. (And yes, the use of "it" is intentional since we didn't know if "it" was a boy or girl.) My doctor conceded to an ultrasound to reassure me and whaddyaknow? the baby was breech. Frank breech to be exact. (Coincidentally, the same way "it's" father was delivered.)

This was on a Thursday, so my doctor scheduled an EVC for the following Monday, December 21 to be followed by an induction. You know, we wouldn't want my delivery to have interfered with his holiday plans! By that time, I was exactly 38 weeks and the baby was a decent size, so honestly, looking back and researching later, it was probably too late in the pregnancy to safely attempt this procedure. BUT, this was WAY before Wikepedia, WebMd and countless pregnancy resources on the web, so I trusted my doc and showed up at the hospital at 6:00a.m. on Monday. After getting meds to stop my contractions (who knew I'd been in labor since Friday night?!?) and 45 minutes attempting to turn the baby by 2 different docs, I was told I was being prepped for a c-section. That's really where it all went downhill... through a series of mistakes and/or mishaps.

I give you the background because remember, frank breech positioning is butt-first, so naturally, that's the first thing delivered. We knew instantly that it was a boy before we even saw his face! So, butt and legs delivered, the intern working with my doc was allowed to clamp the cord - yes, prior to full delivery, his cord was clamped. The doctor then realized that my incision was not wide enough to pass the shoulders through - um, hello! biggest part of the babe!! So, the intern held the lower half of my child, oxygen supply occluded, while my doctor increased the width of my incision. 2 minutes later, my whole baby was delivered, gray and limp, APGAR score of 1. Neonatal support was called and resuscitation ensued.

After a few agonizing minutes, Wy Guy was breathing on his own with just a little support and was whisked away to the nursery. I never saw him, except for little glimpses of his feet or head from my O.R. table across the room. His need for oxygen support meant he couldn't leave the nursery, so I finally got to see him when he was about 6 hours old.

At 26 hours old, he experienced his first move...