If you have been following our saga over the past month or read the other entries below, you will be as surprised as we are to see a photo of a baby above! Here's the story:On Wednesday, March 26, we went to our OB's office for our fourth ultrasound (3rd this month) and a regular checkup. We have had a steady flow of contradictory information flowing for several weeks, so this week's news was not particularly alarming. The ultrasound seemed to indicate that our baby was about 3-4 weeks behind in development. That's not a good thing, and by itself was not enough to be alarmed about, but it definitely raised some concerns. Dr. Merrill sent us to the hospital to have some more tests done and told us that we would probably be on our way to Green Bay to see a high-risk pregnancy specialist by Friday (today as I write). They kept her over night at Dickinson Co. Hospital near home and mostly things were looking good. Beth's tests were showing that she was stable enough that we could drive ourselves to GB instead of taking an ambulance. We headed out at about 10:30am on Thursday morning and drove safely through 2 hours of a late season snowfall and made it to GB kind of early. Our new doctor performed another ultrasound on a little fancier machine (in the U.P. they just yell at yer belly then put an ear to listen for echos). He was also an "expert" on early babies and ultrasounds, so when he told us that our baby was too small we listened. He gave us about 2 realistic options: 1)Walk over to Bellin Hospital (next door) and start inducing this baby or 2) Try giving corticosteroid shots to help out the lungs and wait for 48 hours to induce. Yikes! We were kind of thinking we would be doing all this back up north and 3 weeks from now! We called our parents and prayed and talked, and we were leaning toward the 48 hour approach--if for nothing other than getting used to the concept. My (Guy's) mom was on the phone and was told by the Lord that we should go ahead and have the baby right away. We were kind of torn at that point because we had really been leaning toward waiting a little, but while I was on the phone, Beth's mom called and said she had spoken with a doctor friend who said that the steroids were unlikely to do much and that we were probably better off going ahead and delivering the baby as soon as possible. That was a really nice confirmation at just the right time. So we decided to go for it! The doctor told us to go grab dinner and when we came back we'd go have a baby.Over dinner we were just kind of relaxing and were amazed at the kind of peace that we felt about everything--even as sudden as it would be. We also felt really good about the decision to go ahead and deliver and were ready to go. I should stop and tell you a little about the potential risks. At 34 weeks, under normal circumstances, there is about a 20% chance of Respiratory Distress Symptom, which is kind of a general term for lung problems that may have some kind of lasting effect (not often dramatic problems, but some). If the lungs aren't ready, the baby may be put on a respirator or be given oxygen for the first little bit after delivery. There are other risks that involve the development and maturity of the digestive system and brain, but they were 5% or less and not a major concern. Keeping the baby in, at this point was unlikely to help growth continue, and there was some indication that Beth was beginning to become more and more at risk herself.
So we checked in at Bellin Hospital and they ran a few more test to check Beth's status and that of the baby. Everything looked pretty good, so they began the process around 9:00pm on Thursday with some drug to start dilating and thinning the cervix. This was going to take some time, so they told us to get some sleep and we did (at least I did, I think Beth was kind of wired). Around 2:30am contractions were becoming regular and they noticed that the baby did not seem to be responding well during them. This lead to the conclusion that a vaginal delivery was not going to be the way to go.
Meanwhile, Beth's mom, dad, and sister had left Iowa as soon as they could and were just fading off to sleep around 3am when I called to tell them that they should probably come over to the hospital because this baby was coming out--soon! Phone calls were made to the anesthesiologist and the neo-natal intensive care doctors and a short time later, they began prepping for a caesarian section. I put on my cool hospital clothes and they got Beth all fixed up and away she went. They came to get me when she had been reduced to a head on one end and a belly behind the curtain. I won't get graphic, but they did their thing and I actually watched most of it--I even took pictures which I will spare you unless you request to see them in person. They aren't too bad, but it is a surgery after all. After about 10 minutes or so, out came one upset baby. He was screaming mad and wanted us to know it. Yes, that's right, screaming means BREATHING and that is a good thing.
So, at about 5:30am, Beth gave birth to a 3 pound 7.6oz. baby boy measuring a whopping 16 inches long! The neo-natal doctor took over and made the call that things were looking good. The baby was small, but he was breathing on his own and that is great. They took him over to the neo-natal intensive care unit to check things out more thoroughly, and they sowed, stapled (and duct taped?) Beth back together and everything was looking good with her. After about an hour, we left her to get some sleep and went over to the NICU to see the baby.
I should probably mention that we decided to name him Bennigan David Bratton at long last. When we got there (St. Vincent's hospital next door) we were welcomed by Dr. Bertagnoli whose son is coming to Leadership Development Camp at Lake Lundgren this summer and who will likely be coming up to camp himself in may for a men's retreat through his church! We were excited to make the connection and have a doctor who could appreciate the wonder of God's creation that Benny is. We went in to see him and he looked really good. He was pink and cute and sweet and pretty darn tiny! The doctor said that things look really good and he was continuing to breathe on his own and was doing great. Beth made it over to see him just before noon, and we are in love. I am only now stopping long enough to realize a little bit about how truly incredible this all is and am a little overwhelmed.
So, we are in Green Bay for the foreseeable future. Benny may be here for as long as a month, and Beth is free on Tuesday. Fortunately, there is a house near the hospital where we can stay for free while the baby is getting big. I'm not exactly sure what our plan is, but I think we will be down here for at least the next week or two. I may run north to get some clothes or something, but we'll keep you posted.
Thank you for all your prayers and care for us. We should be able to take some visitors during the next week gradually.
Rejoicingly,
--Guy and Beth
