Admittedly, he was sluggish for awhile after birth. I visited with him as much as I could possibly manage – it’s awful to be without your baby after birth! At 6 hours postpartum I saw a definite improvement in his behavior. I had just walked into NICU and spoke to him and he eagerly turned toward me and began sucking his fist. I knew then that he would be fine and hated that he was kept from more contact with me and from the perfect nutrition for him, and instead being given sugar water through an IV that had to be reinserted on another part of his body every 4 hours or so.

Also the irony that my other children were not allowed to see their baby brother until I brought him home at 4 days old. Except for my oldest. The reasoning was that my oldest was legally an adult – at 18 – although he was working and attending community college, and exposed to so much of who knows what in the process. My other children were homeschooled and rarely exposed to potential disease through constant, closed in spaces with masses of other people breathing in recycled air. The reason was that I could not produce vaccine records for the younger ones, while my oldest no longer needed one. My mother was also allowed in even though she had a compromised immune system at the time. I just don’t get it.

I have often pondered how unnecessary all that preventative protocol for my baby possibly was. And even whether the immediate cord cutting and denial of skin-to-skin contact once he started breathing might have delayed him bouncing back from such a traumatic birth. My midwife also suspected placental abruption, and found some blood clots on the placenta once it was delivered. Pathology found nothing, but my midwife contributes that to the fact they they would have washed it before performing an autopsy, which would removes the blood-clot evidence.

I would be pleased to have you email me privately as I would like to compare the particulars of our births.

For the record, I had my last baby successfully at home with no placental issues just this past July 21st. ) I’m 43 years old and she is my 8th child in the last 22 years of having babies approx. every 3 years, give or take.

Thanks so much for your well wishes. I was hoping for a birth similar to the one you had with your boy, but my plans are not God’s plans.

Thanks for your comment.

Mrs. S

Yikes, your birth story sounds scary as well. How did Sean fare afterwards? I know Mr. S was more shaken than I was for quite some time and we still can’t really talk about it without breaking down. I think it was harder on him from the standpoint of him not having the hormones to deal with it the way that I did.

So glad that Peapod got out when she did, that must have been scary. She’s a beautiful little girl now, though.

Blessings, Mrs. S