On May 24, 2016, my Mom went into early labor.  I don’t know why, and neither do the doctors.  That afternoon, Mom began feeling contractions, even though I was only 32 weeks incubated.  I understand that my brother, Finn, was also born early.  However, the doctors had deemed that occurrence to have been a 1% chance, as Mommy has no known genetic or lifestyle risk factors.  The doctors had told my parents that I was unlikely to be born early like my brother.  My Dad says we are no longer the 1%, but are now the .01%.  That is really small, like me!

Anyways, my parents went to the hospital and were set up in a delivery room and had to wait and see if I was going to arrive or not.  I understand they kicked back and watched some baseball and tried not to think about what was happening.  After some time, however, it became apparent that I was about to make my appearance early on May 25.

As if me coming early wasn’t scary enough, the delivery was complicated, and at one point, my heart stopped beating.  This really scared my Dad a lot.  But, thankfully, I am here to live to tell the tale.  Since I was born so early, I had to be rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).  I couldn’t breathe on my own, so they hooked me up to a respirator and put me in a little box and sent me on an ambulance for my first car ride.  My Dad tells me that having to go the NICU again was a hard thing for him to do.

After I was born, my Mom refused to stay in the hospital very long and demanded to get discharged quickly!  Even though she could barely walk, she wanted to meet me over in the NICU, so she got out of there early.  The doctors weren’t real thrilled about this, but I was so glad she came to see me so soon. (Dad note: I certainly love his mother, but boy is she stubborn.  Also, the fact that Mayo’s delivery area is a mile away from the NICU and you can’t leave without a discharge is so frustratingly stupid).

Even though I came early, I weighed 4 pounds, 13 ounces, and appeared to be in good health.  Besides the breathing help, I was fairly stable, although my heart would stop beating occasionally.  This seems scary (and it is), but it’s not uncommon for someone born early like me.  I was put into a little isolette, but Mom and Dad were able to hold me almost right away, which was very comforting and made me feel better.  I feel sad knowing that they were unable to snuggle my brother Finn for 5 whole days.  I love snuggling with Mom so much!

When I asked my Dad how he made it through those doors again he said this: “Brennan, standing before those NICU doors again was the second hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life.  My mind was just reeling, and I thought that I couldn’t do it.  Not again.  I stood there, frozen, shaking from head to toe.  But I took a deep breath, and tried to stay calm.  I reminded myself that however hard it was for me to walk in there again, you were waiting on the other side and needing me.  And suddenly, those doors were just like any other doors again, waiting to be pushed aside and for me to love another baby again.  So I did.”

I’m told I need to stay in the hospital for at least a month before I can go home, so I should have plenty of time to blog.  Hopefully, I can tell you more about my journey until I am able to go home with Mom and Dad.

Stay Calm.
Cap’n B