Finn's Birth Story

Tomorrow Finn turns one year old. It didn't really hit me until tonight when I was putting Finn to bed. He was pretty fussy and kept looking at me and saying in the most precious and pitiful voice "up." I couldn't resist, so I grabbed him, took him to my bedroom, and the two of us laid down together. It was during this time that I started thinking about the night before Finn was born. How exciting it was and how much fun it was. After he fell asleep I put him in his crib and settled in for a long night of telling Finn's birth story. It is extremely long (6 pages, single spaced) and a little graphic. Those with a weak stomach, or those that would prefer not to read about bodily functions should steer clear. I considered editing, but made a conscious decision not to. One day I will print out this blog and I want to remember everything, just the way it was.

With that said . . . . . . .

This is an account of the birth Griffin Thomas Begley, or Finn for short. Also known to those who love him as the Finnster.

It all started with me being a little bit pregnant.

On Wednesday, September 16, 2009, Michael and I went to see our friends Greg and Shelley at Baptist Hospital. They had just had their new baby Macey on September 15^th. After we left the hospital Michael, Brandon and I went to Five Guys to have a hamburger. On the way home I needed to use the restroom so I stopped at the Tiger Mart next to my office. While in the bathroom I noticed that I had some discharge. I wondered if this was the infamous “mucus plug” that I had read so much about. A few hours later I noticed more discharge. I called Michael and told him that I thought I might have lost my “mucus plug.” I also saved a piece of it so that Michael could verify (gross – I know, but I was pretty proud of it). Later that evening I went to Celebrate Recovery. After Celebrate Recovery Leilani, Jenny, Tonya and Richard went to La Loma for some Mexican food. I had a chimichanga – hoping that the spicy food would cause me to go into labor.

Around 11:00 pm, Michael and I went to bed. Shortly thereafter I began to feel cramping in my abdomen. I couldn’t sleep so I decided to lie on the couch and watch an episode of “Six Feet Under.” By the time the show was over my contractions were about 20 minutes apart. At some point I fell asleep, but the contractions woke me up. At about 4:00 in the morning my contractions were about seven minutes apart. I woke Michael up and told him that he might want to plan on not going to work. Before leaving for the hospital I took a shower - I certainly didn’t want to go to the hospital unshaven and dirty. By the time I got out of the shower my contractions were 6 minutes apart. Michael was beginning to get nervous and wanted me to hurry up. I decided that I needed to fix my hair and put makeup on. By the time we got in the car my contractions were 5 minutes apart and were a minute in duration.

The car ride was very interesting because my contractions were starting to hurt. I was also very nervous that we would get caught in morning rush hour traffic. Luckily we were able to get to the hospital with little trouble. We arrived at Baptist Hospital at around 6:30 that morning. We registered and were taken to a room. A nurse hooked me up to a machine and checked me for dilation which was very, very uncomfortable. I was 1 centimeter dilated. Then I laid down in the bed and Michael laid down next to me on the couch and we watched Mike and Mike in the Morning. I tried to fall asleep, but the contractions hurt too badly. By this time my contractions were almost unbearable – I was definitely ready for my epidural. After an hour the nurse checked me again and I was dilated to 2 centimeters. The nurse then called Dr. Adler who instructed that I walk around for 40 minutes to see if the dilation would speed up. I asked the nurse if she thought the doctor would send me home and she said, “We will have to see.” I was really scared at this point because I was such great pain. Michael and I then started making our rounds around the third floor hoping to speed up the dilation. It was so miserable. My contractions were coming every minute and half and I had to just walk through them. What was worse was one of the halls we walked down smelled like vomit and it made Michael feel sick. After finishing our walk we went back to the room and the nurse checked me again. I had not dilated any further but they decided to take me to a labor and delivery room and give me the epidural. Thank goodness. I had already told Michael that if they wouldn’t admit me I was going straight to Sumner Regional.

The labor and delivery room was huge! I really liked my nurse Angie too. She was very comforting and didn’t make me feel bad about how much pain I was in. After getting set up in this room the anesthesiologist gave me an epidural. I was a little apprehensive about the epidural, but compared to the contractions it really didn’t hurt that badly – it was mostly just uncomfortable. After the epidural was in I had a little relief. I was even able to get some sleep. At this point Michael called our families to let them know that we were in the hospital. I didn’t want to see anyone until the epidural kicked in. About an hour later Dr. Adler came in to break my water. That felt so weird. It was at this point that I realized my epidural did not take. The nurse told me that once my water broke the contractions would become stronger and she was right! The contractions hurt so bad that I could hardly relax. Even after the contraction had ended my whole body would shake. The nurse decided that I definitely needed another epidural so the anesthesiologist came back and gave me another one. The second epidural was great. It took very quickly. In fact, I felt good enough to eat an orange popsicle.

Then Emily, Cooper, Mom and Greg came to see me. At this point I was dilated to 6 centimeters. I really enjoyed them being with me. We talked for a while, but I could hardly hold my eyes open. So they decided to go get some lunch while I slept. I didn’t get to sleep too long because Dad and Gina visited shortly thereafter. Even though I was exhausted I was glad that they were there. After waking up, I started to feel really nauseated. Gina told me that the epidural was probably making me sick. I really thought that I would throw up. I asked for some ice chips and that helped quite a bit. Shortly after Dad and Gina arrived, Mom, Greg and Emily returned from lunch. Then my nurse asked everyone to leave the room so that she could check to see how much I had dilated. She told me that it was time to push. We brought everyone back in the room to tell them the exciting new – everyone was so excited. I was little scared. I thought that I had more time to mentally prepare. I couldn’t believe that it was only 4:15 and I was dilated to 10 centimeters. I assumed that I would be in labor all night and that I would have Finn the next morning. After everyone left the room my nurse asked Michael to hold my legs and she told me to push. After four sets of three pushes (10 seconds each push) the nurse called Dr. Adler. Dr. Adler came in and we pushed one more set. On the second push, I could tell that Michael could see the head because he made a weird noise. The very next push I felt Finn plop out. It was so weird feeling. I didn’t feel any pain, but I could tell that his body was out. It all happened really fast. Finn was born at 4:44 pm on Thursday, September 17, 2009.

The next thing I heard was Finn cry. I was very relieved to hear his little voice. I heard the nurses say that Finn was a big baby. I then learned that he weighed 8 pounds 11 ounces. Then they handed him to me. I wasn’t really sure what to think. I remember being happy, but I don’t remember being overcome immediately. I remember laughing. I remember looking at him and thinking “who are you?” I didn’t think that Finn looked like either me or Michael. He had these huge, blue, wide set eyes. His little head had a huge jagged plate on it. He had dark brown hair that covered his ears and went down his back. He had this little short chin and a bit of an over bite. I just had no idea who he was. I was pretty impressed with him though. He didn’t cry very much. Instead, he just looked around with those big eyes as though he was taking everything in. He had a very distinct smell – one that I can’t explain, but will never forget. His head smelled like a combination of medicine, blood and metal. It wasn’t very appealing, but I loved the smell nonetheless.

Then I handed him to Michael while the doctor sewed me up. I could hear him talking to Finn and it was really sweet.

After I was sewed up, I spent a few minutes with Finn and Michael and then Michael went to get the families. The families were really surprised that the birth happened so fast. My mom cried when she saw him. She thought he was really pretty.

Right after the birth, Mom, Greg, Emily, Dad, Gina, Deniece, David and James were in the room with me. David filmed some footage for Tommy to watch later. The thing that I remember most about this time was Finn’s reaction. He was wide awake and aware of his surroundings the entire time. I was really proud of him. He never took his eyes off of me when I was holding him. He seemed so happy to be with me.

I then told my nurse that I was really hungry. Unfortunately, I couldn’t eat anything until the IV was removed and the IV couldn’t be removed until I had successfully used the bathroom for the first time. So, I decided to give it a go and the nurse helped me to the bathroom. My legs were like water because the IV hadn’t worn off yet. She gave me a little squirt bottle filled with warm water. I was told that I was to squirt myself with the water while using the restroom. I thought that sounded a little weird, but surprisingly, it felt really good. When I got back into the bed I asked for a Sprite Zero. I was pretty thirsty, but not as thirsty as I thought I would be. The Sprite was so good. Next I noticed that I was starting to itch all over. I had apparently had a mild allergic reaction to the epidural. The nurse gave me some Benadryl and I started to feel better.

Then the nurse’s took Finn away to clean him up. A few minutes later Brandon, Carissa, Martha, Jeremy, Emery and Nathan came to visit us. Emily and Greg went to Five Guys to get me a hamburger and fries. It was the best hamburger that I have ever eaten. I was so hungry. After I had eaten, they brought Finn back – all cleaned up. He looked so much better. I still wasn’t sure exactly how I felt about him though. He was still so new.

After what seemed like days I was able to move to my recovery room. We packed all of our stuff up and went to the seventh floor, room 7306. It was a much smaller, cozy, private room. The nurse helped me into the bed and I just remember thinking this is the most comfortable bed I have ever been in. It was memory foam, it was warm and it didn’t hurt my surgical site.

Then Greg Lott’s dad, mother and aunt stopped by the room. They had been visiting Greg, Shelley and Macey. He told me that he watched as the nursery gave Finn a bath. He just went on and on about what a good looking guy Finn was. He said that he was impressed with how alert Finn was as well. He also said that Finn cried through his entire bath. I was very proud to be Finn’s Mama.

After we settled in for the evening Michael and I spent some alone time with Finn. I attempted to nurse him. We had a hard time – it was so weird at first. He would latch on, suck a few times and then stop. This pattern continued the entire time he ate. I found this to be a little concerning, but the lactation consultant told me that this was perfectly normal. She said that he just needed to rest his jaws and cheeks. She told me to imagine sucking a milk shake through a straw and I would understand. The first night Finn ate for about 10 minutes per feeding. There was a clock on the wall in front of me that I used to keep time.

When it was time for bed, the nursery came to get Finn so that we could get some sleep. They told me that they would bring him to me every few hours to eat. We really didn’t get that much sleep because every few hours my nurse would come to take my vitals – I thought that was pretty neat. One time I thought I heard a knock on the door, so I got up to see if it was the nursery. I didn’t see anyone and I was so scared that I had missed Finn. I was apparently wrong. They brought him to me around 3:00 and he attempted to eat. He did alright this time. Michael woke up for this feeding and tried to help me. It was so sweet. They brought him back again about 5:00. This time, Michael didn’t budge – he was so tired.

At 6:00 they came to get him so that he could see the pediatrician. I woke up around 8:00 and took a shower. It was so wonderful to take a shower! I have never had a better shower in my life. After I showered I decided to get ready. I fixed my hair, put on my makeup and got dressed. I put on Michael’s Bengals t-shirt and a pair of his black basketball shorts. I thought I looked pretty good to have just had a baby. (Little did I know) I felt great! I was a little uncomfortable, but I was so happy to not be pregnant anymore that the discomfort didn’t really bother me. After I got ready I decided to walk down to the nursery to peek in on Finn. At Baptist the nursery has a line of windows and the babies are lined up in front of the windows so that everyone can look in and see their baby. I thought it would be fun to go see Finn because I missed him so badly. When I got to the nursery I ran into Greg who apparently had the same idea (He was looking in on Macey). Everything about going to the nursery was wonderful - the excitement you feel when you approach, the love and pride that you feel when you look in on your baby and the happiness that surrounds you as other parents look in on their babies. Going to the nursery was one my favorite parts about being in the hospital. Then I went back to the room to wait on Finn. Around 9:00 one of the pediatricians came to give a report. She told us that Finn was really healthy! I was so relieved.

At 9:20 they brought him back to us. He was in a plastic cradle and the cradle was setting on a rolling cabinet (this was how were told to carry Finn around when we weren’t in the room). The cabinet came fully equipped with diapers, gauze, extra t-shirts for Finn, Vaseline and a suction bulb. When they brought him back he was all swaddled up tight in a little blanket and had a cute little hat on his head. It was at this point when I realized how much I loved Finn. He was so precious.

Then I ordered breakfast. I had French toast and Sprite Zero. It was really quite good. After breakfast Michael went to town to buy cokes and chocolate. While he was gone Cyndi and Brenton Cox stopped by to see Finn. They also brought us some cookies and Chex mix to eat. Regina and Micah stopped by as well. It was fun to be with Regina and talk about our babies.

When Michael got back we ate some Qdoba, peanut M & M’s and caffeine free diet coke. Then we dressed Finn for the first time. The hospital put him in a little t-shirt, but we wanted to put him in the sleeper we brought from home. He was impossible to dress. I could barely get his little arms in the arm holes because he was so limp. He also screamed when we put the sleeper over his head.

Then Deniece, Mimi and Grandmother Bryant came to visit. While they were visiting, Michael and I attended a class with Greg and Shelley. The purpose of the class was to teach new parents how to care for their babies. It was very informative.

When we got back, Deniece left and my Mom, Greg, Emily, Zac and Cooper came to visit. They brought us Jets pizza. It was so much fun having Finn and Coop together. Coop tried to grab Finn’s face.




Emily wanted a picture of her holding both Finn and Coop – that was nearly impossible – Zac ended up helping her out.


During Mom’s visit our friends Chase and Lindsey came by and they brought Finn a blue dog to hang on his carseat. John and Victoria also brought us Route 44 Sonic drinks. After Mom left I started to feel a little restless – I wanted to go do something, but I didn’t know what. Luckily Greg and Shelley came to visit.

After they left I spent some private time with Michael and Finn. Michael gave me a very sweet card that had “Mom” on it and he bought me the “Dexter” book. This was the first time that I was able to spend quality time with Finn. The night before I was too tired to spend a lot of time with him and all the other times Finn was being held by someone else. Even though it was getting late I didn’t want to go to sleep because I knew that the next day I would be leaving the hospital. I had never experienced anything so wonderful and fun and new in my life and I didn’t want it to be over. Instead, I fed Finn and watched Psycho (the Vince Vaughn version) on TV. Then we called the nursery and asked that they pick Finn up.

(This is the very first picture that I ever took of Finn.)

The next morning, Dr. Reynolds came to check on me. She told me that my uterus was going down quite nicely. She hugged me and told me that she thought Finn looked like me (even though he doesn’t). After breakfast we put Finn in his “Finn” sleeper and had his picture taken professionally. Next, Dad, Gina, Lauren and Deanna came to visit.

After they left Michael and I took Finn down to Greg and Shelley’s room to take a group picture. Greg, Shelley and Macey left shortly thereafter.

Next Michael and I went down to the cafeteria to get lunch. When we got back we watched the Tennessee/Florida game and prepared to go home. After everything was packed, Michael started loading the car. Once he was gone I picked up Finn and rocked him. This was the first time I was totally along with Finn. While looking at him I became completely overcome with emotion. I just held him and cried and thanked God for this wonderful baby that he had given me.

After everything was loaded the nurse came and showed us how to properly put Finn in his carseat. Then she carried him down to our car and latched him in. I got in the backseat with Finn. Then we left the hospital and rest is history.

We love you Finn!

Love,

Mom and Dad