Leo David Sanderson | Birth Story

On Sunday January 20th the itch to clean absolutely every last surface and organize our entire home came over me and not only did I completely clean and organize the garage but I also steam cleaned the carpets, washed all the laundry, cleaned the bathroom and kitchen. I ended up in bed at 3am and made a list the size of a mountain of what I needed to do the next day before we headed to North Vancouver to stay with my mom while we waited for our baby. I knew I had pushed myself a little hard and found it hard to walk to my bed. At 7am, I woke up to a very uncomfortable contraction and then another then another. They were about 4 minutes apart but I laid there in denial… I mean this baby isn’t due for another week. I asked Google what the difference is between Braxton Hicks and real contractions and google told me I was in labour. Now I know what your thinking… Isn’t this her third baby? Doesn’t she know the difference? The answer is yes but the reason why I questioned it is because this last pregnancy has been by far the hardest and most uncomfortable. I blamed that on my thirty year old body and thought that maybe the Braxton Hicks where also just much more intense too.

When my hubby emerged from the bathroom I was so thankful he slept in as he usually is at work by 5:30/6. All I said was “Honey, I don’t think you can go into work today!” And the excitement began. James started pulling everything out of my drawers to pack for the week at mom’s in case this was false labour. He kept asking me if I like this underwear or that underwear and what pants should he pack. The boys came running in so excited and were so sweet and quiet while I breathed through my contractions. Some how I made it into the car with the help of my incredible man and on our way to North Vancouver we went to have our baby. We had previously chatted with our sons if they would like to be there for the birth and they both said they wanted to watch their baby sibling come into the world so we had my dad there just in case they got uncomfortable and he could take them out for a walk.

After whizzing down the highway, we made it to Lionsgate hospital but at this moment my contractions were a minute apart and it was so hard to walk. I just remembered having a strong contraction and literally kneeling in the parking lot until it passed and then running toward to entrance until the next one came. After we registered (which was pure torture) James grabbed a wheel chair and brought me upstairs to labour and delivery. The minute I got inside my delivery room, I saw my midwife and burst into tears. I was so unbelievably thankful to be in the best hands and it was time to meet our baby. Within the next 30 minutes our baby was born. In those last pushes I just recall my midwife going from calm to stern and direct saying I know you don’t want to turn to your side but you really need to now, your babies heart relies on it. So at the next contraction I gave it everything I could to push our baby into the world.

I was completely oblivious to the fact that the neonatal specialists had come into our room as it was an emergency delivery. Our baby had pooped inside the sac as well as his cord was wrapped around his neck three times. With all this happening he was placed on my chest and I was in pure bliss but still completely unaware. The nurses and my Midwife were saying we need to keep pinching him to get him breathing. So I did and I remained calm. I think in my gut I knew he was going to be ok. Suddenly he took a huge breath and a big wail of a cry. He was perfect and I was forever in love with one more sweet baby boy.

Now this is were our delivery went from a crazy ending to a miracle. About 2 minutes after the placenta came out, my midwife discovered that Leo had a very tight knot in his cord. She said wow look at this Brandie! She told me that she was thankful that I stayed up late cleaning our carpets so our baby would come early. I had never heard of a true knot before so I still didn’t grasp what it was at the time…the dopamine in my brain was on an all time high and I was just left blissed out to the miracle that just took place.

After our first night our midwife came to visit and check Leo’s vitals and this is where I asked her more about the knot. She was so sweet about it and I could tell she didn’t want to tell me in case I was not emotionally ready to hear what could have happened. I also now know that just because he had a true knot doesn’t mean that we would have lost him if he had come a week later. I also know that the fact that the cord was wrapped around his neck stopped him from moving around which would have tightened the knot to a point that would have cut off the oxygen from getting to him. I am so thankful for our amazing midwife and to all the staff who helped bring our boy into the world safely. After 24 hours my hubby and I decided Leo was the best name for him as he is strong and a fighter. He is our little lion in our boy tribe.

Welcome to the world Leo. You are our happily ever after