The Madsen Family: Breeze Candie Madsen

Well, the big day finally arrived. I thought I would lose my mind waiting for our baby to be born and I think I nearly drove Brandan out of his in the meantime. I am especially grateful for priesthood blessings. I might have overused the priviledge actually, but I asked Brandan to give me a blessing to get me through the last week, Dad and Brandan gave me a blessing the night before I went into the hospital, and I had another during my labor.
While I was practicing patience in my pregnancy, the boys underwent a similar penitence waiting for Grandpa and Grandma Clayson to arrive. All things have an end, however, and they pulled into our driveway late Tuesday afternoon and Brandan and I headed to the hospital around 5 am on Wednesday, Nov 14th. I actually thought I noticed a few twinges on our way to the hospital and after I got checked in the nurse told me that I was dialted to a 4 and the monitor showed some contractions. The doctor came in to break my water shortly after 8:30 and predicted the baby would be born around 4:45. I told him I preferred she come at 12:45 and everyone laughed at me. So I had a goal. I hoped that sitting straight up would help progress my labor and so I kept completely upright while we watched and rewatched SportsCenter and the Discovery Channel. By 10:45 the contractions were getting pretty serious, but I was really nervous to have an epidural since I still had vivid memories of my experience with Sport's delivery and the failed epidural pokes. By 11:45, however, the memories were fading in the midst of hard contractions and I told the nurse I thought I was ready for an epidural. After she left to call the anethesiologist, I tried standing by the bed to get some relief. When she came back in right after 12, I described how my contractions were feeling and I could tell by her reaction that the plans were about to change. She told me I would need to be checked before I could have the epidural and I immediately looked at Brandan in a panic. Just as I feared, the nurse announced that there would be no epidural. Then she scurried out of the room and a lot of things started happening at once. The room filled up with nurses and a chief resident in case the baby wouldn't wait for the doctor and I was rolled onto my side and instructed not to push. Well, easier said than done. After what was surely the longest 20 minutes of my life, the doctor ran in asking if he had time for a gown and gloves, or just gloves. It was probably good that the nurses had me panting through a contraction at the time, or I might have told him exactly what he had time to do. Lucky for him, I never got the chance. I was immediately rolled back onto my back and about two minutes and two pushes later, a beautiful baby girl was laying across my belly. Breeze was born at 12:43 pm. I win.

Breeze right after delivery.

One unhappy baby and a very happy Mama.

Breeze getting her back pounded.

A healthy 7 lbs 4 oz, 18 3/4 inches.

After being weighed and pounded and everything else newborns go through, the nurses were still unsatisfied by the way Breeze's breathing sounded. Even though her oxygen levels looked good, she sorted of wheezed and gurgled and the nurses told us they thought it may be best to call in a NICU nurse and put a tube down Breeze's throat to help clear things out. Before the call was made, however, one very wise nurse decided to try laying Breeze against my chest to see how she reacted. It was really an awesome experience to snuggle my baby and immediatley see and hear her breathing improve. Within a minute, the nurses were satisfied with her progress.

Breeze after snuggling with Mama. On her right arm is the oxygen monitor.

Still snuggling.

After we snuggled and Breeze nursed, she was given her first bath. She hated it.

Per our usual, we went to the hospital without a name picked out. After our baby was born we were pretty undecided and it took a while to settle down on Breeze Candie Madsen for her name. We're pretty pleased with our selection, but Colt still tells people that he perferred Dora.

Daddy and his baby girl.

We were really happy when Mom and Dad brought the boys to the hospital to meet their baby sister.

The boys meet their sister.

The boys loved Breeze right away, sort of. Within two minutes after their arrival, Sport made a wild bid for freedom from the window in my hospital room.