Happy 14th Birthday Braeden!

Today we celebrate my son’s 14th birthday and I am left thinking where has the time gone?  I remember feeling scared to death yet excited to meet this new little person that had been growing inside me for 9 long months.  When I discovered I was pregnant, I was 21 and a full-time student.  I had just transferred to an off island university the previous year and I was looking forward to heading back in the fall.  Little did I know how much my life was about to change.

I found out I was pregnant in July which meant a due date the first week of April.  If anyone of you are familiar with university exam schedules, April is the month of final exams.  There was no way I wanted to go into labour during a final exam.  I decided to go to school until christmas and then finish the rest of the year at home via correspondence courses.

My due date was April 2nd and on April 5th, I went into labour.  I think I was in labour for almost 10hrs and was only dialated to 4cm.  The doctor decided to start me on the drip which enabled me to dialate to 10cm.  At 1:03 am thursday morning Braeden was born. His father was in the delivery room as well as my parents. It was all pretty exciting!    

I don’t remember sleeping much that night, but I do remember the pain in the morning. My whole body ached from the physical stress of the delivery. I felt as though I had been hit by a semi truck!  When the nurse came in to check on me, I questioned her about feeding Braeden and she told me the doctor would be in to see me.  What?  I had no idea what was going on.  The doctor came in and told me they had discovered what was called a “skin tag” at the back of Braeden’s throat. The nurses had tried giving him formula through the night, but had problems. It wasn’t until they actually seen the skin tag did they contact the doctor.  He told me they had to take him to the IWK to run some tests before removing it. I was scared to death and very upset because they would not release me so I could go with him.  That morning they took him by ambulance to Charlottetown and then flew him to Halifax.  The next day when the doctor came to check on me, I had to BEG him to release me so I could be with my son in Halifax. He did and within the hour, my parents and I were heading to the IWK.

When I arrived, it was heartbreaking to see my little baby in the incubator hooked up to all these tubes.  I wasn’t able to hold him.  The only comfort I could give him was stroking his cheek and holding his little hand. 

After a cat scan and a MRI, the doctor came to tell me they were going to operate to remove the skin tag.  What a relief!! The doctor was absolutely amazing!! He was very friendly and compassionate.  He explained what they were going to do and that he would come talk to me after the surgery.   The next few hours were excruiciating, but when the doctor came to tell us everything went well and that we could probably go home in a few days I was estatic!!  It had been a long and very stressful 2 weeks.  I thank God that it was only a minor surgery and that Braeden was going to be fine.  We had talked to other parents during our stay at the IWK and my heart really went out to one couple who had been there for 5 months.  I can’t begin to imagine the emotional turmoil they were going through.   On the positive side of things, I got to see first hand what an amazing hospital the IWK truly is. 

So….here we are 14yrs later and Braeden is a thriving typical teen with a love for movies, video games and music.  He has recently reconnected with his biological father and has 2 other siblings and another on the way.   His is an amazing kid and I am truly lucky to be his mother.