Cole’s Birth Story

Today our Cole has been earth-side with us for 6 months! Half a year of sweetness, snuggles, smiles, and sleep deprivation. Ha! This milestone seemed like the perfect opportunity to share Cole’s birth story. As many of you know, Cole was experiencing respiratory distress shortly after birth and had to be emergency transported to the NICU at Randall Children’s Hospital. This was absolutely terrifying for us, and was a very rough ending to what was an otherwise wonderful day. Cole’s delivery was the most joyful event, and our birth experience could not have been better!

I was admitted to the hospital on the evening of September 7th to start my induction. We made a stop at Papa Haydn’s for a decadent dinner on our way, and surprised Isla with a collection of big sister books and a sparkly, “This is what an awesome big sister looks like” shirt to wear the next day. The bittersweet reality of it being our last moments as a family of three really hit when I hugged Isla goodbye before she headed home with her Nana for the night.

After arriving at the hospital, I was placed on monitors and given a cervical softener to start the induction. It turned out I was already having light, but regular contractions. Effacement and dilation were also underway, so that was all positive news. Isaac and I slept as well as you can on hospital furniture for the night, and early the next morning our amazing OB, Dr. Barrett, arrived to check on our progress. She broke my water at 9:00am and started Pitocin to get the contractions moving along. Having all back labor with Isla, I was absolutely shocked at how much more tolerable these contractions were, and it was so fascinating to actually feel them around my belly. How crazy that birth experiences can vary so greatly for the same mother!

Predicting a fairly easy labor, we invited my mom, aunt and Isaac’s parents to join us for the day. Isla insisted on being there when baby Cole “popped out.” Given her fascination with science and overall maturity, we decided to let her come to the delivery, and it was so wonderful having her there! We also asked our lovely and talented friend, Lauren, to document our birth story for us. We will be forever grateful for the tender and magical moments she captured!

So, our birthing suite was filled with people we love, contractions were growing in intensity, and everything was progressing beautifully. I was having some increased pain in my back around my SI joints, so somewhere around 6 cm I decided to get an epidural. For the next few hours I chose to rest, falling peacefully in and out of sleep, preparing for all the action ahead. I could feel the excitement and positive energy around me as we neared the delivery, and it was so comforting to have such great support from everyone throughout the day. Dr. Barrett came to check me again and Cole had turned so that he was face up. I spent an hour or two on my forearms and knees in an attempt to get him to turn again. An hour or so later I was checked again, and it was time to start pushing.

The room was suddenly buzzing with excitement, as the medical staff busily prepared for Cole’s arrival. After a few rounds of pushing Isla began to cheer and count along at each contraction. Hearing the excitement in her sweet little voice was the most uplifting encouragement. A short 25 minutes later, and still face up, Cole LaRocca Marshall entered the world! There was laughter and celebration, and happy tears streamed down everyone’s cheeks. It was one of the most perfect and beautiful moments I’ve ever experienced.

Inspiration struck Isla several minutes after watching her brother be born, and soon she was “birthing” her own kitten baby (and had convinced her Grauntie to assist with the delivery!). This kid’s imagination never ceases to amaze us!Cole LaRocca Marshall

Born at 5:38 PM on Friday, September 8, 2017

8 lbs 5 oz and 22 inches (although that is now up for debate, as his 2 week check up revealed him to be shorter! Ha!) Mostly cheeks. Love this kid.

Sweet big sister was all tuckered out after such a big day!

The following photos are from Cole’s first week of life, during his stay in the NICU at Randall Children’s Hospital. In addition to his lungs being a bit premature, he developed a pneumothorax (a hole in the lung that allows air to escape. The escaped air becomes trapped against the chest wall and begins to collapse the lung). Cole spent several days on a CPAP machine, received a needle aspiration to remove the trapped air, followed by additional breathing support, several days of light therapy for jaundice, and then more time to allow his digestive system to get up and running after he was weaned off his feeding tube and onto breast feeding. Those were his first 8 days, and they felt like months!

Given how quickly Cole’s condition had declined after birth, Isaac never had a chance to hold him until Cole’s CPAP machine was taken off several days later. This moment was magic.