I enjoy reading birth stories of other people. So here is our experience if you are interested:
Jordan’s Birth Story
Born May 21, 2010
7 pounds 11 ounces
19 inches
3:55 pm
1:20 of pushing
Morgan and I have been praying and praying that we would know the right moment to go to the hospital when Jordan was to be born. I’ve been having such terribly painful contractions that keep me awake and prevent me from going to church or doing anything. So I had a doctor appointment on Wednesday and Dr. Larsen said that I had dilated to a 3, was 70% effaced, and at station 1. He said that was great progress. He did a membrane sweep.
Jordan was due to be born on June 4th. Since we are suppose to be closing on our house on June 4th and moving on June 5th, we were originally hoping that the baby would be born after we moved. But then I was feeling so terrible that I decided he could just come NOW, then I could recover, then we could move. So I asked for a membrane sweep. 34 hours after the membrane sweep, I woke up at 2:00 in the morning (normal occurrence) and felt my underwear filling up with liquid. After I was sure that it wasn’t a dream I sighed with relief and started praying to thank Heavenly Father for showing me so explicitly that this was the moment.
I got up, went to the bathroom, changed, got up, got wet again, laughed because it was so obvious that my water had broke, and went to tell Morgan. When I was pregnant with Elizabeth and my water broke at 2:00 am, I waited until 6:00 am to tell Morgan because I wasn't sure if it was my water breaking or not. I laid down next to Morgan and said, “Are you awake?” He responded, “No.” A minute or so later I asked him again, “Are you awake?” He said, “No.” Finally I said, “I think my water broke.” Then he lifts up his head and says, “Okay I’m awake.” Hahaha. So this time I kneeled next to our bed and put my arms around him. I said, “Are you awake?” This time he turns to me and says, “Are you having a baby?” I laughed and hugged him and said that yes, my water had broke.
I called my mom. She’s really good at answering the phone in the middle of night. She bought an airplane ticket to leave at 7 am from Long Beach. That was so exciting to know that my mom was going to come! Jessie said she was such a great cheerleader at her deliveries, and it was exciting that she was able to be here for the first grandson to be born. Uncle Matt picked her up from the airport and brought her to Alta View Hospital.
Funny story - when my mom got off the airplane she didn't know that Uncle Matt was waiting for her. She hadn't received my message yet. So she went up to the ground transportation people to ask for a ride. My mom is a very emotional person. I used to laugh because she cried so easily. Morgan will testify, however, that since I met him I've inherited this emotional tendency. So my mom says to the transportation people, "I need to get to (hiccup) the (start sobbing) Alta View Hospital." (Now full-out bawling.) You can just imagine what they were thinking. I have a few stories where I've started bawling in front of people like that, too. They tend to stop whatever they are doing and get you completely squared away as fast as possible. (It's happened to me at Target, Bolivia airport, JC Penny's, etc.) I'll have to post about that later. =) Funny funny.
Now back to the middle of the night:
I sent texts to Stephanie about taking Elizabeth, Beth about not being able to attend joy school, and Tiffany about not coming to clean our apartment. Later Beth called (thank heaven) and asked what she could do to help. So she agreed to watch Elizabeth after Stephanie and until my mom was able to go home and get her.
Morgan and I went back to sleep and woke up at about 7 am. We packed our hospital bag and a bag for Elizabeth. We hadn’t done that yet! At least I had made a list. But when we were packing the bags we didn’t even look at the list. Shesh. We took her over to Stephanie’s house and we were on our way to the hospital by 8 am.
Apparently it was a busy day today and there were several new ladies in labor and delivery.
They took us right to the labor and delivery room. I was still only at a 3! I was quite
disappointed because I thought those painful contractions after the membrane sweep would have done SOMETHING! A couple of hours later when I got the epidural I was still only a 3. Holy cow. Just like with Elizabeth, my body didn't know it was suppose to be in labor! I got the epidural at about 11 am. It was so painful! Oh my goodness. Last time I think the anesthesiologist only had to sting me once and he was in. This guy I swear had to poke me about 30 times. It was DREADFUL. I was trying really hard to talk my way through it like I did last time. Last time I just told about how my sister Julie was now at BYU and it was so nice to have a sister around after so many years of being on my own in Utah. Then the pain was over. But this time not only did I tell that story but I told about Beth watching Elizabeth, how we told Jessie that my mom would call her, who my sisters were, where they lived, and what they did, and gosh even more than that. It was MISERABLE. But it finally ended and I was sweating from tucking in my chin holding on to my mom and the nurse.
It took quite a long time to get the pitocin after that. But it sure helped when it came! Although I was having contractions all morning, they were not nearly as painful as I had been experiencing in the last several weeks. After getting the epidural (THEN the pitocin) I started to progress. At 2:00pm I was at 6.5 cm.
Dr Larsen came in to check me and found out that the baby was FACE UP. Oh no. He tried to turn the baby but left unsuccessful. They gave me oxygen because that was hard on the baby. It was not fun to try to push with that mask thing on. But apparently it helped the baby.
Then about 45 minutes later whenever I had a contraction according to the monitor, I could feel the baby pressing down. Hmmmm…. That was a new sensation. I thought about it for a little while, not sure what I was feeling, and finally paged the nurse. Just a few minutes later Dr. Larsen walked in. His office is just upstairs from here and he could see the monitor of the baby’s heart rate and my contractions. He asked me if I was feeling pushy. I said yes, how did you know? He said he was watching the monitor from upstairs. I looked at the squiggly red and blue lines that meant nothing to me and said, “You could tell from THAT?” I was so impressed. Turned out I was fully dilated. YESSSS!!
He helped me push a bit more and then left it to the nurses. I was pushing as hard as I could but I wasn’t making any progress. Apparently this was because the baby was face up. My bum felt so weird that it was aching – apparently also from back labor. So Morgan had the EXTREMELY important job to massage my behind between every contraction.
At this hospital they seem really big on staying on your side. So I did all my pushing while on my side. I was upright, too, rather than what felt like UPSIDEDOWN last time with the midwife. I was glad that I could change sides if I wanted to! The nurse said she thought I was very mobile for an epidural patient. That was a big change from last time where my body was completely dead! Hugely different experience. Much better this time. Then my legs were put in stirrups which was surprisingly comfortable. Somewhere along the line I started making huge progress. Perhaps that was the moment when the baby turned. I could feel the progress and then the baby’s head popped out a bit. The nurses said, “STOP!” and called for the doctor. (I didn’t want to stop, I almost had him OUT!) Then only a push or so later when the doctor came in baby flopped out. All pain immediately stopped and my quiet purple baby was here!! They said that the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and leg, and because of that he had some fluid and mucus in his lungs. They had to work with him for quite a while over at the baby station. He didn’t cry much. I had no idea that they were giving him SHOTS at this time! He didn’t make much of a sound. I wonder if he was in pain even though he didn’t make any noise. Finally he was stable enough to come to me. He was pink by this time rather than purple – huge difference! I admired him a little bit and then started the breast feeding. Holy cow he took right to it. As if he was expecting it. By 30 seconds he had taken more sucks than Elizabeth had in her entire lifetime. He ate for a good 40 minutes.
I wanted to hold him for a while longer so the nurse went over her education list rather than give him a bath. Then he got his bath and we traveled to the recovery room just a bit down the hallway. I felt such a peaceful feeling! I could feel the Spirit so strong! What a beautiful feeling. Why does that happen? I remember hearing people explain that you feel the Spirit when new babies are born. I had never experienced that. Well, it is true. I felt the Spirit very strong when Jordan was born. And I was so happy! I felt overwhelming happiness that I was not pregnant anymore, no more waiting for Jordan to be born, Jordan was okay, I could take Ibuprofen finally, I could sleep on my tummy, I wouldn’t be nauseated anymore, I wouldn’t have to pee every hour, and I would never be pregnant again!
Jordan is so soft! He has lots of faint little hairs on his cheeks and shoulders and arms. His skin is so soft that you can’t tell you are touching him. He is such a warm little bundle. He makes the cutest little sounds and baby snores like a squeak toy. He has dark blue eyes now. Sometimes his little crunched up face looks like newborn Elizabeth’s crunched up face. He grasps my hand in his. Apparently his muscles are good for a newborn.
7 lbs 11 ounces 19 inches 15:55. 1:20 of pushing.
Next day
This hospital stay has been quite a bit better than last time. They don’t run out of food during the night. My doctor has come in a couple times to see how we are doing. I like this doctor SO much more than the midwives. He seems to have so much more experience and practical knowledge.
Mostly it is better because I know what to expect! I know that sitting in this rocking chair is a very nice break from sitting in that bed. And I know that I should just enjoy breast feeding and not stress about it.
Mom went home last night and got Elizabeth from Beth. It sounds like they had a lot of fun actually. Mom did a bunch of fun things with her that she likes to do, like reading books and playing peak-a-boo. Elizabeth went to sleep without any problem. That’s such a relief when she does that.
It was cool to have my mom there when Jordan was born. It was special that she was able to jump on an airplane and fly out here so quickly.
Mom brought Elizabeth to the hospital this morning to meet Jordan. Morgan really wanted her to come and meet her brother as soon as possible. When she walked in she was so excited to see Morgan and me. However by the time she got to me she was distracted by the baby in my arms. Her little eyes were glued to him. I told her that this was Baby Jordan. She’s heard his name several times in the last few weeks and finally she has met him. I told her that he is “Elizabeth’s baby.” =) She just stared at him for a long time.
She started to play around the hospital room, opening cupboards and drawers. Later she went up to Jordan’s clear plastic basinet tub and put her little hand up to his face. He was sleeping and facing outward. She said, “baby!” a few times. So sweet. I’m excited for Elizabeth that she gets a little baby to call her own. =)
Breastfeeding is going alright. Jordan already proved that he knew how to eat, but he was obviously not interested a few times when I tried to feed him. It seems very strange to me that we force babies to eat so often. Everything else about birthing and such just happens when it is the right time – why force eating? It makes me HATE it. And as we are sitting there trying to force the poor I think that I wouldn’t blame him for hating it. Elizabeth and I both dreaded the time that we would try to feed again. I don’t want that to happen with Jordan.
7-30-2010
2 months old
Jordan now has light blue eyes with dark blue around the edges. He is no longer very quiet. =) He got over that soon after coming home from the hospital.
This week he SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT for the first time!! YESSS!!! He’s done it a couple times since. So AWESOME.
He loves to be held. He hates to be ignored. He’s very cute and still smells very good. =)
Elizabeth thinks he is very interesting. She bounces him while saying “Da do, da do, da do.” This means, “Gentle, gentle, gentle.” You would never guess that, though, because it looks rather violent. She’s also climbed ON TOP of him. I suppose this happens to other babies. I’m sure God knew this would happen to younger siblings – I wonder what He did to prevent catastrophe in this likely event?
Morgan does very well at putting him to sleep at night, and I can’t seem to do it successfully. So I put Lizzy to sleep, which Morgan hates doing. So it works out. What would I ever do without my husband?
Once again bottles and formula has proven to be life savers. I am quite at peace with letting modern technology make my life easier. (Ex: epidurals, bottles, pacifiers, bouncers, onesies, disposable diapers, tv, occasional Baby Einstein, washers, dryers, cars, air conditioning, dish washers, refrigerators, internet, etc.)
By the way, we will probably have more kids sometime in the future. =P
