Janni's Birth Story, 3 Years Late!

As my sweet Janni prepares to turn 3 and my due date with #2 is literally a week from today, I figure it may be wise to get Janni's birth story up on the blog!


On April 24, 2013, at 10:36 p.m., Janni, Sweet Baby of Ours, graced the world with her presence.  She was 7 lbs. 9 oz. and 19.75 inches long.  She had a full head of hair and rolls from chin to thighs! This is her birth story!

Disclaimer: Her name has been changed but all other details pertaining to her birth are real and true.

Just to clarify, Janni is our first baby and although she turns 3 in less than two weeks, I remember her birth it like it was yesterday.  I am going to try not to be too wordy in my details to make the read shorter. 

When I was pregnant with Janni, I was a homebirth kind of girl.  I loved the idea of welcoming a bundle of joy into the world by  having them being born at the place they'd be calling their home.  Since Janni's birth, a life-threatening emergency has really caused our views to changed and I intend to have our second baby and all future babies in the hospital, but 3 years ago, that wasn't the case.

My pregnancy went pretty smoothly except for a tiny hiccup that landed me in the hospital at 25 weeks (more about that later).  Other than that, I had aches, I had pains, my feet were swollen by the end of my day (I found out I was pregnant the 2nd weeks of the school year, so I taught my entire known pregnancy.

I was due April 20, 2013.  I looked at the due date and took great relief in the fact that very few people actually give birth on their actual due date because there are just too many negative things associated in April 20 and I didn't want my child's celebration of life to be on Hitler's birthday or a day where people collectively get high.

On Monday, the 22nd, two days past my due date, I saw my midwife and she asked if she could check me to see how far I was dilated.  I agreed.  She shrugged and said I was maybe half a centimeter and at this rate, we were probably looking at another week at best but probably closer to two weeks before I went into labor.

For my first child, my labor actually only ended up being less than 16 hours.  I couldn't actually sleep the night before and tossed and turned from discomfort as little Janni repeatedly kicking my rib cage (you know, just getting those last kicks in before she received her eviction notice!).  I got up to sleep on the couch so Zack could actually sleep because I was so uncomfortable that I was adjusting and readjusting pretty much every minute or so.

I hadn't slept a wink when I began to see light shining through the living room window.  I was so grateful that my last day at work had been the week before because I was going to be one tired Mommy to be!  Zack got up to get ready for work and I got up to make him breakfast.  I remember telling him to just go out to eat with Don, his best friend, for lunch.  As Zack was getting ready for work, I felt my first contraction but I had been feeling these for a while.  A few minutes later, it came again.  A few minutes later, again.  I grabbed a piece of paper and began to track my contractions but again, they just felt like menstrual cramps and I didn't think this was the real deal.  I mentioned it to Zack and I told him if this was it, he would more than likely be able to make it through the day before the baby was here.  My Mom was in labor with her first, my sister, for 28 hours.  I wasn't expecting this baby to be here anytime soon.

I spoke to my Mom on the phone and mentioned to her that I might be in labor but was craving something sweet and thinking about going to get something.  She made me promise not to leave the house.  I agreed.

I did things like clean and watched several episodes of the Dog Whisperer.  About 11, I decided to take a shower.  In the middle of it, I got a very strong contraction and grunted in pain.  If there was any doubt, I now knew I was in labor.  I got out of the shower, got dressed , did my hair, and then at noon, I called Zack and told him I was certain this was it and I needed him home.  He came home immediately.

As soon as Zack came home, my body started having sever contractions. I called my midwife in between contractions and told her I was in labor.  I was calm and collect and since she had seen me 2 days prior with nearly no dilation at all, she asked me to come in to get checked.  I agreed and as soon as I got off the phone with her, another contraction hit and I told Zack I couldn't go in.  He called back my midwife and she agreed to send her duela over to check me.  She came over right away, checked me, and with a shocked look on her face (all the while trying to hide her disbelief), she said I was dilated to about a 5 and that I indeed was in labor.  She called the midwife to inform her and I could hear disbelief on the other end of the phone with a loud laugh saying, "you just can't predict anything in this job!"

Within the hour, my midwife was there. She checked me herself and I was at a 7!  My water still hadn't broke nor had a certain plug come out so she popped it and the removed my plug while I WAS HAVING A CONTRACTION!  Zack claims that that was the only time I let out a real scream during my labor (he says I grunted a lot, but never screamed but once).

For the next several hours, I waddled around the house between contractions.  I tried to labor in the pool but I just got light headed.  By 7 p.m., I was at a 10 and my midwife gave me to go ahead to start pushing.  To my disbelief, each push actually brought relief from the pain of the contractions! Oh yes, I liked pushing!

I pushed and pushed and pushed with little to no progress.  I tried to push in any all positions I could.  Still, nothing.  My midwife said that she was at the canal and that she had dark hair (Zack and I are blondes). I PUSHED HARDER!  Still, with little progress.  About 3 hours went by and the duala began using the doppler to check the baby's heart rate.  I put up with it once or twice, but by the third time, I asked her firmly to stop.

That is when my midwife let me in on what was going on.  She said that I was bee pushing for a really long time and they were beginning to worry that the baby may be under distress.  They told me her heart rate was dropping and then rapidly speeding up and that that was a tell-tell sign that the baby was distressed.

The midwife and her team decided to give me the option to keep pushing or for them to call an ambulance and got to the hospital for an assessment.  Duh. I chose to keep pushing and this time I was willing to try everything possible to get this baby out naturally.

Another 15 minutes later, there was no progress so my midwife told her assistant to call an ambulance, that this was going to be a Caesarian Section.  Zack said when she said this, my eyes about popped out of my head and I turned white as a ghost.

And ambulance was called and tried desperately to push this baby out, to no avail.  When the paramedics came into the house, they used their own doppler on the baby and her heart rate was back to normal so they agreed to let me keep pushing.  I pushed for another 15 minutes and when the paramedic listened to Janni's heart rate, it was super high and he shook his head at my midwife and said, "let's get her to the hospital." Reluctantly, I agreed.

They took my to the hospital via ambulance and Zack got my emergency bag and his Mother brought a few outfits from Janni's dresser.

I arrived at the hospital and the hospital's doctor on duty checked me and shook his head at my midwife, "Emily, your baby is occiput-transverse (or head in the canal but completely sideways), this baby isn't going to come out a healthy baby if you deliver naturally.  I need to take this baby c-section and since you have been pushing for over 3 hours, I would like to do it now for her safety."

I looked to Zack, desperate for him to tell me to keep pushing.  In tears, I asked him what he thought and he said to me, "I think we need to do what the doctors say."  My mind was ticking, "we don't have insurance, we can't pay for this." But I was bombarded with papers to sign and questions about my last menstrual period and whether the baby was a boy or girl, I agreed out of desperation.  I wanted to be left alone to push, I wanted the chaotic to disappear.

They rolled me to the operating room and Zack met me there.  By the time he was there, the anesthesiologist had already given me the epidural and I was freaking out about how I couldn't move my legs (nobody warned me that I wouldn't be able to move my body from the waist down, so I seriously thought they had permanently paralyzed me!) and the anesthesiologist was telling me that that was a good thing, they didn't need me kicking the doctors while they were working on me (aka pulling my baby out of my torso).

They surgery went fast, but the nurse assisting had to literally push her back up the canal to the uterus and I could feel the pressure while they did it.

They brought her to a table to work on her, Zack smiled the largest grin and me and said, "That's her, I am going to go see her." and he asked me if it was okay to leave my side.  I agreed.

They brought her to me and I just wanted to grab her and leave the hospital but duh, I was paralyzed from the waist down.  I was stuck there.

The anesthesiologist asked me how I was doing, I told him, "I'm just happy she's here and she's healthy."  He shook his head with sorrow in his eyes and whispered, "She pooped in the womb, they're going to need to watch her and see if she swallowed any.  Is she did, she will be violently ill for the next few days."

I just started praying she didn't swallow any!!!

So, they watched her and monitored her and wanted to make sure she didn't swallow any meconium. And on top of that, my blood pressure was so low that they spent and hour and a half trying to stabilize me while a stranger took care of my baby and, you know, because nobody warned me I would be paralyzed and I was literally stuck to my bed.  It was hard.  Necessary, but heartbreaking and so hard.  I wanted to cry.  I wanted to be home in my bed.  I wanted my my baby to be born at home like we had all planned!

Slowly my ability to move my legs and wiggle my toes came back.  I got up and started walking and 3 days later, I was discharged and allowed to go home!

Oh Janni, your delivery was hard but we are so glad you're ours!

We love you so!

 Zack's Parents

 

Leaving the Hospital

Midwife team

Ectopic Rupture

I really want to be a consistent blogger, and this last year has really made it difficult.

I wrote that I had been feeling pretty rotten for some time and that I was going to work on a diet to see if eliminating things from my diet was the solution and if they would help me feel better.

When after several weeks, I failed to see any improvements, I began reaching out to my doctors. They all concluded that I was pregnant but since the only sign of pregnancy I had was some odd nausea that was nothing like with my first pregnancy (I was still having my cycle), I brushed it off and thought nothing more of it.

Little did I know, they were right.

But even if I had taken a test and discovered I was pregnant, I wouldn't gotten an ultrasound until I was out of the first trimester and I wouldn't have discovered that my pregnancy was ectopic.

I landed in the ER on July 1, 2015, after 4 hours of excruciating abdominal pain. I was vomiting, pale white, cold to the touch, and my blood pressure was very, very low.

The staff at our local hospital knew right away something was wrong and the lead nurse immediately suspected an ectopic pregnancy. They weren't messing around as they immediately took me to triage and began running test. They determined I was pregnant through a blood test and spent an hour trying to convince the ultrasound department that my case took presidency over anything they were doing and that they had already had to enlist rapid response (basically 7-9 people stood around in my room just in case I had passed out) on me because my blood pressure was going down so they were convinced I was really close to needing life saving action.

Finally, they got the traveling ultrasound tech to come and examine me. She was happy and chatting with my husband about how clear the pictures were when he was convinced that there was nothing clear about it. I watched her face go from lighthearted to very, very serious. The whole room got quiet. She printed pictures and would not answer my questions about whether she had found something. She left the ultrasound machine there in the room, took the pictures and rushed to the doctor.

He came in less than 5 minutes later saying that he and the obstetrician on call both are in agreeance that I had an ectopic pregnancy and that there is a good likelihood that I had ruptures and was bleeding internally.

The point was that the pain was so bad that I just wanted to go home and lay in bed. My husband, Zack, reassured me that everything was ok and that we were in God's hands.

They immediately rolled me out of triage and took me to prepare for surgery. The obstetrician was very warm and very urgent. She told me that she thought I had ruptured, that I was bleeding internally, and that I would probably need blood transfusions. Zack signed the necessary paperwork because at this point, the pain was so severe I couldn't respond to any questioning other than "yes or no," let alone read any paperwork.

Even though I had no idea if I was going to be okay, I had a peace that surpassed all understanding and knew the Holy Spirit was there in the room with the doctors. I didn't know if the peace meant I was going to be okay or that I was about to enter into eternity, but I confessed any unconfessed sins and then was given a sedative where I didn't remember anything after that.

My poor Zack was rushed away as I apparently stopped breathing and he overheard them telling me, “Emily, you need to breathe. Breathe for us.” But Zack said he had peace that I was in good hands and that reliving the ordeal was more scary than it actually happening.

I know that I was stabilized and that required immediate intubation to assist me in breathing because I read the surgical reports. I was put under and surgery performed.

After surgery, which should have been a 15 minute procedure but ended up being a full hour because I had such massive blood loss that my entire abdominal cavity was full of it and needed to be suctioned out, Zack was immediately brought to me and encouraged to talk to me as they woke me up. Apparently it's normal after bringing people out of anesthesia for them to ask the most ridiculous questions or to repeat themselves, to which I did both.

My obstetrician/ surgeon was right about everything and I needed 2 pints of blood to get my hemoglobin (oxygen level in the blood) up. I had lost about 4 pints of blood and told it would take about 6 weeks for my body to make the blood back.

I spent the night in the ER and was allowed to go home at around 3 in the afternoon the next day.

I sit back and just find myself unbelievably grateful that God didn't decide to take me home that night.  I can't put into words how blessed we are to be a family of almost 4 and that I get to continue to be my children's mommy.  What a blessing, what a Good, Good Father God of the Heavens and Earth is! 

Five Ways to Prepare Your Toddler for a New Baby

Surprise, we're pregnant! We're due in just over 3 weeks and we're super, duper excited to be adding a precious little baby to the family!

I have been talking to my mom and aunt about some ways to help your toddler adjust to the first few weeks of of new baby that aren't difficult or tedious or so much work that I won't bother doing them when I am in recovering from labor.

For me, I have to have a second c-section, so I will have to recover from major surgery all while caring for a newborn and a toddler… I know, I am the first woman to ever have to contend with such a thing. Pity me.

I am the youngest of 3 children, so I have never had to deal with the insecurities and uncertainties of becoming a big sister. My brother and I are only 17 months apart but he remembers me coming home from the hospital very well. And my sister remembers both of us coming home. I am certain that at nearly 3, this will be something that Janni remembers really well and I want it to be a happy, joyful, and happy memory for her.

Knowing my daughter's (and probably most children as well) primary love languages are physical touch and gifts, I have made sure to keep these in mind when coming up with these 5 ways to help her adjust to the new baby.

A gift from baby/a from her: When Janni comes to meet her sibling for the first time in the hospital, I will make sure that we have a special gift for her that is “from the baby”. We plan on writing a card from the baby. Janni will also be allowed to pick out a special, baby appropriate gift for baby that she will be allowed to give to the baby when then meet. This will help her feel like even though a new baby is now part of our family, that she is still included and important.

Keeping to the routine: This, obviously, may need to be worked up to slowly. Recovering from labor and delivery isn't a walk in the park. But book reading, special coloring books, and continuing with school work will help with the adjustment period because although there is a new baby in the family, her life is continuing in many ways as normal and comfortable.

Allow Toddler to Be Around Baby: When I brought Janni home from the hospital, I wanted to avoid and all things that would cause her harm or germs. When her then 2 year old cousin asked to hold her, I bit my lip and prayed her didn't kill her. Not even kidding. Anything and everything was an immediate danger to her life in my mind and nothing you could say those first 6 weeks would have changed my mind. This time, bring home a baby with a 3 year old sister, keeping her away would be hurtful and impossible. Allowing her to hold, cuddle, kiss, and love on baby while encouraging gentleness will be crucial to help her feel comfortable around the baby. The last thing we want to do is make baby off limits and cause her to grow resentment towards the baby.

One on One Time With Each Parent: Janni is used to having us to herself. She's never had to share us and when I have held another baby, she really seems a bit jealous. I am keeping in mind that those feelings about me holding a baby that isn't ours may be completely non-existent with out own baby and we may have no issues with it at all but we still want her to feel loved and valued and to look forward to time where she has each of us to herself.

Allow Toddler to “Help” with Baby: It's really hard to be in a situation where you feel absolutely, completely useless. I'm sure toddlers feel the same way. By allowing them access to things like diapers, wipes, burp clothes, and the alike, they are likely to jump on the idea of being mommy's special helper when asked to get them. By allowing them to be mommy's big helper, the useless feelings are not there and they are able to feel proud of themselves for being able to help with the new baby.

Week 2: Wednesday Way to Health

Or Thursday way to health, I did my best!

I've been pretty sick this week with the worst case of low-carb flu I've ever had.  I've been miserable, but absolutely refusing to cheat! 

This week, I've been walking 2 miles a morning, with Janni in the stroller and I've been documenting my progress with a fitness app on my phone. I'll try to figure out how to post my charts on the blog. 

This post is being done on my phone, so I'll keep it short. Here are my progress pictures for this week.

Top 10 Pet-Loves

Since I  recently wrote a post about my top 10 pet-peeves, I figured I'd write about my top pet-loves!

1. Naptime. Need I say more? 

2. Essential Oils and my diffuser!  I really dislike stinches in my home.  I kick myself when I forget to take out the trash at night and wake up and immediately have to air out the house and rid the trash because something in it reaks up the house.   I like very much good smells in my home.  Very few things make me smile as much as when I leave the house after the diffuser has been filled with oil and I return to a lovely smelling home!

3. Weekly shopping being done and my fridge full of good, healthy, fresh food. 

4. Since we're on the topic of food, may I add that I love a cockpot dinner?  I'm not a huge fan of kitchen clean-up, but having dinner in the crockpot and few dishes to clean makes my heart super happy! 

5. A perfectly clean home makes my heart beam with joy! 

6. Morning devotionals with my husband.  I'm not a huge fan of getting up early, but it's such a blessing to get to grow in the Lord with Zack, so getting to early isn't so bad when this is the reason why! 

7. Walks with my family.  Since I'm on a huge health-kick,  anything that helps me to lose weight and makes me feel better is a huge like!  Doing it with my family, a big plus!

8. Soft Rollers overnight.  My hair hates me.  I've never had sucess with my hair holding a curl until I started putting soft rollers in my hair overnight and waking up with glorious curls.  Call my goldy locks, I don't care!  Long lasting curls,  I adore you! 

9. Homemade,  sugar free frozen yogurt.  I used honey.  If using honey to sweeten frozen yogurt is wrong,  then I don't want to be right! 

10. Being a Momma. Best.  Thing.  I've.  Ever. Done. 

 

Week 1: Wednesday Way to Health

I love sugar.  There's no wonder we all crave it,  it's our body's #1 choice of fuel!

I also have the fortunate/unfortunate happening of having O- Blood.  It's super fortunate for people in need of a blood transfusion because O- is the universal blood type and I can donate to anybody on earth.  It's unfortunate because if you've done any research on blood types and diet, you'll know that O- doesn't do well on sugar and simple carbs, i.e the American diet!

I do well with veggies, meat, and some fruit. My body typically treats simple carbs like a toxin and inflammation is a constant attack my body, making me feel awful, miserable.

So today my diet looks like:

Breakfast: 2 boiled eggs, half an apple, a bit of honey

Lunch: Bell Peppers, corn on the cob, pulled chicken with homemade, sugar free BBQ sauce.

Dinner: Chicken Salad with avocado, tomatoes, carrots, olives, and homemade dressing.

Here's to good health and possibly another baby!

Yes, I decided to be meet my deadline and get these pictures up,  even if it meant I had soft rollers in my hair.  I like to live dangerously!

Health, or Lack of Health and Solutions

Back in November,  I visited my doctor complaining of not feeling well, having absolutely no energy or drive for pretty much anything in life.  On top of that,  I wasn't able to conceive the last few months,  and although at the time,  I wasn't immediately alarmed, I still wasn't sure what was going on because I had conceived Janni with no effort.

She did hundreds of dollars worth of testing and determined that my body was making nearly no hormones and my adrenals were fatigued.  She started me on a pretty expensive treatment.

Fast forward 6 months later and I'm feeling wonderful and I'm on a great path but still unable to conceive and gaining weight (Something I'm suppose to "ride out").

I've decided that I'm going to need to be proactive and radically change my diet and lifestyle.  I'm pulling out the big guns and becoming reacquainted with old, under appreciate friends (i.e. tread mill and pilates). All with the hopes of avoiding the need for a fertility doctor's services. I'll be documenting my process right here on the blog.

Pray for me and my out of shape body!