I had been having Braxton-Hicks contractions since before 20 weeks, with increasing frequency in the two weeks before I gave birth. They would come every five minutes for a couple of hours, and then just stop.
On April 21st, 2010, I woke up with mild contractions at around 4 pm. I immediately felt that they were different from the Braxton-Hicks contractions that I had been having, although at this point they hardly hurt. I had worked night shift up until a week before I gave birth, and Josh was still working nights, so I had slept all day (thankfully). I didn't want to wake Josh up yet, just in case they were not for real, so I called my mom instead. My contractions at this point were coming about every 5 minutes with increasing discomfort. I woke Josh up around 5 because I just couldn't wait any longer. He pretty much freaked out - in a good way. My mom came over around 6, and my dad came not much later. We called Josh's mom, since she was planning on driving up from Seattle to be at the birth. Josh also called work to let them know that he would not be coming in that night.
My dad left around ten, since he had to work in the morning and we had no idea how long this labor was going to take. I planned on staying home for as long as possible. We had been told that when the contractions were 3-5 minutes apart, and I could not talk through them anymore, it was time to go to the hospital. The contractions had been less than 5 minutes apart since they started and were becoming increasingly painful. Every time one started, I would go hide in the dark bedroom, rest my head and forearms on the bed and sway through them. Each one lasted at least a minute. I was also in and out of the shower, which was heavenly. MY mom and Josh spent their time in the living room playing DDR and listening to Carbon Leaf. At one point, I requested to watch Mulan, which is a comfort movie for me. I didn't actually watch it, but the familiarity was comforting.
At about 3:30am, we decided it was time to go into the hospital after talking to our doctor - Jennifer Bates. The car ride was AWFUL. Not being able to get up and move during a contraction made them so much more intense. By now, I was moaning through each contraction. We called Josh's mom again to let her know we were heading to the hospital, and she grabbed her stuff and headed up. We got checked in and sent to triage, where I was hooked up to monitors and they checked me. After 12 hours of intense contractions, I was dilated to a ONE. They had me walk around the hospital for a while, since my contractions were so close together. When I came back, I was still a one. So I walked for another hour. Let me just say right here, walking at this point was not easy. I had to stop every few steps to lean against the wall and groan. I did not enjoy being out where everyone could hear me and see me in pain. Laboring at home was much more comfortable. We made our way back to triage again. I was now "maybe a two".
The nurse called our doctor and talked about what they wanted to do. She came back and told me that Dr. Bates wanted to give me both phenergan and morphine, and send me home to sleep. I had not wanted any pain meds at all, and there was no way I was going to let them give me phenergan, too. Apparently, they didn't think I was in active labor (since I wasn't really dilating), and the point of sending me home to sleep was that I would either wake up and not be in labor anymore, or I would get some rest, wake up and be ready to go back into the hospital. I was so frustrated, exhausted, in pain, etc., and my contractions were coming one on top of the other, that after talking with Josh, I decided to take the morphine and go. We left the hospital at 8:30. I got really drowsy on the way home, but my contractions just seemed to be hurting more and more. I crawled into bed when we got home, hoping to sleep.
Ten minutes later, I could not lay in bed for one second longer. I began "yelling" through my contractions. I got into the shower, as that had helped earlier. This time, though, the contractions seemed to get worse. Josh was timing my contractions, and there were times that I had no break for ten minutes straight. Then I would get a 30 second break, and would be pounded again. Over, and over, and over. At 12:30pm on April 22nd, Josh checked me (he is a nurse and did labor and delivery rotations), and informed me that I was still only 2cm dilated. AGGHH! I did not understand why I was not progressing at all, considering my contractions were so long and so often. I got out of the shower, and found out that the most comfortable place to be was on the toilet. I would get up off the toilet and grab the towel bar in front of me and yell as loud as I could.
At 2:30pm, my mom and Josh decided that I needed to go back in to the hospital. I did NOT want to. The thought of sitting in the car having contractions every 30 seconds for half an hour, getting to the hospital, and them telling me I had not progressed, was not at all appealing. I went though. Josh says that I tried my hardest to deafen him on the way in. We drove in one car, and our moms drove separately. When we got to the hospital, I B-lined for the bathroom (the waiting room was full of kids and people, and I didn't want to scare them). Josh's mom came into the bathroom with me. I cannot even begin to describe the pain I was feeling. It was not at all like menstrual cramps, like some people say. It was excruciating, hard, charlie horse type pain. Josh was checking me in, and apparently they could hear me outside... oops. The nurses started asking Josh how long I had been like that. They came within five minutes with a wheelchair to collect me from the bathroom. I guess they were afraid that I was going to give birth in there.
I was taken to labor room one, connected to monitors, and and IV was started. The nurse wanted me to roll over on my back, once I was "comfortable"(HA!), so that they could check me. I was doubled over in pain, could barely get into the hospital gown, and there was no way I was going to roll over. At this time, I had lost my mucus plug, but my water had not broken. The nurse finally gave up and checked me while I was on my side. I was 9.5cm - just an anterior rim - with a bulging bag of water. WHOA. Then the nurse had the audacity to ask if I wanted an epidural. HAHAHAHA. No. She also told me not to yell during my contractions. I responded with "I can yell if I want to." My doctor had been called, and she was on her way over. Josh, his mom, and my mom, were in the room. Nurses were everywhere. Dr. Bates came rushing in at about 3:00pm, checked me, and broke my water. They had me start pushing, and it was such a relief. It was painful, but a good and different pain. I was working toward something now. Within a couple of minutes, Janelle's head was out, but she had the cord wrapped around her neck. Because it was so tight and short, they had to cut the cord before she was completely out. They told me to push as hard as I could because we had to get her out, now.
She briefly got her shoulders stuck, but at 3:12 pm on April 22nd, 2010, Janelle was born. She hardly cried when she came out, and they immediately handed her to me. When she still wasn't crying much, they took her to the warmer to make sure her sats were okay. She was doing just fine. They wrapped her up and gave her right back to me - I didn't want her to have eye drops yet, and they respected my choice. When I got her back, I nursed her right away. Janelle was a champion nurser. She did not want to let go! It was such an amazing time.
So there you have it, 23 hours of labor, five minutes of pushing, more than enough pain, and one beautiful baby later, and Josh and I are parents for the rest of our lives!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Birth Plan
My mom kept bothering me to create a birth plan, so I finally did. I used a book as a reference for what to include. I told my mom that I didn't want to give it to my doctor or the nurses at the hospital, because I didn't want them to feel "challenged" by it. I did give Josh and my mom copies though, so that they could advocate for me.
Here it is:
Jenn 's Super Duper Birth Plan!!!
Hi, I 'm Jenn, and this is my birth plan. Although I am pretty strong willed, if given the information needed to make an informed decision, there is some flexibility. I am an RN, so don t be afraid to give it to me straight, honesty is always appreciated. It is my goal to have as natural a birth as possible. Caregivers should be encouraging, supportive, and open to my preferences. If I feel there is a mismatch between me and the caregiver, I may request a staffing change.
For Sure Attending birth:
Joshua Husband
Deanne Johnson
May Attend:
Tracey Husband
Jenica Husband
Other visitors welcome, but ask me first - may ask them to leave before actual birth
Labor Options:
Activity:
- Will walk frequently
- May want to use bath
- Multiple positions
Food and Drink:
- Will drink and eat at will
- No IV fluids
Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring:
- Intermittent external monitoring or stethoscope
Pain Medications:
- Do not want pain medications AT ALL - please do not offer me them, I may yell at you.
Birth environment:
- Music, family, peaceful environment - no negative people pleaseJ
- Minimal disturbances
- Students can be present if they want
Birth Options:
Activity:
- Will walk frequently
- May want to use bath
- Multiple positions
Food and Drink:
- Will drink and eat at will
- No IV fluids
Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring:
- Intermittent external monitoring or stethoscope
- If there is concern for baby, may monitor continuously with external monitor
Pain Medications:
- Do not want pain medications AT ALL - please do not offer me them, I may yell at you.
Pushing Techniques:
- I will push how I want, for as long as I want
- Please do not coach me or yell at me to PUSH , etc.
Perineal Care:
- ABSOLUTELY NO EPISIOTOMY
- Warm compresses/other measures to prevent episiotomy?
Personal choices:
- Would like Josh to catch baby and cut cord
After Birth Options:
Immediate care of baby:
- Place skin to skin immediately, dry off on my chest
- Blanket may be put over baby, but do not wrap baby up
- Please delay use of vitamin K, newborn exam, blood tests, and eye medication until one hour after birth
- Wait until placenta has stopped pulsating to clamp cord and cut
Contact with baby:
- In room with me continuously - not in nursery
Presence of spouse:
- Staying in room with me
Feeding:
- Will breast feed within first half hour after birth
- No formula
- Sugar water with permission from parents only
Circumcision:
- Yes if baby is a boy
Unexpected circumstances:
If difficulties arise, staff must consult with me (or Josh if I am unable) before taking any actions whatsoever such as: Forceps, Vacuum, Episiotomy, Cesarean Section, Internal Fetal Monitoring, Pitocin
I would appreciate a thorough description of the circumstances and why further actions may be necessary, as well as other options that could be used instead, so that I can make an appropriate and educated decision.
If a cesarean is necessary:
- Josh and Deanne can be present
- Josh should go with baby if the situation warrants separation
- I would like to be fully awake during procedure
And that is it! Like I said in the intro, I can be flexible, but why not try to get what you want? I don't regret my birth story in any way, shape, or form, and I think that is in large part due to how well I educated myself for this birth. I knew my options and I was prepared for things to change in case of emergency. If I ended up with a c-section due to things going south, at least I knew that I had done my best to prevent that from happening, and it was obviously what was best for my baby.
Here it is:
Jenn 's Super Duper Birth Plan!!!
Hi, I 'm Jenn, and this is my birth plan. Although I am pretty strong willed, if given the information needed to make an informed decision, there is some flexibility. I am an RN, so don t be afraid to give it to me straight, honesty is always appreciated. It is my goal to have as natural a birth as possible. Caregivers should be encouraging, supportive, and open to my preferences. If I feel there is a mismatch between me and the caregiver, I may request a staffing change.
For Sure Attending birth:
Joshua Husband
Deanne Johnson
May Attend:
Tracey Husband
Jenica Husband
Other visitors welcome, but ask me first - may ask them to leave before actual birth
Labor Options:
Activity:
- Will walk frequently
- May want to use bath
- Multiple positions
Food and Drink:
- Will drink and eat at will
- No IV fluids
Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring:
- Intermittent external monitoring or stethoscope
Pain Medications:
- Do not want pain medications AT ALL - please do not offer me them, I may yell at you.
Birth environment:
- Music, family, peaceful environment - no negative people pleaseJ
- Minimal disturbances
- Students can be present if they want
Birth Options:
Activity:
- Will walk frequently
- May want to use bath
- Multiple positions
Food and Drink:
- Will drink and eat at will
- No IV fluids
Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring:
- Intermittent external monitoring or stethoscope
- If there is concern for baby, may monitor continuously with external monitor
Pain Medications:
- Do not want pain medications AT ALL - please do not offer me them, I may yell at you.
Pushing Techniques:
- I will push how I want, for as long as I want
- Please do not coach me or yell at me to PUSH , etc.
Perineal Care:
- ABSOLUTELY NO EPISIOTOMY
- Warm compresses/other measures to prevent episiotomy?
Personal choices:
- Would like Josh to catch baby and cut cord
After Birth Options:
Immediate care of baby:
- Place skin to skin immediately, dry off on my chest
- Blanket may be put over baby, but do not wrap baby up
- Please delay use of vitamin K, newborn exam, blood tests, and eye medication until one hour after birth
- Wait until placenta has stopped pulsating to clamp cord and cut
Contact with baby:
- In room with me continuously - not in nursery
Presence of spouse:
- Staying in room with me
Feeding:
- Will breast feed within first half hour after birth
- No formula
- Sugar water with permission from parents only
Circumcision:
- Yes if baby is a boy
Unexpected circumstances:
If difficulties arise, staff must consult with me (or Josh if I am unable) before taking any actions whatsoever such as: Forceps, Vacuum, Episiotomy, Cesarean Section, Internal Fetal Monitoring, Pitocin
I would appreciate a thorough description of the circumstances and why further actions may be necessary, as well as other options that could be used instead, so that I can make an appropriate and educated decision.
If a cesarean is necessary:
- Josh and Deanne can be present
- Josh should go with baby if the situation warrants separation
- I would like to be fully awake during procedure
And that is it! Like I said in the intro, I can be flexible, but why not try to get what you want? I don't regret my birth story in any way, shape, or form, and I think that is in large part due to how well I educated myself for this birth. I knew my options and I was prepared for things to change in case of emergency. If I ended up with a c-section due to things going south, at least I knew that I had done my best to prevent that from happening, and it was obviously what was best for my baby.
26 weeks and on
Since the remainder of my pregnancy was pretty uneventful, I am going to do this post in a sort of question and answer format.
How much weight did you gain?
In total, 30 pounds. I had hoped to maybe gain a little less, but I guess my baby needed it! I lost at least 20 pounds within a week of giving birth (and a couple pounds are still hanging on now...).
Did you have any cravings or aversions?
I LOVED LOVED LOVED all of the fresh pineapple on the cruise and wished for more once I was home. I didn't have any strange cravings though. The only big aversion was hamburgers, and beef in general, but mostly burgers. YUCK. To this day I cannot eat fast food hamburgers (I threw one up mid-pregnancy and that did it). That is a big deal, too, because I normally love beef. I was raised on meat and potatoes. Even the smell of burgers brought on nausea. Josh was unhappy about it, too. He had to sneak Wendy's behind my back...
Stretch marks? Swelling?
No noticeable stretch marks until after I gave birth. I had two tiny ones under my belly button, and one right above it. I only had noticeable swelling when I went to Hawaii. A combination of the heat and flying did me in. I gained about three pounds that week, but lost all of it by the next week. I was lucky enough to be able to wear my rings through my whole pregnancy.
How long did you work? How did it go?
I worked until my due date (actually the night before I was due), but I didn't actually give birth until a week later. Work was actually pretty good. I think that it helped time pass quickly and kept me active. I never got to a really uncomfortable stage of pregnancy, which is a good thing considering I am an R.N. and am on my feet for most of the night. My goal throughout was to be able to take the stairs to work on the fourth floor throughout my whole pregnancy, and I was successful! The most annoying thing about work was that the last little bit just seemed to drag. I just wanted to be done. Be able to rest. Kick back and relax.
Did you exercise during your pregnancy?
I certainly did! I wanted my body to be strong going into labor! I ran until the beginning of my eighth month, until my stomach muscles couldn't handle it anymore. From that point on I walked every day. Josh even walked with me! It was such a great time for the two of us to talk about all of the new and exciting things that were about to happen to us. It really brought us closer and gave us some much needed "just us" time. I also did what I could of Jillian Michael's "No More Trouble Zones" (nothing that required me laying on my stomach) and a prenatal yoga DVD (not very high intensity, but very relaxing and full of great stretches).
Any aches/pains?
Nope, I was pretty comfortable throughout. Thank goodness, too, because I went a week over my due date.
Favorite maternity wear? Items?
Um, sweats. And sweatshirts. I had some maternity shirts and jeans, but I feel like I hardly wore them. I was either wearing scrubs for work, or lounging at home in my comfy clothes. I didn't really use anything special during my pregnancy - no creams, belly bands, etc.
What did you have to give up during your pregnancy?
I gave up pop, coffee, fake sweeteners, food coloring, alcohol, anything I wouldn't want to feed my child once they were out in the real world. What I eat goes directly to them.
Anything interesting happen at the doctor?
Not really. I had a 30 week ultrasound to make sure that the markers in our baby's head had gone away, and they had. 100% normal and healthy. They said she was measuring small, though. I don't really place much stake in ultrasounds measuring capabilities, though. It seems like 9/10 times they are wrong. We still didn't want to know the gender, but my mom starts thinking it is a girl (which is what I thought the whole time) because the ultrasound looks like me when I was a baby. Josh's mom, my mom, and my dad got to be at this ultrasound. It was a pretty special experience, and we got some 3D pictures, too!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Hawaiian Cruise
At the end of December '09, we did indeed get to go on the Hawaiian cruise with Josh's side of the family (courtesy of Grammie!). It was a seven day cruise and we got to experience several different islands. One of the greatest parts about this particular cruise was that the boat sailed at night (which rocked us to sleep) and was docked during the day, so we got to spend all kinds of time on the islands. This is the second Hawaiian cruise that the Guldjord family has gone on.
We went to Maui first. In Josh's family, Lahaina is THE place to go (I love it, too, and we did happen to honeymoon there). We got to spend two days there. We spent the first day soaking up the sun and snorkeling at Black Rock. The second day, all the kids, except for me since I was pregnant, went surfing:
Josh and I ate at our favorite restaurant, Pacific'O:
We ate at Pacific'O on our honeymoon, and I can honestly say I have never had better food, yum. We also ate at the family's favorite pizza place, BJ's, which has since changed names to Lahaina Pizza Company.
Next up was Hilo. We made sure to shop at Hilo Hattie's, but other than that and spending some time on the beach, Hilo was pretty uneventful. As we traveled between Hilo and Kona, we got to see the active volcano, Kilauea:
Kona came next, we shopped a bit, got my parents some Kona Coffee, and went to a rather rocky beach. It was breezy, but there was incredible snorkeling there.
We then spent two days on Kauai, which is incredibly beautiful. By this time in our trip, it was warm, yet breezy. The beach we went to on Kauai wasn't just breezy, it was WINDY. Gusts that attempted to blow us over. The beach was rocky, so we didn't swim much, but there were some really cool waves. A few of the pictures taken:
After Kauai, we went back to Honolulu, where we had departed from. Josh, Jenica, and I went to the Peter Lik gallery there. If you have never heard of Peter Lik, check him out here. He is an amazing photographer that Josh and I discovered on our honeymoon. His gallery on Maui was closed for renovations while we were there this time, but we were lucky enough to get to go to the gallery in Honolulu. If only we were rich...
As far as my pregnancy went on this trip, I was 26 weeks along, but my doctor signed a note saying that I could go on the cruise (cut-off is 24 weeks, our doctor figured that ultrasounds are accurate plus or minus 2 weeks, so I technically could be only 24 weeks...)I felt pretty good the whole time, no sea sickness, no major food aversions. I ate PLATEFULS of fresh, juicy pineapple every day. I craved it. People stared at me as I loaded up my plate, Josh still laughs about it. SO SO SO good.
Here are a few random photos from the trip:
Our niece, Elayne
Elayne and Mima
Dinner on the cruise ship
Our cruise ship
I highly recommend Norwegian Cruise Line. Everything went really smoothly. Our family has several people with special diet needs, and they catered to their every need! In fact, they catered to EVERYONE's whims - chocolate milk whenever we asked, special dinner orders (especially me - the menu didn't always appeal to my pregnant stomach), multiple desserts... and so on.
All in all, it was a miracle we made it on the cruise and we had a fantastic time. The best part was being with our family. We were so blessed that Grammie took us all on this trip!
We went to Maui first. In Josh's family, Lahaina is THE place to go (I love it, too, and we did happen to honeymoon there). We got to spend two days there. We spent the first day soaking up the sun and snorkeling at Black Rock. The second day, all the kids, except for me since I was pregnant, went surfing:
Josh and I ate at our favorite restaurant, Pacific'O:
We ate at Pacific'O on our honeymoon, and I can honestly say I have never had better food, yum. We also ate at the family's favorite pizza place, BJ's, which has since changed names to Lahaina Pizza Company.
Next up was Hilo. We made sure to shop at Hilo Hattie's, but other than that and spending some time on the beach, Hilo was pretty uneventful. As we traveled between Hilo and Kona, we got to see the active volcano, Kilauea:
Kona came next, we shopped a bit, got my parents some Kona Coffee, and went to a rather rocky beach. It was breezy, but there was incredible snorkeling there.
We then spent two days on Kauai, which is incredibly beautiful. By this time in our trip, it was warm, yet breezy. The beach we went to on Kauai wasn't just breezy, it was WINDY. Gusts that attempted to blow us over. The beach was rocky, so we didn't swim much, but there were some really cool waves. A few of the pictures taken:
After Kauai, we went back to Honolulu, where we had departed from. Josh, Jenica, and I went to the Peter Lik gallery there. If you have never heard of Peter Lik, check him out here. He is an amazing photographer that Josh and I discovered on our honeymoon. His gallery on Maui was closed for renovations while we were there this time, but we were lucky enough to get to go to the gallery in Honolulu. If only we were rich...
As far as my pregnancy went on this trip, I was 26 weeks along, but my doctor signed a note saying that I could go on the cruise (cut-off is 24 weeks, our doctor figured that ultrasounds are accurate plus or minus 2 weeks, so I technically could be only 24 weeks...)I felt pretty good the whole time, no sea sickness, no major food aversions. I ate PLATEFULS of fresh, juicy pineapple every day. I craved it. People stared at me as I loaded up my plate, Josh still laughs about it. SO SO SO good.
Here are a few random photos from the trip:
Our niece, Elayne
Elayne and Mima
Dinner on the cruise ship
Our cruise ship
I highly recommend Norwegian Cruise Line. Everything went really smoothly. Our family has several people with special diet needs, and they catered to their every need! In fact, they catered to EVERYONE's whims - chocolate milk whenever we asked, special dinner orders (especially me - the menu didn't always appeal to my pregnant stomach), multiple desserts... and so on.
All in all, it was a miracle we made it on the cruise and we had a fantastic time. The best part was being with our family. We were so blessed that Grammie took us all on this trip!
More than a year later...
We have a beautiful baby girl who is 8 months old! I am going to attempt to go back and write about how the rest of my pregnancy went, and now how life is post-pregnancy!
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