Jordan's Birth Story

Evey one of my boys have come into the world so very differently.  For our newest little one it was no different.  His story actually starts two weeks before.  My doctor had been stripping my membranes, in hopes of starting contractions that would stay.  He also said that we could schedule and induction.  I was very much against that because I wanted to go naturally and I had heard that with pitocin starting contractions it is much more painful with the contractions right on top of one another.  Well,  then at 39 weeks, and kidney stones coming and going every few days, I had had enough and said okay, let's schedule, only if it can be on the 15th (Grandma Kitty's birthday).  Then two days later I chickened out again and said never mind...he can't stay in forever he'll come out when he's ready.  Well, the next day I had another kidney stone, and called the doctor's office again to schedule one again.  However, now they were full on the 15th so it would be on the 16th.  8/16/16.  Pretty cool birthday.  We were still trying to get contractions to come, and I even tried a little caster oil which I had heard will bring on the contractions.  It did for a little while, but they petered out to nothing the three days I tried it. 

At Ogden Regional Hospital, lets have this baby!

I had gotten everything ready for the boys to start school (they were starting on Wednesday 8/17, and I'd still be in the hospital), and my mom was still here to help.  Grandma Kathy also came that morning, and we arrived at the hospital and I was started on pitocin a little after 9am.  I was still having contractions, but they weren't too close together.  The pitocin was going to help them become effective and consistent. Nathan and I joked with the nurses (I had the best!  Laurel and Aimee, whom she was training), watched some of the summer Olympics (men's volleyball), and talked.  We'll I came in and was dialiated to a 4 (yeah!).  But after a few hours, no change.  And contractions weren't unmanageable, and also weren't very close together.  My nurse Laurel was very supportive in my decision to go natural.  Another nurse Anna Marie came in, and she is in our ward and I didn't realize it!  She is our bishop's sister, and the mom to one of James' friends :)  Anyway,  I got three nurses really and it was great.  I required 17mU/mL per minute of pitocin to achieve active labor.  Most patients only require 9-10mU/min.  With that dosage now the contractions were coming every 2-5 min and were pretty intense, I'd have to concentrate to relax, but it was working!  I was dilated to a 6.  I decided to lay down now because I was getting tired and I had been sitting/bouncing on an exercise ball. Nathan went to go get some food and his laptop cord from the office.  I told him he had time, nothing was really progressing fast (another new experience).

At 2:18 (I remember because I looked at the clock), I was lying down and had to hold the monitor on my belly because it kept slipping and we couldn't hear his heartbeat.  Well, baby had kicked, right against the monitor that I was holding in place, and it sounded like this big KA-BOOM!  I thought all sorts of people could hear it down the hall (they couldn't ).  Then I felt like I was leaking fluid a little...if I moved.  Nathan came back a few min later, and I told him I think my water just broke.  He looked and said, I think so too.  We called for the nurse, and Anna Marie came in.  Also, I knew that he'd either come fast now and it was going to get very painful.  She brought me this kidney-bean looking ball to put between my legs because I was so afraid to move and more amniotic fluid would escape and it would be more painful.  Well,  a little while into that and he wasn't really descending, I agreed to sit up in bed.  Anna Marie would put counter pressure on my knees during each contraction, and I would get into my "zone", and concentrate on relaxing every muscle.  I could feel him descending, but it wasn't the same burning feeling that I had with Jack, and I was handling it.

In the zone

Laurel and Aimee came back from one of their patients, and my contractions were about 2 min apart by this time.  Aimee learned the counter pressure well, too.  However, I was getting really hot.  I wanted Nathan there by my side, but not talking, not coaching, no phones, no computers, just be there.  He said he felt like he would have been in the way if he had tried to  help.  He did touch me with one finger once, and really I was on fire hot so I asked him not to do that again :)  He did get me water to drink from our water bottle, which was super helpful, and the nurses were fine with that.  I didn't scream once.  Laurel was on duty again for the counter pressure, and then I started shaking.  I was also starting to panic a little because it was INTENSE, and told Laurel and Anna Marie, "okay, I'm good now, I think I want an epidural".  She said "no, it's too late, by the time it works you'll be ready to push and the hard part is over". "Why and I shaking then? (my legs were really shaking by now), "You are in transition".  Then I started to panic a little more and said "no, I can't do".  Laurel was awesome and totally knew what to do and took charge "Look at me, you got this, you CAN do it, do fast little breaths, you CAN do it".  Then the contraction would stop.  I was only get about 30-40 seconds rest by now, and it was about 3:20pm, they called Dr. Housel to come.   I swear I could feel him almost falling out.  They would check and say yes, we can see the top of his head, but they told me NOT to push.  I did one little push and they said STOP!  If he descends on his own I'll probably be fine, but if not I'll probably tear.  Also, where was my Dr.?  Laurel gloved up because baby was coming fast, and we weren't sure if Housel would make it in time.  

Well, he came in, a contraction was starting,and Laurel was right there and told me to hold my legs and push (normally I cannot hold my legs because I'm in so much pain, and this labor was by far the hardest yet,  but Laurel said to look at her, and that I had to do it to get the baby out...so I did!).  Anyway, I did one push for 10 seconds, and his head was out.  Normally when that has happened they've told me to stop pushing and the baby just falls out.   Not this guy.  I stopped pushing, and then I heard "keep pushing, you have to push out the shoulders!"  What?!  He didn't just fall out?  Well I did, and he came out.  So two pushes total during one contraction to get him out.  Born at 3:52pm.  At least 20 min of holding him in (that was the hardest).  And no epidural! 

 

 Like my very surprised face

 He was SO much bigger than our other boys.  They put him on me facing away from me and I was in a shock I think.  I even asked "so what is it?"  It's a boy!   Anna Marie was so thoughtful and grabbed my phone and started taking pictures

Dr. Housel asked, "Dad, would you like to cut the cord?"  "No, I want to", was my reply...

...I guess it was harder to cut than I thought, my look of concentration...

Getting cleaned up

My nurse Anna Marie cleaning him up and doing the APGAR test

Nathan putting on the first diaper

Nathan bonded with him immediately 

Cutie!  He was almost 2.5lbs heavier than James and Jack! 

And 1lb12oz heavier than Jonathan, and the longest of them all!

Daddy bringing him back over to meet mommy...

Mommy, Daddy, and baby Jordan Hugh

Fantastic nurses Aimee and Laurel

This is my dream job, someday I'll work there in this unit

Jordan Hugh Manwaring

8/16/16

7lbs 14oz

20inches!!

My biggest baby by far! 

I am so happy with how my delivery went.  It was my hardest, but it helped me to believe that I can do hard things that are way out of my comfort zone. 

Welcome to the world little one!