Missing In Action
Since getting pregnant I have been a little M.I.A -- I wanted to spend this special time enjoying every moment with my husband, family, and friends. Also, I underestimated the fact that I would be completely EXHAUSTED 24/7. I didn't want to do anything other than sleep and eat, plus it was sooo worth taking a break from the social media life to focus on myself and the arrival of my sweet baby girl. Now that I am slowly easing back into the social media life, I figured what better way to comeback than sharing a few memories of pregnancy and ultimately baby J's birth story.
9 months of chaos
Throughout my pregnancy I had a fair share of chaos. From the beginning of my pregnancy there was family and friend drama -- although "drama" is inevitable and looking back at it now, it was all small and unimportant drama. But during the time it stressed me out. Thankfully it all cleared itself up and I was able to move past it all and focus on what was to come.
Towards the middle of my pregnancy I found out I had Gestational Diabetes. This turned my whole pregnancy upside down... I had always dreamed of enjoying my pregnancy by indulging in all the cravings and late night snacks. When I found out I wasn't going to be able to do that it knocked me down, no more Whataburger, or satisfying my sweet tooth with candy and cookies. Now instead I was timing my meals and eating grilled chicken with veggies and fruit. I was also having to substitute my sweet tooth cravings with protein bars. And to top it off I had to prick my finger and test my sugars every morning and after every meal. The only upside to having GD (gestational diabetes) was eating healthy was going to help me and baby girl in the long run, and that became my main focus. Of course I didn't deprive myself... I would nimble on a few French fries or eat a cookie as a treat when I knew my sugar levels were doing well. I just had to learn how to balance my proteins and carbs. Every GD is different when it comes to managing what you can and can not eat. I learned that some GD women couldn't have tortillas at all, with some trial and error I found out I could have 2 corn tortillas and it wouldn't spike my sugar. Another downfall to GD and what made me extra careful of what I ate, was most GD women tend to have "large babies". From the beginning I knew I wanted to have a vaginal delivery, well with GD and my size the chances of me having a vaginal delivery depended on what I consumed and how I took care of myself. So I exercised daily and ate right at every meal, and it definitely paid off in the end.
Now towards the end of my pregnancy and probably the most stressful part was realizing that our lease was going to be up at our apartment the same month as my due date. My husband and I knew that if we ever could get pregnant we wanted to welcome our child into a home of our own... so we spent the next 6ish months saving and researching homes. When we finally had enough saved and able to agree on a home, we were about a month away from my scheduled induction date. We were thankful that our realtor rushed the process for us and we were able to move in the weekend before -- but moving ALL of our stuff in one weekend wasn't really possible so thanks to my wonderful parents we moved what we could and our important necessities and made it work until we could move the rest of our stuff after we got out of the hospital. If there is any piece of advice I could ever give anyone throughout this entire process it would be... do not do not move when you are 8 months pregnant. Not only did I feel helpless because I couldn't lift anything but it was stressful having to find a house and pack in a specific time frame. Although, once again it was worth it!!! I am in love with our home and our wishes came true... We were able to bring our sweet girl home to her new home.
The start to a new adventure
Every birth story is unique in its own way and no two birth stories are the same, but every birth story is special. My birth story started on Tuesday March 26, 2019 at 4pm. I had a scheduled induction due to Gestational Diabetes (typically you aren't allowed to go past 39 weeks). First we had a check up with the doctor to determine how much effaced and dilated I was... still only being 50% effaced and 1cm dilated (for about two weeks)... we headed over to the hospital to began the induction. Walking over to the hospital I had so many thoughts running through my head... "I can't believe I'm finally going to meet the sweet little baby that has been dancing around in my belly. What is she going to look like? Who will she be? And OH MY GOSH I am terrified!" I was left with these thoughts running though my head as I sat in the waiting lobby while Trent (husband) ran to our car to get our mounds of bags. Which later on I realized over HALF the stuff I packed for our hospital stay never got used. Even though I was overwhelmed with these thoughts, the idea of going through labor and becoming a mom STILL hadn't quite hit me. It wasn't until we were walking into our hospital room, that the rush of mixed feelings went throughout my entire body and really hit me!! As the nurses started to ask questions and I began to change into the hospital gown, my emotions got the best of me and I started to bawl. I was going to FINALLY be a mom... I was FINALLY going to go through an experience that I had anticipated my entire adult life... and I was petrified!
Sitting in that hospital bed, having visitors and nurses come in and out - my contractions started, although I didn't feel a single one of them. I was surprised and hopeful that I was going to be that one miracle woman who could go through labor and not feel a thing and go through the whole process naturally. HA! I look back and think about how I was so naive to actually think that.
At around 10:00pm the induction process truly began. I chose to go through a process called The Foley Bulb induction, a "balloon" is placed within the cervix then room temperature water is filled inside the balloon to make the cervix stretch naturally, and once the bulb stretches the cervix to about 4cm the bulb will fall out on its own. The placement of the bulb wasn't necessarily painful, there was a ton of pressure but it was tolerable. After the bulb was placed, that is when I felt EVERY single contraction (about two to three minutes apart) for two hours. Having my mom and husband by my-side was my saving grace. My mom standing there coaching me every step of the way, feeding me ice chips and calming down, while my husband held my hand and talked me through the contractions. There was even a moment during one of my contractions that my he stepped away to eat Doritos. When he returned to my side, the only thing I could think of was to laugh and tell him how the smell of the Doritos on his breath was going to make me throw up. Although I would have expected that I would have gotten mad at this little quirk of his, but feeling the most excruciating pain in my life I needed this quirk to distract me and make me laugh. This was also the moment I decided that I was going to get an epidural when it was time.
After the two hours of excruciating pain, the nurses administered medication to slow down my contractions and let the bulb do its job. The medication made me super loopy and super sleepy, but it did exactly what it was intended to do. Although the medication typically lasts for two hours for most patients, for myself it lasted for seven hours. I throughly enjoyed those last 7 hours of sleep before the commotion started.
Around 8am the next day I was checked on because the bulb hadn't fallen out yet. I was 6cm and "holding" the bulb in, once it was removed I was finally able to receive the epidural. I always thought the epidural was going to be a terrifying moment, I've heard and read horror stories. However getting it was an easy, fast, and painless experience. And goodness was I thankful I decided to opt-in for that drug, I was able to enjoy giving birth and not the pain and pressure. After getting the epidural, the nurses realized I was 9cm and my water still hadn't broke
Around 10am the doctor came in and broke my water, typically a sharp long utensil is used but because baby J's head was low and in the way she had to use her hand. At this point I was hoping we were going to meet baby girl soon (within the hour), but once again it didn't go as planned. I stayed at 9cm for 5 hours! The doctors and nurses began to get concerned and contemplated a cesarean section, the nurses even had bets on how long it was going to take before they got notice that I was being rolled into the O.R. Lucky for me, I had the best nurse ever who came in and was determined to have me deliver vaginally because it was what my birth plan consisted of. She rubbed my cervix and within the hour, she was coaching me to push.
As I was absorbing those last moments and concentrating on every push, my mind couldn't help but wonder... my whole life was about to change. Everyone kept telling me that statement throughout my entire pregnancy, heck throughout my entire life everyone has always repeated "When you have a child your whole life changes". But I never really realized what everyone meant until that EXACT moment. It wasn't just going to be about me anymore, I was going to have someone else to constantly think about. Someone who was going to depend on me, someone I was going to be responsible for, for the rest of my life. Experiencing labor up until this point had already changed my life, within 24 hours I was already a different person. I had morphed into a completely different person, I was going to be a mom. One last push and...
Happy Birthday January Dalis
A little over 24 hours of labor and pushing for one hour, at 4:57pm... little miss January Dalis Jones made her debut. 6lbs 5 oz 20.24 in. It was the most magical moment I will probably ever experience in my whole life. Holding her for the first time in my arms the whole room and everyone in it sort of disappeared. All I saw was her, this tiny most perfect beautiful human and the only thought that was going through my head was... I love this tiny person so much. My mom and sisters (who were present in the room taking pictures) said the minute they pulled her out I let out the hugest sigh of relief. I think it was not only relief from labor and delivery being over, but relief that I had finally made it to this moment, and the hugest relief of all that my dreams came true and she was finally here!!
I could go into all the details about post birth and the roller coaster of emotions that happen as well and the intimate details that vaginal birth entails but unless asked for I probably won't. Although it would be a great topic to get into and compare with other moms, maybe one day!
One month later...
30 days of sleepless night
30 days of snuggles
30 days of cries from me and her
30 days of baby smell
30 days = appx. 300+ diapers
30 days of staring at her small toes and fingers
30 days of learning something and someone new
30 days of watching my husband and falling in love with him all over again
30 days I will always remember and cherish for the rest of my life
The first month with this sweet girl of mine has been a real life dream come true. Because this small human came into my life, I am a different person.. I am weaker and stronger at the same time. I have the feeling of sadness and happiness all the time. I am always worrying yet admiring her every move. Becoming a mom has been one of the best and most rewarding feelings in the world.
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