Penelope's Birth Story

"Sunday morning, March 27th, I woke up at 6am!"
I woke up because I had an achy feeling in my uterus and I remembered that same feeling from a previous day, October 17th, 2007... Graham's birth day. I had been having contractions (strong ones) for days and weird sharp pains "down south" for days as well. I kept thinking that it was getting close, but I didn't know when. All week my Mom had been saying that this weekend would be a great time to have the baby even though it was a week early. So Sunday morning I got up and got Graham and I ready for church with Marty going to meetings with the idea that this might be the day. We got to church and I had to stop at times to breath through the contractions and everyone kept telling me to go home. haha! I figured it better to be distracted by people and motion than sit home and worry about how the day was going to pan out. So I stayed at church! Marty and I walked the garden grounds until it got too cold and then we went back inside for Sacrament Meeting. When I was sitting down it was okay, but when I stood up the contractions were pretty strong. After church I put Graham down for his nap and then tried to take a nap myself. As I tried to sleep I timed my contractions and they were still 10 minutes apart. I knew I didn't want to labor all day and end up having the baby in the middle of the night because I didn't want to be too exhausted! So after naps and Marty got home from his church meetings we started to walk the hills by our home. This totally worked! My contractions went from 10 mins apart to 5 mins apart to 3 mins apart. When we got home my parents were there and Randi and Rich had taken Graham away so I could be home with little distractions. The contractions were really building and we started to use the techniques we practiced in class. The hypnosis, the position changes, and mostly the breathing. I got in the tub at my home and that seemed to really help. We called my doula, Claire, and she said whenever you want to go to the hospital you can, but to remember it is harder once you get there to avoid interventions. So we stayed home a little longer and my Mom and Marty traded off helping me through the contractions and then we decided to get in the car. We got to the University of Utah Hospital and took advantage of their valet parking! I walked a ways to get to the OB Emergency where they check you in and admit you. I think it was a little much, because when I got there I started to throw up and there was some rushing around to help get me settled. I was dilated to a 5 and they got my IV started in case of emergency. I didn't want fluids because of my POTS. Large amounts of fluid can shock the vessels and I didn't want to do anything I could avoid. The nurses were amazing at the U! They were so good about the natural birth. I told them (well my Mom told them) about my birth with Graham and they were on board with no epidural. I had lots of hands on me helping me through! Once we got to our labor room we walked around the halls for a bit. Marty and my Mom were kind of dragging me around as I put one foot in front of the other. But after each contraction I could still talk and kind of smile. About an hour after we arrived (around 9:00) they checked me again and I was a 6. I told the nurse that we should set a goal (does that sound like me or what?) to have the baby by 12:30. I was started to doubt my strength. We called Claire, our Doula, and she was on her way. My nurse, started the bathtub in the bathroom and I decided to try it out. This is where it really started to get funny as I look back. I had been so determined to be modest in my labor. I had read all these books and thought it was so weird that all these woman were totally naked during their births. So I bought cute labor dresses, brought a swimsuit, etc. Well I now know why those woman were naked... it is because YOU DO NOT CARE! You are just trying to endure the pain and who cares if you are 9 months pregnant in front of strangers... nude!

Okay, so where was I... in the tub trying to keep moving and breathing. Marty was scratching my back with this tickler thing and my nurse was bringing me cold wash clothes. Marty was amazing! He was so supportive and never left my side. He kept with the plan and tried to help read all my hypnosis things or tell me stories or poems. He was so positive and never let me see any fear. I love him! When Claire arrived it was probably between 10 and 10:30pm. I'm not totally sure. But after a few minutes of her reading affirmations, etc... my water broke in the tub. I felt a pop and felt a rush of fluid and that is when my Mom said I went primal. I tried to move around or breath put there was no break between the contractions. They kept coming stronger and stronger and stronger. I started to yell and all I can remember is Claire saying breath that baby out! Which makes me laugh now, but it wasn't so funny then. I felt like the pain was so strong that it was pushing me under the water. I was yelling that I was drowning! And then I felt the baby drop down and it felt like she was going to come out there in the tub. I screamed, "I need to push... I feel her head!!" I heard the nurse yell out in the hall, we need a doctor in here! (As I'm writing this I'm totally crying, because at that moment I knew we were so close and could I make the rest of the way!) After that someone told me to get out of the tub. I remember opening my eyes for a second and looking for the bed. I took two steps out of the tub and jumped into the bed. I turned on my side and was just yelling and screaming! I was a total Amazon Woman! Even now when I close my eyes I can still hear my yelling:) Who knew I would be so vocal:) So there I am on my side with no doctor, but plenty of nurses and residents. They said to push and I pushed twice for my life! I felt her head and then her shoulders and she was born! My baby girl was here and I didn't die! They handed her to me and I was in complete shock with the emotions and joy of it all. I just kept saying, "I did it!" "I can't believe I did it!" Marty was holding tight to me (did I mention how much I love him!?) and the room was so happy. It felt so different than my first birth I can't quite explain it. I tore a bit so they had to numb me and stitch me up, but I will spare you those details (if I haven't already given enough detail). The nurses waited to do the eye cream so I could see Penny's eyes. I just looked at her tiny self and couldn't believe she was finally here. She was so special right from the start. It has been so wonderful over the last few weeks to take care of her. I kind of feel like it is a first baby all over again. I never really got to just hold Graham because I was too weak, I never changed his diapers, bathed him or burped him. I'm so grateful for all the people that did do that for Graham when I couldn't. But I'm thrilled that I can be the one to do this for Penny!

Everyone keeps asking me how I'm doing with my POTS so I'll put down a little bit here. I feel okay. I definitely still have the Tachycardia, weakness, and fatigue. But it is no where near where it was with Graham. After Penny, I was very weak the first few days, so they decided to give me blood. It made all the difference. I had lost quite a bit and my hematocrit was low making my POTS worse. The blood helped me be strong enough to at least get up and get moving around. I'm still taking all my medication for my heart and blood pressure. I'm trying to take good care of my self, but that is hard when the one thing you really need is sleep and that is the one thing that is so hard to get!

I want to thank everyone who helped get this baby here! Our prayers were heard and I know the Lord knew just what I could handle and delivered:) I truly feel like everything I wanted to happen, happened. I feel so grateful and indebted to a loving Heavenly Father who knows us personally. And I'm so grateful to be a wife and mother. Our family of FOUR carries on!

Love you all!

Jess