Elsie girl! I’m so glad you’re here with us, healthy and strong! I love you so much. I’m working on this after Dad left the hospital for the night. You look adorable sitting in your little bassinet beside my hospital bed! You just had your first bath (on Jan 11th) and are so cute snuggled up in your blankets.
01.09.2025
38 weeks and 5 days gestation
I had a prenatal appointment with Dr. Katherine Peacock where she swept my membranes to hopefully induce labor! At the appointment, we also talked about scheduling an induction closer to my 40-week mark, as a backup if I didn’t go into labor on my own. I was dilated to 3-4 cm and experienced some light contractions for a few hours following the membrane sweep.
I started experiencing some painful contractions around 10/10:30 pm but was able to lay down and get to sleep around 11:00 after they calmed down some.
01.10.2025
38 weeks and 6 days gestation
I woke up around 12:30 in a lot of pain from my contractions! I expected them to calm down again, so I rode them out for about an hour before I woke up Jase. They were intense and close together. I woke up your dad with my movement around the room, and once I decided I was in too much pain to sit around and wait any longer we loaded up into the car and got to the hospital! Your dad laughed at me because I booked it when walking around the house and into the hospital anytime I had a break between contractions. I wanted to get to my epidural as fast as possible!
We got to the Riverton Intermountain Hospital around 2 am. I was quickly checked in triage and was found I was dilated to six cm! They got me moved to a room and ordered an epidural for me; I was still in a lot of pain anytime I had a contraction. You gave me the most painful contractions I’ve ever had! The anesthesiologist arrived quickly and got my epidural in nice and quick. When he was giving me my numbing shots (before placing the epidural catheter) I told him that I loved what I was feeling, because I knew that I wouldn’t be feeling anything pretty soon! I didn’t have any contractions while getting my epidural placed until the very end of the process when I was getting my back taped up. I was super grateful because they were coming about every 30 seconds to four minutes since they had woken me up.
After getting my epidural placed my nurses finished all our admission paperwork and I settled in to try and get some sleep. Around 4:45 am the on-call doctor came to check me and break my water. I was dilated to 8 cm, so Jase called Auntie Lexie and my mom to come to the hospital and get ready for your arrival! They got to the hospital by 5 am, ready to entertain me. Auntie Sophie was going to come, but was out of town when you decided to come!
Auntie Lexie and Grandma arrived quickly and we all hung around the room for a few hours while we waited for you. I started feeling pressure in my bum around 8:30 and called my nurse to check my cervix. I was dilated to 10 cm and the nurse gave Dr. Peacock a call, who in turn asked for me to do some pushes to make sure you were descending like you should be before she came in. I wanted to try pushing on my side so I laid back and we started pushing through a contraction. My epidural made my whole evening super comfy and painless, but I was still able to move my legs plenty; so I was able to move around as needed. Unfortunately, you were not happy when I was lying on either of my sides or my back (I had spent the previous two hours in the “throne position” where I was essentially sitting up, but reclined and comfy), and your heart rate dipped a good amount. We pushed through two contractions, one on each side, but you weren’t having it. The nurse called Dr. Peacock to come in right away because of your heart rate and I sat back up while we waited, which made you happy again and got your heart rate close to where it needed to be.
When Dr. Peacock arrived she checked your position and you were at 3+ (meaning you were as low as you could get and it was push time). I reclined more but didn’t lay all the way back this time, this kept you happy enough while I pushed. I pushed through five or six contractions (I pushed three times, for 10 seconds per push, during each contraction), and you made your arrival! The hospital had a mirror mounted on the ceiling, so I was able to see your head getting closer and closer to being out while I worked on pushing. On the last contraction, you were so close that I pushed two or three more times after it was finished and you popped out! You were born at 8:49 am. You got placed on my chest right away, then we waited for your umbilical cord to stop pulsing before I cut it myself! You took a second to cry and looked like a little blue smurf, but you adjusted to your new world quickly. Your APGAR score was 8 at the one-minute mark, then 9 at the five-minute mark. I got to hold you while they did all their assessments and then got to do golden hour! Dad held you as well, and then we got you weighed and measured. You were 5lb 8oz (in the third percentile for your weight) and 18 inches long.
About an hour and a half after your arrival, we moved from Labor and Delivery to the Postpartum Unit. They loaded me into a wheelchair, then I held you while we were wheeled over. They play a cute lullaby to celebrate each delivery when the mom and baby are wheeled to their room. I’ve never been able to bring my baby to my postpartum room with me so I cried the whole way. I have adored having you with me!
I didn’t tear at all while I was pushing, so this has been the easiest recovery out of all of my births. Evan and Eli came to meet you right after lunch on the day you were born. Evan loved holding you and Eli liked the lights on my hospital bed. Your dad has been in and out of the hospital, spending some time with your brothers at home and some time with us. We got put in an isolation room because every other room in the maternity ward was full when we came over from Labor and Delivery. It’s a little bit smaller than a normal room, so there isn’t a couch for your dad to sleep on. He wanted to sleep at home anyway though, and your brothers were glad to have him. Other than that the only difference between our room and a normal one is that we have a heavy door with a window.
After your birth, we had to be careful with your body temperature and your blood sugar, because you’re such a small thing. You had a couple of low blood sugar readings, so the nurse fed you some sugar gel before two of your feedings, and then you ate by bottle. Your blood sugar went right back up. Other than that we’ve breastfed and now your blood sugar has been good long enough that we don’t have to check it anymore. The only time you had issues with your body temperature was right after delivery and golden hour. Once we got you warmed back up we kept you bundled up and you did great. I love to take your hat off and see all your cute dark hair though! Your pediatrician said he saw the low blood sugar and low body temperature alerts and thought, “Another tiny Jensen!” He got to see you on the 11th, the day after you were born because they round on patients in the mornings.
Other Dates:
Oct 11th (25 weeks and 6 days) - We celebrated you with a Halloween-themed baby shower!
Oct 22nd (27 and 3) - Went into Riverton Labor and Delivery to check on contractions. I was dilated to a “tight” one cm. I received a shot of Terbutaline to stop contractions. I got to go home from triage after four hours.
Oct 28th (28 and 2) - I had some light contractions over the weekend, Dr. Peacock checked my cervix and it was still a “tight” one cm. I got my TDAP vaccine and got my first Betamethasone shot to help your lungs develop if you come early (got the second shot on Oct 29th). The Dr. changed my appointment schedule to start meeting with her weekly.
Nov 14th (30 and 5) - Went into Murray Labor and Delivery to check on contractions. I was still at one cm, so I got to go home after a few hours in triage.
Nov 18th and 19th (31 and 2-3) - I received my second dose of Betamethasone.
Dec 1st (33 and 1) - Went into Riverton Labor and Delivery to check on contractions. While I was there I progressed from one cm to “one and a wiggle,” but didn’t progress anymore so I was able to go home again!
Dec 28th and 29th (37 and 1-2) - I got admitted to Riverton Labor and Delivery overnight. I was one cm dilated when I was first checked, and still at a one after 20 minutes. My contractions were still good and I was full term, so they had me go walk the hospital to see if we could get things to progress. My contractions were really painful while I was walking stairs and doing laps around the offices. I had progressed to two cm by the time I got back. My contractions were strong enough that they wanted to admit me, but as soon as I was settled in a room they calmed down. I went on another walk, but I wasn’t in nearly as much pain and things didn’t progress further. The on-call Dr. decided to wait for Dr. Peacock to start her shift the next morning before making the call on whether they wanted to start Pitocin to get labor progressing. I went to bed around 4 am to wait. Dr. Peacock decided to send me home, so we packed things up and I took a long nap once we were home to catch back up on some sleep.
