I've learned from past experience that the time for rumination and journal writing becomes more and more scarce with each child. So while I'm still here in the hopsital and have a few precious hours with just baby and me, I thought I'd write out Jacob's birth story, while everything is still fresh.
Coming back to the same place that I've given birth 3 other times has been so nice- everything is familiar. But it also helps me to remember details of the births of my other 3 children that I had totally forgotten- or erased from memory! I also went back and just re-read the birth stories of Levi, Alida and Caleb and that's been interesting. Anyway, for future reference, Levi's birth story is here. Alida's birth story is here. And Caleb's birth story is here.
I'll back up a little bit to give some context for this pregnancy and birth. One year ago, in June of 2020, Michael was laid off from his job with Newfield/Ovintiv in Roosevelt, Ut. We were really bummed about this because we really liked our beautiful home and ward, he really liked his job, but most especially his benefits. We had a great 401k, life insurance, dental insurance, and of course health insurance. Financially we were ok because of my Plexus income, and having Michael home in July when I ranked Emerald was really good timing as well. We also started to feel stirings that we'd be moving, and that our dream of going to Wayne County and building a home was now. That didn't seem to make sense- given the down market of homes and the oilfield. But I felt the prompting and the confirmation was clear- so we took the leap of faith and began preparing to sell our home and look for jobs down south.
Losing our benefits was probably the hardest part of Michael losing his job. However I also felt that it was about time for us to think about getting pregnant again, since I was 39 and Caleb was 18 months old. Starting your family later means you don't have years between babies to decide if you're gonna keep going. I felt like there was another, but not having insurance made me nervous about getting pregnant. We could have continued coverage under Cobra but it was more than $2500/month for our family, and we just couldn't afford that. So we decided to go without.
We did find a cost sharing program called Christian Healthcare Ministries that cost much less, about $500/month. However, we happened to get pregnant 1 week before we were eligible for coverage with them. We found out we were pregnant in the middle of November, 2020, and also discovered we wouldn't have any healthcare coverage under our existing plan. Yet, I felt like things would work out and we needed to have faith. I feel like part of having any child is exercising the faith that the Lord will help. It's never convenient or easy to be pregnant or have children. But with faith, things work out.
By then we were in the process of packing everything up and moving into our rental in Loa Utah. We moved to Wayne County Dec. 1st, 2020. I won't spend a lot more time on the time before the birth but I want to just say this: deciding to sell our beautiful home in Roosevelt and move was not comfortable. Deciding to move to Wayne County and build a home also was a leap of faith. And having a 4th child in the midst of all of that, with no health insurance, took the most faith of all. The weight of worry about how to afford this child and who would care for him and I during the pregnancy was heavy on my mind often- especially the concern about the financial possibility without insurance.
After much deliberation, I finally decided to try the home birth route with a midwife. I've always been curious about natural childbirth, but didn't know enough to feel confident in that route. I found a midwife in Nephi that had a lot of experience and began exploring that pathway. I was pleased to see her prenatal appointments included the same urine samples and measuring and testing my prenatals with the doctor did. But she would take much more time to talk and counsel on nutrition and make sure I felt comfortable with everything. The OBGYN I went to in Richfield took less than 5 minutes with me each time and the bill was $250. It seemed clear to me that I was receiving better care with the midwife so I decided to stay with the midwife for prenatal care and just see how it went.
But I still worried often about the possibility of complications and how far she and I would have to travel if I were to give birth in Wayne County, where the nearest hospital was over an hour away and Nephi where m midwife lived was 2 hours away. I also worried about the possibility of complications happening during birth while so far from a hospital. I felt healthier than I ever have with this pregnancy, but it just helps with peace of mind to know that you are in good hands in case something goes wrong. After much more deliberation and the help of a friend reaching out, I decided I would move to Provo with the kids for the last month of pregnancy and give birth at a birth center there across from the hospital with my midwife. This way if there were complications a transfer would be easy. Finally having a place decided on to give birth gave me tremendous peace of mind.
The pregnancy proceeded without complications through the first and second trimester. I did have some morning sickness the first trimester, and because I wasn't under the care of a doctor, I was really vigilent to eat well and control my blood sugars so I wouldn't get gestational diabetes. I enjoyed the prenatal care I got from the midwife I chose in Nephi, including urine tests, measuring and listening to baby and felt like things were going well. However, as with all my other pregnancies, it's the last 6 weeks of pregnancy when things start to get really serious. Middle of May, when I was about 30 weeks, is when things started to get more interesting.
All my other babies came at 37 weeks. Levi was induced at 36 weeks 6 days because of my mom's death, but I went into labor with both Alida and Caleb when I was exactly 37 weeks, so I kind of expected the same for this one. My due date was July 25th, but in my mind I always envisioned July 4th, knowing that was 37 weeks. Even though all my babies came 3 weeks "early", all of them were fully developed and weighed at least 7.5 lbs (except for Levi, who was 6 lbs). But I just sort of felt that 37 weeks was my gestational period, and Dr. Nolte agreed. After delivering Caleb he said, "Well now we just know that you only need 37 weeks to cook your babies!" Which I am TOTALLLLLY fine with, ha!
Anyway, with that in mind, things started getting interesting around the middle of May, after my jewel trip to Florida, at about 30 weeks. My feet and hands started swelling, but it wouldn't go away, like it had in the past. The swelling made me wonder about preclampsia, but I was doing SO well with my blood sugars, I just figured that things were healthy with my body otherwise. And none of my other urine testing or blood pressure readings at my prenatals with my midwife indicated any major concerns. So we both just kept going, and I doubled down on the Brewer diet of lots of protein (100 grams/day), lots of water (100 oz./day) and lots of salt.
When June came, so did some record temperatures, and we quickly discovered that our rental apartment didn't have AC or good ventilation. I had no idea how much intense heat like that would affect me in pregnancy! I was already struggling to sleep at night and was often awake for several hours every night, but once it got hot in the house, my sleep was awful. Every night I would be awake from 1am to 6am, finally dozing back off to sleep right around when the kids would be waking up for the day. It was awful! Not getting sleep night after night for weeks is AWFUL. We also got sick right after getting back from Florida and I honestly wondered if it was Covid. It lasted for about 10 days and I had a really hard time breathing. Constant congestion, SPD and pain in my pelvis, and getting more and more swollen, so things started slowing down a LOT in June.
So the combination of being sick, not breathing well, not sleeping well, and constantly being hot started to add up. I think especially the heat was difficult for my blood pressure. My midwife started expressing some concerns and there were traces of protein in my urine so I started to monitor my blood pressure at home, and things were getting worse. I also started having more frequent contractions that I could feel and were painful- something I hadn't experienced in my other pregnancies. One night when I didn't sleep at all, I decided to get out my blood pressure cuff and just check. 170/100. I texted my midwife and I finally decided to go in to Gunnison Valley Hospital for an NST just to check on things, and there was diagnosed with early stages of preclampsia. My blood pressures weren't alarming, but were consistently high, and there was some protein in my urine. just became clear that I would need more medical oversight than a homebirth would allow. So I decided to start making plans to switch care and figure out how to get me to a doctor and hospital.
I called Dr. Nolte's wife and he happened to be home that Saturday. He talked to me on his personal cell phone and I asked if I could transfer care to him. I wanted to go to a familiar doctor, but most especially because I hoped for a VBAC and the OBGYN in Richfield already told me if I didn't have prenatal care with her she wouldn't be willing to do a VBAC, so I feel like that made the decision to go back to Roosevelt easy. Dr. Nolte was kind and was happy to do it, but told me I'd need more frequent NSTs and would need to get to Roosevelt ASAP. Thus began figuring out the logistics of multiple hospital visits (without kids for hours at a time), and getting me to Roosevelt for medical care and what to do with the kids inbetween.
Pam took the kids for an NST, Michael had them on the weekend. Emily Gordon came down from Roosevelt and we paid her to nanny for a few days while I got 2 other NSTs. Somehow it all worked out. 8 NSTs in all starting June 20th. 3 in Gunnison. 2 in Richfield and 3 in Roosevelt. One night my contractions were so consisent that I decided I better go into the hospital to stop things if it was preterm labor. Things settled down once I got to the Richfield hospital, but my blood pressures were not great. After coming home from that, our whole family got really sick with the stomach flu and there was lots of puking and lots of being up all night for all of us. :/ June was a pretty miserable month for everyone, including Michael who got super sick in his truck too. I was so glad that we finally had insurance and were able to go get medicine for ear infections, and know that we had coverage if things got worse.
When I realized I needed to get to Roosevelt for medical care I reached out to a couple of old friends (Cathy Nolte, Kim Labrum, Mindy Snow) from our last ward and was almost immediately able to secure housing for the kids and I so I was able to move out to Roosevelt within a week, which was a miracle. I cannot overemphasize how incredibly miraculous and humbling it was to receive such swift help and care from both strangers and friends the last week of June as we were switching care and making all these changes of plans. Gary and Terry Rohrer said we could stay in their 3 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment above their garage and were happy to accomodate us. Such sweet, good people.
I should mention here, another reason I was ok with transfering to medical from home birth was that we were able to secure insurance through the Federal Marketplace in June, and that had taken effect. Even though I knew we'd have to pay a large deductible first ($17,500), I knew that if there were complicaations, it wouldn't bankrupt us beyond that amount to go to the hospital and that made it more feasible.
Moving to Roosevelt
I was able to move to Roosevelt with Alida on Monday June 28th. I brought Alida with me and left Levi and Caleb with grandma Pam, figuring 2 would be easier than 3 for her, and that Alida would be easy to manage. Well the 4 hour car ride (where she got carsick) and then the 4 hour NST as soon as we got to Roosoevelt was not the girls' trip that she imagined, but she was a good sport about it and did a good job. We got into our apartment that evening but quickly realized the AC was not working, but things cooled down in the evening after the sun went down and we were able to rest.
Gary and Terry were so kind and so accomodating, and made arrangements to fix the AC as quickly as they could. Alida loved their big backyard and all her fairy gardens and play houses and trampolines, but missed having kids to play with. Cherry Dawson, who lives across the street, came over with her 4 boys and visited and let Alida play and that was a lifesaver. Cherry ended up being SO helpful, constantly checking on me, helping with meals and childcare, giving me a place to hang out while the AC was being fixed and it was hot in the afternoon. She was an angel, and even took Alida while I had an NST on Wednesday for 6 hours and Emily was at girls camp. I am so grateful for her and all her help- while she herself is at home alone with 4 boys. She's a miracle worker.
After my NST on Wednesday Dr. Nolte said I looked good enough to let baby cook for longer, and he wouldn't need to see me until Saturday, unless I didn't feel well. That was both good and bad news- Michael and I both were kind of hoping he'd say he'd want to induce me by the end of the week, or that I would go into labor on my own, but niether was happening. My body seemed to be calming down once I was in Roosevelt and relaxing a little more. So we tried to settle into the idea that maybe I would be here longer and maybe he would be our first baby to go past 37 weeks.
This whole time Rohrer's took us in and treated me like a daughter and helped with anything I needed. And Alida loves "Grandpa Gary" and would follow him around any time he was home. Her home and yard are beautiful and she spends her time decorating, taking care of her yard, and making delicious food! I spent a lot of time visiting with them in their outdoor gazebo and just enjoying their beautiful backyard. I really enjoyed just spending time with them and visiting and doing nothing. It's been years since I just sat around and visited! They had backyard parties they invited us too with their kids and grandkids, and Alida had the time or her life, and we ate lots of good food. I really enjoyed the time I got to spend just being a part of their family for a few days.
After my NST on Wednesday and being sent away for the week, I settled into the idea of just chilling in Roosevelt for a few weeks and bringing the boys up to live with me as well. On Thursay July 1st Camrie Snow took Alida with her to play for the day so I could just rest, and then on Friday Michael was able to get home early and pick up the boys and bring them to Roosevelt. I knew the whole family would be here soon, so I took one more day to rest while Alida played with Emily Gordon on Friday and went to the pool and playground while Terry helped me drop off my van to be fixed at Palmer's, and also picked us all up and helped get us dinner too. She was so helpful! Resting while Alida was with Camrie and Emily was wonderful, but I could still tell things were ramping up with my body.
Friday after dropping off Alida and the van, I asked Terry if she had a blood pressure cuff I could borrow, just to check things when we got home. Well the first reading was 170/100 and that was distressing. Every reading after that was high as well. I texted Dr. Nolte and he said I ought to come in, so as soon as Michael got there with the kids and we fed everyone Taco Bell, he dropped me off for another NST. This whole time baby was doing well and moving well, and even though my blood pressures were up, still not alarming enough to induce labor. However, by the end of the evening on Friday, I was having pretty consistent contractions- but spread far apart. Trina Bird was my nurse that night, along with Wanda, who had been one of my nurses previously. Wanda asked what I wanted to do- if I wanted to stay or go home, and I asked Trina what she thought. She said "Even if you are in labor, go home. You won't be able to eat here or move around or do anything. Go home and labor, eat, move around, do what you want, and if it's real labor, just come back."
So I did. I finally went home at 11pm. Emily Gordon ended up staying the night with us to help with kids and I came home to everyone asleep. It was nice to be able to spend a little time with Michael that night and just be together as a family. It felt peaceful to finally have everything worked out. Well, about an hour later, my water broke. There was no question about it because I had liquid dripping down my leg, so I knew it was baby time. I decided to clean up and stay home and labor through the night until contractions got closer together. I was able to get some sleep but woke up about 4am knowing I'd need to go in soon. My van was being fixed at the mechanic so I knew I'd need Michael to take me, and that would mean waking him and Emily up to watch the kids, so I held out as long as I could. Plus I wanted to see the kids for a few minutes before going to have the baby and just snuggle my Caleb one last time while he was still the baby of the family.
Everyone got up around 8am, we had some snuggles, I got the call that my van was fixed and ready to pick up so we headed out, got my van and went to the hospital. Michael went home and dropped off Caleb and got the kid all settled for the day with Emily and then came back.
When I got to the hospital my contractions were less than 5 minutes apart, and I'd have to stop walking to breathe through contractions on the way there. But once I got checked in, things slowed down quite a bit. The nurse checked that my water had actually broken, and I was dialated to a so things had progressed. I felt like birth was imminent, so she hooked me up to an IV for antibiotics and called Dr. Nolte, who had been up all night with 3 other deliveries. He came in and said "Congrats, you did it on your own!" He knew how badly I wanted baby to come sooner than later, but wanted him to come on on his own. I'm glad my water broke too so we could officially get the party started!
Continued in next post..
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