Jayden Chandler

So it has been quite a while since my last post. Lots to update.
On November 29, 2008 at 9:20 am I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Jayden Chandler Hahn weighed 7 lbs 6 oz and was 20-1/2 inches long.

I had my 36-week appointment with the doctor on November 14. When she checked me, I was 2cm dilated and 70% effaced. The next week, I was 3cm dilated and 75% effaced. During this time I had false labor a few times. On November 26, I went into the doctor's office for my 38-week appointment. My usual doctor was out of town for the holiday, so the on-call doctor saw me and stripped my membranes. I was 3-1/2cm dilated and 80% effaced. I didn't know what it meant to have my membranes stripped exactly, I had heard others talk about it, but the only thing I really knew was that it hurt like hell and was supposed to speed up the process. I was okay with the thought of speeding things up, as I was really sick of false labor; however, I didn't want to have him on Thanksgiving day.

Well, Thanksgiving day came and nothing happened. I had contractions, but nothing major. The little guy just liked it in there way too much. My mom planned to come down on the 28th because I stayed in SLC for Thanksgiving. So the night of Thanksgiving, I got maybe 3-4 hours of sleep total. I woke up on the 28th at around 8 because my mother-in-law was calling about a "Black Friday" sale and wanted to know if we wanted to come over for breakfast. Since my mom was coming down that day, and his grandparents were still in town, I just got up and stayed up rather than trying to sleep more that day. I was still convinced nothing was going to happen. We were pretty busy that whole day. My mom, Brandon, Mike, and Jenessa were all over at our house visiting. We watched "A Very Colbert Christmas" together and it was hilarious. After it finished, I was writing something down and my fingers hurt so badly I could barely write and bend them. I decided that I needed to check my blood pressure. I had the equipment to do so at my house, and both Mike and I knew how to do it. So, Mike and I went into the kitchen and proceeded to check my blood pressure. It was 160/101. We checked it 3 times to be sure. I immediately called the on-call doctor. Dr. Brown called me back within minutes. It was around 8 or 9pm at this time. She told me to head into the hospital right away and that they were going to run tests and probably induce me. That is essentially what happened.

We got into the hospital, they ran tests. By the time we got to the hosptial my blood pressure had dropped down to 149/93. Still high, but not bad or so I thought. I was on fluids, we were in limbo waiting for blood tests to come back and waiting to find out whether or not I was going to get induced. Since my pressure had dropped, BJ and I thought I was going to get sent home. We were wrong. They decided to admit me and induce me. Because of the blood pressure issues, I wasn't allowed to labor in the ways that I had planned. I had to stay in the bed the whole time rather than being able to move around or labor in the tub to help me go natural. I was still okay with this though. I mentally prepared myself. They started me on Pitocin, on a low dose at my request to allow me to progress naturally. Around 2am, Dr. Brown came in and explained to me that they wanted to break my water and gave me the reasons why. I agreed and my water broke. This is when labor began. I forgot to mention that when I got in to the hospital, I was dilated to a 4 and 90% effaced. Beej called the doula I hired and the process began.

I was still planning on going natural at this point. The doula arrived and I think we forgot to mention to her what changes took place and why we were in the position we were in. Anyway, with the help and support of my wonderful husband, mother, mother-in-law, nurse (DeeDee from 11pm-7am) and doula, I made it to an 8cm dilation before I got an epidural. I was so exhausted at this point. I had been awake since 8am the previous day and not been able to take a nap. The contractions were intense and one on top of the other. I couldn't get a break and what I thought I was going to experience with my doula, I wasn't experiencing. I just couldn't do it anymore and I caved. When I initially said "ok I can't do it anymore" the anesthesiologist was about to do a c-section; however, he was going to run in and give me the epidural first. (My mom, mother-in-law, and nurse wanted me to get the epidural about 2 hours before I actually did). Unfortunately, the c-section became an emergency one and I had to wait for that to finish before I could get my epidural, which was another hour. After the anesthesiologist administered the epidural, which was a low dose one that I could control, I was able to take a nap for 30-min until they put in the catheter. I was still able to move my legs and I could still feel the pressure, but the edge had been taken off the sharp intense pain of the contractions. I think I got the epidural around 6am because the last thing my nurse DeeDee got to do was put in the catheter, then her shift was over. Lori was my next nurse and she too was phenomenal. Shortly after Lori came on, I got to start pushing. She had me start pushing at 8am, but had me stop for like 30 min for some reason. Then I started pushing again and he was almost out when I had to stop pushing again so Dr. Brown could deliver another baby lol. However, after only an hour of real pushing, Jayden Chandler was born at 9:20am on November 29.

It was an incredible experience. While I didn't want the epidural, now that I know how this hospital does it, I would do it again. Immediately after he was born and I was getting transferred up to maternity, I was able to walk myself into my wheelchair and from the wheelchair into the new bed. I had such a low dose epidural that I still retained all of my function and control, which I was worried about. Plus, without it, I don't think I would have had the energy to push him out. The nurses at Intermountain Medical Center were phenomenal. DeeDee and Lori were a godsend to me. My family was amazing as well. Aside from the preeclampsia, I wouldn't change a thing about the entire event.
A tired me with my beautiful baby boy!!
Jayden Chandler caught smiling at 1-week.

I have to get the pics from that day from my in-laws and my mom... I was a bit busy to be taking pics lol

More to come later!