Baby Evan Has Arrived!!

Evan Rick Jensen is here!!! Born at 32 weeks and 3 days. 4 pounds 3 ounces and 17 inches long. We are now grandparents!! Evan was due on August 21st and so it came as a concerning surprise when Ellen started having painful contractions and some bleeding last Tuesday, June 29. She called her doctor and was told to go to the hospital to get checked. They said that she had already dilated to 4 cm! They gave her some medicine to try and slow or stop the contractions and gave her a steroid shot to help speed up the development of Evan's lungs. They said that she would most likely have to stay in the hospital until she gave birth. Her contractions did slow down and become less painful, but they didn't stop. Rick was able to go over to the hospital around 1:00 so that he and Jase could give her a blessing. I was able to go over a couple of hours later after dropping off Jenna and her friend from dance. I visited with Jase and Ellen for a couple of hours before heading home to get dinner ready and prepare for Janelle's mission call opening, which would be later that night. Ellen's mom left South Jordan to head down to St. George and Jase slept over in the hospital room. 

The next day, on Wednesday, Ellen received her second steroid shot at 1:00 p.m. They wanted at least 24 hours to pass after the second shot before she gave birth, but she didn't make it that long. The next day, Thursday, July 1, we got a call about 7:30 in the morning saying that they checked Ellen and she was fully dilated to 10 cm! The baby had turned and was now breech and the cord was not where they wanted it to be for birth and so they would have to do an emergency c-section. They also found out that because of the small size and shape of her pelvis she will have to have c-sections for her future births.

Rick and I hurried over to the hospital. Jase had slept at their apartment last night since he hadn't been sleeping well at the hospital. Ellen's mom had come down from South Jordan on Tuesday evening and had stayed at the hospital and so she was already there. We were grateful that Jase made it in time for the birth!  We also made it to the hospital before he was born. He was born right at 8:00 a.m. We were even able to catch a sneak peek of the baby as they were wheeling him to the NICU. We took a video and some pictures. Because Evan came so early he will have to be in the NICU for several weeks. He is doing well though and his prognosis is good. We are praying that he grows and develops quickly! 

We waited in the room until they brought Ellen back and visited with her and her mom for a while. We are praying that she heals quickly from her c-section! We are so grateful for prayer -- and for modern medicine that allows a baby to be healthy, even when born two months early!!  

Easter Sunday -- Baby Josh is Born!!

Sunday, April 16 (Easter morning):  I think I slept some before waking up with painful contractions around 1:00 a.m.  I just lay in bed and watched the clock, timing the contractions….1:05…1:10….1:15…..1:20…finally I woke Rick up and said that I was having contractions five minutes apart and they were hurting so maybe I had better go to the hospital.

We’ve never had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night before and I was thinking “Darn! Gerilyn left one night too early!”   At first I was saying maybe I should just drive myself and leave him with the kids since it might take awhile (I know bad idea).  But when he could see that I was really starting to hurt he hurried and got dressed.  We  wondered who we could call in the middle of the night since most of our logical choices were out of town for Easter.  Rick said maybe he should drive around and see who had their lights on (another bad idea – I would have been home alone having a baby).

I said, “let’s just go and leave the kids and we will call someone on the way.”  So we grabbed the video camara bag, hospital bag, cell phones and ward directory and headed out.  Our neighbors who live down the street (Gentrys) had a light on and they have several teenage daughters and so we called them. She is also my visiting teaching companion.  I said, “Ronda? This is Wendy,” then started having a bad contraction and thought I might start to cry and so I just handed the phone to Rick.”  Rick explained the situation and she said that she would be right over.  We told her we had left the back door unlocked for her. On the drive over the contractions were coming closer together and really starting to hurt.  I was clutching my seat and breathing hard through each one.  The good thing about going that time of night is that at least there was no traffic!  

We arrived at the hospital at 1:38 a.m.  I stopped on the steps with a bad contraction and could hardly walk in the door. The desk attendant saw my plight and hurriedly brought a wheelchair to the door.  He said “Do you need this?”  I said “I don’t know” (I was sort of out of it) and sat down and Rick wheeled me to the nurse station.  The nurse at the desk was standing there brightly saying something like “Hello, what can we do for you?”  I’m thinking, “Isn’t it obvious??” I was about to say I was ready to have a baby (I mean – hello!) but I couldn’t talk through the contractions and so Rick said, “um, we need some help.”  When they saw how serious it was they hurried me into a room and handed me a gown and asked if I wanted an epidural.  I said “okay” (yeah, right!)   They handed me a gown (there were several nurses there) and I’m thinking, “I don’t want to change right here in front of everyone!”  So I go into the bathroom and I think Rick or someone helped me.

I barely made it on the bed and the nurse checked me and said, “She is fully dilated – and the bag is bulging!”  Seconds later the bag of waters broke all over soaking my socks and then I felt that burning, pushing sensation and baby Josh was here!  (1:45 a.m. – just 7 minutes after we had arrived!)  It was over with just like that, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!  It was so much better than sitting in a hospital room all day or all night hooked up to monitors, IV’s, and an Epidural and being numb and unable to walk for hours afterwards.   I don’t know if Rick thought so though – he was shaking his head saying that was cutting it way too close!  It was still awhile before the placenta came out, so I still hurt somewhat.  Then Dr. Lunt arrived and said there were two tiny tears and one of them would need to be sewed up.  So that took several minutes and was not fun!  I wasn’t able to nurse the baby until after that because it was too awkward.  Finally I got to hold him and nurse him.  He definitely looks like a member of the family!  He has lots of hair – more than any of the other kids (about like Janika when she was born).   So all three of our boys came quick and natural and all three of our girls took a long time and came with all of the interventions.  Anyway, I was so glad to have him here safe and sound and what a wonderful Easter gift for us!   

Josh weighed 7’5.” Rick took video footage and pictures and stayed for the baby’s bath and everything and then headed home so that Ronda could go home.  Ronda and her teenage daughter both came over and none of the kids woke up or anything. I stayed in the room where I delivered the rest of the night but didn’t get much sleep.   

At home we had the Easter Baskets all filled with toys but of course I didn’t get to watch the kids go through them since I was in the hospital.  I remembered that Rick had gotten “groceries” last year for their Easter Baskets and I didn’t want that again so I had prepared early and gotten lots of toys from the Dollar Store.  I wanted to stay away from candy and junk food as much as possible since they already had plenty from all of their Easter Egg Hunts.  I got each of them swim goggles (from the dollar store, so hopefully they won’t bust the first time they put them on – one of them already has!) and little toys etc.  I got Janika underwear and socks since she is in dire need of some and Rick got each of the three older kids scripture crayons for their scriptures (which really helped attentiveness during scripture study).

I told Rick to be sure and video-tape Easter morning since I missed it.  Rick and the kids decided not to go to church since he was up half the night and really tired.  I understand, but still – missing church on Easter Sunday – that’s terrible!  Later Rick and the kids came into the hospital to see the baby.  They have a new rule where kids 14 and under can’t come into the rooms since it is RSV season.  They don’t lift the rule until the end of April.  So that was too bad!  So they didn’t get to hold the baby but just got to look at him through the nursery room glass.  Rick went in and held him up to the window for them and we got some cute pictures and video footage of all of the kids peering through the window.  They all looked really cute and Jaiden kept squealing and signing and saying “baby, baby!”  They all brought in their traditional dozen roses – except one plant was a beautiful Easter Lily.  I was glad for the Lily – it looked and smelled beautiful and was the only plant that lasted.  The roses already looked half dead .  Rick said that is what he gets from buying them from Lins – I think Janika said that is what he got for buying them on a Sunday!

Mon. 17:  I was ready to go home today – I start to get cabin fever staying in those little hospital rooms and start to feel almost depressed after awhile.  The beds are not all that comfortable and the room on the other side of one of my walls sounded like people were having a party at 4:30 in the morning.  It was so loud!   They had done a few blood tests on Josh (I think it was to make sure he didn’t contract the Group B Strep). They had to send two blood tests in for a more detailed reading at the other hospital since they were high after the initial tests, but they came back normal.  So he was cleared to go and all we needed was clearance from my doctor.  The nurse said she paged him and said he would be there in fifteen minutes.  So I went ahead and called Rick to come get me and he made arrangements to drop the girls’ off at a neighbors.

Part of me thought I should wait until my doctor actually came before calling Rick, and I wished I had! The same thing had happened with another one of our babies – we were all ready to go and were waiting around for hours for the pediatrician to come and take his 30 seconds to say “okay, you can go.”  So I should have learned my lesson!  Rick came and we waited and waited and still no doctor. We kept checking with the nurses who said he had been called on a delivery.  Finally like three hours later, he came.  

Since we were later than expected, we weren’t going to be there when Jared was to arrive home from kindergarten. I worried that the gal I car pool with might drop him off and no one would be home. We tried calling her several times to see if she if she could bring Jared to her house, but no one answered.  So I left a message with his teacher to tell him to go to her house. Anyway, Jared’s teacher ended up calling to say that Kaylee (his ride) wasn’t even in school today. Apparently they had gone on vacation over Easter and had forgotten to call us to say she wouldn’t be picking up our kids!

So now Jared was at the office and we were both at the hospital wondering who we could call to pick him up. Finally I thought of Monica Williams, whose son is in Jared’s class and who lives close to the school. We called her and she said she would pick him up and he could play at her house with Tyson.  We felt bad about leaving the girls’ at Gentry’s so long when we told her it would only be a half hour.  So the lesson is – don’t call your ride to come get you until all of the doctor’s have seen you and your baby and you have been officially discharged!!

We came home and of course the girls were all excited over seeing their baby brother.  We put them straight to bed, however, and told them they could hold him after their naps. I took the quiet time to write in my journal about the delivery. The other kids were equally excited to see their baby brother when they got home from school and they all wanted to hold him. Josh was asleep in his car seat when he got home around 2:00 and pretty much slept all afternoon. I fed him and changed him and let the kids hold him but other than that he pretty much slept -- until bed-time of course! Then he was fussy and didn’t like his bassinet at all! I would nurse him and then put him back in his bassinet and then he would fuss. Needless to say, we had a hard night and didn’t get much sleep!

 

 

Baby Janelle is here!!!

Mon. 14:  Well, Janelle is here!  We named her Janelle Marjorie Jensen and she was born on Columbus Day -- October 14th at 11:55 p.m.  Rick was off for UEA and Gerilyn and Madee were here for the weekend and so it was really good timing.  Gerilyn had taken all of the kids out this morning to shop for supplies for their “Scary Dinner” and Halloween Party that they were planning tonight. I worked on grading my class videos and midterms.  Gerilyn and all of the kids went to Chuck-A-Rama for lunch and to the Visitor’s Center.  Rick was busy today draining our pool and working on the steps and the wall.  We had water coming out several pipes and hoses and I didn’t want to waste it and so I decided to wash our very dirty cars with the hose draining the pool water.  The kids all helped, except for Gerilyn and Madee who had gone out shopping at the Dress Barn. 

We washed the white car and were in the middle of washing the van when I felt a little trickle of water.  I told Rick that I thought my water had broken.  I wasn’t positive until I felt a few more little trickles and then I was sure.  The boys had come so fast after my water had broken that Rick and I didn’t want to waste any time and hurried to the hospital.  This is the first time my water broke on it’s own; with the other three, I was already well into labor and the doctor stripped my membranes.  I called Gerilyn on her cell phone and they were at Iceberg and said they would be right over.  We had our neighbor, Chimane, come over until she got there.  We kept thinking hard and fast contractions would start any minute like they did with the boys but not much happened.  We got checked in and admitted and the nurse started an IV.  Rick asked her if he could give me a blessing and that was really nice.

The nurses kept asking me if I wanted an epidural. After Jared’s quick delivery I hadn’t been planning on one. Rick and I weren’t sure and discussed it for a while.  Not much was happening though and it looked like it might be a long night and so I decided to go ahead and get one. At the same time, I was a little worried about getting one so soon since I wasn’t really even in labor yet and was only dilated to a three. 

Getting the Epidural was really uncomfortable and I was glad when it was over. I had gotten one with Janika and just sat up while they did it.  For this one they wanted me to lay on my side and crouch my knees up (with Rick’s help) to my chin and arch my back out. That position is nearly impossible when your stomach is poking out so far and it was very uncomfortable. Then he said just to hold it and not move at all for half a minute which seemed a lot longer. 

After it kicked in my legs were so numb I couldn’t even feel anything. I didn’t like the feeling of not having control over my body or not being able to tell how things were progressing along – except for the computer screen which didn’t always seem to be accurate. It was around 6:00 and I said that I hoped it wouldn’t take until midnight but it did! I wasn’t surprised when they suggested giving me Pitocin to get the contractions going. I don’t know if I can blame it on the Epidural though – I may have needed it anyway and then it would have probably been hard without the Epidural. It is hard to guess what will happen one way or the other. The doctor who gave me the Epidural said  he still wanted me to be able to move my toes and I told him when it got to the point when I could only on one side. He asked if I wanted it lighter and I said yes. It didn’t seem to get lighter though, if anything it felt heavier. Later I said I wanted it lighter again and he turned it off for about fifteen minutes but I couldn’t tell the difference. Near the end I started feeling a few contractions but they didn’t hurt. I did get some rest here and there which was nice but I had a very hard time changing positions since my legs just felt like noodles. Scott and Amy were here staying at our condo on their way to Disneyland tomorrow. I asked them if they wouldn’t mind bringing Rick some dinner since he was starving and didn’t dare leave. I was hungry too but couldn’t eat. So they came over and brought him a hamburger and fries. Rick did end up leaving about 10:00 though because the doctor said he had plenty of time and he wanted to get a book and his laptop and some other things that I needed. He didn’t miss much.

I have quite a low blood pressure normally and it kept dipping really low and would set off a little bell that would ring forever until someone came and checked it. One time it was like 74/36 or something like that. At around 11:00 p.m. a nurse checked me and I was only dilated to a five or six. Then shortly before midnight a new nurse came in and started to check me. A couple of times throughout the night I couldn’t hear the heartbeat on the computer and that always worried me. When I brought it up to the other nurse she said that it was still there – you could see the numbers on the screen. She said sometimes the noise of the heartbeat was just a nuisance anyway. I didn’t think so, I found it very reassuring and peaceful. 

Anyway, it was like that now. I couldn’t hear the heartbeat anymore and the numbers on the screen seemed to be jumping all over the place. That had happened before when the baby was moving around or something. The nurse tried to pick it up by moving the doppler around on my stomach and I was getting worried that I couldn’t hear it and was silently praying that everything was okay.  My doctor came in from delivering another baby and another nurse came in too.  Then the one who had been attending to me moved the blanket and said surprisingly, “There’s our baby!”  I thought she meant the baby was crowning or something and that it was time to push. Then I moved the blanket and looked down and there was the baby all the way out laying sideways between my legs. I was shocked!  I think the nurses and doctor were too.  My doctor said that this was a definite first for her. Right then the baby started to cry and they cut her cord and started cleaning her up.

I think I was still sort of in shock. Rick and I were both asking how long she had been there.  They said she had just barely come out but all I could think of was that maybe she could have suffocated under the blankets or something. Luckily I wasn’t in one of those short beds where she could have fallen off!  We asked what would have happened if no one had checked and my doctor reassuringly said that she would have started crying but still we are not so sure. The whole thing freaked us out. The baby and sheets were a mess but she seemed really calm through the whole ordeal. 

They finally got the baby and I cleaned up and I was able to hold her and nurse her and she latched right on and nursed like a pro!  She didn’t seem to want to let go and nursed for a good long time. She is a beautiful baby and has a little round face like Janika did. Not near so much hair though and several nurses kept referring to her as a boy and so we put the little pink bow in her hair.  She weighed in at 6 pounds 15 ounces – so almost 7 pounds – and 19 inches long. I thought she would be bigger judging by the size of my stomach but I guess my girls are just more petite than my boys and that’s how it should be!

I was just grateful that she was okay. This whole birth experience was so different from the last two. I didn’t have any pain at all with this one because I was so numb – not even one painful contraction. It was a little uncomfortable sitting in the same spot for six hours though and then several hours after that since it took quite awhile for the Epidural to wear off.  Rick had stayed to take a bunch of pictures and finally left around 1:00 a.m.  After I was done feeding and holding her, I had her taken to the nursery so I could try and get some sleep. She was only there two hours though and all the rest of the time she has been here with me.  It seems like with my other baby I made sure that they went to the nursery so I could rest and wasn’t kept up by their cries or noises. Janelle is sooo good though and has been so quiet. She had been quietly sleeping almost the whole entire time. It is a bit strange because she seemed to be by far the most active one while she was in my tummy – it seemed she was constantly moving.  Now she is so quiet and sleepy. She hasn’t cried at all except for a little bit when I was changing her diaper.

 At 3:30 a.m. I woke up and my legs were feeling back but were still really tingly.  I had just managed to turn on my side when they brought the baby in for me to feed.  She nursed and nursed for a long time and then the nurses wanted me to change rooms and so we gathered everything up and went to another room. I didn’t really sleep  well tonight.

Tues. 15:  Rick and the kids were off today for UEA too and Rick will take tomorrow off.  Janelle must have gotten her fill last night because I couldn’t get her to nurse until after lunch time.  She just wanted to sleep.  Some of the time she was really alert and happy just to be held.  Gerilyn and Madee stopped by to see the baby and take some pictures before they headed back to Ogden.  Rick and the kids came around 11:00.  They brought balloons and four dozen roses. They had also stopped to buy a couple of vases. Each of the kids carried in a dozen roses with a little card that they had written or drew.  It was really cute!  They each had their own balloon to give me too.  It was fun to see them and see how cute they were with the baby.  Jared and Jase weren’t sure which was more exciting though – the baby, or Scooby Doo that was on TV.  We took a lot of cute pictures and videos.  I ate my lunch while they were there and then the nurse brought in lunch for Rick and all of the kids too so that was nice of her.  They stayed for a couple of hours.

 I have been having awful cramps and contractions when I nurse and sometimes when I am not nursing.  I had them with Jared too.  I finally asked for some Ibuprofin this afternoon.  I hope it helps.  Tonight Rick is subbing for my ASL class.  He will end it a little early so that he can go straight to Hands in Harmony practice.  I’m glad we had the baby last night and not tonight!   I called mom and dad and they are coming tonight and can take over for the baby-sitter when they arrive.  That will be nice to have them for a few days.  Tomorrow morning I plan to go home.  It had been really quiet here and at least I have been able to get some much needed rest!

I decided to go to bed early but then Janelle started to fuss.  I kept trying to feed her for about an hour but whenever I put her back in her crib she would start to fuss again.  So when the nurse came in at 10:30 I asked if she would take her to the nursery and then I was able to go to sleep until 2:00 a.m. when she brought her back to me saying she was very hungry.   I kept her with me the rest of the night but she slept pretty well.

 

Wed. 16:  I felt ready to go home today.  I was getting a little restless from staying in my room the whole time.  It seemed like yesterday morning everyone kept coming in my room bright and early saying, “Are you going home today?”  After I had been up most of the night giving birth and changing rooms and nursing…no thank you!  But today I was ready to go home and the room was quiet – no one was asking if I wanted to go home or anything. I finally had to go ask the nurse what needed to be done so that I could check out. She gave me a little training and my doctor had come in for a quick peek but we had to wait forever for a pediatrician (ours was out of town) to come and give her the check up before we could leave.  The “check-up” was about fifteen seconds long.  Rick had come to pick me up and we gathered up the things and left.  It is always so weird to walk into a hospital and then walk out a couple of days later with a new member of your family.  It seems to take awhile before reality kicks in! My parents were at our home with the boys and my mom had made home-made bread.  My mom and I went on a walk tonight.

Jase is finally here!!

Finally, after what seemed like an eternal pregnancy, I started having contractions the morning of December 2^nd as I took Janika on our daily walk to the park.  The contractions were not too bad and I wasn’t in any hurry since it took so long with Janika. I told Rick that I wanted him to come with me to teach my sign language class that night (just in case) and so we dropped off Janika at Dana’s on the way. It is a good thing he did!  The contractions were starting to get worse as we drove to class.  I gave my students their quiz while trying not to show the pain on my face of the contractions that were continually getting worse.

I went to my office and told Rick to take over. As soon as he left, the contractions started getting really bad.  He came back a few minutes later to check on me and could immediately see that we needed to go right away! He rushed to gather up all of the all the quizzes and then we hurried to the hospital where our baby boy was born 30 minutes later (7:03 p.m.).  Rick said he never wanted to cut it that close again, but I was grateful that he came so quickly and with no complications. We named him Jase Rick Jensen. He was 7’ 12” and measured at 21”.  He is a beautiful baby and reminds us so much of Janika when she was first born.  

Rick took three days off work to help with the new baby and then we had Grandma and Grandpa Westra come for the weekend and then Grandma Jensen spent the next week with us. We are so grateful for such wonderful families and Janika loved all the attention that she received! Janika is now a beautiful, active little two year old and quite the chatter box! She speaks so cute and clear and copies everything we say. She loves to read stories and sign songs and she is nice and soft with Jase. We had Jase blessed in my mom and dad's ward in SLC over Christmas Break so that all of our family could attend. It was a wonderful day! I can’t help but look back on this past year as a year filled with choice blessings. This year we were blessed with a new wonderful job, a new wonderful home, a new wonderful baby and the list goes on and on.  How grateful we are for our precious families and our knowledge of the gospel and knowing that our family is ours forever!!