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Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Birth Story

i realized after reading many friends' recent birth stories that perhaps i should stop telling people about mine. it was pretty drama-free and short... i think it only serves to make other people hate me.  so! if you've borne a child, and your labor & delivery was anything short of perfect... maybe you want to stop reading?

here goes!

i'd been having contractions for days, maybe even weeks. i was uncomfortable, sure, but there was no sign of real regularity.  i'd been walking the mall, doing yoga, eating spicy foods... i was REALLY ready to be done being pregnant. i wanted to meet the little guy already! we'd had some maternity photos done the week before (a little later than we should have, but i'm glad we did them...) but it was november, it still felt like an arizona august with the bun so snugly still in the oven, and i was DONE.

on november 14, i'd walked a few miles, and seth picked up a birthing ball for me.  by that evening, i was having regular contractions, 7-10 minutes apart lasting about a minute. they were uncomfortable, but not painful. i'd had my membranes swept the day before and i thought i might have had a high leak in my water.  early on in the evening, we stopped by the hospital to get checked out. i was (still) 3 cm & 90% effaced (i'd been at that for almost a week.) they determined i was not yet in active labor and no leaking water. they sent me home. *shakes fist at sky* i didnt want to be one of *those* first time moms who went to the hospital a dozen times only to be sent home a dozen times... but i waaaanted it to be time!

seth had his weblos over that night. while he was with them, i sat upstairs bouncing on the ball and timing contractions. very regular, not really increasing much in intensity. (and the ball REALLY helped the pressure in my back... i wish i'd bought it sooner. like... much sooner. i dont know what i was thinking.)

i didnt want to go back to the hospital to be sent away again... so i tried to go to sleep. by one, i realized sleep would not be happening. we got things ready and i made seth take me back to the hospital. after all the paperwork, we finally got into triage around 2:30 AM. i was still at a 3. before sending me home, in the wee hours of the morning, she asked me to walk around the hospital for an hour to see if things progressed. really? an hour? of walking around? at 2:30 AM? by the end of that hour, i was super pissed at that nurse. they were definitely getting worse. and, being 2:30 AM, nothing exciting was happening, nor could we go outside, so i had to settle for walking in circles while reading the pages from some stupid children's book they had framed on the walls. it was about a dumb coyote. i read it about a hundred times. which means i walked that circle about a hundred times. the nurse who ordered this walk of insanity needed to die. or at least be punched in the face.

when i sat down with the nurse an hour later, she went to check me and my water broke all over her. i not so secretly laughed at her for getting what was coming to her. i was at a 4 and the contractions were really starting to be painful. with the water broken, i felt intense pressure and was ready for my epidural :) the anesthesiologist was with another patient and i didnt see him for more than an hour. an hour of contractions one right on top of the other. they were lasting 60 - 90 seconds and only about that far apart.

its funny how movies, stories, etc. always seem to portray laboring moms as these crazy monsters. i always thought this was an exaggeration. and maybe i still think so. but still... i definitely turned into someone i didnt recognize. during our birthing class, our instructor told our husbands to be sure to ask before doing things. it sounded so silly. who wouldnt want a massage? apparently this girl. and i reeeeeally didnt appreciate his normally-oh-so-charming smirk. i went all elizabeth banks from what to expect when you're expecting on him and i think i threatened to punch him in the face. sorry honey. i didnt mean it, i love you so much :)

with that epidural placed, i'd progressed to a 6 in an hour and i finally got a good rest. it was now 5 or so and i was happy to take a nap. when the nurse came in two hours later, i was at a 10 and it was time to start pushing.

during my pregnancy, i went to a clinic of doctors, which meant one of any 3 doctors could be the one on call to deliver me. i only liked one of them. the first time i came to the hospital (the night before) the one who couldnt speak english was there. by the time i came in the second time, the one who was a little mean was on call. but by 7 AM... my favorite doctor was on call. so at 6:55, when it was time to start, the sweet, wonderful nurse let me request her instead of the meanie. i couldnt have been more thrilled. plus, this sweet nurse, who was supposed to get off at 7, decided to stay to see our little guy!

they asked me if i wanted a mirror. before giving birth, the idea of this would have repulsed me. of course i would not want to watch. but in the moment, it sounded like a great idea. and with the epidural, i wasnt feeling much pressure, so it was nice to see my progress. and i promise, when its you, and your beautiful, perfect little miracle coming into the world... its not gross.

after pushing for only twenty minutes, and 9 loooong months of waiting, we finally got to meet our perfect little man!

i know a lot of people dont think epidurals are a good idea. i suppose to some degree i can at least understand their line of thinking. i like feeling in control, too, so after my birthing class and realizing i couldnt labor in any position i wanted, i felt a little frustrated and confused about my decision to get an epidural. i also worried a little that i would miss out on the "bonding" people speak of that comes from enduring labor & delivery unmedicated.

after having an epidural, and a labor & delivery lasting only about 4 hours, meeting my baby rested and cheerful (still tired, but completely and totally present), i could not speak highly enough of having an epidural. again, i can agree that L&D is sooooo different for everyone, so i think its actually pretty irresponsible to make blanket generalizations. i'm sure its not for everyone. but it was definitely the right decision for me! 

Friday, January 11, 2013

2012: the best year yet in the rogers family neighborhood!

2012 Highlights!

in january, we visited my family in oregon. after my fathers thanksgiving eve heart attack and middle of the night emergency quadruple bypass last year, i finally got to hug him and spend some much needed quality time. it also served as a reminder why i live in AZ and should never visit oregon in january - a massive storm made driving to the airport a pretty treacherous adventure and i ended up spending the night at PDX. (that part was NOT a highlight of 2012.) i also spent a week in january at the ritz-carlton in cancun. although this, too, was no highlight, having to share my honeymoon locale with my smarmy, obnoxious, and egotistical coworkers instead of my fabulous husband, at least I got to drink a lot of these 
and look out my window every day at this

In February, work again took janae away from the hubs, this time to ft. Lauderdale, FL.










March was an exciting month! We planned our second anniversary trip to ITALY, visiting Venice, Florence, and Rome, and learned the best news of all - we were expecting! We were beyond excited, finding out just three days before we left on our trip! Fortunately, I didn't have morning sickness (yet!) and we were able to celebrate our "babymoon" and our second anniversary with a dream vacation (and a much needed and deserved break from both our jobs.)


In April, we went to our first hockey game (go yotes!) and morning sickness was really setting in. i spent the majority of the time in the bathroom, or near it, but it was fun anyway! i will not show you the one picture i took to document the day, because, lets face it, morning sickness face is noooo bueno.

By May, I was feeling even worse and after yet another work trip to Vegas - it was clear that my job was going to be difficult to keep up during the pregnancy. Wearing heels and running around was doing nothing positive for my energy levels or swollen ankles. We celebrated my first Mother's Day as a prospective mother and Seth surprised me with a beautiful rocking chair for the nursery!

I started working from home as an independent contractor for a Hungarian-based research and development company in June, working at my leisure, starting to nest, and bonding with our Winnie bug. She was quite the companion on my daily walks and barking at the front door any time a package came. We officially celebrated two amazing years together, too, by getting an ultrasound and finding out our little nugget is a BOY!

In July, we drove to Puerto PeƱasco with the Rogers fam to enjoy a mini vacation. We enjoyed playing on the beach, some good Mexican food and leisurely days at the pool. At 5 months pregnant, I was really starting to feel the baby fluttering around but still very little sign of a bump. I was terribly disappointed by this and determined to buy maternity clothes anyway.

It was my birthday in August and both Seth and I were getting restless. We took another mini vacation up to Prescott and Sedona. The drive was beautiful (albeit a little uncomfortable for pregnant janae) but we really enjoyed ourselves, taking Winnie on her very first vacation. On the drive up she was so alert - by the time we were on our way back, she was so pooped out, she just slept in the backseat.

We celebrated Seth's september birthday by taking a long weekend trip to San Diego. As Disney lovers, but being pregnant basically the entire year, we were REALLY longing for our happiest-place-on-earth fix. We settled for a place close - but that wasn't so restrictive for my 7-months-pregnant tummy. We went to SeaWorld! I'd never been and Seth hadnt been in a long time. We also visited the Mormon battalion history center, as well as the USS Midway. I had FINALLY started showing and it made me so excited when people would say "congratulations" or "how far along are you?" or "do you know what you're having?" This excited feeling with strangers asking me questions, offering their congratulations or opinions, or touching me would very quickly pass. More importantly, I got to join my bestie in Utah to celebrate her MARRIAGE. I was so glad I was able to be there with her on her special day. Best of all, while in Utah, Seth's sweet family and some of my very dear friends threw me a shower! At my favorite restaurant! September was a great month.









 
Then October came and I was really ready to be done being pregnant. i dressed as a "mummy" for Halloween. And enjoyed getting ready to celebrate baby boy joining our family with a baby shower! 




Grayson Ezra Rogers joined our family on November 15 at 7:35 AM. He was 7 lbs. 12 oz. 21 in. long and the most perfect child I've ever seen. I want to write a whole post about delivery etc... So ill leave it at this for now. Seeing him for the first time was truly the most magical moment of my life. We had a low key thanksgiving because I was exhausted and anxious about germmies attacking my perfect little man.


In December, my parents came to visit us for the first time, to meet our little man and to bless him at church. My brothers family also came down from Vegas - it was really wonderful to have all their love and support around us as we adjusted to parenthood. Gray paid a visit to Santa and Santa made sure his stocking was full and that he had lots of presents under the tree. We shared a very special Christmas morning with Seth's family and spoiling our little man.
Having G finally with us was our best gift of all. We are so incredibly grateful for him.









In truth, my world is filled with so many extraordinary blessings, I'm not sure i could ever adequately do justice to a list of things I am grateful for.

Our perfect little guy has changed my world in a million and one ways and brought an indescribable joy to my heart. I can't look at him without brimming with pride and honor that I get to be his mama. My heart feels like its grown 100 times its regular size. I'm honestly in awe of him everyday.