Pics coming

 Pics of baby 3 and baby 4 coming!!

Presenting our OCTOBER BABIES

 

Jarom Oliver Ferrero

October 6, 2018 at 9:12pm

9lbs 9oz

22’’

 

Our third baby arrived Fall of 2018!  A year after I first brought up the idea of a third child, we were in harmony about the idea … we got pregnant really quickly. Jamison was entering Kindergarten so the world of public school opened up

 

So here’s the story of baby #3!

 

PREGNANCY FOR BABY 3

With Jarom the pregnancy was really smooth. Spencer and his work team had just started at a new company and were swamped, we were also doing school tours for Jamison starting Kindergarten, but I didn’t feel very sick.  Partly because of this I suspected I was maybe having a boy.  I’d felt more nauseous when I was pregnant with a girl.  In July when I was about 7 months along we took a baby moon trip, just Spencer and I, to Slovenia.  It was really fun!  Taylor and Jamison were with my parents.  As we settled back home and Jamison started Kindergarten, it was fun to share with them about what to expect for the rest of my pregnancy and when the baby came. I showed a video from Babycenter.com about what the baby looks like in the womb in the final weeks. We did a gender reveal with Spencer and I using a cake at North Italia, the same location but different Italian restaurant where Spencer and I had celebrated birthdays, the first stop for our engagement evening, and our first date after Jamison was born.  We did a

Powder ball, hit the softball reveal for the kids at Stoner park.  Some friends put on a baby shower for me at Cheesecake Factory.  As the due date of Oct 9 approached, I reflected that it would be the anniversary day 12 years previously that I had moved to LA, and he would be grandchild #12 for my parents! We showed a video to Jamison and Taylor again about how far baby was developed, and then had a plan in place that when ‘baby starts to knock knock knock wanting out, you’ll go to our friends house or be with Nana.’  We had a tissue paper schedule for about a 3 day section that would fit over whichever days on the calendar it applied. So one Saturday morning, October 6, 2018 to be exact, at 5am I was feeling some special ‘real’ feeling contractions. Funnily enough, our first two children were also born on Saturdays! I’d had a contraction the evening before, October 5, and one in the night when I was up with Taylor. Spence was on the couch and I told him. He seemed good to go and knew the drill. At about 5am I got up and packed for the hospital, wanting to be ahead of the game a bit. Around 730 I was feeling the contractions every 40-60min so I called the doctor’s office. There was a recorded message and at the end it included the cell number of the doctor on call for emergencies. I hung up, wondering what the process was to let them know I was likely in labor.  I mulled this over and then I called again about 5min later because I knew I was going into labor and so I wrote down the doctors number and thought well I guess going into labor is an emergency. Lol. I guess I need to chat with the Doctor on call.  I’d had a previous precipitous birth so I didn’t want to wait too long!  I called the number which was for Dr Phillips and he said ‘ok sounds good, let me know when the contractions are 10min apart.’  We called our friends who had other company in town, but said yes bring them over.  We packed stuff for them and placed the little overlay schedule onto our family calendar to set the plan in motion. A little later I called Dr Phillips because the contractions were 10min apart.

We prepped the kids to bring them to our friends the Forsyth’s who had agreed to be on standby if I went into labor before family was in town.  We drove them the few blocks and met Ben at the entrance to their place.  The kids said hello and we unloaded their bags.  Ben asked how I was doing and as I was between contractions all was well.  We handed over our keys to our apartment in case they needed something or to be there, and said goodbye for now!

 

HOSPITAL TIME

We headed to the hospital, this time knowing exactly where to go.  We had even done a hospital tour. We went upstairs to Labor and Delivery.  The nurses checked us in and we went right into the delivery room.  It was about 11am.  The delivery pack was already on the table ready to unbundle.  They commented that this usually wasn’t typical but I had had a precipitous birth last time, so no harm being prepared. I got settled and was walking around to try to move labor along.  I was bouncing on a yoga ball but then my contractions slowed a bit. They said this can happen- the baby gets stage fright a bit … so they said why don’t you head home and come back when the contractions are frequent again. I felt a little disappointed, but Dr Phillips pointed out that a hospital has so many germs. ‘You don’t want to be here more than you need to!’ He said. 

 

HOME BETWEEN ACTS

We got home and walked into the apartment, seeing a neighbor but not visiting as we approached our door.  We texted Forsyths with an update. I took a shower. Spence went to two hardware stores for screws for the crib which was half assembled. I got out of the shower and dressed then laid on my bed to rest. I rested for a while in my familiar bed, and then right when I was starting to wonder what the plan would be and whether I was in labor for real or if things were going to kind of stall I made the motion to get out of bed to get up from my rest. My water broke. It was really cool because it was literally this sound in my ear of a bucket tipping, that sort of gush and slosh sound like water in a big bucket. I was pretty excited (and wet!) and called the doctor. He said to come back to the hospital because once your water breaks things can happen pretty quickly!  I called Spencer and he hurried home.

I was going to maybe make myself some pasta or something, and the thought crossed my mind to do that but instead we just headed right back over to the hospital after grabbing a few more things (more snacks, my flip flops...)

 

 

HOSPITAL TAKE 2

When we got back up to the hospital 2^nd floor they said, ‘you’re back!’ ‘you changed your outfit!’ ( I was wearing a stretchy blue and white striped short dress.) They asked if I’d eaten and I said no!  shoot.  Too late though now that I was in labor and at the hospital. We settled back into the same room and they checked with a little q tip swab and chemical test to ensure my water had in fact broken. The test came back negative! Bizarre. I was sure my water had broken! They said it may have been liquified lubricant from what they used when they checked my cervix earlier, or it could have been urine (?) I was pretty sure it was just a faulty test, though. Dr Phillips came in and they tried to get to the bottom of things, and he said just for the record they wanted to show they’d done this test. Anyway, a little while later they did it again and it came back positive. Strange.

 

By around 4:00 my contractions were still fairly mellow but more frequent- every 5-7 min or so. We watched a bit of Spider-Man but then the contractions started to be more intense so we turned it off. We listened to a ‘birth music’ series on YouTube, which was nice and calm but somewhat energetic piano music and was perfect. Also we had the lights turned down a little lower.  We saw the sunset out the window and it was beautiful!

 

It was the first women’s session scheduled Saturday evening for church general conference and I kind of wanted to be there and when Spence asked if I’d like him to pull it up online I said no I feel pretty empowered as a woman right now. But it was fun to text a few friends as they asked if I was going to the conference broadcast at the church and if they could bring my baby gift, etc and I said I’m in labor!

 

I’d texted my parents and they called around 8:00... they had just been at a friend’s wedding! We chatted and they were excited then I felt a pretty strong contraction.  Mom reminded me to breathe and said, ‘OJ (my Dad’s nickname,) it’s Linds and she’s having a big contraction!’… and then the contraction went alright. It was nice to feel their support.  I also texted a friend who had given birth sans pain medicine and she said, ‘yes try to relax your whole body, even your eyebrows!’  I tried to.

 

I alternately moved, went somewhere else in my mind, vocalized, or rode with the contraction. They brought me a peanut ball that went between my legs and I really tried to relax. The contractions got intense but I tried to relax and focus on just being. Not trying to be aware of everything. The music was nice and the lights kind of low. The contractions got more

intense and maybe slightly closer together. I was hungry but wasn’t allowed to eat yet.  I did have some broth and liquids though.  I was prepared that maybe a different Doctor would deliver baby because my Doctor, Doctor Nishio, had a dinner event and might not be able to be the one to deliver baby. I felt a little sad but knew things would work out ok.  I think things even slowed down slightly for me as I subconsciously thought oh it might help for her to be able to come if go time is later. Sure enough a little later they said that the timing worked after all and she would be able to be here to deliver the baby.

 

Amanda, a tallish long blonde haired woman was my nurse then. At one point a contraction was especially hard.  I asked Spence to draw on my back for one of the earlier, hard ones.  I also kept telling myself, my body knows what to do.  This contraction was difficult so I asked Spence to get the nurse.  Amanda came and I said, ‘remind me what I’m trying to do?’  She said, ‘Relax, even the muscles in your face.  Breathe.  When you go natural, this part is hard.  It helps to go somewhere else in your mind.  Do you want me to stay with you through this next contraction?’  ‘Yes’ 

 

DELIVERY

Just then Dr Nishio came, yay!  She was very attentive and seemed to be tuning in to how I was doing, but also saw that we had something good going and so she didn’t intrude, she stayed in the hall looking through the doorway.  She said she’d be just right out in the hall.  I smiled at her but kind of stayed in my own little bubble too.  The next contraction came and it was tough but I used my hypnobirthing practice and really relaxed.  Even my face.  I leaned into the intensity but also ‘went somewhere else’ (to our Slovenia trip!)  Baby was still pretty high up.  Spence and Amanda were watching me closely and after the contraction Amanda was like, ‘That was AMAZING!’ I was also proud of myself for breathing through it.  The next contraction was intense again but I tried to keep up the relaxation.  The next one was intense and I thought, ‘ok baby’s coming now!’  So I said something and Dr Nishio came in.  If I remember right she asked the nurse who was checking me if there was a mucous type discharge yet.  Nurse said ‘no.’  Dr Nishio said, ‘ok it’s not QUITE time yet.  Lindsay, do you think you can hang in there for another few contractions?’  ‘Yes.’  So I did.  

 

It was then time. I asked for the big standing mirror that helps me see what’s going on with the birth.  They rolled it in and it was at the foot of my bed.  They put my feet in the stirrups.  More people came in.  I pushed/ let me body push and saw something through the opening when I looked in the mirror.  ‘Is that his head?’  Dr Nishio replied, ‘Yes.  Do you want to touch it?’ ‘yea’ I reached over and touched it which was so encouraging!  Almost there!  ‘Hi Baby Boy!’ I said.  Then I didn’t look at the mirror anymore because I could feel everything.  I felt his head coming out.  And pushing more (as coached,) his whole body.  It was amazing.  I leaned forward and reached out for him.  They laid him on my chest and we snuggled and Spence and I talked to him.  ‘Hi Jarom!’  I said.  He kind of cried and it was amazing to see him.  A BABY!  We bonded and snuggled.  Spence cut the chord. A nurse took pics.  They asked how Jarom is spelled.  Dr. Nishio stitched me up.  She said it was nice baby cooperated and could arrive when she was also able to be at the hospital to deliver him.  Dr. Nishio’s great! Calm and also very take charge/ knowledgeable.  There were comments on how things progressed quickly.  I held him and said no when they asked if I wanted a diaper on him.  I was so excited to have him fully in my arms.  We admired his cuteness.  I held our new cutie.  We sang him Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and he kind of cried and adjusted, as if saying, ‘Phew!  That was pretty wild!’  The birth was beautiful and so calm and awesome.  After a while Jarom started rooting and then began to nurse.  He latched well and we continued enjoying each others company, Spence and Jarom and I getting to know each other.  They checked him and a little later we were moved to the recovery room.  

 

RECOVERY

I was starving!  I missed lunch and dinner, lunch from partly my own fault and dinner because I was in  labor.  I gave Spence my order for In n Out, ‘Ok so you’re heading for the food?  Can you get me a hamburger, protein and animal style?’  the nurses knew immediately which restaurant he was planning to go to and laughed a little.  Good idea though since the hospital cafeteria was closed.  He left to get me some food.  The line was huge for IN n Out so he got me a burger from Café 50s.  It was so good!  This late dinner was gratifying after my hard work.  Spence stayed the night then went to take over watching the older two kiddos.  Thanks to Forsyth’s!  My Mom and Spencer’s mom also came in the first few weeks to help.  Those first few days I stayed another little while to make sure nursing was going really smoothly.  Taylor and Jamison and Spence came to visit and Taylor and Jamison enjoyed meeting Jarom.  They noticed how he had a poopy diaper and we changed it.  Taylor held him and we took pictures.  She came another time with Spencer too when Jamison was at school.  We were discharged around school pick up time when Jarom was a few days old.  Taylor rode on my lap as I was wheeled out, and baby was on there too.  Lol. We were home for a little while all together and then Spence went to get Jamison from Kindergarten.  We had grown from 4 to 5!  Man to man defense (parents to children) to zone defense!  So fun Jarom’s here!  Some songs are ‘Jaroby, Jaroby, Jaroby,’ and others… ____________________________

 

One night at home I was heading into our bedroom Spence passed Jarom to me.  I held him and said ‘whee, you had fun with Daddy!’  Jarom continued to look at Spence then SMILED.  So cute.  Spence grinned back.  So cute.  We love our Jarom.

 

Margaret Paige Ferrero

October 5, 2023 at 11:55am

9lbs 9oz

21’’

 

 

She is a darling.

 

PREGNANCY FOR BABY 4

Again it was my idea to have another baby and again Spencer needed time.  About a year and a half worth of conversations yielded him being game to try getting pregnant.  One year later, I took a pregnancy test and recited the mantra, ‘the universe is conspiring for my greatest good,’ and saw that it was positive!  I told Spencer the news with a little word puzzle and we did a little treasure hunt for the kids.  My pregnancy was smooth.  As ‘AMA’ or advanced maternal age there were a few more steps to complete during the 9 months but nothing too involved.  I enjoyed the pregnancy meditations on headspace and in the last few weeks listened to the podcast, ‘Birth Hour’ hearing womens birth stories told in their own words.

 

LABOR

My doctor recommended that I be induced at 39 weeks, as an AMA but I said well let me think about it.  What if we see how I’m feeling and maybe I go in at 39 ½?  She said well you can also just tell me screw you and your data I’m going to stay pregnant.  I said yes.  And I wanted my body to be really ready.  So we decided for me to go in the evening before my due date.  Spencer and I went into the hospital at 9pm on Oct 4.  A nurse named Tammie checked us in. We got settled in our room and for the first time I had actually written out my birth plan. So it was especially easy to answer the questions with my prepared answers…

 

My birth partner will be spencer…

Environment- calm, maybe will play some nice music

Pain Management- planning to go without pain medicine and I can tolerate up to an 8 out of 10 pain level before re assessing

Birth Positions- I’d like to use the yoga ball, be on hands and knees, lean

 

So from the doctor’s orders the nurse got me started first with some Cytotec, a tablet which I dissolved slowly under my tongue.  They put in my IV.  I did two doses of the cytotec, 4 hours apart. At about 6:30 am they checked me and my cervix was softer and I had progressed from a 1 to a 3 dilation.  Earlier when we checked in it was funny, the first nurse took down the notes for my birth plan.  I was saying I’d like to go natural, no pain medication, that Spencer was my birth partner, that I planned to use different birth positions, visualization, relaxation, breathing and meditation to manage pain.  I was saying, ‘I’d like the lights to be low and a little low and calm music.’  She loved it and was like, ‘cool, all vibey.’  Later there was loud music in the next room and she’s like ‘are those speakers they’re using? Oh man we have already failed! My patient needs CALM, people!’ Lol!  Haha – later on a nurse commented ‘I like the energy!’ and another nurse was encouraging of my plan to go without pain medication, saying, ‘you can do it!’  Other aspects of my plan (this is the first time giving birth that I wrote it all down ahead of time!) was to have the mirror at the foot of my bed, delayed clamping, no cord or placenta collection, skin to skin right away, I plan to nurse her… so I rested and read a but, wasthce a dlitle Disney Plus during the night.  Around 7 am my doctor came and said she wanted to break my water.  I was like, ‘oh! Ok’  she said, ‘well you have progressed to a 3…’ and it did feel like a good move so I let her break my water.  When she walked in the room there was a nurse she didn’t expect, covering for an hour for Mia and Val (Val is training Mia and they were at a lecture.)  The nurse said, ‘Nish!’ and explained she was covering for the nurses for a bit.  Dr Nishio was like, ‘oh, ok I was wondering if I was in the wrong room…’  they chatted while I used the restroom.  I guess all the nurses have Dr Nishio as their OB.  She is everyone’s favorite.  She is so great, I love my doctor.  She noted that the front part of my tummy was a little flat, and that baby might be posterior.  A lot of fluid came out when Dr Nishio broke my water.  They waited an hour just to see what happened naturally.  Doc said let’s see what your body does on its own for a bit before Petocin.  I ate breakfast and then they got me started on Petocin.  I walked around the hospital loop with my little IV rolly.  There was a funny ghost picture on the wall that said, ‘how dilated are you, Boo?’  It made us laugh.  I set a goal to walk ten times around the loop. Spence walked the first few with me then I told him he could go back in the room if he wanted.  I got a little tired and took a quick break but did it!  One loop was maybe about a ½ block length.  I was reading a little from my books and magazines but by this point was focusing pretty strongly on my pain management plan of meditation, visualization and doing different birth positions.  I told the nurse, ‘it seems like we are deep into labor now!’  Nurse Mia (Trainee) and Nurse Val (Trainer ) were my nurses.  At one point Nurse Mia was so helpful getting me in my new socks when after a contractions a bunch of fluid came out and soaked the bed cover and my gown and socks too!  I was in a position over the edge of the bed and we were kind of making it up as we went.  Mia said whatever is comfortable.  Then she grabbed Val and Val suggested a side position with one leg straight called the SIMS  - We think this is when Baby shifted from Posterior to Anterior.  Val says it works every time!  Then they left and I draped over the yoga ball and had a crazy strong contraction deep in my pelvic floor that was more intense than Ive ever had.  There was major pressure.  I asked Spence to buzz the nurses and Mia came in. I said can we turn down the petocin and get me an epidural?  In my mind I was thinking the pain level of the last contraction was an 8 out of 10 and I had said earlier when asked that 8 was the maximum pain level I would tolerate.  Nurse Mia asked me what the pain level was and I said a 7 (just to try to be tough.)  She said she would go check on turning down the petocin and/or getting an epidural.

 

A little earlier one of the nurses brought out the delivery pack and said, ‘4^th baby, we’ll put the delivery pack out now to be safe’- and this ended up being about 15 minutes before she came!

 

I moved over to the bed and laid kind of on my right side.  I instinctively knew that it was go time I guess, because I started using the breathing for active labor. I had watched a youtube video a few days earlier about  stress reducer breath, calming breath and J breath, the J breath being for when it is time to push baby out… you take a breath then exhale like your sweeping the breath down and out the birth canal, with a low moan, and you’re recommended to practice it while having a bowel movement, when no one else is home… which I did the previous week.  I had also filed away my pelvic floor PTs mentioning elongating exercises...   So while on my side I was doing this breath as I had a massive contraction.  I felt the breath sweep through me, the baby slide down a couple of feet, and also apparently turned the right direction.  I felt baby move so quickly down the birth canal and was pretty sure her head was even out a little.  I did the moan for the first part and a bit of a wail for the second portion of this mega contraction.  Spence came over to me from the other side of the room and the nurses came running in and helped me remove my bra under my gown so I was ready for skin to skin soon.  I said, ‘I think her head has crowned.’ They checked me and said her head was half way out.  I was kind of surprised but I really had felt her move through me- she’d been posterior but was now anterior.  I think she twisted as she moved down.  It was all very remarkable but also I felt a little out to see since my doctor was not yet present.  Then I think I was prepared in birthing position- maybe they had disassembled the bed and put my feet in the stirrups. But I was just laying back and still a bit surprised that I was just a couple pushes away from meeting my baby.  Then nurse Val I think said something like ‘ok, time to push.’  I had to kind of mentally wrap my head around that for a moment, because the hard contractions had been so short in time frame! She said, ‘Ok let’s get this baby earth side.’  That kicked me into gear even though it wasn’t the voice of my doctor.  I took a quick moment to think of the movements I needed to do.  I needed to take a breath and then push.  I took a big breath and pushed and her head was born, they said.  I pushed again upon their coaching and her shoulders were born and then I think one more small push and she was born and there in the room!  The cutest babe! They placed her on my chest and I got to snuggle her.  What a miracle.  The baby nurse, Chloe, squeeze bulbed her nose and mouth and she cried more. I started talking to her and saying, ‘Hi Margaret!  So nice to meet you! You’re here!’ We sang you are my sunshine.  A little while after that I distinctly recall them bringing her to me from the area where they did the tests.  She was all aglow and so proud to have arrived.  So present and delighted.  It was like we were really connected and she knew they were bringing her to me and that’s where she wanted to be.