Her due date was supposed to be July 18th but due to my cholestasis and increase in amnio fluid, my OB wanted me induced just to be safe. I received a phone call on July 2nd from my OB and she said, "So...what do you think about having a baby on Thursday?" Totally took me off guard. She called to see if she was booked that day and she was. So she called me back and said, "So....what do you think about tomorrow?" I remember being filled with excitement, nervousness, anxiety, and somewhat relief. *haha There starts the process. Everything had been packed and things were all set at the Best household, so really, we were just waiting for the go! I have to admit, it was kind of strange knowing when I was going to give birth. I definitely couldn't sleep throughout the night that evening. There was too much going on in my head.
We were admitted to Providence Park Hospital at 6am and started the induction process around 8am. Johnny and my sister, V were with me the entire day! Along with Cherilyn and Simona. With the help from all 4 of them the delivery process went wonderfully! Pitocin (medication used to start contractions) was dosed at 1 for the first 30 minutes and went up from there as my contractions (if any) were being monitored also every 30 minutes. I started out 3cm dilated and about 80% effaced. *Remember at 29 weeks I was 2 cm dilated at 60% effaced...so bed rest paid off!* Anyway, I hovered around 3-4 cm all morning. Epidural was placed prior to them breaking my water--that went well. That "zing" feeling I'm still not a fan of. *haha Membranes were ruptured around 12p I think? ....Then we turned a corner at about 2pm. Pitocin at that point was up to 12 and I started to feel the contractions. This is where my breathing kicked in full mode to help with pain relief. Simona & V had left for Starbucks just 10 minutes before contractions started going. However, I was still able to manage the pain/pressure. Within 20 minutes the pressure got to the point where I felt the need to push this baby girl out! My awesome nurse checked me out and sure enough, cervix was completely gone and baby was on her way. Johnny called Simona & V wondering where they were; he told them "Janice is having the baby now!" and because Johnny jokes around a lot, Simona & V thought he was joking. When they arrived 10 minutes later it was game time! Newborn station was ready, room was set, and everyone took their places.
There were 2 other women on the floor delivering at the same exact moment. It was a race! *haha My OB was in the middle of delivering another lady across the floor and was paged to come deliver Jocelyn. Just like that, after 18 minutes of pushing, Jocelyn Grace, our little miracle, was welcomed into the world. Her cry was precious and the room was filled with so much joy and emotion. Both mommy and daddy were crying...just so grateful to God for being with us every single step of the way throughout this pregnancy.
One week later, Jocelyn is doing fabulous. She was discharged a little jaundiced, which we are still managing now. It's pretty typical in asians and breastfed babies. Her sleep schedule is wonderful! She's pretty much sleeping throughout the night aside from her one feed that I have to wake her up for at around 4am. We're praying that she continues this way and makes it easy to transition to sleeping straight through the night. She is nursing well. I had one day of pain when my milk supply came in but I was determined not to have any issues with engorgement this time around! And to my amazement, the pain went away in 12 hours. Jalyse loves being a big sister. She smothers her with love and attention whenever she can. At some times it can get a bit overwhelming because she wants to do everything--from feeding, to changing, to wanting Jocelyn to color or play dolls with her. *haha
We're looking forward to the many changes both Jocelyn & Jalyse will be going through as the grow and develop in Christ. Raising kids is a journey...and we love it!
