Welcome Addie Mae Jones! She was born on September 21, 2023. We are so in love! She is the sweetest little girl. She looks so much like her big brother but has her own precious spirit. She is a good gift from God. Our family feels complete now, and we are overcome with gratitude and love for her.
Addie’s was the easiest pregnancy of my three kids, but it was still very very hard. The first trimester I was bogged down by fatigue, nausea, and grief. The second trimester I felt good physically but had so much fear to overcome. During the third trimester, I had COVID, tons of appointments, unplanned ultrasounds, a hospital stay, prodromal labor, impatience, vulnerability, self-doubt, fear, excitement, and hope. I had consistent and painful contractions that convinced me that I was in labor for days prior to my scheduled induction date. The same thing happened at the end of my pregnancy with Chet. But despite packing and unpacking my toothbrush several times, I made it to the induction date.
Daniel and I drove up to the hospital just as the sun was rising. It was beautiful, and we were so happy to have made it to that day! I felt so ready and excited. We checked in and were led to a very nice and spacious room. The nurses who greeted us were welcoming and warm. I felt grateful that the doctor who had been monitoring Addie the past several weeks was on call that day. She arrived and since I was already dilated 3cm, I was able to start pitocin right away. We brought a speaker and put on Jack Johnson to create a chill atmosphere. Daniel is the best partner. He was there the whole time talking with me, getting anything I needed, and supporting me. I never felt alone.
The contractions increased throughout the morning, so by lunchtime I was contemplating an epidural. In the moment, I felt hesitant about getting the epidural, but since it was what I had planned, I proceeded. The anesthesiologist was swift and assertive. The epidural was uncomfortable, but the relief was quick. Soon after he left, my blood pressure dropped. I started feeling so strange. I suddenly became super sleepy and out of it. The nurse quickly administered epinephrine, and my blood pressure came up only briefly before plummeting again. She gave me more epinephrine, and my blood pressure finally stabilized. That was such a bizarre experience. My body had never felt like that before. My epidural felt really strong – I could not feel my legs at all and couldn’t move at all. My legs were so so heavy, and I got creeped out to look at them or feel them with my hands. I had epidurals with both Ginny and Chet, but neither of those were as “effective” as this one. At one point I asked my nurse if we could turn it down or off. She discouraged that because then I’d be able to feel the pain. I know feeling labor pain would’ve been worse, but I sure didn’t like the epidural this time around.
I felt a bit discouraged that I had only dilated 1cm (4cm total) the entire morning. My doctor came and broke my water at 1:20pm. I was hopeful that things would move pretty quickly from there on out. Since I couldn’t walk around or move my lower half at all, the nurses helped place and rotate a peanut ball between my legs to encourage Addie to move down. Thankfully Addie’s heart rate was great the entire time. My cervix dilated a little more than 1cm an hour for the next several hours. At 5pm my nurse asked if I felt any pressure. I told her I had but couldn’t tell if it was real or in my head. She checked me and I was fully dilated! I was surprised and so excited! She had me do a couple of practice pushes to make sure we were ready. She could tell right away that we were ready and Addie was on her way! She called the doctor.
Soon the room was full of women buzzing around getting things ready. It felt comforting to have my doctor’s familiar face right there monitoring me and Addie and encouraging me. Daniel was by my side as always cheering me on. I was just so relieved to be in this moment. I didn’t feel any pain and felt so thrilled to get to push Addie into the world! I pushed during about 4 contractions over 15 minutes, and she arrived! It was 5:24pm, 11 hours after arriving at the hospital. They placed her on me, and I held my breath until I heard her cry. Her cry was music to my ears! Feeling her body warm and wiggling filled my heart immediately. I looked over at Daniel and we both were smiling and sobbing. The room was full of so much love and so much joy and so much excitement! It was such a contrast to the solemn atmosphere of my first birth. I got to hold her on my chest for the first hour. It was such a special time nursing and admiring her. She weighed 8lb 14 oz and was 21 in long. She was and is perfect! Thank you, God! She has been the most awesome baby and such a joy to take care of. She’s the best addition to our family, and Chet loves her so much! I can’t believe we are now a family of five! Thank you to all those who prayed for us and loved on us during the pregnancy, her birth, and afterward!
Even though Addie won’t have her big sister here to teach her and play with her, I want her to always know Ginny as part of our family, as someone who loves us and who we will see in heaven one day. For Addie’s baby shower, I wanted something there to honor and remember Ginny, so I wrote a poem as if it were a note from Ginny to Addie. We framed the poem and displayed it at the shower…
Big Sister to Little Sister
We won’t grow up together but please see
Knowing you’re there makes me happy as can be
Big brother is with you and will take good care
Mama and Dada have so much love to share
I’m cheering you on and watching you grow
I love you little sister more than you know
Heaven and earth won’t separate us forever
One day you’ll see we will all be together
Be-Still-and-Know 