Introducing Jethro Thomas Jones!

I've been meaning to update the blog for some time now, but as many of you know preparing in the last months for the arrival of your first baby and then caring for a newborn takes up almost all of your free time. Jethro arrived on December 14th, fashionably early at eight days before his expected due date. Call it "mother's intuition," but I knew he'd be early. Our little man was determined to make his appearance in enough time to enjoy the Christmas holiday. 

The months leading up to Jethro's arrival were pretty intense, as we made our final move into our new place in September, Tommy started his new position in the financial reporting department at Sempra, and I continued to work four to five days a week through December 1st, prepare for my Hypnobirth, and watch Bradley up until the day before I gave birth. 

28 Weeks

32 Weeks

34 Weeks

38 Weeks

At 37 weeks I worked my last shift and planned to take the next few weeks to make sure all of our ducks were in a row and we were ready for Jethro's arrival. At this point I was full term and could safely go into labor at any time. My appointments at Best Start had continued to go smoothly and I presented no risk. We had completed our Hypnobirthing classes a couple weeks before and had hired our instructor Ashley as our doula. She would be present at my labor and coach my breathing, make sure I was eating and using the restroom, and be available for support while I was in labor.

 

Week 38 arrived and I was getting last minute preparations done as well as going into my last two days watching Bradley. The following week I had planned to take it easy, get some rest, and practice my Hypnobirthing techniques. Tommy and I were also looking forward to attending his work Christmas party that Friday evening and seeing The Hobbit Saturday morning. Little did we know our plans would change! That Thursday after a particularly challenging last day with a teething Bradley (his first tooth emerged the next morning), I dragged my exhausted self to bed at 10:30. At midnight I woke up in labor. 

At first I wasn't sure if I was actually in labor. I had Braxton Hicks (or "practice surges" as they're referred to in Hypnobirthing) since 20 weeks, and the Sunday before they had become rhythmic only to taper out the next day. However, these surges were stronger and somewhat painful, and I finally woke Tom up at 2 a.m. to tell him I believed I was in labor. At 3:30 he called Ashley who told us to try and get some rest since my surges were still only 5 to 6 minutes apart. I tried to take her advice but the surges were too strong at this point, so I breathed through them and just tried to focus on our little guy that would arrive soon. 

A few hours later Tom spoke with Ashley again and she suggested I try laboring in our bathtub. Once I got in around 8:30 I immediately felt some relief. Breathing through the surges became easier and I felt a little more in control. Ashley arrived at 9:00 and sat with me in the bathroom to monitor my breathing and offer support. At 9:30 I heard a loud *pop* and felt a gush of fluid as my water broke in the bathtub, and then my labor took a turn. We called the midwife on duty, who happened to be Rachel, and she wanted me to wait an hour to leave for the birth center. However, 20 minutes later we were packing things up to head out the door because the surges continued to get stronger and closer together. 

Best Start Birth Center, Hillcrest

The car ride down to the birth center was a blur and I continued to have intense surges every four to five minutes during the drive down to Hillcrest. When we arrived Rachel wasn't there yet and I had to wait for her to arrive in order to be examined and determine if I was ready to be admitted and allowed into the birthing tub. Once she arrived I was disappointed to learn that even though I was 90% effaced I was only dilated 4 cm. 

Our Birthing Suite

I got into the water around 11:00 and breathed through the surges for the next couple of hours. Ashley suggested I try getting out of the tub and walking around or getting on all fours to help Jethro move down, but I didn't want to budge. A few times I sat on the toilet through a couple of surges but immediately got back into the water afterwards because it offered the most relief. Finally at 1:00 I asked the midwife if I had made any progress. She had me get out of the water to examine me and I was overwhelmed with joy to learn that in two hours I had dilated to 9 1/2 cm and could start pushing (or "bearing down") whenever I felt the urge. The breathing I'd learned in Hypnobirthing had helped me to open up rather quickly and Jethro was ready to be born!

Birthing Tub

I'd be lying if I didn't say that the next two hours were physically the most challenging of my life. I was exhausted with barely an hour of sleep from the night before after a tiring last day with my nephew. I'd tried to eat solid foods while laboring at home earlier but hadn't been able to keep any of it down, and was relying on tiny bites of the same granola bar and small sips of Emergen-C for energy. I'd been in labor for 13 hours with no rest from the surges, and now it was time for me to use any granule of energy I had left to get this baby out. And dare I mention the pain. Yes, it was excruciating, but I was determined to work through it. For two hours I pushed with every surge, using a combination of breathing and vocalization to move Jethro further down. Finally when I reached the point when I felt like I just couldn't do it anymore (or "the wall" as it's referred to in the birthing community), it meant that Jethro was just moments away from being born. At this point Tommy jumped into the water with me and supported me from behind. Finally after many intense pushes that involved lots of vocal breaths and some tears, Jethro was born at 2:59 p.m., weighing a whopping 8 pounds 2.5 ounces and measuring 20 inches long.

So, I'm sure many of you are wondering what my thoughts are after going through with my natural birth plan. Was it difficult? Heck yes. I definitely didn't have one of those painless Hypnobirths that I'd heard of, and I certainly wasn't a "silent birther." Were there moments when I wish I'd had access to an epidural? That thought definitely crossed my mind the further I got into labor. Many moms I've talked to who have gone through with their unmedicated births have told me that they had the same thoughts at some point during their labor. I may have said to Tommy a time or two, "What was I thinking?!?" However, I know in my heart that I would not have given up on my birth plan and would have stuck to my guns of welcoming our son into the world the way women have done it for generations before. Would I do it again? Immediately following Jethro's birth and for about a week after I would have said, "I don't know.." But I can tell you now that I certainly couldn't do it any other way.

First, there are the benefits to my son that came from an unmedicated birth at Best Start. He was born with minimal medical intervention and it was immediately apparent how wonderfully he adjusted to life outside of the womb. He was very calm and alert, immediately took to breastfeeding, and has been an excellent overnight sleeper (minus his crazy baby sleep noises nobody ever tells you about that keep me up half the night). Overall he's a great baby! Plus at Best Start they fully support natural childbirth and everything that goes along with the philosophy of minimal intervention. They occasionally checked his heartbeat underwater with a fetal monitor, but I was not confined to a bed or hooked up to an IV. After he was born and the placenta delivered they had Tommy take him briefly while they helped me out of the tub. But besides that he stayed on my chest for hours of skin-to-skin. And we were able to go home later that night once his breathing had been stabilized for two hours.

Second, I can't explain how empowering it is to give birth to your child naturally. In a way I feel like it was my transition into womanhood, as silly as that may sound. It was a powerful spiritual experience for me as well, knowing that this was what Heavenly Father created my body to do. I wanted to experience and know that I could do what woman for generations before have done, especially considering how often women are told today that our bodies are incapable of birthing a child without loads of medical intervention, even with low or no-risk pregnancies. Now I'll just say that every mom is different and this aligns with my own personal birthing philosophy and is not intended to downplay any other method that a woman chooses to birth her child. This is just what I had hoped for and was so blessed to receive from my birth experience :-)

Jethro with our amazing doula Ashley!

Jethro, 1 month, 10 pounds 1 oz

Saying Farewell to Summer!

As summer winds down and the first day of autumn is just weeks away, I figured it was time for a Jones Family update! Things are still going well in the wonderful world of pregnancy, and despite the 1st trimester morning sickness, sleepless nights, aches and pains, and all the other wonderful "goodies" that come as a surprise during pregnancy, it's all been a wonderful and interesting journey! Yesterday marked 24 weeks, with just 16 to go! Time is really starting to fly by.... I had an anatomy ultrasound at 20 1/2 weeks and once again was blessed with more pictures of our adorable little man sucking his thumb. Not to mention a confirmation that Jethro is most definitely a boy ;-)

Sucking his thumb like a champ!

View from underneath between his legs. Boy part!

At 18 weeks I felt the first sure "kick," and now he never seems to stop moving! It's such a thrill to feel him squirm, and in the last week it's been fun watching his movements as well. Tommy and I can see him thump against my belly, and when he changes positions I have a visibly lopsided belly with a noticeable bulge on one side. He prefers to sit to the right of my belly button and kick to the left, but occasionally he'll switch it up and roll to the left, kicking to the right. Sometimes it's like a circus in my abdomen, and of course his favorite time to practice his karate kicks (or maybe yoga stretches) is when mommy is trying to get some much-needed sleep! :-)

Taken at 21 weeks!

The last "bump" pic was taken at 21 weeks, and it has continued to grow rapidly over the last 3 weeks. Gaining only 3 pounds in the first 18 weeks, I've managed to pack on an extra 8 since then due to my ravenous appetite and daily indulgence of ice cream. At 24 weeks I now weigh in at a whopping 117 pounds, which is a total gain of 12 pounds. Things are right on track and Jethro is in the 50th percentile in terms of his length/weight. According to Stella the ultrasound tech Jethro has some long legs. Sounds like he'll be tall like his daddy!

Hotel Zoso, Palm Springs 

Mid-August Tommy and I were lucky enough to take a "Babymoon" to Palm Springs for a weekend getaway. We celebrated our 3-year wedding anniversary on July 18th, but Tommy wasn't feeling well around that time so we decided to postpone the plans we had made and instead take our last mini-vacation before our family of two becomes three. It would be our first relaxing getaway since our honeymoon! We had a great time hanging out by the pool, eating good food, and going on a midday "date" to see The Dark Knight Rises. The weather averaged 100-106 degrees while we were there but luckily we had a lovely air-conditioned room to hang out in!

In other news, Tommy's heading into his 7th week as tax associate for Sempra Energy. It's been quite the adjustment, as we both are still getting used to getting up at 6:00 a.m. Monday-Friday and heading to the bus stop by 7:00 a.m. Tommy rides the bus to the downtown Sempra office, works hard all day and heads back once the clock strikes 5. But so far he's adjusting well, getting to know his coworkers, and exceeding his deadlines! Here he is on his first day: 

We both are adjusting to our new busy schedules, and between Tommy's new job and studying for the CPA exams, me still working 5 days a week on my feet and watching my adorable nephew Bradley 20 hours a week, and preparing for the arrival of our little one in December, we our always on our toes! In a couple weeks we move into our new condo where I'm sure I will quickly start "nesting." Next month we have my baby shower to look forward to, the start of our hypnobirthing classes, our maternity photo shoot, and a visit from Cody, Faith, and our four-year-old niece Amelie. And of course my favorite holiday! 

HA-LLO-WEEN! :-)

What's In a Name?

JETHRO THOMAS JONES

That's the official name of our little Bean. It's been quite the journey, and so far the top responses to our name choice have been:
1. "What a cool name!"
2. "Are you serious??"
3. "Is that a family name?"
4. "Can I call him Jet?"
5. "How did you and Tom come up with that name?"


I am here to answer these questions.
1. Yes, we agree that Jethro is an AWESOME name.
2. Yes, we are serious and aren't just "pulling your leg."
3. No, it's not a family name (and we did NOT name our son after an NCIS character, a British rock group, or a Beverly Hillbillies character).
4. We know our son will probably receive numerous nicknames over his lifespan but we prefer that he be called Jethro, at the very least by family :-)
5. Well, here's the story of our baby-naming journey..

Tom and I were flipping through baby names books one night shortly after we found out I was pregnant. We were pretty settled on our girls name so far (which I will not reveal at this time because we still hope to use it someday!), but 3 books later we could not find a single boy's name that either of us liked or could agree on. I had been stuck on another name for awhile but Tom had strongly vetoed that. Tired and frustrated that our possible baby boy's name was not coming to us, Tom decided to flip open the scriptures. At first he rattled off a few names that we both laughed off and it sort of became our comic relief from the frustration. Then he came across the name "Jethro" and as soon as he said it aloud we both looked at each other and said in unison, "I like it!" It was the first time we agreed on a boy name with such gusto. Over the next week we thought it over and did some research as to the biblical significance of the name. This is what we learned:

Moses takes his leave of Jethro by Jan Victors, c. 1965. Exodus 4:18
Jethro is seated on the left in red.

Jethro, also known as Reuel, was a prince and priest of Midian who gave Moses a home when he fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. Jethro's daughter, Zipporah, eventually became Moses's wife. Moses is said to have worked as a shepherd for Jethro for 40 years before returning to Egypt to lead the Hebrews to Canaan, the "promised land." After Moses had begun to lead the Israelites on their Exodus, it was Jethro that encouraged Moses to appoint others to share in the burden of ministry to the nation Israel by allowing others to help in the judgment of smaller matters coming before him. Jethro was not an Israelite, but when he heard what God had done for the Israelites in freeing them from Egypt he worshiped God wholeheartedly. Jethro met God through Moses and Moses received hospitality, his wife and wisdom from Jethro. It was from Jethro that Moses received the Melchizedek Priesthood.

After Tom and I did the research and learned what a significant role Jethro played in scriptural history we knew our name choice had been inspired. After learning that we were indeed having a son we prayed about whether or not this was the right name for our son and received an overwhelming confirmation that we had made the right choice. Jethro will also be named after both his grandpa Jones and his daddy, with a middle name of Thomas. As converts to the church, Tom and I will be so blessed to raise our son in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Introducing Baby BOY Jones!

That's right, we're having a BOY!!

We went in this evening for a private ultrasound and our little Bean is indeed a little boy! Looks like my "mother's intuition" was right all along! He was a tad camera shy at first, but with some laughing and rolling onto my side a few times he finally decided to retreat from his comfy little niche and flash us his "boy parts."

Yep, the arrows in the above pictures are pointing to those "boy parts!" Last Wednesday we went in for a prenatal appointment and heard our boy's heartbeat for the first time. What a thrill! I'll go back at the end of this month for my next appointment and again on August 9th for an anatomy ultrasound and gender confirmation!

Here he is sucking his thumb! What a cute little profile! 

And of course the most recent belly pic. This was taken at 14 weeks. Today I am 15 weeks 2 days!

In other news, Tommy accepted a job today with Sempra Energy as tax coordinator! It's a great opportunity to get his foot in the door with a Fortune 500 company and another step towards becoming a CPA. He'll be working in the downtown office and starts in just two weeks. He also found out last month that he passed his second CPA Exam! Way to go Tom! Two down, two to go! Today we have been blessed with such wonderful news :-)

Houston, We Have a Heartbeat!

Today we got to see our Little Bean! The big circle on the left is Bean's large melon, body on the right, and the little object that appears to be sticking out of the face is an arm! If you look right below the arm at the spot that stands out a little brighter you can make out an eye, nose, and mouth. And Bean happened to be awake while we did the sonogram and was moving around, waving "Hi" to mommy and daddy :-) It was one of the coolest things we've ever seen. Each time I laughed, Bean would jolt awake and start moving around again. We didn't have the chance to hear the heartbeat but got a clear view of the tiny heart working away. At my next appointment in 4 weeks they'll check the heartbeat with a fetal doppler and I'll be able to hear it for the first time. At 20 weeks we'll go in to find out whether Bean is Team Blue or Team Pink!

Clearly our appointment went very well today and Bean was measuring just a couple days behind. My due date remains 12/22, but they anticipate I'll go to 41 weeks since labor will occur naturally and I won't be induced. So far I'm a great candidate for the Birth Center because Bean has a strong, healthy heartbeat and everything seems to be developing well at this point. About 14% of mothers end up needing to be referred out of the BC at some point during pregnancy or labor, so my chances of sticking it out to the end are great. I met 1 of 5 midwives that are on-call for delivery and adore her already. I'll have a chance to meet the other 4 throughout the rest of my prenatal care. I also learned that the BC provides a free on-call doula service. So far the Best Start Birth Center is everything I'd hoped it would be!

And now for your viewing pleasure, 2 more photos of Bean that look very similar to the first::

10 Weeks and Counting....

BUMP AHEAD! We were so happy to announce to our families the week of Mother's Day that we are expecting our first child! After 2 1/2 years of marriage we'd been wanting to start a family but issues kept arising that seemed to prevent us from moving forward. During the October 2011 LDS General Conference we watched a talk given by Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on the very subject of having children. We felt as though Elder Anderson was talking directly to us:

"When a child is born to a husband and wife, they are fulfilling part of our Heavenly Father’s plan to bring children to earth. The Lord said, 'This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.' Before immortality, there must be mortality."

"Many voices in the world today marginalize the importance of having children or suggest delaying or limiting children in a family. My daughters recently referred me to a blog written by a Christian mother (not of our faith) with five children. She commented: '[Growing] up in this culture, it is very hard to get a biblical perspective on motherhood. … Children rank way below college. Below world travel for sure. Below the ability to go out at night at your leisure. Below honing your body at the gym. Below any job you may have or hope to get.' She then adds: 'Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for.'"

"Across the world, this is a time of economic instability and financial uncertainty. In April general conference, President Thomas S. Monson said: 'If you are concerned about providing financially for a wife and family, may I assure you that there is no shame in a couple having to scrimp and save. It is generally during these challenging times that you will grow closer together as you learn to sacrifice and to make difficult decisions.'"

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/children?lang=eng

After listening to this talk we decided to pray about our desire to have children and when the right time would be to start trying. There were many things to consider: our financial status, lack of health insurance, Tommy's commitment to studying for and passing the CPA Exams, and no promising leads in Tommy's efforts to establish a career in the accounting field. After prayer and consideration, we received our answer that if we put our faith in Heavenly Father, He would take care of the rest. We started trying just a couple weeks before Christmas. Four months later, I was pregnant! And I'm happy to say that over the past four months we've managed to secure health insurance for myself, Tommy has one passed CPA Exam under his belt, and has some great career leads with companies here in San Diego. 

The BUMP

Can you see it? It's there! A tiny bump is forming to accommodate our growing Little Bean! We couldn't be more excited! We found out we were pregnant the morning of April 19th. I'd been charting my fertility using the Fertility Awareness Method and was days away from testing. However, on the 18th when I went out for my usual run I suddenly lacked the energy to get through it. I had to keep stopping to catch my breath and even had a bout of dizziness at one point. I had my suspicions so decided to test the next morning:

Two BFP (Big Fat Positives)! We didn't waste any time and by the next week we had already toured the Best Start Birth Center and set up my first appointment for this Thursday, May 31st. As of today I am 10 weeks, 2 days pregnant and my EDD (Estimated Delivery Date) is December 22, 2012!

What is Best Start Birth Center?

Best Start is the longest established state-licensed, nationally accredited, free-standing birth center in Southern California. They are not part of a hospital or HMO and are a private practice owned and operated by midwives. Best Start has physicians associated with the practice whom they consult with and refer clients to as needed, but they are not there for deliveries -- it is the midwives who do the deliveries. Best Start is also the only state-licensed, nationally accredited facility in San Diego offering Water birth. Best Start does not offer epidural services and IV's are not used routinely. 

WAIT... WHAT?? I know this all sounds crazy, but I plan to do natural birth in a bathtub, also known as a Water birth. To deal with the difficulties of labor, I will be using Hypnobirthing, which can be best described as meditation through labor and delivery. But more on that later...

Best Start Birth Center: http://www.beststartbirthcenter.com/faq.html#What%20is%20Best%20Start%20Birth%20Center?

San Diego Hypnobirthing:

http://www.sandiegohypnobirth.com/Founder.html