Jett Michael Meenach Jr. aka “JJ” made his arrival on Tuesday, February 25th, 2020(Fat Tuesday!) at 5:47am. He weighed 8 pounds 7.1 ounces and measured 21.5 inches long.
JJ made his arrival on his due date right at 40 weeks. My first trimester was pretty rough, the second trimester was nice and easy but towards the end of my third trimester, I was done being pregnant. Around 37 weeks, my OBGYN had mentioned setting an induction date in case things didn’t progress naturally in a timely manner. The plan was to schedule an induction at my 39-week appointment but that appointment got canceled due to snow in the area. My OBGYN called me to reschedule and on that call, she brought up the option of elective induction.
I was tired of being big and round so my eyes lit up when she told me about elective induction. I put my name on the list the Wednesday before JJ’s arrival. My OBGYN said the earliest I should expect a call would be over the weekend, but that I very well could not receive a call for quite some time.
Aside from being over being pregnant, Jett’s parents were flying in from Texas on Saturday for a week so we were really hoping to have this baby while they were here!
Getting the Call
Jett and I woke up Sunday morning and everything was normal. I was a little sick with a head cold so we decided I would go to church but wouldn’t volunteer in the nursery like usual. I left Jett at church to volunteer and I ran some errands before heading home to my in-laws.
Jett got home from church and was relaxing on the couch with his parents while I was outside sanding a blanket ladder for baby J’s room. I had just walked into the house to ask if the family wanted to go to the beach soon since it was such a nice day out. I sat back down and was working for a few minutes when I got a call from a number I didn’t have saved in my phone. I got a little excited seeing the number because I was pretty sure it was the hospital. Sure enough, it was!
I got the call at about 2:30pm. After I hung up and shared the good news, we all double checked our hospital bags and then I hopped into the shower. We took my last bump picture before we left and I’m so glad we remembered! I grabbed some snacks for the road(We live 45 minutes away from the hospital) and we all set out to have a baby! We got settled into this swanky birthing suite at around 4:30. One thing we didn’t do that I wish we had was to weigh myself. I had been weighing myself pretty consistently and at my last weigh-in had gained 35 pounds but I wish I had one final weigh-in. Also, I had to remove my jewelry in case we had to have a c-section but they didn’t tell me this until I had been there for awhile(aka I was swollen when they told me). So pro tip- take your jewelry off ASAP.
I was in labor for about 29 hours and pushed for around an hour and a half. I wasn’t really dilated at all when we arrived at the hospital but JJ was very, very low. Monday morning at about 1am they began administering drugs to induce labor.
I’m not quite sure how to put the labor process in words suitable for the internet. Not only was barley dilated, but my water hadn’t broken either. That process was something straight out of a medieval torture book. If you want the details we will have to discuss those privately. Other than that, the only other uncomfortable parts of labor were getting the IV and a fever I developed.
If you have the option to get an IV in your hand or in your arm definitely get it in your arm. The arm was my first choice, but the nurse had a hard time locating a vein in my arm. Not only is it more uncomfortable in your hand but it makes it awkward to use your hand. You are really going to want that hand when you are in labor to squeeze! Another nurse actually tried to give me a new IV in my arm but I was on pain meds and ended up being too drugged up to cooperate.
29 hours sounds like a long time but most of the time I was sleeping or just hanging out with my family in the hospital room. It’s weird that labor technically begins once they start administering the drugs. I was actually able to eat on Monday even though they had originally told me only clear liquids once I got checked in on Sunday. That made the whole process easier for me.
As for pushing, again, one and a half hours sounds like a long time but it ended up working out really well. I pushed Jett Jr. out slowly which allowed me to slowly expand down there reducing the damage and tears. I only had one minor tear which didn’t require any stitches.
Labor and delivery went smooth and the Meenachs are happy and healthy! Jett has actually asked me if I was a badass or if the people in movies were too dramatic about labor. I gently reminded him that I had opted in for the pain meds and that the real hard part would be breastfeeding and recovery. My labor and delivery experience was pretty darn close to best case scenario. I am aware of that and very thankful for it. I think my dad may have struck a deal with the man upstairs to ensure a smooth experience for me because he knew how much I hate hospitals, doctors, needles and everything related!
Our last family photo before leaving the hospital!
