Saturday, October 20

The Birth Story of Baby Four

Well, our fourth little Gunnell (and third little girl) has arrived! I am snuggling her as I type this.

Pardon the cheesiness, but having her in our home, and especially in my arms the past five days has been actual perfect bliss. It seems like by the fourth time around, I've truly learned to appreciate and just savor this much too brief newborn stage. Granted, I've always love love loved newborns. It's one of the most enjoyable stages for me, but then I've been pretty fortunate to get children who love to nurse and sleep and we haven't had major challenges like colic.

But to get to the details:


On Sunday, October 14, 2018, we welcomed Tessa Joelle Gunnell at 8:56pm. 
She was 7 lbs, 14 oz and 20"
She is calm and easygoing and perfect.



Like all the others, she came via induction, and like Declan and Tayah, she was born at 39 weeks (Tenley was 41 weeks). She was my second smallest baby (the others were 8 lbs 3 oz, 8 lbs 6 oz, and 7 lbs 8 oz) which was actually very surprising to me because I was measuring large for several weeks and I hit my maximum weight of 136 a week or so ago. But I'll talk about why that might have been in a minute. 

I have never been induced on a Sunday before, so unlike all my other inductions, I did not go and get my traditional bagel from Einstein Bagels for breakfast beforehand. I just had a lame bowl of Frosted Flakes and a chocolate Breakfast Essential. But I was too excited to get to the hospital to care too much. I already had my robes and loose clothing and baby outfit stuffed into a bag, so I just needed to grab my hygiene/makeup bag, glasses, and phone charger and then Dalin and I headed out, my mom staying back with the kids. The hospital is only like four minutes away, so we arrived just before 9am and went inside to check in. 

I was extremely excited, feeling like I was checking into a hotel for myself for a few days. After the initial registration, we were led through the doors back past all the other rooms I had delivered in (111, 112, 116) to room 117 at the end of the hall. The room was big and we immediately liked it. I changed into my hospital gown and sat on the bed. My first nurse, Ally, got me settled and started hooking me up to everything. She put the heartbeat and contraction monitors on my stomach, bracelets on my wrist, and an IV in my wrist. Thankfully, she placed the dreaded IV the first time (with one induction, they had to poke me several times in both wrists before they were successful) and even though it pinched, I eventually got used to the sensation.

Because I had tested positive for strep B for the first time out of all my pregnancies, I was started on antibiotics for a half hour before being started on pitocin. It was about 10:30 when Ally began the pitocin. As usual, nothing happened for the first several hours. Dalin actually left for a while (he was supposed to teach nursery but was able to get it covered so he could return to the hospital) and I turned the TV on (though I couldn't focus on anything) and sat working on a painting.

Around 1:30pm, Mike came in and gave me the epidural. He did a great job. It wasn't as painless as Tayah's (which was virtually painless and totally perfect) but it wasn't bad at all. My left foot went numb almost immediately. Then my left leg became completely numb and my right leg had trouble matching the numbness. But until I started feeling pressure with the contractions (which wasn't until my water was broken) it wasn't an issue. My blood pressure did drop a little dramatically after the epidural which made me feel lightheaded and exhausted and weak. So much so, that I was given three doses of ephedrine at various times. I tried to rest for about an hour without much luck. My sisters in law came in eventually to keep me entertained. Jensen quizzed us with trivia questions on her phone.

After waiting for a couple of hours, with the inflated "peanut" ball between my legs to attempt to progress things along, Ally got Dr. Pace to come in around 5 to break my water. As he slowly let the water leak out, he told me there was a lot of water in there which was probably the reason I was measuring big the last few weeks. It made me reconsider my guess for the baby's weight (which had previously been 8 lbs 4 oz). I gave Dr. Pace a watercolor portrait of his family in front of the Provo City Center Temple to take with him as he headed back home for a few hours. He really seemed to love it.

The peanut ball went back between my legs and finally some progress began to happen. The catheter in my back from the epidural was pinching a bit and bugging me, so I kept having to change positions on the bed. In the process, my left leg was 100% numb and while I could move it a little, I couldn't lift it even an inch. In contrast, my right leg could be moved and lifted and as the contractions grew stronger, I started to feel a hard pinching sensation in an uncomfortable place. With a little added epidural, and laying on my right side, we were able to even out the numbness, which I was very grateful for when it came time to push. Unfortunately, the epidural did nothing to reduce the pain of baby girl pushing up against my ribs hard. She was so tightly pressed against the right side of my ribs that there was a visible bulge where her bum/back were sticking up. Shaina felt it and then gently pushed her down away from my ribs, which relieved the pain. But then the little stinker would pop right back up where she was. She did this several times and I teared up from the discomfort. 

Around 7:45, my new nurse, Emily, told me I was at a 7. At about 8, I was at an 8. Then at 8:20, I was at a 9+ and I urged Emily to get Dr. Pace there right away because the pressure was increasing. Suddenly, the room filled with additional nurses and hospital staff with special equipment for after the delivery. Bright lights suddenly shone in my face and machines were warmed up, ready for baby. At that point, my mom, JeNeale, Shaina, and Dalin remained in the room. They all found places around me, ready to help. 

At 8:36pm, Dr. Pace arrived (with his teenage daughter in tow as I had said she could come watch the delivery) and I immediately began pushing during contractions. Dalin came to my right side to hold my hand and encourage me. I had told him beforehand that I don't want him to feel sick and he didn't have to stay there or even come up until the end, but in the moment, he stayed and did amazing. I didn't even really realize how well he was doing until the end when it occurred to me that he was present and encouraging me and helpful and didn't seem to be feeling lightheaded at all. 

As always, pushing was hard. Everyone kept telling me how well I was doing, though I wasn't entirely sure how they could tell. If her head wasn't visible or out, how could they know? Thankfully, throughout the pushing, baby girl's heart rate remained calm and consistent (a miracle to me). I could hear the faint heartbeat from the computer in the background, which was a comfort to me. 

Still, the pressure from the contractions was painful. Thank goodness for the epidural--I can't imagine having had to push through any additional pain. I pushed through probably about ten sets of contractions (two or three breaths each time). FINALLY, at 8:56pm, she was delivered and placed on me. The relief of physical pressure (and emotional and mental relief) was immense. I cried in relief and gratitude repeating over and over aloud, "I'm so happy she's out!" and "I can't believe she's here!" It was the best feeling. She was very purple and cheesy (the vernix caseosa--yes I Googled it)--more so than any of my other babies. They wiped her off, Dalin went to cut the cord, and then they took her to check her lungs.

She was completely perfect. They gave her back to me in a short while and after delivering the placenta and getting sewn up for the tiniest of tears, (and chewing up four pills that tasted like chalk to reduce the bleeding) the room emptied almost as quickly as it had filled.


We spent the next hour with family. I tried to eat a ham sandwich but the shakes and teeth chattering after delivery were so intense for about forty minutes that I could hardly speak, let alone eat. I suddenly got very cold and was covered in several blankets. Meanwhile, everyone took turns holding baby girl. Tenley, Declan, and Tayah were brought in to meet her. Tenley and Declan could not be more excited. But it was very late by then and Declan had a complete meltdown because he had wanted to hold the baby "yirst." I felt so sad for him, but happy that he was already so in love with his sister. Tenley could not have had more adoration on her face as she held her new sister. Poor Tayah was apprehensive and completely thrown off by the situation. She didn't want anyone but Grandma, Papa, or Nana. I tried to remember that she would come around in a little while (and don't worry, she did as soon as baby came home).

When everyone finally offered their congratulations and left the room, Dalin and I laid back in our beds--me in mine, still hooked up to the IV and epidural (though it was no longer on), and him on the couch which converted to a futon--and we basked in the happy glow of our new baby girl and tested out our favorite names on her, feeling best about Tessa Joelle. Fun fact: while on our long journey of searching for a baby name (ever since we learned our little sweetheart was a girl and not a boy as we had all suspected), I would google the names I liked to find out their meaning and hope it would help with the decision-making process. I discovered that in Greek, Tessa means "born fourth" and though that didn't seal the deal, it always stayed in my mind, especially because I already loved the name. Meanwhile, Declan and Tenley had loved the name Joelle from the start (as did we, but especially those two) and we liked the nicknames Jojo and Elle or Ellie. Anyway, we decided to sleep on the name to be safe and announce in the morning.

As always, it was an amazing feeling to have accomplished something so miraculous and difficult and so entirely worth it. I couldn't have been more proud of Dalin for staying by me. I asked him how he managed it this time and he said something along the lines of: "I'm not sure. For some reason I felt fine this time. Must be because it's the fourth baby." I felt like my happiness could not be greater.

We adore our sweet and beautiful Tessa Joelle. 


Wednesday, October 3

Baby Gunnell Four!

So now that I have finally posted Tayah's birth story (just 20 months late haha) I guess I should share the details of my fourth pregnancy.

I'm 37.5 weeks pregnant (due October 21st) and while this pregnancy hasn't exactly flown by, it's wonderful to be at this stage and look back on this year (which has flown by) since I've been pregnant for almost its entirety.

This pregnancy has been similar to my others with morning sickness.

A few noticeable differences:


  • Cravings are different. I haven't really craved sausage or hot chocolate like I have every other time. If anything, I've experienced a little bit of pica the way I seemed to be with Declan. The smell of gasoline is so appealing to me (when usually I never really care for it) that I just want to sniff it and drink it. Haha, so weird. I jumped out to pump the gas at Costco yesterday instead of having Dalin doing it just so I could smell the fumes for a minute (yes, I know this is weird and probably not healthy but I could not resist). 
  • I've been sick with colds more than other pregnancies it seems like. So maybe my immunity has been extra poor or it's just been a bad year. I had to take Tylenol for a big chunk of the first trimester and that has stressed me out, worrying about how it might affect the baby. Now, here at the end, I've been sick again with an illness that turned into a cold or viral infection, and I feel miserable. As much as I want this baby to come any time, I don't think I want her here for a few more days until this cold passes.
  • I failed my one-hour glucose test which was hugely disappointing. A normal level is about 139 and I was at 148. Gestational Diabetes is technically diagnosed if levels are above 190. So it was very tempting to skip the glucose test and I did at first (because I was in New Hampshire for 5 weeks right after getting the results). But my doctor encouraged me to take the three hour test once I returned. I had just gotten over a stomach virus and consequently fasted almost for 24 hours the day before so perhaps that contributed to me passing the test. But I was majorly relieved that I had. For the sake of remembering, my levels were as follows at each blood draw (did you know they make you do four??):
    • After fasting: 67 / 95 (95 being the normal level)
    • After 1 hour: 145 / 180 
    • 2 hours: 150 / 155
    • 3 hours: 136 / 140                     SO grateful I passed. 
  • A week ago I tested positive for Group B Strep for the first time. Apparently this is fairly common and the results can change within a short period of time, but I made the mistake of reading about Strep B and all the possible complications. Fortunately, I've since heard from many friends and family members with their experiences and was informed that as long as I'm on antibiotics via I/V during delivery, all should be well. 
  • Another difference--at 37 weeks, I'm already at about my maximum weight of 136 lbs which I was at with Declan at 39 weeks. So I was a little discouraged that I might surpass that by the time of delivery, but I guess what's one or two pounds really? I have also measured a week or two BIG where in the past I've always measured a week behind or right on schedule. 
  • As for delivery, I intended to try and wait until closer to my due date before being induced this time around, but with my higher than usual weight and measurements, the strep B test being positive, and my doctor being gone with his family just before my due date, in all likelihood I may be induced at 39 weeks as I have been in the past. It also would work out better with Dalin's schedule because he already has the few days around that time off. So October 14th may be the day! 
  • Another difference that I just thought of--we do not have a name selected! With the other kids we were fairly confident of their first names beforehand (we did call Declan "William" throughout most of my pregnancy, but Declan was always a high possibility and when we saw him after birth, he became a Declan). This time we were SO certain this baby was a boy, that we hardly talked about girl names. We had a boy name (even two) and I had subconsciously been putting all baby items in Declan's closet to be stored, assuming we'd pull them out for this baby. 

When we went to Fetal Fotos for the third time (since Tayah was a surprise) at about 15 weeks, I was so confident the ultrasound tech (who we'd also had with Tenley and the second visit with Declan) was going to say "boy" that I bought three blue balloons, and three pink balloons to use for photos afterward. In my mind, Dalin and Declan would each hold a blue balloon, and then Tenley and Tayah would each hold pink, and I would hold pink for me and also blue for the baby. I figured if I was wrong and it was a girl, then I would hold a pink for her, and the kids would each hold their color and we'd just not use the other two blue balloons. But how surprised I was when that ended up being the case! We took photos outside the mall with our balloons shortly afterward, and the surprise on my face was genuine.


I am THRILLED about this little girl! I really am. I just still cannot believe it! The only hard part is not getting to use the boy name I love (there's always next time ;) and never having imagined myself as a "girl mom." It has truly never really entered my mind. (I used to tell everyone I'd have six boys and one girl and they all told me I'd probably get the opposite haha). But I believe that Heavenly Father knows us and what we need. And the fact that three girls signed up to have me for a mom in this life makes me so happy. I can't wait to see her face!

As for names, we've mostly narrowed it down to about four, though I think another could easily slip in at the last minute if it seemed right. I'd share my current list here, but whenever I do, there are always so many opinions and I don't want to feel discouraged from using a name I love. Whatever we name her, that's what people will call her, so they can love it or hate it at that point. I do hope that when I see her sweet face, the name will become clear to us.

Anyway, I haven't blogged in ages and I most likely will be too busy to continue, but at least for my pregnancies, it's important that I record the memorable aspects and especially each child's birth story. I do write in my daily journal as well, but it takes a lot less time for me to type than it does to write it all out so the details of the deliveries are better preserved here.

Well, wish me luck this month! I hope this sinus cold I'm experiencing resolves before she decides to come. It feels endless. Now is the time for nesting and resting, but also keeping busy so mind is distracted. Less than two weeks left before our littlest angel arrives!

Birth of Baby Tayah

Tayah Louise Gunnell was born at 6:36pm on February 1, 2017. She was my tiniest baby at 7lbs 8oz and 20". And in true, third baby form, she didn't get a birth post until nearly a year later. 
But hey, I've been pretty crazy busy with three kids four and under. 

I want to re-cap some of this past year with three kids, but first I want to record the day of Tayah's birth using memories I wrote down on Instagram and in my journals.

As with the two kids before, I opted to be induced with Tayah. At the time, we did not know her sex. We had chosen to keep the sex a surprise, mostly because we already had a boy and girl and clothing for each. Like Declan, I was induced at 39 weeks. Declan was my largest at 8lbs 6oz at 39 weeks so I thought it would be best to be prepared for another large baby. Lo and behold, she was little and sweet.

I went in to the hospital and started on pitocin around 8am. The nurse put my I/V in and we began to wait. Dalin took the kids to his sister Cassie's house for the day. I tried to watch TV, tried to rest, and tried to calm my nerves which I had not expected to be so high with my third baby. I guess the fear stemmed from my lack of faith that everything would be alright as it was with my first two. I felt like something was much more likely to go wrong this time since I'd had two healthy births beforehand. I texted friends and family with updates to keep myself distracted.

I got an epidural in the afternoon before Dr. Pace (the same doctor who delivered my first two) came to break my water. I was surprised to find that the epidural was virtually pain-free this time around. I could not believe it. I kept waiting for the sting and heat to come but it never did. And then the anesthesiologist announced he was done. I was elated.

Dr. Pace came and broke my water. Things finally started to progress in the next couple of hours. Like with Tenley, I could feel the pressure of the contractions when they started to come though not nearly as bad as they'd been with hers. But I jumped from being dilated at a 7 to a 10 in a matter of minutes. Thankfully I had texted my photographer friend Emily, and my friend Sarah in time. It was about 6 o'clock when I began pushing. Sarah came in just in time and helped with moral support.

As with the other two births, Dalin did not last long by my side. He tried, but due to his increasing pallor, was encouraged by the hospital staff to lay down. He gets really anxious seeing me in that position. I pushed as hard as I could with every contraction. Around 6:30pm, I was feeling incredibly discouraged. Why was this so hard??? I'd already had two babies. And Declan had crowned in about fifteen minutes of pushing. Dr. Pace sensed my frustration and informed me that this length of time was normal.

Suddenly, the baby crowned. With one more push, she slipped out. "What is it??" I gasped. "It's a girl!" chimed the nurses as Dr. Pace flipped her over to check. Then she was placed on my chest and I was sobbing. I couldn't believe it. We'd been right all along. The four of us had all predicted she was a girl. And I was so joyous to meet my little Tayah.


I LOVE birth days. And the surprise made it even more special. If our next baby is a boy and we have a fifth, we'll do a surprise again for sure for another tie breaker.

I am so thankful for the ability to bare children in this life and mother these perfect beings.