Introducing Hannah Jae Funk

I thought I would be able to get this blog out a lot earlier, but as I had been warned, things tend to take a little longer when there is a baby in the house!  This is going to be a long one and maybe a little more detailed than some might like, you’ve been warned J

The Labor

So let’s start by going back to Sunday October 7^th.  That night, as a few previous nights I had woken up in the middle of the night with mild cramps and wasn’t able to fall back asleep.  The few previous nights that this had happened I got excited thinking that this could be the night!  On this night, I figured it was another false alarm, just like the previous nights.  I moved to the couch to see if a change in location would help me sleep better.  When I lied down, I felt a little bit of wetness you know where.  Figuring I had just peed myself a little (which happens when you’re pregnant), I shifted my body to get comfortable…but then it happened again, more wetness.  At this point I was frustrated and just wanted to sleep but I thought I better check things out, at the same time trying not to get my hopes up that “this was it”. 

As soon as I stood up, I felt a gush of uncontrollable fluid escape; I grabbed my housecoat between my legs and shimmied my way to the bathroom making a clean escape!  Still not 100% sure my water had broken, I returned to the couch but as soon as I lied down, it was an instant replay of what I just described.  I was convinced my water had broken and to be honest my first thought was “nooo, I want turkey dinner today!”  I didn’t want to wake Carl knowing that we would have a long night (or 2) ahead of us so from 5:30am Sunday morning until about 8am when Carl got up, I shared my secret with 3 people, the nurse at the hospital (to confirm what I was to do next), my sister in law Brittany who is a maternity nurse and my younger brother David.  David lives in Smithers and by chance his work had to fly him back to Smithers over the weekend, making a stop over in Vancouver.  He was supposed to fly home Sunday night but I texted him Sunday morning and said “my water broke, should have a baby within 48 hours, can you delay your flight?”  Sure enough, he was able to postpone his flight, a blessing that he was here for the birth of his niece, if you ask me.

Carl woke up around 8am and was looking for his house coat which I was now wearing because mine, was well a little wet…When I told him why I was wearing his, he got a big grin on his face and we both started laughing…Which of course had me running to the bathroom again!  Since contractions hadn’t started yet we decided to do what we could to get things moving.  We went for a long walk and met up with Brittany and Colin for a coffee (love living so close to those guys!).  Once we arrived home we decided it was time to head to the hospital to get things checked out.  We knew we would likely be sent home but the nurse I spoke to on the phone advised us it would be a good idea to come in, just to confirm my water had broken and that baby was doing ok.  Once we got the confirmation from the hospital, it was off to my parents house for turkey dinner, YES! 

It wasn’t until late Sunday night that contractions started.  I spent most of the night in the tub, breathing through contractions and trying to sleep in-between them, meanwhile keeping quiet so Carl could sleep.  Morning rolled around and by then my contractions were lasting about a minute and were anywhere from 3 to 6 minutes apart.  Because it had been more than 24 hours since my water had broken, I was at a higher risk of infection so it was time to get to the hospital. 

We arrived around noon and right away I was hooked up to oxytocin, which would intensify my contractions and hopefully get things moving faster.  At this point I was already pretty exhausted and feeling a bit emotional that this was really happening!  It’s a tad frightening to know that in several hours our lives would be changed forever!  Not only was I hooked up to an IV, I also had to wear 2 monitors around my belly, one to monitor the baby’s heart rate and one to monitor my contractions.  It didn’t make it easy to move around, that’s for sure!  I moved from the bed, to the tub, to the shower, trying to find a comfortable position to get through the contractions.  My goal was to make it through the labor with no drugs…after several hours of painful contractions I decided to try the nitrous oxide (laughing gas).  I didn’t find that it did much except make me feel light headed. 

It seemed like every hour they were increasing my intake of oxytocin, making contractions more frequent and more painful.  I opted for a shot of morphine and again found that it didn’t do much except make me sleepy.  Finally the doctor came in to check how far dilated I was.  I want to say it was around 6pm but I really have no idea.  Figuring I had likely dilated a bit the previous nights with the cramps I was having, and now going through all this, I thought I would be at least 5 centimeters…But it wasn’t so.  I cried when the doctor said I was only 3 centimeters; there was still a long road ahead.  Two hours later, I was only 4 centimeters.  I think it was at that point that I decided to get the epidural, which also meant another tube to attach me to, a catheter!  I remember feeling the warmth of the epidural flow into my body and looking at the anesthesiologist and saying “you’re my favorite doctor so far!”

Two hours later, around 10pm the epidural wasn’t working as it should and I again was having painful contractions.  The doctor checked me to find that no progress had been in the previous 2hours and I was still only at 4centimetres.  The baby’s heart rate was going up slightly and I was starting to develop a fever.  There wasn’t much of a choice but to opt for an emergency C-section.  At this point, I was ready for it!  I was wheeled into the OR, with Carl beside me pushing the bassinet that our baby would be brought back to our room in.

Finally after 42 hours since my water broke and about 26 hours of contractions, we were going to meet our little girl.  Once in the OR, I was prepped and given a local anesthetic…which didn’t work.  I could still feel the contractions and any time something touched me.  Throughout the whole labor, I was accepting of the drugs, the epidural, I was even ok with the C-section, although it’s not at all what I originally wanted.  But when they told me they would have to put me under for the C-section, that was the worst part.  Not being able to see my baby girl right when she was born or have Carl by my side was upsetting.  Carl was taken away and had to wait in a little room by himself until the baby was brought to him.  Within 15 minutes of being escorted out, he heard his daughter’s first cry and shed a few tears of his own.  Our baby girl was born October 8^th at 11:52pm weighing 7lbs 2oz and 20 inches long.  She spent her first hour of life in her Daddy’s arms.

I came to, just over an hour later and was very dizzy.  The nurse was about to go get Carl and our daughter but I refused, I was so upset that I couldn’t see clearly and wanted to remember the first time I got to see my daughter.  But after about 20 more minutes, I couldn’t wait any longer.  Carl was brought into the recovery room carrying our baby girl.  I looked at them and said to Carl “what’s her name?” “Hannah Jae” he replied.  We weren’t 100% decided on the name beforehand but we didn’t really have any other solid options.

Hannah got some skin-to-skin time with Mom and then tried breast-feeding for the first time.  She was born a pro!  We were wheeled back to our room where my mom, dad, brother David and friend Catherine met us in the hallway.  By then it was close to 2am and time for some sleep! 

We were awake again by 6am, excited to see our daughter and spend some time with her.  It was neat because Brittany, our sister in law, Dan my brother and Laura my friend were all either working or doing a practicum in the hospital.  We had about 18 visitors that day, which was great but we were exhausted by the end of the day!

The Name 

We had a difficult time deciding on a name but the name Hannah had been in the forefront for us for a while.  Hannah means gracious which we really like.  I kind of wanted her middle name to be a family name but we couldn’t decide who to name her after.  I wanted to name her after my great Grandma Jessie, but wasn’t a huge fan of how Hannah Jessie flowed, so we shortened it to Jae!

Adjusting 

We came home Wednesday night.  

We debated on staying one more night but Carl was originally going to go back to work on Friday and we wanted one day to adjust at home.  However, once we were home and saw how immobile I was, we decided that Carl needed to stay home on Friday as well.  Luckily his work has been very supportive.  We are all adjusting to our new life.  I’m learning to live off of less sleep and to accept the fact that if I get one thing done during the day, even if it’s just a shower, it’s an accomplishment!  Hannah seems to have a fussy time between about 6 and 10pm and wakes up every 3 hours at night to be fed.  She is a noisy sleeper so even when she’s not awake, she’s keeping us awake.  At her last doctor appointment she weighed 7lbs 4oz so she is feeding well!  As for me and my healing, I think it’s going to be a slow recovery! 

Overall, we are in love with our new family and feel so blessed to have a healthy baby girl.  We are overwhelmed with all the support and love we’ve received from all of our family and friends – THANK YOU!   

Ready...And Waiting!

It twas a busy 2 weeks or so when we first got back and now things have started to slooooow down.  It's actually getting a little to slow for my liking.  Let me start by going back to when it was busy :)  When we arrived home, it felt like "go time".  Had to get moved in, unpacked, settled, switch things like driver's licence, insurance, health cards, get Carl ready for work, fix up the nursery, get last minute baby stuff, visit friends and family, etc.  It was hectic and I felt that it needed to get done right away in case baby came early...Nesting, or just my natural urge to get organized?  Not sure.  Anyways, now that that is all done...I'm bored!  Hospital bag is packed, there are a few frozen meals in the freezer, house is clean, baby clothes and cloth diapers are washed and ready to go, car seat is installed, nursery is ready...Am I missing anything?  Oh yeah, a baby!  Now that I actually feel ready (are you ever really ready though?), I'm anxious to get this baby out!  I'm still feeling great, having some braxton hicks contractions (practice contractions) and the doctor says the baby is partially engaged which means it could come soon...Or not.  I know I should enjoy my last few weeks without child BUT I'm running out of ideas!  Any suggestions?

One thing we have kept busy with lately is visiting with people!  We have 4 dinner dates planned for this week and I'm excited to visit with those we haven't had a chance to see yet and those we are seeing again!  Last weekend we had our first visitors from Kingston come stay with us.  We attended Matt and Andy's wedding the weekend before we left Kingston and they came to the West Coast for their honeymoon!  We took them downtown and enjoyed some sushi! 

   

Although Carl and I are anxious for baby to come, we realize we need to take advantage of the little time we have left with just the two of us.  We had a date night Saturday night, have been enjoying some walks and took some maternity shots at Derby Reach this past weekend.

Had to get a few cheesy shots :)

What do ya think, could we start "Funk Photography" or what?

I am officially 38 weeks prego as of tomorrow.  The doctor says he won't let me go more than 10 days overdue so baby will be born anytime between now and October 27th!

Still Settling In...

I thought I better get an update written as I kind of left everyone hanging about Carl's job situation!  Carl ended up taking the job he was offered and is on his way to day 2 of work as I type.  We were able to get a delayed start date so that we had a few more days to get settled and spend 2 relaxing nights in Whistler with Mom and Dad Funk.

So far (after day one), Carl thinks the job will be good and that if nothing else, he will learn lot's!  We are trying to figure out the best mode of transportation for him so yesterday he drove and today he is taking the bus!  He left at 5:30am this morning and the last I heard, the bus was moving quicker than he thought :)

On my first day alone and without a car, I managed to keep busy washing and folding (and folding) baby clothes and cloth diapers!  I also took a walk to the grocery store and probably bought a few to many heavy items to walk home with...But the groceries on my back seemed to balance out the weight gain on my front!

I can't forget to mention the amazing shower my sister in law Brittany threw for us this past Sunday!  We were able to see almost all the ladies from the Funk and Rempel side along with the some friends, which was soooo great!  I've really appreciated being able to see so many of our family friends since we've been back!  

I'll leave you with a few photos from Sunday!

P.S. Carl just texted...He made it to work via bus an hour earlier than expected :)

Getting into the Groove

It's been a busy 5 days!  Since we pulled in the driveway on Thursday, it feels like we've been going non stop...We haven't even had time to enjoy our cable TV!  Besides doing the usual unpacking and settling in, Carl has had 3 meetings for 2 potential jobs, we had an amazing baby shower/ welcome back BBQ, and I've met our new doctor and done a hospital tour to see where our little one will be born!  What do you want to hear about first?

I'm sure most of you are saying "Carl's job opportunity!" since that has been an area of concern for us. Soooo he had an interview with a private development company (as opposed to public/city) and on the way home from the interview received a call from them for references and "to chat".  The following day he received another call saying that they would like to meet again.  At this meeting he was offered the job!  BUT, on the same day Carl had written an exam as a first step for a possible job opportunity for the city of Coquitlam.  We are currently weighing out the pro's and con's of the jobs and are prayerfully considering the opportunity that has been offered.  Either way we are amazed and thankful at how quickly God has answered our prayers for job opportunities to arise...Now we just hope we make the right decision (more prayer needed)!  (If we decide to take this job, we will likely need a second vehicle so keep your ears open for any cheap commuter cars for sale out there!)

On Sunday, my friends Tiffany and Catherine threw me a baby shower!

It was awesome to get to see a bunch of my friends and family and of course, get spoiled!  You'll notice in the pictures below an elephant theme.  It happens to be our daughters favourite animal :)

YUM!

Adorable!

Party Favours

Adult Sippy Cups

Yesterday I went to my first doctors appointment in Abbotsford.  We chose to go to Abbotsford because my sister in law Brittany is a maternity nurse at the hospital there!  She was able to recommend her favourite doctor and we're hoping to get special treatment at the hospital (especially if she is working), heehee!  The doctor said that the baby is head down and will likely stay that way until birth.  He also said that everything looks great and she is an average size.  When I asked him how much he thought she might weigh, he figured about 7-7.5 pounds already!!!  With anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks left to go, that sounds BIG!  Makes me a little nervous!

This week the goal is to work on the nursery!  It's probably been the most overwhelming part of being home, just not sure what to do with it!  Hopefully our trip to Ikea today will bring us some ideas!

Back in the Burbs

So we made it back to BC! 

After a delightful visit with our friends Marcus and Mel, we left Calgary with Scotch Creek as our next destination.  It was a long day of driving and once we reached Scotch Creek we were feeling a little brain dead.  We wanted to stop at Scotch Creek to enjoy some fun in the sun but when we arrived, it was looking more like rain than sun!  With the possibility of rain on the way and the fact that Carl had lined up interview for Friday, making us want to get home a little earlier, we decided to plug on to Kamloops.  In Kamloops we were able to visit with several of my family members and a friend and stay the night in a bed!  By about 9am Friday morning, we were homeward bound!

We arrived at our new house around noon and had a welcoming committee consisting of my friend Catherine and 2 of her boys who had made us a "Welcome Home" sign.  They helped us unpack our car and left us to check out our new place!

Since we've been home, we've settled in quite nicely (it didn't take much seeing how most of our stuff was already in our house before we moved in!!!).  Carl had his first job interview on Friday and has been short listed for another job!  

Overall, we must admit it feels a little weird to be back - almost like we never left, yet things are different.  We are really looking forward to reconnecting with all our friends and family!

Calgary Bound: Sept 2, 3, 4

So our first 2.5 days were spent just getting out of Ontario!  Since we crossed the Manitoba border on Sunday, we feel like we’ve been making good time (maybe it’s because the speed limit seems to increase in each province).  We crossed into Manitoba and debated on stopping in Winnipeg but heard from others that there wasn’t much to see and we were kind of on a roll with this driving thing, so we pushed forward.  

Manitoba was pretty dull, actually very dull.  There wasn’t even signs to see the worlds largest...What is Manitoba even known for?  One thing that made Manitoba exciting is the fact that after we have driven across, it means we will have both been in every province in Canada (and will have driven through all of them by the end of this summer!).  We ended up getting through Manitoba and a fair way into Saskatchewan before stopping for the night.  

Saskatchewan, as with Manitoba, doesn’t have much to offer along the Trans Canada Highway except a few more grain elevators and trains.  On Monday, we crossed the Alberta border which makes us feel really close to home, but from here on in, we’re slowing things down a bit to visit with some family and friends along the way.  

Monday night we stopped at our friends Kris and Kellie's whom we met in Kingston!  They made us a yummy BBQ dinner and we spent the night at their place.  This morning we have taken a break from driving and had a relaxing morning.  We will shortly be meeting up with more friends of ours, Mel and Marcus who recently moved to Calgary from Vancouver.  We'll spend the night at their place tonight and get back on the road again tomorrow, destination Scotch Creek!

On the Road Again: August 31-Sept 1

And we’re on the road again!  Thursday was my last day at work and a tearful day it was, I was very sad to leave.  The people I worked with in Kingston were amazing!  In my 11 years of banking I can honestly say that that was the best branch I have ever worked for.  I left with a few parting gifts including a zucchini loaf for the road baked by a friend I called my “bank mom”, a bag of goodies for the road from a co-worker/friend/neighbor and leftovers for our first lunch on the road from the potluck the branch put on for me. 

Carl and I had packed up the car Wednesday night, which ended up being harder than we thought.  To get our roof top carrier closed Carl had to climb on top of the car and get on top of the roof top carrier while I tried to get a lock on it!  We stayed Wednesday and Thursday night at a friend’s house since we didn’t have a bed anymore, but Carl went back to our place on Thursday where he unpacked and re-packed the car.  We thought we might have to ship 2 or 3 boxes that wouldn’t fit in the car…Well our total came to 9 boxes and the car is still packed to the brim (like we both don’t have much leg room!).  We have literally shoved stuff in every nook and cranny in the car.

We hopped on the road by 7:30am Friday morning and made our first stop in Belleville about an hour away.  We stopped for breakfast and one last visit with my Great Great Aunt Joanie and Fred.  We were back on the road by about 10:30am and drove until about 7:30pm to Sault Ste. Marie.  Besides shedding a few tears (ok, maybe more than a few), the drive was uneventful. 

As for tenting while pregnant, we decided to put me close to door for my midnight pregnancy pee’s, which seemed to work well.  However, I am finding that the easiest way for me to get into the tent is to back in butt first and kinda fall to the ground.  I feel like I should have as sign on my rear that says “Wide Load” and there should be a warning back up signal beeping to warn people of what’s coming.  As for sleeping comfortably in the tent…It might take me the whole trip to figure that out!

This morning (Saturday), after a pancake breakfast we were on the road by about 9:30am.  It’s now 7:15pm and we are still going.  Again, it’s been pretty uneventful.  I’ve shed a few more tears and had a few naps trying to catch up on lost sleep and Carl has been listening to a book on CD while doing all the driving!  The sights were a bit more desirable today, as we drove along Lake Superior and through some rocks cliffs.  As we entered a small town called White River I had to do a double take because Winnie The Pooh was on the sign?  Apparently White River, Ontario is where Lieutenant Harry Colebourn bought the little black bear who became the basis for the Winnie The Pooh stories.

Right before we hit White River, I was enjoying a little nap when I felt the car suddenly slow.  I woke up with a jolt and saw the lights in the rear view mirror.  We were being pulled over.  We had heard that the area of route 17 we were currently on was a common place to get speeding tickets.  The speed limit is only 90km, it’s a 2 lane highway and for the most part empty…Except for us and the cop who gave us a speeding ticket!  I figure with the amount of driving we've done in the past 2 years, one speeding ticket isn't to bad.  Since then we've stuck to the 90 speed limit and feel a little insecure when multiple semi trucks fly passed us!

We carried on making one more interesting stop outside of Thunder Bay where Terry Fox ended his run across Canada prematurely.  When we were in Newfoundland we saw where he started so it was kind of neat to see the start and finish lines.

Emotionally, we are both feeling drained.  Drained from the driving (oh we just passed our first time change zone!) and drained from the emotional good byes and leaving a place that we both loved so much.  Carl has a more positive outlook and is excited to get home while I am stuck more in the mourning phase of our departure.  I know as we get closer to home my excitement will come, but for now I am letting myself grieve what is left behind.