Mamma and Paka

My mom had been here for three weeks by the time Jackson made his appearance so just a few days after he was born they left and went back to Boise.  We met Jarod in the parking lot at a grocery store and said our good byes.  I was a complete mess.  I cried and cried and cried.  I don't think I have ever been so emotional saying goodbye to my parents.  I so much appreciated my mom dropping everything and coming and being with me when I needed her the most.  It always means so much to me to have her with me during the most special times in my life.  I am so thankful for a Dad who supports my mom coming and being away from him for so long so that she can be here with me.  I was so glad that they both got to meet Jackson before they left.

Jace and Jackson

When Jace came to meet Jackson in the hospital he was not sure what to think.  I had just delivered Jackson and got out of bed for the first time shortly after he got there.  I didn't even think about it but there was a lot of blood and it scared Jace and he wouldn't go anywhere near Jackson.  The next morning my mom was bringing the boys back to the hospital and Jace started crying when my mom asked him why he was crying he told her that he didn't want Jackson to bite him.  I think in his little mind he saw blood and thought Jackson had bit me to cause it.  He didn't come around until after I got home from the hospital and within a few minutes of being home he wanted to hold his baby and we have never looked back.  The next day he made his police station on the couch and Jackson was his partner.  It was so cute!  He sure does love his baby.

Going Home

The last thing we did before we went home was fill out your birth certificate with your name.  I hope that you will know how much thought and prayer we put into your name and that you love it as much as we do sweet Jackson Gill.
Two days after you were born we got to take you home.  We got on your cute little take me home outfit that drowned you and of course we forgot the socks at home in our rush to get out the door but you looked adorable and we could not wait to get you home and either could your brothers.

First Bath at Hospital

We waited until the morning we left to have Jackson have his first bath.  When they brought him back his hair was just like this.  We laughed and took these cute pictures and the name Jackson bird was born.
Oh sweet baby you are the cutest baby I have ever seen!

Hanging out in the hospital

As Jace continued to keep his distance, the rest of us couldn't get enough of holding this sweet baby.  My dad flew in the day after I had Jackson and quickly came to see him.  I was so glad he was able to be there and meet Jackson as well.  It really meant a lot to me that my parents got to meet him so young.
We took turns holding Jackson and trying to figure out what we were going to name him.  The last morning we were there we decided on Jackson.  We knew we wanted a J  name and we knew we wanted Gill as his middle name.  I had always wanted to name a girl after my mom and when we found out we were having a boy I wanted to figure out a way to name him after my mom.  Gill is my mom's maiden name and also my grandma's last name and my great grandma Lexie as well so he was named after all of them with Gill.  We just were struggling with what his first name should be so we started calling our baby Jackson and he definitely was our Jackson.

Meeting Big Brothers

Since Jackson was born so early in the evening the boys were able to come up shortly after to meet their new baby brother.  My  mom brought them up.  Jacoby was so excited as he walked into the room and walked right over and wanted to see him and hold him.  Jace on the other hand didn't want anything to do with the baby.  As you can see from all the pictures.  I was really surprised by his reaction but I think the hospital was a little much for him.  Right after they got there I got up for the first time to go to the bathroom and there was a lot of blood on the bed from the birth.  Jace saw it and it scared him.  The next day when my mom was bringing him to the hospital he was crying and crying saying that he didn't want to go to the hospital and when my mom asked why he said he didn't want Jackson to bite him.  I think he thought I was bleeding because Jackson bit me.  Poor boy.
I was so glad that my mom was still in town not only to take care of the boys but to meet Jackson.  It was so great to have her with us for as long as she was here.

Jackson's Birth

I wasn't sure if this baby ever was going to come.  He was due on November 15, 2015 but at 37 weeks I found myself in labor and delivery with contractions every two minutes for five hours.  After we got checked into the hospital and called the midwife and doula in the middle of the night and our neighbor to stay with the other boys the contractions just stopped.  After being in the hospital all night long we left and went home with no baby.  I went to the Dr office the next day and talked to the midwife and she told me that she thought this baby would come early so we called my mom and got her on a plane that day.  

My  mom arrived and we sat and waited and waited for the baby to come.  Two weeks later when I was 39 weeks, once again I started having contractions and they got really intense.  Jarod was not home and my mom kept calling him asking him when he was going to be home because she could tell I was in a lot of pain and grouchy.  When Jarod got home, we headed back to the hospital.  The contractions were every two minutes for about seven hours.  When we got to the hospital since it was a Wednesday night again, we had the same midwife, same room and same nurse.  It was kinda funny!  After a few hours of being in the hospital they stopped again.  This time I was a little annoyed.

My due date came and went.  My friend Amber had booked a plane ticket from Salt Lake to be here to take newborn pictures.  I thought for sure that I would have a baby before my due date since the other two were born before theirs but sure enough this little one decided to wait and Amber flew back to Salt Lake.

I was getting a little nervous because my mom was leaving in a few days to go home for Thanksgiving and since she had already been here for three weeks.  I kept going to the Dr and you looked great and were happy as a clam in there.  I was only dilated to a one and 50% effaced but I had been that for a few weeks.

The day before the birth I went to the Dr and they stripped my membranes.  They had done the same thing the week before but nothing had happened.  I felt some contractions later that night but nothing regular.  

The next day, November 18 I went to my neighbor Danielle's house and she did some reflexology on me.  We had been doing that for a few months but this day she focused on the points to induce labor.  At this point I had tried everything from the chiropractor to eating pineapple and nothing had worked but we thought we would try anyway.  When I got home we decided to go out for lunch and I was craving a hamburger, which is really unusual for me since I rarely eat meat but it was the only thing that sounded good to me.   Jace, Jarod, my mom and I went to lunch and came back home.  I laid down on the couch for a quick nap and then woke up and was talking to my mom on the couch.  I got up to go to the bathroom and felt really weird at 2:04 pm.  I almost got to the toilet when I felt water leaking,  I thought I had peed my pants so I sat down and used the bathroom but after I was done more liquid came.  I still wasn't sure because it wasn't the big rush it had been with Jace.  As I started to walk up the stairs there was more liquid and at this point I knew that my water had broke.  Jarod was working in the office and I went in and told him and he jumped up and started running around like a crazy.  I finally told him to calm down and that I was ok.  We got our stuff together, said goodbye to Jace and my mom.  Jacoby was at school.

I wasn't having any contractions yet but I knew once they started they would really get hard fast.  When we got to the hospital I got checked in and hooked up to my antibiotic because I had tested positive for the third time with Group Strep B but I still didn't have any contractions.  It was once again a Wednesday so the same midwife Beth was on call and we were in the same room in the hospital.  My doula Debbie came and shortly after she got there about an hour and a half after my water broke the contractions started.  The midwife checked me when she got there but I was still only a one and 50% effaced.  She let me get in the tub and I started listening to my hypnobabies soundtracks to help me relax and concentrate.  The water felt amazing and took a lot of the pain away.  I did have to keep getting out of the tub to use the bathroom and then I would come and get back in.  I started getting really hot in the water though.  They had to keep the temperature of the water at 100 degrees so Jarod and my doula kept putting cold towels on me.  The contractions started to get more and more intense but I did a good job of breathing through them and telling myself over and over that I could do this.  

My midwife checked me at 5:15 after I had been in the tub for about two hours and told me that I was a six at this point I knew I didn't have much left.  The contractions were really intense and on top of each other so I told them I wanted an epideral.  I had to get out of the tub to have one so I got out and was standing on the stool and had a horrible contraction.  My midwife about pulled me off the stool because you cannot labor on it.  It was kinda funny. 

 I made my way to the bed and I was so hot!  They went and got a few fans for me and my doula fanned me the entire time with her hand fan.  My midwife went to find the Dr to give me an epideral and I moaned for some one to help me as the contractions were getting really intense.  I remember watching the clock thinking he was never coming.  The midwife went and pulled him out of a surgery to give me the epideral.  I knew that I was progressing pretty quick at this time because I was in so much pain.  When my midwife Beth came back in, I was moaning through the contractions.  She told me that she needed to check me and I told her no.  I rolled over on my side so she couldn't check me.  She checked me while I was on my side anyway.  She then told the Dr. "sorry but we don't need you now this baby is coming right now" then she told the nurse to run and get Jarod and my doula who they sent out in order for me to get the epideral.  As soon as she checked me and told me that, I knew I could do it.  I just knew I didn't have much left and thought it was going to take me longer to get to a ten but it only took me 18 minutes to go from a six to a ten.  My body stated pushing on it's own before Jarod even came back.  I pushed for a while on my side and then when Jarod got in there they told me to get on  my back.  

Pushing was a big relief for me.  It felt amazing to push actually and I couldn't believe what my body was doing on it's own.  My midwife told me to push slowly while she applied oils and stretched me so I wouldn't tear and then she laid my flat back and told me that I needed to push with everything that I had.  I was a little scared in that moment that I was going to push to hard but she kept telling me to and so I did.  She told me to reach down and feel my babies head and I did.  I could feel that he had hair and then it was back to pushing.  After a few more pushes out came our beautiful baby boy.  She put him on my chest immediately and he was perfect!  Jarod cut the cord and then took the baby while I delivered the placenta.  That was the first time I felt myself delivering the placenta.  After that I nursed our sweet baby and took in the amazing moment!  I could not believe that I had given birth without medication.  I felt like I was super woman!  I have never been more proud of myself then in that moment.

Jackson Gill Jostes weighed in at 8 lb and 1 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long.  His head was 13 cm and he had lots and lots of dark hair.  He was born at 6:04, exactly four hours after my water broke.