Her she is…Jocelyne Tracy

Jocelyne Tracy day one.

Isn’t she beautiful…. We are so glad that she is here and that she is well. Jennifer called me up Saturday evening to tell me that her water broke. I knew then that we would have a baby soon but would she come on Saturday night or some time Sunday? You see, Saturday was my 34th wedding anniversary and it would have been awesome for baby Jocelyne to be born on our anniversary, but instead she was born Sunday morning at 6:21am. which just happened to be her due date.

Jennifer went into the hospital sometime in the early evening and my husband and I went out to dinner for our anniversary. We were excited but knew that we were going to have our time and then go to the hospital afterward. We had a nice dinner, did a little shopping for some items we needed at Sam’s club and went home. TF’s back was hurting him really bad so he took a pain pill and a muscle relaxant and went to bed. Jennifer called and asked if I was going to come up to the hospital. She said that she still had not started her contractions and they would be putting her on a potassium drip to start her labor. I immediately get to work finishing off some dishes and some food prep for the next day. Bonnie got busy packing for her work assignment for next week and I kept my mind busy till I was ready to go to the hospital. Around midnight (sounds like a song) I pack up some snacks for Justin, a few bottles of water, and a blanket and head for the hospital, which was only about 12 minutes away. I find out that she is in labor room #4 and I venture in to find her hooked up to all the different monitors. She is having light contractions at this time. The baby is pressing on her back and making things a bit more painful. The nurse comes in at different intervals to check her out and ups the potassium drip. Jennifer is having a hard time holding on to her breathing because the baby is constantly pressing on her back. She starts getting agitated and she starts snapping at everyone in the room. The nurse tells her that when she dilates to a 4 that they will put in her epidural. Finally she gets there and we leave the room so they can “do their thing”. When we come back into the room, it is like Jennifer is a different person. She’s nice again and she apologizes for her behavior, at this point she is feeling no pain. She finds a stupid movie to watch on the TV and I am falling asleep in my chair.

As time goes by the nurses come in and check her out. Around 5:45am. Jennifer is ready to deliver, they call the doctor, and we wait for him to appear. The nurses get the room ready for the delivery and the doctor shows up around 6:05am. He preps himself and says “OK, let’s deliver this baby”. Justin’s mom and I are sitting in a corner back behind the doctor and we have a complete view of the delivery. I have never been on the receiving side of a delivery before and let me tell you it is a learning experience. The doctor tells Jennifer to push and before long this little head with lots of dark brown hair starts coming out. Within a couple of minutes her head is out, but the cord is wrapped around her neck and she is turning blue. The doctor whips that cord from around her neck and immediately starts suctioning her mouth. Jennifer asks, if everything is alright and the doctor says “everything is fine”. Nancy (Justin’s mom) and I look at each other in fear for that baby’s life. The doctor tells Jennifer that we have to get those shoulders out now, so push. Within a couple of minutes the baby is delivered. The doctor clamps the cord and cuts it quickly. To our relief the baby lets out a cry as soon as the cord is cut and the nurses wisk her to an awaiting table to finish suctioning out her fluids. They announce her birth time at 6:21am. Nancy and I are slightly stunned as we both sit there holding hands as tears of relief and joy are dripping down our cheeks. I can see the nurses working on the baby and Justin is trying to look at the baby and still hold Jennifer’s hand. At this time the doctor is trying to deliver the afterbirth and take care of Jennifer. A nurse comes in to put in a new IV in Jen’s hand because the other one came out during the birthing process. So much is happening at this time and I am still slightly worried about the baby. Within minutes the nurses finish suctioning the baby and her color is getting back to normal. I am so relieved and happy to see that she going to be alright. The nurse weighs her and she comes in at 7lbs. 12ozs. They put a little cap on her head and wrap her in a receiving blanket and hand her to her father. They finally get the IV into Jen’s hand and she gets her chance to hold the baby. What Joy! Nancy and I take our turns holding her and then the camera’s come out for several pictures. . I say a little prayer of thanks to my Father in heaven for the safe birth of this little miracle.

Around 7:45am., the nurse takes Jocelyne to the nursery for further evaluate and tests. We are allowed to follow her to the nursery. Justin gets to go in with the nurse and Nancy and I have to watch from the windows on the other side. The nurse pokes and prods the baby with needles and other sharp objects and poor baby Jocelyne cries her little heart out. They take measurements of her chest, abdomen, and hip areas. They measure her length which is 19 ½” long. Then after all the tests are done the nurse gives her a bath. She brushes her hair and puts a little red bow in it. They put a little diaper on her and wrap her up in a receiving blanket. We take a couple of pictures and it is time to go home. Justin, Nancy and I are exhausted but happy. We all walk out to the parking lot together and head for home. I drive over to the church, which is on the same street as the hospital and tell my husband the good news. I am not dressed for church so I leave and go straight home. I’m tired but awake at the same time. I put some chicken in the crock pot and head for bed. Two hours later I am up again to get Bonnie off to the airport for her next weeks job assignment. We stop off at the hospital so that Bonnie can see her new niece and then on to the airport. I go home but can’t go back to sleep. My husband and I go back to the hospital at 8:00pm. so that Grandpa can see his new baby girl. This time when I come home I am able to get to bed and get some much needed sleep. What a day! Once again, I pray a prayer of Thanksgiving for our new little granddaughter. Life is a miracle.

As a side note: Roxie and the pups are doing great. They still haven’t opened their eyes yet, but they are growing like weeds.