Welcome
Blessed Mama's:
As we enter a new year, we
enter a year of new beginnings and possibilities. Therefore, it is my honor to share
our first post featuring the first mama of the month. She is a true warrior and
shows us all the importance of prayer, enduring hardships, and never giving up
on God’s promises. I would like to introduce you to our mama of the month, the
very loving, faith driven, and inspiring mama named Jenny Roiz Partridge. Throughout
this post you will read a bit more about her testimony. I am blessed to know
her and call her a friend. Hope her wisdom and testimony brings hope to you and/or
any friend waiting for a miracle baby. Read more about her below.
1.
What was your
first reaction when finding out?
My husband and I were
married for a couple of years before we decided we would stop preventing
getting pregnant. He was working hard to move up in his fielding work and I was
still finishing my Masters in Occupational Therapy when we first got married in
May of 2010. I was 24 and he was 28-year-old. We dated for only a few months
before we decided to get married, and then we got married 5 months later, so we
also wanted to enjoy each other’s company and enjoy life as newlyweds for a
while before starting a family. When we bought our first home on May of 2012 a
few days before our second wedding anniversary I decided to throw out the birth
control pills and let things just happen. Surprisingly I was pregnant few months
later. July 14, 2012 I took my first ever home pregnancy test and when that
second line popped up my heart started beating so fast! I could not believe it!
I was so shocked it happened so fast, that I actually started to panic. One
week later there was no longer a baby. I had a very early loss, but the
overwhelming sadness that came with it was something I would have never
anticipated. As a believer who grew up on the church and went to Christian
school my whole life I just did not understand how this could happen to me. I
felt God had abandoned me. I remember saying I felt I was in a desert and no
one was coming for me. I became obsessed with trying to get pregnant and being
a very type A planner type of person, I became very good at being obsessed with
this process. Unfortunately, this went on for years. I would attend baby
showers and leave crying in my car. I would sit alone in the dark and cry over
why we weren’t being blessed with a child if we were asking so badly for one. I
became bitter and sad for a very long time and I hated the way I felt but I
could not seem to move past it. The day my younger sister told me she was
pregnant with her first baby I tried holding it together while my family was at
my house, but the second they left I was inconsolable. I had a massive migraine
from crying all night long, and the next day I hit my lowest point of the
journey. I took about 6 or 7 pregnancy tests and lined them up on a window sill
on my house on broad daylight trying to spot a second line. Then I took out a
flashlight and aimed it on top of the tests as of the sun was not bright enough
to show a second line on any of them. That day I told myself I needed to snap
out of this because it was going to ruin my life, and as much as I wanted a
baby of my own, I began to heal a little bit through the birth of my niece.
There were moments of pain, but in all honesty, my niece Eden’s birth was a
gentle reminder from the Lord that He is is good and every good and perfect
gift comes from above. Eden was born May 1, 2014. Our journey to a baby
continued and month and month I was met with frustration, but I started to come
out of the deep darkness. I did not really talk about us trying for a child
with more than a handful of people. I felt ashamed, less than, and broken. We
finally met with a reproduce endocrinologist who started all of the invasive
tests on both of us, and everything kept coming back perfectly normal for both
of us. She didn’t think it would take long for us to be successful, but we
tried 3 rounds of intrauterine insemination (IUI) and nothing happened. I was
numb. Each time things looked so promising, but it wasn’t the right time for
us. We took a whole year off from treatments and I needed time to pray and ask
God for His direction. I was tired of controlling things and getting in His
way. I wanted a baby, but I finally wanted a baby in God’s timing and not mine.
I knew I I needed to surrender this area on my life that had taken priority in
my life. It had become somewhat of an idol. After a year of prayer and finally
feeling at peace, we knew we needed to jump into the world of IVF. I wanted to
make sure we did every test possible to improve our chances of success instead
of going into this blindly, so I asked our doctor to do immunological testing
on me because when I was 7 years old I had a rare autoimmune attack on my body.
It’s not an autoimmune disease that stays, so I never paid any mind to this,
but my parents both told me I should ask about this. Sue enough, after paying
over $1,000 out of pocket for 3 blood tests and waiting 2 weeks for results, we
found out that I had elevated levels of antibodies that were fighting off
pregnancies because my body saw them as foreign bodies so it was fighting them
off. I was so sad by this discovery, but I was happy we finally had answers! On
top of IVF, we had to order medicine that brings your antibody levels down to
normal and it’s administered by IV drip at home by a nurse for several hours
prior to to the embryo transfer. On top of daily shots, vaginal suppositories,
and estrogen patches this was the last thing I was looking forward to, but I
knew I had to do it if we wanted a baby. My husband and I went on June 30, 2017
to meet our embryos that would transferred into my uterus. It was a very
emotional day, and one we had been waiting for in deep prayer. We listened to
worship music on the way there and I cried hopeful, faith filled tears,
ultimately knowing this was in my Lord’s hands. On July 5th I took a home
pregnancy test and it was positive. I had not seen a positive test in 5 years,
I kept staring at it and then I fell on my bathroom floor crying covering my
mouth thanking God over and over. I immediately called my husband. It was early
and we had not done our beta (that’s the blood tests in IVF world) which are
done in a series of 3 tests each spaced 48 hours apart to make sure your hcg
(pregnancy hormone) is doubling and increasing appropriately which signifies a
healthy pregnancy. Our first beta came back positive, then our second more than
doubled, and our third and final beta I could not believe was on July 14, 2017.
The same exact day I found out I was pregnant that first time July 14, 2012. I
knew at that moment that God had this whole journey planned from so many years
ago. This was Him directly telling me there was a reason for all the pain and
devastation I had felt for so many years. It is all for His glory, and to bring
hope to others who have also been trying so desperately for a child. This
journey also brought me so close to Him. It taught me to rely on only
Him. Even with IVF, doctors can place an embyro in your uterus but it is
up to God to allow that embyro to embed and grow into your uterine lining and
become a baby. He is the giver and taker of life. Now that I have my baby, I
know her life has a major purpose, and one day she will know this whole story
and how important she is to our Lord.
2.
What was your
most common food craving, or most unusual craving?
I did not have any
crazy cravings during my pregnancy, but I did eat tons of garbanzos straight
from the can! I usually eat tons of avocados and I couldn’t eat them during my
pregnancy they grossed me out. I ate a lot of chocolate chip cookies towards
the end. I had really bad acid reflux so I tried to be good.
3.
What was the
hardest part about being pregnant?
The hardest part about
being pregnant for me was the constant worrying that something would go
wrong.... that after all of this time for our miracle rainbow baby to be in my
belly that I would lose her. It was a daily battle but I relied on reading my
devotional, listening to worship music, spending time in prayer, and giving my
fears and anxiety to the Lord. Physically, I had a tiny fibroid for years that
was less than 1 cm in size but because of all the excess hormones it grew past
10 cm my first trimester and then it degenerated or died off my 18th week of
pregnancy and the pain was excruciating. I went to the hospital for fear I’d lose
the baby and all I could take was Tylenol and be on bed rest for almost 2
weeks. It was agony I couldn’t even walk or get out of bed by myself for days.
My teeth would chatter from the pain that was radiating all up and down my
pelvis, butt, groin, legs... it was a scary time but I was being monitored and
the doctors all reassured me baby was fine and didn’t even notice so I needed
to stay as calm as possible for her sake.
4.
What was your
labor experience? Natural, epidural, meds, c-section? How long were you in
labor? Was it better or
worse than you had anticipated?
I ended up going past
my due date which was March 17. On March 25 at 8 pm they induced me with just
oral meds called cytotec which softens or ripens your uterus. I never needed
pitocin thank God! I ended up getting an epidural around 1 AM because I got
really bad back labor on my lower left side and it was unrelenting. Once I got
the epidural I said by to my parents who had come by to pray and hang out for a
bit. My husband and I kissed goodnight and he went to sleep on the little sofa.
I also went to sleep and I would wake up every so often and nurses would check
me and each time they checked me I was progressing really well. I kept
envisioning the baby coming down wrapped in angel wings... I don’t even know
how I thought that image up but it was really beautiful. At 8 AM exactly 12
hours since they gave me the oral meds I told them to check because I had A LOT
of pressure and it was unbearable not painful just so so uncomfortable. I was
at a 9!!! I called my sister who was supposed to bey other coach and told her
to run over. I also called my parents and they ran over as well so my mom could
be in the room. My doctor came to see me and said he was gonna deliver twins
via c-section and be right back haha I told him to hurry! The pushing was
really hard for me, and I was running out of energy faster than I thought I
would. I ended up pushing for an hour and a half and I thought I would need a
c-section because I just didn’t have the strength. My sister had her forehead
against mine and she wouldn’t let me stop breathing and pushing. She kept me
focused. My OB is the best and he said I was doing great and everything was
gonna be ok but he could help get her out with forceps. He’s apparently known
for his great technique with forceps down here. I said yes, but he told me I
needed to get her out further so he could get the forceps around her. I gave it
everything and got her out further. He helped with the forceps, and a few
pushes later she was out!!!!! The most amazing feeling of relief I have ever
experienced. My baby was finally here. After baby was taken to the nursery, my
blood pressure dropped scary low and I passed out. I felt very weak and
nauseous for a bit, but I recovered by the next day completely in terms of
nausea and lightheadedness. I felt weak for quite some time, and I learned
afterwards I lost a good amount of blood so I was probably anemic. It was all
worth it though! My little girl was here safe and sound.
5.
Baby stats?
Weight, length, time and date of birth.
Charlotte James
Partridge came into the world at 10:21 AM on March 26, 2018 at 41 weeks and 2
days pregnant! She weighed 8 lbs 1 oz and measured 20.5 inches ... she was big
for my tiny frame!! Her dad is 6’2 haha
6. you had a
good pregnancy? why?
I truly feel I had a
beautiful pregnancy. I don’t think any pregnancy is ever completely perfect, so
of course I had my moments woh the fibroid and the anxiety after all we had
been through, but overall I had a lovely experience. So many people were
incredibly happy for us. My little patients loved on my belly and they were so
excited for the baby. My husband took such amazing care of me. My nieces were
excited, especially Eden who prayed over my belly and spoke to the baby
constantly. It was a special time for me that I waited so so so long for and I
feel I was just so grateful the entire time regardless of anything. I didn’t
let negative people or things get to me as easily as I used to. I believed I
had to do protect my baby and make her time connected to me a protected sacred
time. I believe children are affected by everything we are affected by even in
utero, so for me personally it was important to surround myself with only good
things. I even was careful with things I watched on TV!! I don’t know if that
sounds extreme to some people, but I took my role as a new mommy on such a high
regard I just didn’t want any regrets.
7.
what advice
would you give other women about pregnancy?
I think every woman is
so different, but my advice would be to give yourself grace which is what a
good friend of mine told me. I think we women don’t realize how much a
pregnancy takes a toll on us not only physically but emotionally. It is a time
where your needs and emotions are so important aside from all of the physical
nourishment you need as well. Nutrition is key in my opinion for ALL of us, but
especially when you’re growing a child and then for after birth top. Mama needs
to replenish everything she lost and is losing if she breastfeeds as well.
Drink lots of water, take plenty of naps, take lovely walks, eat well, read,
pin on Pinterest, stay active, and enjoy the time with your husband because
once baby is here everything else will take a backseat!
8.
Have you ever
thought gosh I can’t do this, and why?
I definitely had
intense moments the first 6 weeks because Charlotte had really bad acid reflux
to the point where she would scream and turn red and arch her back. She was
uncomfortable and would not sleep... her catnaps were not enough time for me to
rest, and I was breastfeeding on demand which she would cluster feed because of
the burning but then drinking so much would cause her to spit up constantly and
then it would burn again and we were stuck in a very viscous cycle until we
went to a pediatric gastroenterologist who we love and changed our lives! Those
few weeks were BRUTAL. I also had a rough recovery and felt very weak for a
good 2-3 weeks everything was hard to do because I was so depleted. My mom was
super sick the first week home from the hospital so o really had to fend for
myself once my husband went back to work. It was really rough. I remember
feeling extremely anxious when my husband would leave in the morning but then
things started to get better as her tummy troubles improved and she slept more.
You’d never know she had those reflux issues now! She is the happiest little 9
month old, and she eats solids like a champ. We are still exclusively
breastfeeding which has been such a blessing as well. There are tough days
because I run a business, treat patients, and have such a full plate. Sometimes
I still have meltdowns when I have had an especially tough day and I just need
a few minutes to catch my breath. Being a mom is the most amazing experience I
have ever lived. You never knew how much love you could have for another
person. It’s also a time of intense anxiety for me, and I am still learning how
to balance it all. Being a wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, friend,
therapist, business owner, and so many other roles is a lot and o do have to
remind myself to take it one day a time plenty of moments. I pray to God all day
to help me with every decision and ever emotion.
9.
How did you
choose your baby's name?
Charlotte’s name was
chosen really impulsively believe it or not. For years my family prayed for a
baby Ethan or baby Ava. My mom even had little blue and little pink baby
outfits she’d pray for the Lord to fill with Ethan or Ava. When I got pregnant
and we found out it was a girl I said I felt her name was Charlotte. Her middle
name James ifs her dad’s name.
10. What's baby's
favorite toy/game? What’s your favorite
advice/exercise as a professional therapist?
It is tough to say just one thing she loves to
play with the most, but she loves books that play music and all toys that make
noise haha she definitely got the music gene from both of us. She is really
easy going and plays with anything... even a hanger haha as a pediatric
therapist I recommend using manipulative toys that kids can control themselves
and use their motor skills on for their development. Books are also so very
important and we read to Charlotte every night after bath and before bedtime. I
am pretty strict with no technology like iPads or phones for babies. They don’t
need all of that extraneous stimulation to their little developing brains. Keep
it simple! Let them play with blocks, puzzles, and let them be free and roam
around so they use their muscles. We are all just trying our best at the end of
the day, but playing, singing, and reading with your children from day one of
their lives will be the best investment of your time that you can ever truly
give.
Thank you for reading about our mama of the month. Hope this post inspire you, and please share with your friends. Leave comments below for our blessed mama.
God bless you all
xo,
Blessed Mama-Gley
#blessedmama
