Maternal Wealth Podcast - Own Your Birth
The Maternal Wealth Podcast creates a collective space for sharing all birth-related stories. I want to acknowledge birth's uniqueness, honor its variations, and remind us of the power we hold in giving birth.
As a Labor and Delivery Nurse, I see the impact of our stories. Let's share those stories with those who come after us to prepare them for what's to come. For those who came before us, allowing them to reminisce and heal as we realize we were not alone in our experiences.
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Maternal Wealth Podcast - Own Your Birth
Jeanne Jordan: Navigating Motherhood's Joys and Challenges, Near-Fatal Birth Experience, and the Strength of Family Resilience
What happens when motherhood comes earlier than expected or survives a life-threatening complication with the sixth pregnancy? Join us for an illuminating conversation with Jeanne Jordan, a seasoned labor and delivery scrub tech, who shares her extraordinary journey of love, family, and survival. Jeanne's story begins with a whirlwind romance with her husband, Stephen, leading to a large family and a life of both joyous surprises and unexpected challenges. Her candid reflections on early motherhood, evolving prenatal care, and the nuances of raising six children offer invaluable insights into the complexities and rewards of family life.
Jeanne opens up about the deeply personal connection between childbirth experiences and her children's unique personalities. Her decision to avoid certain pain medications after an unfavorable first experience, coupled with the transition to a new OB-GYN, highlights the importance of personalized care and support in the birthing process. With each birth becoming increasingly manageable, Jeanne's narrative underscores the profound impact of a supportive family network, particularly as the number of children grows. Her tale is a testament to the strength and resilience of mothers everywhere, navigating both the ordinaries and the extraordinary of parenthood.
The episode takes a gripping turn as Jeanne recounts her near-fatal encounter with an amniotic fluid embolism during the birth of her sixth child. Her survival is a story of miraculous medical intervention and familial fortitude, shedding light on the tenuous balance between life and death in childbirth. Despite lingering fears, Jeanne's gratitude for her family's resilience and their collective future shines through. Her reflections on the emotional weight of such experiences, paired with her light-hearted anecdotes, paint a picture of a woman who's not only survived but flourished in motherhood, leaving us in awe of her unwavering spirit and love for her family.
Music Credit
https://uppbeat.io/t/asher-lee/dance-with-me
https://uppbeat.io/t/matrika/picture-of-you
https://uppbeat.io/t/justin-lee/high-hopes
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Welcome to the Maternal Health Podcast. Today I'm interviewing my colleague and friend, jean Jordan. She has six children. Her oldest was born in 1986 and her youngest was born in 1995. She has two girls and four boys. This year she will celebrate her 40-year anniversary with her husband, steven. Jean has been a scrub tech for over 35 years, specifically working in labor and delivery. She has seven grandchildren one girl, six boys and counting. I do want to give a warning for Jean's last pregnancy she had an AFE, an amniotic fluid embolism. I'm excited for you to learn more about Jean. I'm excited for you to learn more about my friend and colleague, jean, and her experiences with pregnancy, labor, motherhood and surviving an AFE.
Stephanie Theriault:Welcome to the Maternal Health Podcast, a space for all things related to maternal health, pregnancy and beyond. I'm your host, stephanie Terrio. I am a labor and delivery nurse and a mother to three beautiful boys. Each week, we dive into inspiring stories and expert insights to remind us of the power that you hold in childbirth and motherhood. We're here to explore the joys, the challenges and the complexities of maternal health. Every mother's journey is unique and every story deserves to be told. Please note that this podcast is for entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult with your healthcare provider for medical guidance that is tailored to your specific needs. Are you ready? Let's get into it. Good morning Jean. Welcome to the podcast. Good morning Stephanie. How are you doing?
Jeanne Jordan:today I'm doing great. Thank you for having me.
Stephanie Theriault:I'm so glad that you are here and I'm excited to hear more of your story All right. I love to start the podcast with a love story. If you could share with us how you met your husband and your love story.
Jeanne Jordan:Okay. So my husband and I met back probably I was 26 at the time at a place in Saugus called the Palace, you may or may not remember it and I saw him from across the floor and I was with a bunch of my girlfriends and I said do you see that guy over there with the long French coat on and those leather gloves? I'm going to marry him and I swear to you. That's how it all started.
Stephanie Theriault:Yeah it was kind of fun, yeah, so you went up to him and introduced yourself.
Jeanne Jordan:Well, we kind of like made eyes. So we both made a connection and then we, you know, we talked, and that was right around New Year's Eve and we had our first date on January 4th of that, you know, three or four days later. And then by November of that year we were engaged. Wow, yep. So it was a kind of fun whirlwind, if you will.
Stephanie Theriault:Now you have six children. You have four boys and two girls. Yes, did you always know that you wanted to have children and be a mom?
Jeanne Jordan:I definitely knew that I wanted to have children and I always wanted to have seven children. I don't know why that number stuck with me. I just wanted to have a big family. I love the idea of a lot of people and a lot of busyness, and I guess you might say commotion, but it's just fun to me. I like to, you know, organize and still, to this day, I do love when my family gets together and they all get along. My husband and I got married in October and went on our honeymoon and when we came back from our honeymoon I kept saying God, I still feel like I'm. We went on a cruise and I said I still feel like I'm got that equilibrium thing. And I said I still feel like I've got that equilibrium thing. I can't get my bearings, I'm dizzy, I'm nauseous. And come to find out I was pregnant with my first child, a honeymoon baby. So it all began there.
Stephanie Theriault:How old were you when you had your first child? I was 27. Talk to us about how the pregnancy was for you, and did you have a birth plan? Did you go with the OB midwife?
Jeanne Jordan:I felt so overwhelmed because I had just found out and we really were expecting to wait a couple of years. We had both just I just started a new job and he, you know, in his company we had just got a house. So we were kind of like trying to wait a little. So it did come as very much a surprise. Trying to wait a little, so it did come as very much a surprise. I just went to my GYN at the time and now turned into my OB. I did not have a breath plan, I just knew that I wanted to try as natural as possible. I was, I guess I wasn't. I didn't object to getting an epidural or a spinal, but I wanted to give myself the opportunity to try to do a natural delivery.
Jeanne Jordan:I had a great pregnancy, just the normal sickness in the beginning. Everything turned out great. With the first one. He was due the 4th of July and he was born on June 29th, so he was even a little bit early. Everything was great, it went normal.
Jeanne Jordan:I nursed. So I nursed all six of my kids. My plan was to nurse for about a year, which for me I know this doesn't work for everybody, but for me nursing worked as sort of it, kept me from getting pregnant until the second I stopped nursing, because I stopped right around a year. And, lo and behold, right after the year I stopped nursing and along came the second baby. So, yeah, the pregnancies were all pretty normal and pretty uncomplicated until I got to my fourth pregnancy.
Jeanne Jordan:So the first two were boys pregnancy, so the first two were boys, and then I had my daughter, amanda, a girl, and then I got pregnant with my fourth pregnancy, which was Jared, and because my husband, his mom, is Jewish and he has, like the you know, that sort of line of testing they started to do Each year. I felt like they did more testing with the pregnancies. But this particular year, very much in the forefront, was testing for Tay-Sachs and of course we tested and it came out very high. So we decided to get a level two ultrasound, which also I had the same result. And then I just decided to continue on because of course at that month testing was new and they didn't do them until you were later and there wasn't really for my own personal choice, it wasn't really much that I was going to do at that point. So I powered through and, thank you God, everything came out fine.
Stephanie Theriault:Your first pregnancies, vaginal deliveries, right, yes, yes, I want to circle back a little bit. For your earlier pregnancy, for the delivery, you went into spontaneous labor, right?
Jeanne Jordan:So I went to the beach, the very first one. You know nothing when you have your first baby. Like you know what I mean. Like everything it's a trial and error, like you think you know, but you really don't. So I was at the beach and I kept leaking. After I came home from the beach and I was like damn, what is going on? I had broke my water in the water which I wasn't supposed to be in.
Jeanne Jordan:But you know, and it was pretty, yeah, I went into spontaneous labor, went in. I think my labor with him was about, you know, like everybody's idea of labor is different, but I mean, like I started with breaking my water. I think the whole thing, from beginning to end, was probably about nine or 10 hours. It was actually not bad. Once I got to the hospital, realized I had broken my water, I was in labor, I actually was contracting at that point and then I did get Pitocin and I believe that I can't remember any delivery that I didn't get Pitocin. Yeah, it was pretty uncomplicated.
Jeanne Jordan:I did not take any medications, except for my first pregnancy with Stephen medications except for my first pregnancy with Stephen. I was going natural and I did not want the epidural because I was too far along and they gave me a Demerol shot, which I didn't love the way I felt on it and I like the subsequent pregnancies. I refused to take anything just because I didn't like the experience. I felt a little out of it and I felt like I wanted to be more involved with the birth, especially where I went as natural as I could have. So I never got that again. Every other one was natural, except for number six. We'll talk about that later.
Stephanie Theriault:Did you have the same birth provider OBGYN for all your pregnancies? Did you have the same birth provider OB-GYN for all?
Jeanne Jordan:your pregnancies. So for the first three, yes, I did, and then he retired but he had somebody take over his practice that I was familiar with, so he kind of like moved his way in. If you will, I might have seen him for a postpartum check or a GYN check, because I knew he was in the office and I knew that at the time it was Dr Morelli that I had and I knew that he was older and he was going to retire. So it didn't come as a surprise to me and I was comfortable with his replacement.
Stephanie Theriault:How was your postpartum stays? Did you stay for one, two nights?
Jeanne Jordan:I stayed for two nights, especially with the first one, because I felt like there was a lot of teaching that they could offer me, and I certainly needed it because it's your first. They were great. They had lactation consultants and, having never breastfed before, I took advantage of that. And you know, they just teach you the normal things, like how to clean them up, how to give them a bath, not to be afraid they're not breakable, like you know, because you're so. They're so little and it's your first and you're very inexperienced at the time. But the postpartum stay was great. There was a lot they had to offer and I felt like I needed to take advantage of it.
Stephanie Theriault:One of the things that I noticed a lot in the hospital when women are getting to like 38, 40 weeks is how do I plan for this labor when I have children at home? Do you have support when it was time, like when you're getting closer to 40 weeks with your other children?
Jeanne Jordan:Yes, my mother was an absolute blessing and my mother only lived one mile from my house. Like I honestly don't know how people prepare for this, because I had such a gift with her, know how people prepare for this, because I had such a gift with her. She loved to be, she was a very involved Nana. She would come to the house at the drop of a hat. If I wasn't feeling well and I was getting close, she would even stay. She was just a gift. So I I guess I really don't think too much of that because I always had her, but that would be something for people to. You know, I did the nesting thing, I got my suitcase ready. I, you know, when I'm contracting, I would call and say you're on call, you know, but I did have that gift. I want to call it because I that's what it is, just to have somebody be right there for you.
Stephanie Theriault:Did you find that labor became easier for you as you had more children?
Jeanne Jordan:A hundred percent For me personally. Yes, that's how it happened, I think, with my first one, like I said, probably, like I would say, anywhere between nine and 12 hours. The second one was definitely like five, like I think I didn't want to be there as long, also because I knew what to expect the second time. So when I started to contract, I'm like all right, I'm really waiting until they get close, and you know. So I gave myself more time at home to prepare for it and then brought myself to the hospital when I felt like I couldn't stay home any longer. And even with that I was wrong. I was less than I thought I was and I did spend a little bit more time, but also already had one and didn't want it to happen at home. So I was still a little on that edge. You know, I'd say probably about five to six hours for the second one. The third one was very quick, very quick.
Stephanie Theriault:What's very quick.
Jeanne Jordan:Like I started contracting at home and they were like started contracting at home and they were like once they came on, they came on like very strong and I think as I was driving to the hospital they were like between two and five minutes apart. And then I got there. I wasn't there more than two hours with the workup, the delivery, the whole thing.
Stephanie Theriault:How about for the fourth and the fifth one?
Jeanne Jordan:So the fourth one was again pretty quick. I was anxious about that one because of the testing and all, but his labor was seamless and everything. Number five so this is where my pregnancy got a little complicated. With five and six, I did go into labor. I did wait till the last minute because at this point you're having your fifth, you know what's happening. I probably could have done it at home, but this kid was not coming down.
Jeanne Jordan:He was a force of delivery and it's so funny, like for me, the birth of my kids is sort of their personality. I'm not even kidding you. Like my daughter shot out my daughter's. Like she's the life of the party, she's bubbly. My son, who was the force of delivery, is very laid back, like he has to be probed to do everything. I'm like, come on, you got. He was always the last one to get ready for school. I'm like, do I have to tip the bed over to get you up? Like he just moved at his own pace. I love him to pieces. He's great and has a wonderful personality. But I think to myself my God, I had to pull him out of my delivery and it's been the same ever since.
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Jeanne Jordan:That's how I joke about that a little bit.
Stephanie Theriault:I see that, like when the babies are born, they have their own little personalities already from the get-go. Like you can see the difference.
Jeanne Jordan:I believe that I really do. You know, you come out, some of them are so bubbly and smiley and just some of them like, if you know, obviously, what we do for work, we see it. But the mom is very laid back, very calm. The baby hardly even moves around. She's alert and you know fine, but just so sweet, doesn't cry. Then you have the very hyper mom and the kid comes out screaming like he's got to get the attention. I said, oh my God, it's so funny. It's a great place to work, it really is.
Stephanie Theriault:Yeah, the other day I had a baby who was like halfway in, halfway out and was already like crying and just cried the whole time.
Jeanne Jordan:Yeah, it's so funny, yeah, yeah, well, I'm, I'm in the OR too, and sometimes, as soon as the head gets out, I feel like they're saying to us why did it take you so long to get me out of here? Like they start, they start yapping the minute they come out. It's, it is funny For the force of delivery.
Stephanie Theriault:How was that experience for you?
Jeanne Jordan:I want to say it was. It was a little uncomfortable, for sure. And it was a little uncomfortable because I had previous births and I knew how they were supposed to go and this wasn't actually going as planned, even though they explained it. Sometimes, do you know when you're getting maybe a diagnosis, maybe some bad news or like some different news not necessarily bad but you hear a piece of it and then you kind of go blank, like I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that they were going to pull my baby out.
Jeanne Jordan:He was fine, other than having just a little bit of a bruised cheek. He was just a little stubborn and I just couldn't get him under the bone. He just, he just wouldn't come. He was right there but he wouldn't. He was just giving me a hard time. But the experience itself, I guess, maybe the way they explained it, I just felt a little anxious about what was going to happen. It was fine. I did tear a little bit and I that was, you know, uncomfortable for a bit, but everything worked out fine and honestly, like you know how it is after they are born, you're like so grateful that everything is okay. You'll kind of like put yourself on the back burner and be like I can deal with whatever as long as the baby's okay, you know.
Stephanie Theriault:All right, so baby number six.
Jeanne Jordan:Okay. So this is the story of all stories, because this doesn't happen to people and I don't want anybody listening to be frightened about this because it is so rare it barely ever happens. So I went to a baby shower, believe it or not. The night before I was feeling like uncomfortable. I sort of felt like I knew labor was going to come on soon, maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day. I went home, I went to sleep, I woke up and I had like a little bit more than a bloody show. So I knew that I was having an issue. I needed to get to the hospital. So I brought myself in and everything was great. They were like yep, you're in labor, we're going to move you along. This is also very unusual because my doctor at the time was going away. I felt like you're a six kid, he wants to move it along. He knows how fast my previous pregnancies have been. So he kept bumping up the pit, bumping up the pit, which for somebody who's having their sixth baby, it's unusual to go that high with pit, because I was on 30 of pit, I was doing well with pushing and everything, and then I got to 10 centimeters and I literally some of the last recollections that I have would be I called the nurse and I said I feel this burning in my back and from that point on I literally shot straight up in my bed. And the next thing that I can personally remember about the experience is seeing myself on the operating room table.
Jeanne Jordan:It was a community setting. They only have one OR. They only have one anesthesia who works for both the main OR, which is right below the labor and delivery floor, and the labor and delivery floor. They had a couple, maybe CRNAs who, like the anesthesiologist, would start the case. The CRNA would kind of finish it up or go along. So if the anesthesiologist had to do an epidural in another room, he could flop back and forth. He came upstairs to talk about another patient that needed an epidural and if he was not on the floor things might have turned out differently, because just as he got upstairs I must have had the amniotic fluid embolus.
Jeanne Jordan:I stopped breathing, they shot me across to the OR and then I feel like I know that a lot of people will be uncomfortable with this, but I feel like I almost had an out-of-body experience because I could see myself on the table but I couldn't do anything to prevent what was happening, like I could just see what was happening, and I kept thinking to myself I guess my most, the thought that I have, the most that I can remember to this day, is thinking I can't die. My husband cannot take care of six kids. It's like I can't. Someone has to. You know, somebody has to do something here. And I just I woke up, maybe like I know exactly how long it was, but for me it felt like an eternity. But I woke up like within a few hours in intensive care I had had the baby, a girl, apgars 2 and 3.
Jeanne Jordan:I was in intensive care and I was experiencing some complications myself. I had DIC At the time when my daughter was born now she's almost 30, there was a lot of controversy about like receiving blood and AIDS and like all these things. So my husband is not medical at all and was having a hard time with making the decisions to give me blood because he's like I don't want her to die from getting AIDS and I don't want this. And the doctors were basically like you've got to give it to her because she has DIC. Once you start rolling down, there's no coming back from it. So I did get my last rights. It was very frightening, very frightening. And then, thank God, to this day, all is well. My daughter is a very smart girl. She graduated college summa cum laude. She has a great personality.
Jeanne Jordan:I did have some complications from the surgery. I de-hissed because I'm sure they probably didn't scrub. I had a little bit of an infection, but all in all I'm so very grateful the way things turned out and you know, it does give you a little bit of anxiety. Like I remembered, driving home I kept thinking that what if this ever happens again? And I meant not even being pregnant. I didn't realize that it was the amniotic fluid that causes the allergic reaction, so I wasn't thinking clearly, I guess, and I kept thinking it could happen again. So I had a little bit of anxiety for a couple of months but all in all it turned happen again. So I had a little bit of anxiety for a couple of months but all in all it turned out great and, like I said, I'm very grateful to this day. I have wonderful children and I had great birth experiences. Even that was an experience, but it did turn out good.
Stephanie Theriault:Do you ever have the conversation with your husband about what happened and how he responded and how he was feeling?
Jeanne Jordan:Oh my God my husband went to pieces. I mean, like the girls See, I worked at Melrose at the time when this all happened and the girls were telling me I have never, ever seen somebody react like your husband. He kept saying now this is back in the day when you didn't go in the OR, Like I know, things have changed. If they think the patient isn't doing good, they'll make an allowance for someone to come in and hold their hand or whatever. This was unforeseen at the time. And they said that he was so distraught and he kept saying I've got to come in and I have to be with her, I have to hold her hand so that she knows I'm there and they let him in. Like they let him come in because he was so distraught.
Jeanne Jordan:And I remember that when I got to the unit and I started of course it took a day or so, but I started to come around I still hadn't seen my baby, like it had been 24 hours and I nursed all my other kids. So this was so out of the, it was out of the norm for me. So I started to think that they might not be telling me the truth. Like they, they didn't want me to know that something happened. So I was in intensive care, as I said, and I kept saying to the nurses. So I was in intensive care, as I said, and I kept saying to the nurses I have to see my baby. And they're like you're in intensive care, honey, we can't. We don't have monitoring down here, we don't have the well, we know it as the hug system Back then it was something different but similar.
Jeanne Jordan:And she's like we can't. There's no way to monitor a baby down here. And I said if you don't bring my baby to me and show me that she's alive, I'm going to die. Like I need to see her and know that you're being truthful. And so they made an exception and brought her to me. And once they brought her to me, the nurses were all like can you ask for your baby again? Because we want to play with her. So it was kind of funny in the end. But it took them a lot to bring her to me, a lot Like I had to, you know, go through some red tape to get her there. But, as you can imagine, I had that fear that they weren't telling me everything about the delivery.
Stephanie Theriault:Yeah, for sure, because they're worried about you, right? If something had gone wrong, like, how would that have affected you?
Jeanne Jordan:Right, oh, of course they wanted me to get over the hump and I was just starting to like my blood was just starting to come back and I was just starting to come out of the anesthesia and, like you know, your body's just kind of regaining and I'm like I'm not going to survive this unless I can see her. So that, yeah, that was. It was an experience I have to say the time.
Stephanie Theriault:did they know it was an AFE? Did they tell you that's?
Jeanne Jordan:what it was. So they did tell me that that was what they greatly suspected. So after it happened which this also was very unusual for me because, like I said to you previously, I nursed all of my kids so because I had this happen, they had to send me to like I had to go have a scan because they weren't sure where the clot was, if it had moved to my lung, if it had gone someplace else. So they needed to figure that all out. So I had to go down to have some x-rays and whatever with a contrast.
Jeanne Jordan:So at the time they were like you can't breastfeed your baby until you pump out all this negative milk. And they were saying, like two weeks, I've never not fed my kids, never. So I pumped and dumped for two weeks and they did see the scarring or the clot. It did go to my lung. And you know, I mean that was probably the best case for me and I pumped and dumped until I could feed her and then she dressed like a champ. I, you know, I just I guess, maybe because I had a lot of experience and because I really wanted it, so I wouldn't feed her anything else, but in the meantime they had to give her a course, formulas and whatever else they gave her.
Stephanie Theriault:When you're talking about the out of body experience in the OR. Could you hear what people were saying?
Jeanne Jordan:I felt like I was in an auditorium. I could hear the busyness of everything going on. Obviously, I don't know if I talked or didn't talk, I'm sure I didn't. I just felt like I was watching over all of it. But you actually I guess my description of it is you actually can't do anything, like you can't intervene in any way. But I could see that it was like a situation. It can't do anything Like, you can't intervene in any way, but I could see that it was like a situation. It wasn't that great and I kind of watched everybody moving about the room and then, like I said, I just had that one thought in my head. I just keep saying please, please, like, don't let anything happen to me, because I don't want to leave my kids.
Jeanne Jordan:Thank you, Thank you. I just felt like it would be a lot for my husband to do by himself and I knew that it would be a lot to lose your wife and the whole thing, and I felt such a strong need to be with my family. You know I wanted a big family. This is something I longed for, so I had such a strong need to be with my family. You know I wanted a big family. This is something I longed for. So I had such a strong maternal urge to stay. I don't know how else to describe it.
Stephanie Theriault:How long were you in the hospital for before they discharged you?
Jeanne Jordan:So I was in intensive care for three or four days and then I had another two on the floor. But I was anxious to get home because it wasn't my first baby and I knew that my mom was home taking care of my kids, in between my husband going back and forth. So it was a week total I think, like three or four days in the unit and then another two or three on the floor just to make sure that I was mentally prepared to take on what I was going to. I had a big, giant incision from, you know, my belly button to the top of my pubic. It wasn't like the nice little bikini it was. It was open. And then, like I said, I am a surgical tech and I know what happens.
Jeanne Jordan:So the urgency of the case was like you didn't even scrub. So I ended up having, later on down a couple of weeks later, I I my incision to hist, it like opened and I had to let it heal from the inside out. Which was going through that trauma, having five other children and a new infant, like it was, it was a lot and breastfeeding. So I mean it was challenging. But you know you take it one day at a time and you just try to get through the best you can do. You do the best you can do and, like I said, I to this day I am so forever grateful for my mom because she was like a gift. She was there through it all.
Stephanie Theriault:You had mentioned earlier that the OB was planning a trip. Yes, did he make his trip.
Jeanne Jordan:He did make his trip. So we had this like really funny joke, I guess, which really isn't that funny. But after I delivered and before he actually went away, which was like the following day, he wanted to be there for this birth because you know it was my sixth. The chances of me having another one was slim. But he did specifically come to me while I was in intensive care and say to me this has to be your last child. The chances of this happening to you again would be great. I think they knew less about it then. But they were like. He said you have six healthy, beautiful children. You survived this. I think this should be the last child for you.
Jeanne Jordan:And then he said and, by the way, you owe me underwear, because I literally lost my mind when this all took place. And so when I went to my first checkup six weeks later, I brought boxes and briefs. I said I don't know which one you wear, but I brought them. And we chuckled about it because at that point I think I could have a little sense of humor. But yeah, it was funny, the whole office got a kick out of it, I'm sure. Yeah, it was funny, the whole office got a kick out of it, I'm sure?
Stephanie Theriault:Yeah, it was pretty funny and I'm sure that's nice for everybody, because I can imagine the amount of stress, right? Oh my God. With the whole situation and then you bringing that gift and just like relieving that stress.
Jeanne Jordan:Well, the girls and the because you know your girls, like you know the office that you go to, you get familiar with your secretary and you're the nurse and you know we were like, oh my God, we were waiting to see the baby and we couldn't wait to see you. We all want to hug you and, like you know, it was like it was just a. It was a nice, very comforting visit and I, of course, I had anxiety about it just even seeing him, you know. But yeah, it went well, it was good. And that was my last pregnancy, because I was completely petrified to have another child, even though I wanted seven. I had something about those uneven numbers that I liked. But I'm very grateful and I do have lovely kids. I am so forever grateful for my family.
Stephanie Theriault:Do any of your daughters have children.
Jeanne Jordan:So I'll go down the line. My daughters do have children. One of them, yes, my oldest son. They just found out they're pregnant. They've had two miscarriages, so that's their story. My second son in line has two boys. My daughter has three boys, the next boy down has a boy and girl, and my youngest two are not married yet. So they don't have any children yet. Not to say that they couldn't, and I would love them just the same. They just don't, but I know they all want them.
Stephanie Theriault:When your daughter was pregnant? Were you anxious at all about this experience?
Jeanne Jordan:I think I just thought about it differently after that situation with myself for anybody daughter or son because even though I work in this unit and you as well, you don't really. I think we all take it for granted Like you have a pregnancy, getting pregnant's easy, it's so wonderful and you have a baby. You don't think about stuff like this until something happens to either you or somebody very close in your family, like one of your kids, or it happened to your sister. So I yes, I had a heightened anxiety to answer your question about every pregnancy for them all and I was very fortunate. Very fortunate because I saw my son and my daughter-in-law.
Jeanne Jordan:I was in the room for both of their births and my daughter's three. I literally delivered my first grandchild. I had a great resident. She was like, put your gloves on, you're going to catch, and I was like, oh my God. So it was just a fantastic experience that I had to have. People don't get that, I know, but I still had that anxiety while they were going through labors, like if I saw a diesel on the screen. I'm like, oh God, I know where this is going. Like you know too much. I guess you know you do have a little bit heightened awareness. I guess you know you do have a little bit heightened awareness.
Stephanie Theriault:I guess, Thinking back over the years and having your children and being a mom and a grandmom now, what are you most proud of?
Jeanne Jordan:Oh, my God, where do I begin? Just that my kids are so fantastic and I don't I mean, you know my kids, two of my kids work with us, so, like I'm just, you know, everybody has their issues growing up. Nobody escapes stuff. Your kids get in a little trouble, they do things that you, but I'm forever grateful that they are mine. I wouldn't choose any others and I, um, I love that they actually love each other like they want to be around each other. That's a very satisfying thing and I feel like not that I'm patting myself on the back because I am not, but I see a lot of families that, big or small, they're like oh, one move to Chicago, one move to wherever? They don't really see each other that much.
Jeanne Jordan:My kids all stayed local. My kids all talk to each other. I'm like I literally couldn't be more proud and more happy of my family, how they turned out. I have four nurses too, yeah, so they're all very well-educated, they're all smart. One of my kids he's a bricklayer, he's a mason, and my daughter is very successful in her business too. She does social media and another job. So they're all successful. I don't know what more you could ask for in your kids and they like us. They want to be around us.
Stephanie Theriault:You know my kids are still young, but I do hope for that, exactly what you're saying that they're close, they love each other, they want to be around each other, they want to be around us, like that's such a blessing and a testament to you and being a mother and raising your children and you're now taking care of your grandchildren it's great.
Jeanne Jordan:You will have that. I feel like when you put a lot into your kids and you know I didn't work a lot when my kids were young I really focused on being around for them, not necessarily, like you know, they went to school. I didn't homeschool, we got into doing sports with the kids and I just felt like we were involved with them and we connected with them. And as they grew up, they went through the teenage years like every other teenager and they get a little rebellious. They don't want you to really be in their business. But shortly after that, like after they graduated and they went to college, they had the appreciation for what we actually did for them and how you sacrifice.
Jeanne Jordan:You do sacrifice your own relationship and some things that if I didn't have kids, we might have traveled the world. Some things that if I didn't have kids, we might've traveled the world, who knows? Or I might've had a brand new beautiful house or a beautiful car. But I chose this and I put my all into what I chose, and so now they're older and we can regroup and do some of those things that we, you know, I don't say we missed out because I don't feel like I missed out, because I don't feel like I missed out. I wouldn't trade what I had for the world, but now things are different, so I have different opportunities to do some of the things maybe I didn't do.
Stephanie Theriault:Thank you for sitting down and sharing your story and being open with us. It was such a pleasure chatting with you Well thank you so much for having me.
Jeanne Jordan:I feel so honored and you know it was a pleasure chatting with you as well.
Stephanie Theriault:Thank you for listening. Be sure to check out our social media. All links are provided in the episode description. We're excited to have you here. Please give us a follow If you or someone you know would like to be a guest on the show. Reach out to us via email at info at maternalwealthcom. And remember stay healthy, embrace your power and you got this, thank you.