Welcome to the World Baby Boy | The Birth Blog

A week ago, my family became complete.

I have been soaking up every moment with my family, resting, and slowly finding our rhythm as we settle into this new routine.

My pregnancy was not easy. I had HG that was so severe it sent me to the hospital by ambulance, required weekly visits for IVs, and came with a scare from a subchorionic hematoma. Toward the end, all the aches and pains felt even more intense. Some people are so good at being pregnant, but not me.

But it was all so worth it for this sweet boy who entered our lives last week. We are so in love, and it feels incredible to have our family complete. I cannot wait to watch my boys grow up together. Gosh, I am so in love. God is so good.

I shared a blog about my labor and delivery with my first son, so I thought I would share a little birth recap this time around too.

I was a few days shy of 40 weeks.

I was so miserable with lightning, prodromal labor, edema, back aches, and that final week of pregnancy quite literally felt like a year. For the past few weeks, I had been downing dates, buckets of pineapple, raspberry leaf tea, and doing all the curb walking. I even got the viral Starbucks drink, the Iced Passion Tango Lemonade tea. I am not saying it did it, but you never know. I also took the TikTok advice and walked around Costco and had a spicy dinner.

Last Wednesday night, I woke up at 11 pm to a little gush, the bloody show, and pretty intense contractions.

My mom had been staying at the house that week because we all had a feeling I was going to go into labor soon, so thank goodness she was there.

We headed to the hospital and, of course, the entire highway was shut down. We had to get off at an exit, turn around, and take the back way. Luckily, my contractions were not too close together, and we were not in any rush.

They decided to monitor me for a few hours but ultimately sent me home because my contractions were three to five minutes apart and I was only dilated to one centimeter. They gave me a sleep aid and told me they wanted me to labor at home and come back when my contractions were two minutes apart.

I slept until 11 am the next day, which, if you know me, you know is so unlike me. Of course, I woke up to intense contractions, but they were still pretty far apart.

I was determined to speed things up. I went on a long hill walk with my mom and then spent about two hours walking up and down the hills in my backyard through all the contractions. They were getting more painful around 3:30 pm, but I still did not think I would be having the baby for a few days.

I took a hot shower and headed downstairs to eat dinner. I was sitting on the couch microwaving my oatmeal when I had a contraction so intense that I looked at Kyle and said, I do not care if they are not close together, we have to go. This does not feel right.

And ladies, trust your intuition. Do not gaslight yourself.

I was biting a sweater in the front seat trying to make it to the hospital through the pain. When they say, “You will know when it is a contraction,” I get it now. I never had them with my first, but gosh, this was intense. The worst part was the back labor. It felt like my bones were cracking.

As we drove to the hospital, the contractions were coming a minute apart and lasting about a minute and a half.

We got to the maternity unit and I was bent over a chair in tears from the pain while Kyle checked us in. In triage, they checked me. My contractions were intense as I sat on the exercise ball, but I was only dilated to a two. They decided to monitor me for an hour to see if I was progressing…

I could not handle the pain. I told them I did not care if I was not officially in labor, I just needed an epidural. I felt desperate. The back labor was unbearable. The nurse came in about ten minutes later and asked if I wanted to be checked again because of how much pain I was in. I said yes. In a matter of ten minutes, I went from a two to a four. They were able to move me into a room.

I told them I just wanted the epidural, so they called the anesthesiologist.

When we got into the birthing room, I was contracting so badly I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom. I was screaming in pain at that point because I truly thought my back was breaking. Then all of a sudden, a huge pop. My water broke everywhere. It was like a pool all over the bed.

They checked me again as the anesthesiologist walked in.

“I am so sorry,” she said, “but you are at an eight.”

You guys, I went from a two to an eight in about thirty minutes. This is why cervical checks do not always mean much when you are sitting at a one at your appointments.

It was too late. I was going to have this baby without an epidural. I was devastated. I had not prepared myself for a natural birth at all, and with back labor, I truly thought I was going to throw up from the pain. Kyle asked the anesthesiologist how long it would take for the epidural to kick in and she said about thirty minutes. According to the nurse, this baby could be here in less than ten.

I had no choice but to focus, get my head in the game, and get this baby out.

I kept pushing with a crowd of cheering nurses guiding me through techniques and positions. One position was so painful that I literally got off the bed, squatted on the floor, felt the ring of fire, (which I can only describe as a hot cast iron pan to the cooch) and caught my own baby boy. It was fast and incredibly painful, but an experience I will never forget. I am pretty sure my husband is still a little traumatized, but he was amazing, cheering me on the entire time.

The nurses and midwife were amazing. Hearing their reassurance and steady voices during labor is truly what got me through it.

Afterward, I climbed back onto the bed, delivered the placenta, Kyle cut the cord, and about an hour later they came back in to clean up the room.

This was not the birth I had ever imagined. But I will say, I would take 50 minutes of painful labor over 24 hours around the clock like I had with my first.

I never even had an IV during my entire stay, and even though it has only been nine days since giving birth, I feel almost completely healed. It was a little painful the first few days, but I am already out going on walks, getting up and around the house, and honestly feeling like myself again.

After having my first, it took me months and physical therapy to recover. I could not walk normally for a while, and this time I feel so good. So even though the birth itself was incredibly painful, the recovery has been amazing.

If you happen to have a non medicated birth, just know that the recovery can sometimes be a beautiful trade off, and you really do forget the pain. But if you choose to get an epidural, that is smart too. I absolutely would have if I could. It was the only “birth plan” I had planned.

There is truly nothing better than that first morning after giving birth. Well, maybe if your newborn sleeps. And even if they do, the nurses still come in every hour.

But just knowing he is here, that birth is behind me, and that I have the whole day to rest with nothing major to worry about is the most relieving feeling.

One thing I mentioned in my “what I packed in my hospital bag” blog for the second time around was the little egg lamp I found, and oh my goodness, it came in handy. When I needed light but did not want to get up or deal with the harsh overhead hospital lights, it was perfect. Truly one of my best packing decisions.

For breakfast the next morning, Kyle went down and grabbed me coffee, eggs, bacon, and a Muscle Milk. I ordered donuts for the nurses and treated myself to a Dunkin bagel.

Later the next day, we finally moved to a recovery room. Everyone must have been having babies that night because the rooms were completely full.

The most special moment of all was when our son came to meet his new baby brother. It was pure happiness.

He is so in love and has been the BEST big brother ever. He keeps giving him kisses and telling him how much he loves him. He is always willing to help by grabbing diapers or wipes. He is truly the sweetest big brother, and it makes my heart so happy. He’ll be four in May, and I feel like this age gap is perfect for our family.

Of course, he was thrilled with the gifts his baby brother and grandparents brought him at the hospital. Having a few special gifts ready for older siblings is such a great little trick for making that first introduction a positive experience.

I never realized how big my oldest would feel after having another baby. He always felt so small to me, and then holding him after just having a newborn made me feel this sudden wave of sadness that he is not my baby anymore. I am sure some of you know exactly what feeling I am talking about.

They just feel so heavy after you have been holding a tiny newborn. I keep looking at him differently now, seeing him as a little boy instead of my baby, and it has made my heart so emotional.

We spent the rest of the day cuddling, watching movies, and trying to relax as much as possible.

My first meal after giving birth was oatmeal because I was so exhausted and just wanted something quick before falling asleep.

The next night, Kyle went out and grabbed my favorite, a Chopt salad, since it was not too far from the hospital. I had my go to salad bowl and my favorite Poppi, the Shirley Temple. He brought me extra salad so I could have it the next day too, which is what I always do when I go to Chopt since it’s far from our house.

We were so excited that we got to go home on Valentine’s Day. It was not until late afternoon, but we had our bags packed and were so ready for them to say, “Alright, you can go!”

Luckily, all the best rom coms were on TV, so I spent the morning drinking coffee, holding my newborn, and enjoying the shows. I never have time to just sit and watch anything, so it was nice to soak in that quiet time.

But I was definitely ready to get home, into my own bed, into a new routine, and back to my sweet toddler.

After his first bath, which he loved, and a few more tests, we were finally cleared to leave. We packed up all our things, signed the birth certificate papers, and placed the baby in his car seat for the first time.

And off we go!

None of our going home outfits fit, and even the newborn sizes were way too small. I ended up ordering a bunch of outfits on Amazon while we were still in the hospital so they would be waiting for us when we got home.

Luckily, he has already put on a pound and a half since coming home, so he is finally starting to fill out his little clothes.

The Sofia Grainge from Amazon Essentials are the cutest and softest onesies so I ordered three packs of them!

The transition to being home has been great.

I truly think having the house ready before we came home saved us. The nights have been exhausting, but thankfully he gives me two hour stretches before he is ready to eat again.

And honestly, I love a hungry baby. It makes me feel so good every time he fills up and starts filling out.

I feel so, so lucky that my mom was able to stay with us those first few nights. She was such a huge help, and I truly do not think we could have had a smoother transition at home without her.

My edema was pretty bad when I left the hospital, almost worse than when I went in. The doctor told me it would go down within a few weeks and to focus on drinking plenty of water, eating nourishing food, taking small walks, and resting. My legs felt so heavy and my face!

Luckily, after just one week, it has gone down tremendously. I can actually see my ankles and wrists again.

One of my good friends gifted us the cutest matching Valentine’s Day pajamas for the boys, and of course I had to dress them up for a little Valentine’s photo moment.

I may have gone a little overboard on all the matching boy sets from Carter’s and H&M, but I just cannot help myself.

Coffee in the morning with newborn snuggles are the best.

It has been such a sweet week of settling into our new routine. Like always, the dogs are completely in love with the baby. They did the same thing with my first, following me everywhere just to get a little glimpse or sniff.

Laundry has been nonstop, but I have been good about doing a load every morning and night to stay on top of it. I forgot just how many towels, outfits, and random things babies go through in a single day

THE BEST FEELING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.

My amazing friend Samantha brought our family’s favorite, Ilios, over for dinner, which was so thoughtful and kind of her.

I feel incredibly lucky to have such wonderful friends show up for our family. Some sent flowers, others dropped off donuts, which are my toddler’s favorite, and a few made meals for us. It has meant more than I can even put into words.

We have been loving the warm weather, too. I have had the windows open, we have gone on a bunch of walks, and we have been sitting on the front porch nonstop. It’s helped me so much with physical and emotional recovery.

It still feels crazy that I am able to walk so soon after giving birth compared to my first experience. I feel so grateful for how different this recovery has been.

I’m trying to limit my coffee to two a day, but it’s so needed right now ha!

My husband has fully taken the reins on toddler time. He has been everywhere with him, building Legos, going on walks, heading to the park, church, Costco, and just staying busy. He is making sure he gets plenty of attention, and we have been trading off so he does not feel overshadowed by his new brother. He has truly been handling it so well.

Today I am taking him to a birthday party and then out for coffee and a donut, just the two of us. I cannot wait for that special one on one time.

My son goes back to school next week, and my mother in law is coming to town today, so we are about to start a whole new routine.

It has been amazing so far, and I am fully in my newborn bliss.

It feels so surreal to have our family complete.

So grateful for God.