Hello! It’s been way too long since we’ve writen a blog post. I am finally typing out Scarlett’s birth story before I forget all the details, and I also wanted to talk a little about my pregnancy and postpartum journey. I’m sharing some of my favorite breastfeeding products at the end of this post, as well as some postpartum progress photos, too!
Scarlett’s pregnancy was pretty similar to Cal’s in that I felt pretty good for most of it. I definitely felt more exhausted with her pregnancy, and I contribute that to also chasing and carrying around a 3-year-old this time around. I ended up gaining just over 40 pounds this time! I was so determined to keep the weight gain to around 25 pounds, and I was actually feeling cute and super proud of myself up until about 20 weeks. But after I hit 25 weeks that goal started seeming more and more unrealistic and I just fell completely off the wagon, haha. By 32 weeks I was living strictly in lulu align leggings and sweatpants. Yikes!
Scarlett’s delivery happened fast. Bear with me as I share the details - I know this is way too much info, but I want to remember the morning of her delivery and weeks leading up to it exactly how they happened!
At 35 weeks I was already dilated to a 2, and 80% effaced, so I was super hopeful that she’d come early like Cal did! But sadly, at my 37 week appointment not much had changed. My doctor “stripped my membranes,” and then again at 38 weeks. I was scheduled to be induced at 39 weeks, which fell on a Friday, and since my doctor doesn’t do inductions on Friday’s, I had to schedule it for the following Monday. He had me come back one more time on Thursday, the day before I turned 39 weeks, and said he’d try to strip me one more time to try to put me into labor before the weekend. He even said he tried to break my water at that appointment?! I thought that was weird but I guess he was just trying to get things moving so I didn’t have to wait until Monday! After that appointment, he said he wouldn’t be surprised if my water broke in the next hour!! I was shocked (and also sore after how aggressive he was trying to get things going - sorry, TMI). Well, that didn’t happen, BUT my water did end up breaking two days later!
On Saturday morning, May 16, Dan and I were having a lazy morning in bed. Daniel had gotten Cal out of his crib and brought him into bed with us around 7:30, and we snuggled together watching segments of some of Cal’s favorite movies we had recorded on the TV. At around 8:30, as I was readjusting to get comfortable (which, as anyone who’s ever been pregnant knows, takes a lot of effort when you’re 39 weeks pregnant), I felt a sudden gush of water! It wasn’t a ton and and I remember lifting my pelvis up and saying, “oh my gosh, what the heck?” I thought maybe I had peed my pants a little! Daniel asked if my water broke and I honestly had no idea because it was enough to get my underwear wet, but didn’t soak through to the sheets. Anyways, I got up to go to the bathroom and called Sidney to tell her what happened. She suggested just calling the hospital to ask what I should do, since I was still 50/50 on whether my water had broken or I’d peed my pants, haha.
The hospital nurse told me to come in ASAP, even if I wasn’t sure. But then I called my doctors office, and the on call nurse told me to wait a while and see if fluid kept trickling out, and only to go in if it was enough to soak through a panty liner?! I was so confused and didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to over react, and go to the hospital, only to find out I HAD just peed my pants! Lol.
I ended up showering, washing and blow drying my hair, and painting my nails before deciding I was still feeling enough fluid “trickling” to head in to the hospital. I also got one more slow dance in with Cal to Toy Story’s “You’ve Got A Friend in Me” (a favorite ritual of ours and something he begs for almost daily) while he was still my only child. It was such a sweet couple of minutes with him and I started getting emotional thinking about his world being flipped upside down the next time I saw him.
We said a big emotional goodbye to Cal and left him with Sidney, then headed to the hospital!
We got right into a room and the nurse checked me. I was still only 3 cm dilated. She couldn’t tell if my water was broken or not, so she ended up having to go in with a speculum and collect a sample of the water to see if it was amniotic fluid. So fun, right? When she came back to tell us that it was, we knew for sure my water had broken and it was go time.
I got my dreaded COVID test done (awful) and then my doctor had the nurse start me on a low dose of pitocin to get the contractions going. I got to the hospital around noon, and by this time it was around 2pm. Side note, my doctor was not on call that day, but because he stripped my membranes on Thursday, he made a note on my chart that he would come in if I went into labor over the weekend. Sooo nice of him!
The pitocin started kicking in and by 4pm I was starting to feel the contractions pretty bad. Sidney had done a natural labor just two and a half weeks earlier, and although I’d always been a pro epidural type of laborer, Sidney had inspired me to at least try to feel the contractions for as long as I could. When the pain started getting pretty bad, the nurse came in and checked me and I was still only a 5!! I called Sid and told her I didn’t think I’d make it much longer. She tried giving me some encouragement, but since I hadn’t prepared at all for natural labor and didn’t know any of the breathing techniques or counter pressures, different positions, etc., I wasn’t able to relax at all and was just in SO much pain. Like, I’m not a swearer, but I was quietly cursing to Daniel, and kept saying things like, “I swear I am not being dramatic, this FREAKING HURTS.”
I went on like this for another hour, but then told my nurse it was too much and I needed the epidural. I thought for sure that since I was only 5 cm dilated just an hour earlier, I still had hours to go and I just couldn’t keep going like that. Daniel was being so sweet and encouraging and was trying to help me with the pain (Sidney and her husband were sending him videos of THEM acting out what he could do to help me, haha), but nothing was working. I told the nurse I wanted the epidural and the anesthesiologist came right away.
He gave me the epidural (yessss), and it kicked in pretty quickly on my left side (the side he had me lay on after I got it), but I was still feeling total pain on my right! Nothing was numb on my right side and I started to PANIC from being in so much pain with each contraction.
The nurse decided to check me again at that point and, to all of our surprise, I was at a 10 and ready to push!!! WHAT?! She called my doctor (who was at his HOUSE), and told him to come ASAP because I was ready!
I was starting to feel pressure, but wasn’t really in pain “down there.” I was still feeling those sharp pains on the right side of my lower abdomen, but I slowly started to feel everything start to numb up.
Daniel was right up in on the action, holding my leg. With Cal I really didn’t want him anywhere within view of what was going on down there. But with Scar it all happened too fast for me to even care. So much so that I didn’t even realize he was filming and got Scarlett COMING OUT ON VIDEO! As horrified as I was when he first told me this, and after I watched it back for the first time, now I actually think it’s kind of amazing and am glad we have it.
Once my doctor arrived I pushed for five minutes and she was here!! She was born at 5:30pm on May 16, and weighed 8 lbs 1 oz - healthy and perfect!
We spent 24 precious hours in the hospital, just her, me, and Daniel. I’m actually grateful for that time we got with just us three (thank you Coronavirus). It wasn’t hectic. It was peaceful and felt like we had a little piece of heaven right there in our arms. I felt close to my mom knowing Scarlett was too.
I got to nurse her right away in the hospital and she’s been such a good eater. Nursing has been something I’ve come to love and I am so so grateful it’s been going well. I credit our success to the Taking Cara Babies guides, and to Sidney’s diligence in nursing Tori and not giving up despite all the hiccups they’ve faced (I’ve been bugging Sidney to share her birth story too, by the way). I very well may have given up on nursing if it weren’t for Sid. It’s been amazing having our girls so close together. It makes slipping away to nurse when we’re with people or in public way more fun!
A couple of things that have been SO helpful with nursing are:
This Dr. Brown’s silicone breast pump. I use it every single time I breastfeed, and have a freezer full of milk JUST from using this! I suction it on the side I’m not nursing on, and pull my bra up over the bottom of it so that it doesn’t fall off if it gets bumped. I whole heartedly believe this little pump is what has kept my milk supply up!
Breast pads. I wear these at night because I’m usually leaking in the mornings! The Dr. Brown’s brand stay in place the best and are the most comfortable (other brands have felt itchy in my bra).
These Dr Brown’s Rachel’s Remedy Breast Relief Pads. When my milk came in these were honestly the only thing that gave me any kind of relief. They felt amazing on my sore breasts! You microwave the flaxseed pillow insert and stick them on when you’re engorged. They can help unclog milk ducts and can increase milk supply!
This video teaching how to get a good latch every time. I had no idea what I was doing, and watching this video before I delivered was so helpful!
Taking Sunflower Lecithin to optimize milk flow and supply.
Scarlett is almost three months old now (looking back at her newborn photos and I am crying because of how much bigger she’s gotten so quickly), and I am just starting to feel like I’m getting a handle on two kids. Scarlett’s delivery and hospital stay was such a night and day different experience compared to Cal’s. Having a newborn is never easy, but taking care of her does feel much simpler than it’s ever been for Cal (even currently)! I am grateful for both experiences, and have learned a ton from both.
Cal wasn’t super interested in his sis when we first brought her home. But now he has really taken on his role of big brother and is sooo sweet with her. He begs to hold her all the time, pats her softly, and gives her kisses without being prompted. I am so so proud of him!
I still haven’t found any time to work out or start getting “back in shape,” other than a couple little hikes and some casual tennis matches with family and friends. I’ve lost about 25-30 pounds and still have 10-15 to go! I know talking about weight these days is frowned upon, but I personally like seeing progress photos, so here are some pictures showing my journey from the day before Scar was born until now(ish). I had my nurse help me put on this belly band as soon as my doctor was done stitching and cleaning me up after my delivery, and I do feel like it helped my tummy start to go back quicker.
I am feeling good, in general. Scarlett has been such a good baby and sleeps 10-11 hours at night usually (BLESSED!). I love being a mom and feel like the luckiest with my two sweet kiddos ♡