Our Second Baby is Here! Her Name + Our Birth Story

Our beautiful second daughter has arrived! Born on May 11, 2023, here’s the story of my labor and delivery.

MEET OUR DAUGHTER

Scottie Calla
8 lbs 5 ounces
May 11, 2023 at 11:20 p.m.

BIRTH STORY

Having not gone into labor yet, at 39 weeks 2 days pregnant (Wednesday, May 10), I decided to get a membrane sweep at my doctor’s appointment. Since I was further along in this pregnancy than I was when I had Clay (38w5d), I was a little nervous about if/when I would go into labor naturally since getting induced is not my preference. Since I find cervix checks to be painful, I was anxious about the pain of a membrane sweep, but it ended up being totally fine. It actually ended up being the least painful cervix check I’ve ever had — and surely enough, I gave birth 32 hours later!

Following the membrane sweep, I felt what I would call “twinges” on the drive home and throughout the evening. I wasn’t sure if they were after effects of the procedure (because it’s likely you’ll cramp afterwards) or if it was the start of labor. The twinges ended up dying down a bit (or at least not getting any worse) and I was able to get a good night’s sleep with no new pain or discomfort.

The next morning (Thursday, May 11), my contractions picked up around 10 a.m. and were mostly overshadowed by pretty uncomfortable back labor, which I didn’t experience much of in my last pregnancy. I started tracking my contractions, and to my surprise, they weren’t nearly as painful this time. I felt like I was being split open for 24 hours in excruciating pain for my first labor, and this labor could not have been more different. I was able to breathe through the contractions, and though they were uncomfortable of course, they were totally manageable.

My mom had spent the night, so she and Clay were home with me while I labored all day. I was able to do a lot of my usual daily tasks with contractions in between and it was honestly pretty stress-free. As the day progressed, I switched back and forth from bouncing on the ball to sitting in the rocker in our living room with a back massager (which was a lifesaver!!!!!).

My mom offered to order me whatever I wanted for lunch, knowing it would probably be my last meal before going into the hospital. I chose an acai bowl and smoothie from Twenty Two Juicery and I swear it was the best meal I’ve ever had! 🤣 It gave me all the fuel I needed.

My contractions got to where I felt they needed to be to go to the hospital around 2 or 3 p.m., so I texted Justin to let him know. Conveniently, he was wrapping up his work day at the same time, so he headed home and we loaded up the car. Clay was napping at the time, so we didn’t get to say goodbye before we left.

Once we got the hospital, they checked us in and we waited in the waiting room for a few minutes before they brought us back to triage. I changed into a gown, they monitored my contractions and they said my cervix was at a 6 to 7, so they transported us to labor and delivery.

Once I got my IV and bag of fluids in, they brought the epidural in. Like last time, Justin was asked to leave while they did it. I told them about how it took a while to get it to work last time and I ended up needing more than what they gave me, so they were prepared to check on me soon after to see how it was progressing.

As anticipated, my epidural took a little bit to start working, but the nurses/doc/anesthesiologist were on top of it and got it going pretty quickly. My lower body went completely numb (just how I like it! 👍🏻) and I was able to relax for about three hours while I dilated more.

Before we knew it, at 10-something p.m., I was at a 10 and able to do some practice pushes. During those, the nurse felt my belly to see if she could feel my contractions because the monitor wasn’t picking them up. I was making good progress with the practice pushes and the nurse was able to see Scottie’s hair, so they had me labor down to see if they could get a better reading on my contractions while my doctor finished up with another delivery.

They were able to get the readings successfully, so we did another round of three practice pushes before promptly bringing in my doctor. After about three more rounds of pushes, my doctor said “look down here!” and out came little Scottie!

I instantly noticed how chubby she was and she was screaming immediately — and kept screaming for a very long time (lol). My eyes filled with tears for a moment, but I mostly felt so elated and at peace. It was such a serene delivery that I was able to feel so present during every single moment without the intense distraction that pain can cause. It was a night-and-day difference from my labor and delivery with Clay!

I was able to do skin-to-skin with her for so long while Justin cut the cord, I delivered the placenta and my doctor stitched up my 1st degree tear. I tried breastfeeding her and she latched right away, nursing on me right there in my delivery bed for an hour. It truly was the most peaceful experience and I felt like I was on cloud 9… and I still do. 🤍

Throughout our entire hospital stay, all the nurses commented on how long her eyelashes are. She’s a beauty! I also have to mention that it took hours for my epidural to wear off. Justin had to help the nurses put me in the wheelchair to transition to the postpartum wing, put me in the new bed, sit me on the toilet, etc. It did eventually go away though and I was able to pee on my own after a couple of attempts with my good friend: the Sara Stedy. 😅

We’re so happy to have our sweet Scottie girl here with us and we’re so grateful for her safe delivery. We’re so in love!

Thank you so much for following along with my pregnancy, for your kind messages and all of the well wishes. I think I’ll do another post soon on how we chose her name.

And just like that, I’m a mom of two girls. 🥹