Welcome Winifred Evelyn - Our Birth Story

3 weeks ago we welcomed miss Winifred (Winnie) Evelyn Chick into the world!

Her birth

To quickly sum up her birth story:

I went in to be induced 9 days overdue, it was time for this little girl to come out and none of the “at home” tricks were cutting it!

My birth goal was to have a VBAC, as Jane was an unplanned c-section, which can make inductions more difficult. And while it’s no secret that Pitocin is brutal stuff, it all went smoothly. I get emotional saying it, but I had the birth experience I have dreamed of for years. I had her vaginally, I had her MY way, and I had the most amazing, supportive team of Midwives and nurses around me.

They let daddy do the catching, and the moment when Anthony lifted Winifred onto my chest and I got to hold my slimy, bloody, beautiful newborn… That was perfection.

Complications

She came out dark blue because the umbilical cord had wrapped around her neck, thankfully it was not a big deal. It was a small pause to get her unwrapped and as soon as she was in my arms the blue faded and she was okay. I was actually surprised at how fast she turned pink after.

As I was holding her the midwife started telling me to push a few more times to get the placenta out, but the placenta had other ideas. I honestly don’t remember much that happened besides being in pain so much worse than the actual childbirth, SO many people coming into the room, and Anthony standing to the side with the baby just watching.

I hemorrhaged and lost 2 liters of blood.

As I was in and out of consciousness, they put in a second IV for a blood transfusion, stabbed me in a few other places, and gave me pain meds that made me vomit.

It was scary and I will never forget that look on Anthony’s face. I was on 24-hour bedrest following her birth and stayed an extra day in the hospital.

My Takeaway

And even with all that happened, I will continue to say that I had a wonderful birth experience. Every doctor I saw, each nurse holding my hands through it, they were all so incredible. My midwife was gentle and personal and was genuinely so excited for me that I had the birth that I wanted.

At home

Her first few weeks home have been amazing, though not without challenge.

I was discharged with a giant bag of meds and orders to take it easy, then we got home and I immediately got sick. Jane, myself, and now Winifred have all basically just been recovering from a cold since the moment we got home from the hospital. I don’t know where this bug came from, but it’s a nasty one!

Despite being sick and extra tired, it’s been great! This little peanut has a HUGE appetite and is sleeping well during the night. Basically all we can ask of a newborn!

She was born 8lbs 4.8oz, that’s TWO pounds heavier than Jane was. There are a few of her newborn clothes that she will never wear and she’s already fitting into outfits that didn’t fit Jane till she was 2 months old! I find the difference so comical.

We have had a small amount of sibling jealousy (for instance, Jane seems to have forgotten how to walk down the stairs and wants to be carried “like a baby”) but Jane also is so in love with her baby sister! She wants to help with every diaper change and tries to share all her toys… which of course is involving a lot of gentle reminders that, “Winnie is still too little to play with slime.”

But the joy on her face when she gets to hold the baby and every sweet kiss on the forehead just warms my heart so much and I’m so excited for all the adventures they will share together!

We love you Winifred

You can expect to see a lot of infant-related posts in the following months (in addition to my usual toddler/family content) but for now, we’re going to continue to take it easy for a spell and soak in all this newborn love.