Hi friends!!
Before I dive into my PP journey, I think it’s important for me to lay the groundwork with my pregnancy & delivery. I was pregnant at the height of COVID in 2020. I delivered our beautiful baby on June 5, 2020.
I hate saying this out loud, but I had a very smooth & healthy pregnancy. I was fortunate to be able to work my full time job & safely workout until the day before I birthed my daughter. Yes I know, I am a very fortunate to be able to experience that! However working in healthcare had it challenges. Working next to COVID patients was definitely not part of my plan. In fact, many things weren’t part of the plan including: no visitors at OB appointments (except initial ultrasound), no visitors at the hospital, one support person per delivery, cancelled baby showers, only my parents & mother in law meeting the baby until 8 months later, etc. I give kudos to all the mamas who were pregnant or delivered babies during the height of COVID!!
I delivered our beautiful baby at 41 weeks, after being induced due to not progressing naturally. The best thing about the hospital, besides the top notch care, was that we didn’t find out our baby’s gender. It was so much fun waiting to see what he/she would be!! Our nurses were so intrigued that they would pop in, before or after their shifts, to see if I had the baby yet!! 10/10 highly recommend NOT finding out the gender!
The worst part about being pregnant during COVID was the fact that when we got to the hospital for check-in, my mom couldn’t come in with us. She had to drop me at the door, with my three bags & pillow, then leave the lobby immediately. It was one of those surreal moments in life. I felt like I was frozen! I needed my mom to walk me to the L&D floor, but I wasn’t permitted that option. My husband drove separate, as he came to the hospital immediately after work.
I still was not use to seeing all my nurses and doctors in their masks all day long. It felt disconnected, yet slowly becoming our norm, during those initial COVID months. I was in active labor for 14 hours but didn’t start dilating until 4 hours in. My body couldn’t pass 1cm naturally so the doctor recommended we start Pitocin. I had been dreading that moment!! I’ve heard HORROR stories about Pitocin, but yet here we are. It took an emotional toll on me, having to actively choose that “Pitocin is okay for me to get”. The pump started slowly & I continued walking the floor, doing squats, lunges, & all the things. After 3 hours & what felt like a shattering spine, I dilated to 3cm. I was in so much pain that my body was shaking when I finally sat at the edge of my bed. I truly wanted to enjoy my labor, so my team recommended the epidural at this point.
Well, like any pregnant mom who wants to have her baby naturally, I started sobbing. I spoke to my doctor and my head nurse about it, and after debate I decided to get the epidural. Lucky me, I had waited too long and now there were four other moms ahead of me. Once I got the epidural, my body became calm. I progressed fairly quickly to 7cm then to 10cm. I pushed for 18 minutes and BOOM, here SHE came! ITS A GIRL!!! Our little Cecilia! My husband Chris was right!! Our OB, Dr. Mera Keenan allowed Chris to say the gender out loud and it was one of the best moments of our lives!! There were about 20 people in our room and every erupted in a loud cheer! It was epic.
The bliss and love that fell over our room during my delivery was something that I can only 100% attribute to God and His divine intervention. I’m a naturally excitable person yet prone to worry, so I prayed my entire pregnancy for a peaceful delivery without my self doubt and fear. I can truly say, this was the answer to my prayers. I know a massive part of this peace was that I had my favorite OB from the practice & she brought a sense of calm and expertise to our experience.
The upside to all of this is that I truly believe the L&D floor, at least in my experience, is a new mother’s type of Disneyland. Every nurse we met was kind, cheerful, and extremely helpful. When I would ring for the restroom or help with the baby, they would come quickly and expectantly. I know not everyone has these experiences, but I want to acknowledge the Baptist South hospital & their L&D team. I am thankful my hospital experience was so smooth!
Instead of an in-person visit, due to not being permitted, my best friend Kelly & her husband Kurt drove all the way to the hospital, painted signs, located our room (on the 3rd floor), & showed up to “meet” their new niece through the window. It was a moment I will never forget. I am forever grateful that they wanted to do that for us. One of those painted signs hangs in CiCi’s nursery to this day.
It was extremely hard for me to not have ANY visitors in the hospital. At the time of our daughters birth, it was one support person per ADMISSION! That was very hard for me to swallow. I was so upset about that because my Mom was at our home, all the way from Ohio, yet she couldn’t come in with me or meet her grand baby!! Now I do realize, some states had it much worse & without any support people. I’m so thankful I had my husband there. However, it was nothing like what I imagined it would be with my mom quickly coming to meet the baby, etc. But, thank God for FaceTime!! Miss Cecilia got to meet my sister, my Dad, my mother in law, some of our wonderful friends, & several family members. It was so beautiful! Mom was ecstatic when we walked in our home with a baby girl! We were joined for a special Chipotle dinner by Kelly & Kurt as we settled in at home.
I know that was a long post but I think it’s important to explain that while I did have a healthy pregnancy, it was in no way “normal”, due to COVID. Stay tuned next week to hear what our coming home journey looked like…
E44: Misdiagnosed but Not Silent: How to Advocate for Yourself, with Erin Ference, MSW – Delivered: finding victory after Postpartum Depression
- E44: Misdiagnosed but Not Silent: How to Advocate for Yourself, with Erin Ference, MSW
- E43: Cheers to Two Years: Favorite Moments, Milestones, and What's Next
- E42: Finding Beauty Among the Postpartum Ashes, with the Always Busy Mama, Becky Imbimbo
- E41: Healing Begins Here: Navigating Depression During Pregnancy, with Alanna
- E40: From Pregnancy to Postpartum: Exploring the Depths of Doula Care, with Kristin Revere, Newborn Care Specialist & Doula
The best is yet to come,
XX
Athena
Delivered: My Postpartum Battle 
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