Hope you and your family are all well. Who would’ve thought the year 2020 would’ve unfolded as it has. Coronavirus has flipped everyone’s lives upside down. I hope you’re able to find goodness out of this stressful crazy time. For us, part of the goodness was welcoming baby #2.
Let me explain… No, there is too much. Let me sum up.
Last year, especially after losing my Nana, we knew we wanted to try for another baby. It took longer than we expected and we had another loss. I began to come with the reality that maybe our family size was set at 3. One day as my daughter and I were driving home, a little rain shower stopped and from the back seat she yelled, “mama, there’s a rainbow.” I looked to see that she was right. I told her sometimes God sends us rainbows as a sign that things will be better and asked her if she thought maybe this rainbow was for us. She quickly said it is and 2 weeks later I had a positive pregnancy test the day before Halloween. It was also as I completed a 100 day exercise program and had been feeling better than ever in a long time.
Get some rest. If you haven’t got your health, then you haven’t got anything.
This pregnancy was so much easier, as I didn’t have any of the crazy potential miscarriage signs as I had with my first. I also was blessed with no morning sickness. All the kicks and baby hiccups, and how I looked was exactly as when I carried my daughter so I was thinking we might be having another girl. One night in January when my daughter wasn’t sleeping, I crawled into bed with her. I was about to do the infamous “parent slowly creep out of bed and crawl away on the floor maneuver “, when my daughter bolted up and declared “ mama, it’s a boy.” I opened my eyes with shock and asked her what she was talking about and she said “ the baby, in your tummy, it’s a boy!”.
I got shivers and we both went back to sleep. She said it with such conviction she had me convinced it was a boy. I think safe to say, maybe God whispered this to her to pass onto us.
Your vote of confidence is overwhelming.
Then as you all know covid 19 hit, we’ve all been in quarantine... and frankly we’re still in it. The hospitals all have more restrictions and new policies in place. I had to go through 3 checkpoints and a covid test while in labor before they would allow my husband to be with me.
I started to go into labor 2 days after my due date. I went into the office for a midwife checkup and did a membrane sweep. I left feeling fine and waddled away. 3 hours later, I started to have some light contractions about 7pm so I called my parents to pick up Dottie. They picked her up and my husband and I walked around the block before hopping into the car to drive to the hospital.
(Walking into the hospital)
Upon arrival, we parked, applied our masks and started to walk in. At the first checkpoint, there was a lady checking people in and taking temperatures. She saw I was in labor and was so nice and left the person she was checking and rushed to my side asking me questions, took temperature and walked us to the elevator for the labor ward.
At the labor unit, we waited in line. Finally, our turn, temperature checked and questions answered again. Then we waited in the lobby for an hour! Longest hour ever! But between contractions, I looked up to see another man sitting in a chair waiting. Looking familiar I finally got the guts to ask him who his wife was and come to find out, it was a friend I had danced with on poms back in high school! She was also there to deliver her baby! “ Inconceivable.”
After baby was monitored and my Covid test came back negative, they deemed me able to go to Karmanos Natural birthing center. I briefly talked to the midwife that was on that evening and she left my husband and I in the beautiful birthing suite. After an hour I was really feeling that things had progressed, I had my husband locate the midwife and bring her back to check me. Before checking me, she asked me if she could break my water and as I was saying NO, my water literally broke on its own. Phew! She then checked and let me know I was dilated to a 9 and left the room.
To me this was completely different that my first baby. I had a different midwife and she stayed and labored with me the whole time. I was very surprised that this midwife didn't stay at all considering how quickly everything was progressing. Even though Nate was super helpful and supportive, I couldn't help but feel a little discouraged that this midwife wasn't as attentive. I realize now how spoiled I was with my first birth and also so thankful because atleast this time I knew what to expect.
After 45 mins I had Nate get the midwife again. She told me I was at a 10 but I didn't seem read to push. After only a few pushes out came out baby and Nate was able to announce that it was a little boy!
We both looked at each other and both said "Dottie was right!" This is true love. You think this happens every day?
Wesley Clarence joined our family at 8lbs 13oz and 19.5 inches long. Our Corona baby. So far a nursing champ, growing so quickly and has already been showing us his calm and chill personality. From the very beginning of Nate and I dating, we both have always liked the name Wes for a boy. For him, he has a friend/mentor that he admires and for me it was the Princess Bride movie. (P.S. try to count how many Princes Bride movie quotes are in this post!) Clarence means "bright" and comes from my husband's grandfather's name. Grandpa Clarence and Grandma Dorothy bought the property we are building our new house on and built the log cabin that we knocked down last year. So in a way, our own Wesley (Clarence) and Dottie are making their way back to Maceday Lake!
Dottie has been super sweet to him and we've been so thankful not knowing how she would adjust but she seems to be just fine. Knowing that when he cries, he usually needs milk, and she asks to hold him first thing every morning. We can't wait to see what these 2 children will bring to the world, and we're blessed to have them with us.
Hope you and your family are well and healthy during such odd times. We hope you can find the good and beautiful.