It’s nearly a year late (I can’t believe I’m going to be the mother of a one year old in three short weeks). And the reason for the delay is simple. Thinking / typing / talking about the day that Clara was born still scares the pants off of me. Even 11+ months later. This little lady made quite the dramatic entrance.
Yup, the day that Clara came into the world was the most amazing life-changing day of my existence, but it was easily also the single most terrifying one. I’ve mentioned some details a few times in comments on other Clara-related posts (many readers wanted to know all about the bean’s birth right away) but I think now that she’s almost a year old I’ve processed that day enough to really share it fully with the interweb. By no means am I over it (don’t really know if I ever will be), but I can talk about it now without crying. So that’s a start, right? A few friends of mine have actually recommend that I write this post as part of the whole healing process (a lot of the posts that we write are actually for our own benefit since this is just an online diary to document our lives for our own selfish purposes, haha). So I thought it made sense. I know that how Clara came into the world will affect future pregnancies and how nervous/anxious/wary/afraid I’ll be if any of the same complications pop up again, so perhaps talking about it after processing it for almost a year might help me come to terms with it a bit more. So here it goes (deep breaths, deep breaths).
I had an amazing low risk fabulous pregnancy. No high blood pressure. No weird pains. Over 100 days of morning sickness (yes I counted) but that’s to be expected. Or at least tolerated in the name of baking a human. Other than that (and once that ended) it was amazeballs as my girl Bethenny Frankel would say. I felt great. I loved feeling my little bean kicking around in there. I basked in the glory of being prego. I told John I could do it ten more times. Life was good.
My tiny 4’11” mom had two natural (and very fast) child births, so I had high hopes of a normal (if not very quickly progressing) delivery. Maybe without drugs, and maybe with them. I wasn’t going into it with any strong feelings either way, but I had taken some classes on pain management and learned about The Bradley Method so I was actually feeling very bring-it-on by the end. Either way I kept telling myself “in the end the baby will be out and I’ll get to meet her, so no fear is allowed – it’s going to be a happy day – with drugs or without them. No pressure. Just try to go with the flow and relax.” I had orders to “run, don’t walk” to the hospital if I had any signs of labor (my mother had me in four hours and my brother within two) so that had me a little on edge, but the only thing I worried about was having the baby at home or in the car since I feared it would all happen really fast because that runs in the family.
John was working downtown at the time and I was at home without a car (we’re a one car family, so he’d take the car during the day and after he came home we’d run any errands I needed to do). So admittedly the whole being at home without the car thing was kind of scary but I knew about fifty neighbors who volunteered to drive me to the hospital if things got crazy and John couldn’t make it home to get me in time. The funny thing is that he answered his cell phone on the first half-a-ring for the last two weeks of my pregnancy, so I knew he was on high alert and was confident that he’d hightail it home in time (it was only a 15 minute drive).
I never felt a single contraction (not even Braxton Hicks) until the day I went into labor, but I knew I was dilated to a 3.5 at 39 weeks (yes I walked around at a 3.5 without going into labor with my first child, which I hear is really uncommon). Clara must have been holding onto the walls in there. So although I was still about a week “early,” my doc said I was going to have the baby any second. Hence John being on high alert. Oh yeah and my belly looked like this. I was officially ready to pop.
I noticed on the morning of May 14th (it was a Friday) that I was having some pretty intense contractions. My first contractions ever (well that I felt). At first they were oddly irregular so I thought it was just prelabor (didn’t even tell John because I didn’t want him to get all crazy and come running home for a false alarm). But slowly they started to establish a pattern and by the time I started timing them they were just four minutes apart. And they were an 11 on the pain scale. I felt like my insides were ripping apart and my back was killing me. I called John who was out to lunch with all of his coworkers to celebrate his very last day at the office (he was resigning to come on full time as a dad/blogger) and told him to get the eff home. He laughed about how good my timing was because he was just finishing his burrito. I groan-cried in the middle of a contraction and he knew I meant business. So home he came flew.
By the time we got to the hospital my contractions were already two minutes apart. I remember having a hard time even walking from the car to the door because they were just coming nonstop and they were bring-you-to-your-knees painful. I thought I might have a baby right there in the parking lot. They sent me straight into labor and delivery. As we waited for the doctor to arrive and check my progress my water broke in the hospital bed- but instead of being clear it was red. So much blood. Very scary. I didn’t even see most of it (thanks to my giant belly and the sheet over my lower half) but John did along with my OB who happened to be in the room. John’s face went white and the OB snapped into hyperdrive.
Immediately the room filled with frenzied nurses and doctors and they explained that I was having a placental abruption, which happens when the placenta has inexplicably detached from the uterine wall. This is very bad news before the baby is born. And it explains the feels-like-my-body-is-ripping-apart pain I’d been experiencing. It’s an extremely dangerous complication for the baby (since they get their nourishment from the placenta and can go into shock and die) and the mother can hemorrhage (and can also die in cases of extreme bleeding). So it was a pretty dire situation all around (although nobody stopped to explain it, the look on the doctor and nurse’s faces kind of said it all).
Within about a minute they had me in the OR and within three minutes they had sweet baby Clara out thanks to an amazingly fast emergency c-section. They saved her life by acting so fast.
It was a blur. All I remember was them running my gurney into the walls while turning corners in the hallway trying to get me into an ER as fast as possible. They looked panicked. And it scared the heck out of me. I didn’t care about me or my body – just the baby. I remember screaming inside of my head “just cut her out of me, cut and I don’t care if I feel pain or if I get hurt or if I have scars all over, just save her. Do it right here in the hallway if you have to.” Of course my lips weren’t moving. It was one of those out-of-body mind screams that nobody else can hear.
John suddenly wasn’t with me. They just left him behind and ran with me down the hall calling up to get emergency doctors and nurses on hand since the main OR was already in use for a scheduled c-section. I remember people popping out of doorways saying “I’ll help” and joining the frenzied mob and going over all of my stats (blood type, number of weeks prego, etc) while saying things like “baby in distress” and “profuse bleeding.” I couldn’t have created a scarier nightmare scenario in my head if I tried. Lots of people swarmed into the OR in the next thirty seconds. But no John. I could barely breathe at the thought of something going so wrong without him by my side. Once they had me fully prepped for surgery (which happened within less than a minute, they were so amazing) someone must have run off to get him.
I wish I could say it was thanks to me calling out for him but I was in shock so I couldn’t talk or even move. I was frozen. It almost felt like I wasn’t even there and I was watching it all happen to someone else on TV. John says he remembers standing in the hallway as everyone ran off with me. So freaked out and completely alone. Just waiting. That always makes me cry when I think about it. I didn’t know it at the time because of the chaos, but someone had tossed scrubs at him when I was being wheeled out (he would need them since it had to be a sterile environment for the c-section) so he was just standing there in the hallway wearing his scrubs and waiting. And going crazy. Finally someone came out to retrieve him and he was allowed to come hold my hand right as they started to cut. I just stared at him. I was frozen. I didn’t cry. I didn’t talk. I was just in shock at how quickly everything was happening.
Once they opened me up they saw that not only was Clara in distress from the placental abruption, but the umbilical cord had somehow been pinched (which is called “cord prolapse”) so she was without oxygen while fighting to make it through the abruption. I heard them toss out the word “cord prolapse” (they didn’t have time to explain what was going on, so I learned the details later) but in my odd state of panic and shock I thought they were talking about someone else. I was the one with a placental abruption. The scariest page of my birth book at home. The one I didn’t even read because it wouldn’t happen to me because I didn’t have high blood pressure or any of the other risk factors. My baby couldn’t also be dealing with cord prolapse. How could that be? Who could be that unlucky? Then they said “she’s not going to cry ok – don’t wait for her to cry just try to stay calm and breathe slowly.” That was when my heart broke and I started to cry. I guess I was crying for her.
I couldn’t see anything thanks to the screen they threw up before cutting into me, but they were right. She didn’t cry when they yanked her out with all of their might. All I remember was extreme pressure but no pain. Well, no physical pain. Emotional pain = off the charts. They had NICU specialists standing by, and when I heard them say “NICU” out loud that it was the first time I actually thought “what if this doesn’t end the way I thought it always would? What if all those pep talks I gave myself about it being a happy day because “drugs or no drugs I would get to meet my sweet baby girl” weren’t going to be true?
John later admitted that thought had hit him a lot earlier than it had hit me. He said he knew something was very wrong when he saw all the blood before they whisked me away. And when he was standing alone in the hallway after I got wheeled off to the OR he wondered if things were about to end badly. See why that visual of him in the hall makes me cry? It was just so surreal and terrifying. John later confessed that once he was allowed into the OR to hold my hand that he couldn’t really watch as they pulled her out of me, even though he was much taller than the screen they had set up to block my view. Not because he was afraid of the blood or passing out, but because he didn’t want to see our baby “not make it.”
But after about one felt-like-eternity minute they got her to moan. Kind of like a kitty meowing. It was so soft and weak and just heart breaking. I remember thinking “I want her to cry so she’s ok, but I don’t want to hear her if she’s not going to be ok because I’m falling in love already. I can’t hear her moan and then fall silent- she has to start wailing. Right now!” But no dice. I remember thinking that all the silence felt so loud. Like it was almost deafening to listen so desperately for some sign of a cry. Clara got a 4 on her initial Apgar test, which we later heard is usually the lowest score you can get before permanent brain damage if things don’t improve by the five minute Apgar retest. They didn’t announce the time of birth or her weight very loudly or say anything like in the movies, you know like “it’s a girl!” or “happy birthday!” or “what’s her name?” and she didn’t come lay on my chest. I still couldn’t even see her thanks to the screen they had put up to block the surgery. They were all just working on this baby that I couldn’t even see. My baby. And I just stared at John in a silent freeze, tears in my eyes but nothing coming out of my mouth. At some point after closing me up the doctor said “she’s bleeding – she reopened, get over here” and half of the team ran back to work on me. My incision which had been sewn and stapled shut had reopened and I could hear from the doctors tone that it wasn’t an ideal situation. But I still wasn’t scared for me. In any other scenario it would have been intensely alarming, but I had a one track mind: the baby. I want to hear the baby cry.
It felt like five years went by (in reality it was less than five minutes) but slowly the people working on me thinned out and the people working on Clara seemed to start moving more casually and slower. As if it wasn’t such an emergency anymore. I remember thinking “this is either a very good or a very bad sign.” Thankfully, by her five minute Apgar test she pinked up, cried a glorious and spirited cry, and got a 9 (we later learned that the five minute Apgar retest is the most important and revealing one). They said that a 9 was as close to perfect as it gets and that even super healthy children rarely get 10s. And they told us that it was so great that she rebounded so well and was looking fantastic. She was a fighter for sure. They even let John go over and see her (I was still strapped down so I had to wait).
She wasn’t out of the woods yet, but we didn’t know that at the time, so we started to rejoice and John even took some video on the iPhone to bring back over to show to me since I hadn’t even laid eyes on her yet (we were so lucky that the iPhone happened to be in John’s pocket before all hell broke lose, otherwise we wouldn’t have any documentation of Clara’s birth at all). We later learned they were somehow testing her cord blood to see if she was without oxygen for so long that she sustained permanent brain damage. Only when the test came back all-clear (indicating that there were no worries of that) did the nurses and doctors really seem to relax.
Apparently infants who live after a placental abruption have a 40-50% chance of complications, which range from mild to severe (and sometimes mothers who survive end up with a hysterectomy to control the hemorrhaging). Only then did it start to sink in how lucky we really had been. And what a miracle our baby girl really is.
Finally, after what literally felt like days, they wrapped her up and brought her over to me. My arms were strapped down from the surgery, so John held her right near my head and I just stared at her in disbelief. I was still in shock, and bloated with fluids from the IV along with fear and disbelief and unconditional love.
What did I do to deserve such a happy ending? How would I have survived coming home empty handed to a beautiful nursery that I shared with the world while being so confident that I was guaranteed a cute little baby to put in that crib? Basically it was the scariest day of our lives, and I still ask why. Why me (in that annoying “poor me” way) and why me (in the “why-was-I-so-lucky-she-was-spared” way). But the main thing I feel is full. Of relief. Of gratitude. Of love for my little fighter. My little miracle. I’m SO THANKFUL that the doctors and nurses worked so quickly to come to her (and my) rescue. I’ll never know for sure, but if another team had been on duty I don’t know that I would have had the same outcome. They were just so on it. So invested and so amazing. And I can’t even begin to think about what could have happened if I wasn’t in the hospital when I started bleeding.
Other nurses and doctors in the hospital dropped in to see us for days just to tell us how lucky we were (news of our complications were apparently the talk of the hospital). We even had a friend on another floor (coincidentally she was there on the same day that I went into labor for a pre-term labor scare) who had overheard nurses and doctors talking about “that woman who had both a cord prolapse and a placental abruption at the same time but the baby actually survived.” Only later did she find out that it was me they were talking about. I still get chills when I think about that. How lucky we were. How scary it was. And how gorgeous and amazing that little girl in my arms was. And still is.
So that’s the story of the scariest/best day of our lives. Whew. No wonder we’re obsessed with the girl.
As for if those complications are more likely to occur with any subsequent pregnancies, cord prolapse is totally random and can happen to anyone, so it doesn’t become more likely if you’ve experienced it before (but it’s rare, so if you’re prego and reading this story know that my combination of complications were about as likely as winning the lottery). However, placental abruption is more likely to reoccur (around one in four women experience it again) and it can happen as early as around twenty weeks (when the baby isn’t viable yet, which means the baby wouldn’t make it). So it can be devastating and scary. I have strict orders to wait at least two full years between pregnancies to let everything heal up nice and strong, which probably means over three years between Clara and her younger brother or sister, assuming all goes well. I’m fine with the wait since I’m happy to just enjoy Clara for a while and take that time to continue to process the whole birth experience and build up my courage. But I’m sure when I’m pregnant again I’ll be much less happy go lucky about it.
Which is really sad. John keeps begging me to let it be the same joyful and unabashedly exciting time as it was before. But I know myself. And I’ll be on high alert. Searching for any signs or symptoms that something’s wrong. And scared even if there aren’t any signs of trouble (because there weren’t any before I started feeling contractions with Clara- it just all came out of nowhere). I’m scared that I might even be afraid to get a nursery ready. You know, so as not to jinx things. So my plan is to know myself, and accept that I’m going to be scared. But to do my best to enjoy it as much as I can and remind myself that I now know what an abruption feels like (so I should instantly be able to identify it) and that I have more information than I had with Clara (plus the doctors also know about my history now that I’ve had it happen). So I’ll hopefully have just as good of an outcome should it reoccur, as long as it doesn’t happen before the baby is developed enough to be delivered.
But I’m not gonna lie. I’m going to be petrified.
I also might be a “high risk” pregnancy next time without any chance of natural labor (if signs of another abruption occur they’ll rush me to a c-section if the baby is old enough to live outside the womb). I’m ok with that. Anything for a healthy baby. Now not only am I open when it comes to drugs or no drugs, I’m totally down with a c-section too. Slice and dice, baby. Whatever it takes.
Laurie says
I am so moved by your story. What an amazing, terrifying, miraculous day. Know that you and your family are so blessed and clearly have gone through this experience and journey for a reason. I personally have been so moved and inspired by your blog in countless ways. I just finally picked up a copy of your book and can’t wait to dig in. I don’t know how I missed this older post (thank you for linking back to it with today’s post), but it makes me love and appreciate your blog and your family’s optimism and honesty all the more. You and John are nothing short of amazing, as evidenced in your impact on your ever-growing troop of supportive followers. Thank you for your sharing with us these most personal experiences. Wishing you and your family continued health, happiness and prosperity.
Nancy B. says
What a beautiful story. I 100% know your feelings. I remember numbly watching them rush my newborn baby off to the NICU and crying so hard the next morning over my pancake breakfast. You are so strong and she is a beautiful girl! Thanks for sharing!!
Cindy says
I just wanted to share with you…almost 18 years ago, I too had a placental abruption. I will spare you most of the details, but fill you in on what I really want you to know. I was 27 weeks along but his birthday had arrived, no warning. He was born 2 lbs. 6oz. He spent 5 months in the NICU, learning to eat, to breath, to grow. It was really hard…I cried a lot. Fast forward, I have the coolest almost 18 year old son! His fire for the Lord is inspiring…his entrance into this world was a learning experience for many people in his life.
I wanted to let you know that I have given birth to 5, full term babies since then. All healthy! I worried too…I would be fearful for the first 27 weeks, then I would breath a sigh of relief, every week was bonus. By pregnancy #4 I realized that God is in control. We don’t have to be fearful. This made pregnancy #5 and #6 much more enjoyable.
Yes, bad things happen, I’m not denying that…and my heart goes out to anybody who hasn’t had the outcome that I have had. I mostly just wanted to let you know that all of your feelings are natural, but I pray that, after giving your body time to heal, the statistics don’t keep you from enjoying the amazing family that the Lord has intended for you!
One day you will look back and see just where His hand was in all of this. May God bless you and your family always!
Oh, I forgot to mention…labor hurts! All labor felt, to me, the same as it did on that day…I just didn’t want you to be scared.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Cindy! You’re amazing and your son sounds like an absolute inspiration. Love you for sharing your story and the encouragement.
xo
s
Alison says
I’ve been reading your blog for a few years now, and I’m so inspired and impressed by the boundless energy you have for decorating. I’m hoping your exuberance rubs off on me.
I’m a labor and delivery nurse, so I read with great interest the story of Clara’s birth. Sounds like you had quite a time! I work at a high-acuity, high-volume hospital, where we are the receiving facility for many high-risk patients. Hence, I have seen a high number of “memorable” deliveries. (I choose to call them “memorable” because, honestly, labor and delivery nurses are prone to remember the births that are particularly dramatic, either for good or for bad. While I want to recall EVERY single delivery I’ve done, it’s just not possible.)
I did want to drop a few lines to you to encourage you to focus on the positive outcome of a VERY risky situation. From my distant point of view, it sounds like you received amazing care, and I was reminded that all of the emergency drills we perform at our hospital (and I suspect are done at your hospital) really do work. I choose to think that another team of doctors and nurses at your hospital would have performed just as well and that you and Clara are alive and well because of the dedication and skill of the men and women who took care of you. When I hear stories like this, it makes me proud of my chosen profession. I just want to give those nurses and doctors a high five or an exuberant fist bump. Way to go!!
If I may be so bold, can I offer a piece of advice? Whenever I have a repeat customer who has had a previous risky delivery, I encourage them to think of their births as “dramatic” vs. “traumatic.” I don’t minimize that your experience was harrowing, but focus on the positive outcome, and trust that the next time you give birth, you’ll get the same attentive, professional care that you got the first time. Let’s just hope that things are a little less dramatic that you’re first one.
Oh, and one other thing: I totally understood your frustration that things were happening so quickly and that you weren’t totally sure of what was going on. I have been on the care end of similar situations, and I always tell my patient that we’re going to work first and explain later. (Sometimes this is whispered in the patient’s ear as we are literally running down the hall. Eek!) Believe me, I ALWAYS make sure I follow up with that patient to explain and to answer any questions they have. Understanding what just happened in an emergent situation can empower a patient and help them to see that everything turned out just as it was supposed to.
So glad that everything turned out well, and I hope that your next delivery is blissfully drama-free and delightful. Best wishes whenever the time comes!! Tell those busybodies to mind their own business. . .
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much for the great advice Alison! You are a hero, saving people day in and day out. I couldn’t have more respect for what you do! Thanks for your work.
xo
s
monika says
i just made my mom, a former pediatric trauma nurse, read this. she’s used to this kind of stuff and didn’t cry like i did when i first read it, but sighed deeply and said “it IS a miracle. they’re very lucky.” reading this was stomach-wrenching.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, your mom is a hero! I can’t thank those people enough for everything that they do to save babies and mommas!
xo
s
Alison W. says
Hey there! I just found your blog while searching for fireplace surround makeovers. You guys rock!
Even though you’ve received so many bits of encouragement from other readers, I couldn’t resist adding my $0.02. :)
I had a partial placental abruption with my first son. Water broke at 32 weeks and there was a lot of blood. So much blood. I was actually placed on bedrest in the hosp. in the hopes that our little guy would stick around until 35wks2days when the perinatal docs would try to induce me. I wasn’t surprised that my water broke early– both of my sisters kids came early. I was however a bit shocked about the whole idea of bedrest. Hadn’t been expecting that.
My pregnancy was easy, but they had noticed a bunch of soft markers by ultrasound, indicating there might be some chromosomal issues with our punkin’. So, I sat for two weeks, knitted and watched period drama lent to me by friends. There wasn’t much amniotic fluid so baby’s heart rate was monitored. He would move and squish the umbilical cord, causing his heart rate to drop. So scary. I would shift positions and the heart rate would go up. Whew, talk about stressful. We didn’t make it to the target date. Punkin’ couldn’t wait and came spontaneously at 34 wks 6 days.
Labor was quick. Two hours max. Two pushes. It started out well. I was on the balance ball, then I nearly fainted and baby’s heart rate crashed. I’m still not sure what happened, but people flew into action and I was prepped for c-section, but everything just sort of miraculously corrected itself and our little guy made his entrance into the world. We had a similar experience in that he was whisked away while a team checked him out. I got to hold him briefly but then he had to report to the NICU because of his early arrival. One day later and I would have been able to keep him in my arms.
Because everything happen so quickly (and I have fused spine) it was a natural birth with no epidural. The doc spent the next four hours trying to get every bit of broken up placenta out of my uterus. Giving birth was easy peasy compared to having someone scrape out your insides.
It all worked out in the end, amazingly. My husband had been terrified I would bleed out–it just wouldn’t stop. It did, eventually, though. Being away from our baby was so upsetting, but a hyper-vigilant nurse noticed a heart murmur, indicating defects that needed immediate repair. That’s a whole different story.
I eventually got to hold him and feed him. And he was delightful and oh-so-loved. My dream had been that I would have a fast, natural birth (which technically happened) and that my perfect baby would be placed immediately on my chest and we would nurse right away. I had to mourn the loss of that dream. Sounds funny, I know, but I eventually came to be grateful for our crazy birth experience. In effect, it saved my son’s life. Had he been born later, the heart defect probably would not have been caught and it’s hard to say if he would have survived long enough before surgery.
Now he is a bright, creative, hilarious 2.5 y.o toddler. His younger brother’s birth was boring and uneventful. (still fast and a few weeks early, though!) And I was able to hold son#2 immediately, rejoicing in and kissing away those glorious new baby cries.
Like so many others have said, after an abruption and crazy birth experience, it IS possible to have a normal pregnancy. It’s totally up to you, hubby and doc/midwife, but if you do decide to go for it, please do bask in it, enjoy the pregnancy, revel in it. Even if its introduction into the world is boring, baby #2 is still a miracle. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks for sharing your miracle story, Alison!
xo
s
Catie says
I found your blog while looking for a DIY fridge cabinet and somehow wandered away to Clara’s story.
Although my reason for the emergency c-section was not nearly as terrifying as yours, I was rushed into an OR. I had preeclampsia pretty terribly (205/150 BP, +4 protein in my urine, gained 10 pounds in two weeks, the whole shebang after a PERFECT pregnancy). Elizabeth (my daughter, turning 4 this June) was fine, but my blood pressure was so high they thought I’d have seizures any minute. I was only 34 weeks. Laying in the OR as they’re stitching and stapling me back together I remember waiting and waiting for her cry, and then she did and so did I.
I’m glad everything turned out so well and you guys had such an amazing medical team around you!
I look forward to cruising around here more!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Catie! So glad everything was ok with you and your little Elizabeth.
xo
s
Abby says
I realize this post is from a couple of years ago but I stumbled across it via another post and it immediately took me back to the birth of my first daughter. From the date on this post it appears that our children were born about 3 weeks apart. My husband and I tried for 8 years to conceive and eventually resorted to IVF. I had a mostly normal pregnancy. I was admitted to the hospital to be induced and after thinking my water had broken I too had a placental abruption and nearly lost my first child. All of the same thoughts you describe ran through my head, especially the part about picturing my husband abandoned in the hallway, not knowing what the outcome would be. I could literally go on and on about the parallels between our stories but I mostly wanted to say that I’m so happy for you and your family and I wish you all the best. My daughter will eventually be faced with a kidney transplant due to the trauma she suffered at birth but we feel beyond blessed to have a such a bubbly, happy, intelligent, and kind child. AND, while it can be quite scary to think about future pregnancies, I am happy to report that our SECOND daughter was delivered without complications and is a happy and healthy 6-month-old. Thank you for sharing your story!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Abby, that’s so sweet! Lots of love to your daughter and the rest of your beautiful family.
xo
s
Rakel says
Birth stories always end up making me cry, yours was no exception. My DH and I are planning to start a family soon and I have fears of complications, but it’s not deterring me from trying. Life can be scary, but you don’t life in a small box just because you could step outside and get struck by lightening. At the end of the day, be cautious, but keep moving. I’d understand if you’d didn’t want to try again for another baby, but if you want more, I say go for it (taking account of the 2 year break for your womb to strengthen for another pregnancy). I love your blog…you two are lovely people, and I’ve been reading off and on since around 2008/2009. We’re in the process of buying our first house so I’ve been reading a ton of your archives.
Beth says
AMAZING story. I just started following your blog on the recommendation of a friend. Thank you for sharing your life with all of us! :)
Shy says
I was born the exact same way 28 years ago. They say thank goodness there was another woman scheduled for a c-section at that same time so all the staff was there or the dr’s say there’s no way they would’ve been able to coordinate it all fast enough. I was flat lined for a few minutes. I have a cousin that did not make it due to a placental abruption. You’ll be strong if & when baby #2 comes. The docs will be prepared. My mom had a second with zero complications & my aunt had 2 more. With my first pregnancy, I had a stroke/blood clot that luckily showed up in my eye & not the next stop – the brain. We’re still ready for the second though. I know they’ll have me on blood thinners & be watching me like a hawk. I think we all have to be very cautious of what we’re willing to risk for ‘another one’ when we already owe our first one a lifelong mother. But at the same time I don’t want to live in fear. Whatever you decide will be what’s right for you & your fam. Thanks for sharing your story!
Mary says
Slice and dice, baby. Whatever it takes. = Two of the best lines I’ve ever read on any blog! {I admit I’m a perinatal nurse…lol} Your daughter is beautiful. I’m so glad to read about your happy ending :)
Sandy says
Greetings from (just outside) Toronto!!! I came across your blog searching for painting furniture (good tips BTW)and somehow stumbled on the story of your daughter’s birth. While the story of my first son’s entry into the world wasn’t even close to being as risky as your story (or some other posters), I totally related to your comment “Of course my lips weren’t moving. It was one of those out-of-body mind screams that nobody else can hear” . . . long-story-short, I ended up getting a general anesthetic and emergency C-section. Being rushed down the hall to the OR I remembered thinking “I am yelling but why is no one answering?”, of course because like you, it was out-of-body. That baby that I feared I would never get to hold turns 25 in 2 weeks and is backpacking through South America right now. Son #2 arrived 6 years later (this time a planned C-section as some pre-birth patterns were the same as #1). They are the reason that I get so pissed off when someone who gave birth naturally tells me I’m lucky I had C-sections. And another reason why I’m a fan of giving birth in a hospital!!! Anyways, simple math tells me your wonderful Clara will soon be turning 3 so HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Treasure every moment, I found when I wasn’t looking mine had grown-up.
Maggie says
Whoa! Your birth story brought me to tears. I can only imagine the unbelievable slew of emotions you feel when thinking about your beautiful little girl’s birth. Thank you for sharing your birth story.
Kirsten says
You should definitely check out the movie “She’s Having A Baby” with Kevin Bacon. Same thing happens and it sounds as if John could have played the part spot on!
Michelle says
Wow. I am in tears. Thank you so much for sharing this, and for linking back to it from previous birthday party planning posts so that I finally read it. I’ve only met you at a book signing but I feel like I know you (sorta) through reading your blog, and it was so heart wrenching to read what you went through. My heart goes out to all the families who do not have the same incredibly lucky result you did.
My sister is an OB/GYN and she has told me about emergency C-sections like this one in which she has had to cut the mother open in mere minutes to save the baby’s life. I’ve always been amazed to hear about these surgeries, but your perspective was so different that it really put what she does in a whole new light. I sent her a text saying how amazing she is and it completely made her day.
I am 35 and hope to have a baby one day, so I’m sure I will be high risk. Reading what you went through was terrifying and enlightening and hopeful all at the same time. Really, thank you again for sharing so intimately, it was so moving. Happy almost birthday to Clara!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Michelle! Your sister really is amazing to deliver babies! And all the best with everything in the future :)
xo
s
Kathleen says
Just read this for the first time. What a story! You were truly blessed! When you are pregnant again, I will pray for a peaceful pregnancy and a safe delivery! Enjoy your blog!
Melissa says
What an amazing story! And what a beautiful baby girl! I just thought I’d share about my niece and nephew. My niece was born at 29 weeks back in ’09. She was only two pounds and six ounces and 14 1/2″ long. My sister had developed pre-eclampsia and her blood pressure skyrocketed. Long story short, they had to go into emergency c-section. My little niece stayed in NICU for 7 weeks. She had her ups and downs, but now she is a beautiful, healthy, smart, and funny four-year-old. Her baby brother was just born a week ago. Same scenario.. my sister got put on bed rest in the hospital and they were closely monitoring her and her blood pressure, but they reached the max dosage on her medication and still her bp kept going up. So they had to deliver at 27 weeks. He was 2 pounds and 1 ounce and 14″ long. Since then he has gained two ounces and is doing great. It was scary, and it was heartbreaking that we had to go through the same thing again, but he’s doing wonderful. Now we have two miracle babies to be thankful for!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Melissa, I’m so glad everything worked out ok! Lots of love to your sister and your niece and nephew!
xo
s
laura says
What a great story…I am a former NICU nurse, newborn nursery nurse, now OB GYN office nurse. Stories like yours never get old, they never get mundane, they are always miraculous. I have seen so many little fighters like your Clara. I am so proud to have been apart of some little lives. Oh…and I LOVE your blog! My husband and I LOVE old homes and have done a few DIY’s as well. Looking forward to seeing this new house transformed!
laura
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Laura! You guys are heroes! Thanks for working so hard to save babies (and mommas!) everyday.
xo
s
Devin says
Hi Sherry! I just found your blog (amazing) and somehow wound up reading your daughter’s birth story. I had a similar experience with my second son, Caden.
While I was quietly laboring in my hospital room Caden’s heart rate started bouncing around and my doctor immediately had me start pushing (keep in mind my first son was an emergency c-section because he had been breech and I was attempting a VBAC). We didn’t realize it was a placental abruption until 45 minutes later when he finally came out, which was instantly followed by a huge gush of blood. He was stuck so tightly in the birth canal that the blood pouring out of both of us had been pooling up behing him. Just like your daughter, Caden did not cry for a while. He was covered in blood and making a terrible wheezing sound. I remember them all saying “cry baby, cry baby” as they worked on him. I’m fighting tears now just writing this. But Caden did cry and he only spent 7 hours in the NICU (I say “only” but it was truly awful being away from him for that long) before he was mine to hold and keep.
Everyone in the hospital was calling him the “miracle baby” and talking about our experience. When the pediatrician came to explain everything that happened and just how lucky our son was, I BURST into tears. We were truly blessed that day.
Caden is 8 now and such an amazing little boy. I wanted you to know that I went on to have 2 more little boys and never experienced another placetal abruption. I had a planned c-section at 38 weeks with my 3rd son and my 4th came early at 34 1/2 weeks when my water unexpectadely broke and I had another emergency c-section.
Like you, my mother had very fast and uncomplicated deliveries… but such was not my fate. My sons’ birth stories were not at all what I had expected or hoped for, but in the end I have 4 beautiful, wonderful little guys that I could not imagine my life without. Totally worth the super-sick pregnancies and sometimes traumatic deliveries. And at least when it’s their birthdays and they want to hear how they were born I have action-packed, full of excitement, sitting on the edge of your seat stories to tell them, right? Looking for the silver lining here. ;)
I wish you the best of luck with your future baby experiences! I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you will only ever have ONE crazy birth story to share.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks much Devin! So glad to hear it!
xo
s
Yvonne says
I read this today, and I wanted to thank you for sharing. The part that struck a hard chord for me was when they told you Clara wouldn’t cry. I had my own flash back to January 2010, when a birthing room filled with staff, a neonatologist took my daughter far from my body and said, “We don’t want her to cry…not now.” And then I heard, quietly, from across the room, the hurried word “resuscitate.” Then they carted her away, because they had to.
Things got extremely worse before they could get better, and that year was the hardest year of my life, but also the best year of my life, ironically. Someone asked me if it was worth it to have a child if we had to go through what we did, and my answer was yes, with no hesitation. It was more than worth it. It was worth the tears and the feeling of hopelessness. It was worth the pain and the humiliation, at points. It was worth it all to have one of my best friends be my 3 year old daughter today. I remind myself that no day is promised to us, and having her today is the greatest gift I’ve been given.
If you and John are one day blessed with another child, I hope you will feel that it’s okay to be afraid. But I also hope that you will feel that it’s worth it all, too.
YoungHouseLove says
I’m so glad your daughter is ok! And I completely know what you mean about it being the hardest but somehow the best – we are so grateful.
xo
s
michele says
amazing story….thank you for sharing…just stumbled upon this blog and love everything about it….very informative and inspirational….gonna buy the book soon…good luck to you both!!!!
wendykh says
Me too.
My 3rd child… I was pregnant and saw the blood in the toilet and freaked out. We went in but the ultrasound and monitor said he was fine so the on call doctor said listen I’m not going to cut open a woman on her third child with these stats how fast were your other babies? Like your mom, mine were quick (and my mom’s were too!) so he said okay I’m giving you four hours and if I see anything wrong even a hint I am takign you to the OR you understand? I said yes sir no problem (at that point if he had said forget it let’s go to the OR now I would have been FINE!). My third child was born just over three hours later in perfect shape. They had no idea until they looked after that my placenta was tearing, torn, or both. My placenta was basically hamburger.
Good news?
almost three years later I had a beautiful perfect pregnancy with my 4th chld. Best of all of them. And shockingly a homebirth. (I was in labour denial combined with precipitous birth). And yes, every “tear” feeling in the pregnancy I was terrified. Every time I felt a slight “twinge” I freaked my placenta was detaching. And yet I was in great shape felt wonderful loved my life and babies and he’s here and perfect now.
And we do not have a 5th, because… I just cannot do that again. I completely understand.
Love to you and yours.
Beatrix Lombrix says
I just now read your story. I have been following the blog for a couple of months now and I feel I love Clara and now all the more, after reading her birth story.
I’ve said it before, my husband is just happy I love Clara bc he says we are sure to have kids just because of her :p
I could barely read the story to him… I can’t even imagine living it.
I’m so happy that you guys have a lovely little girl and a happy family.
XOXO Petersiks
LJ says
Thank you so much for sharing Clara’s birth story. What a little miracle she is!
My little boy has just turned 1 and it has taken me all this time to start to process his birth story. The image of John standing in the hallway brought me to tears as I thought about my own husband left waiting for me. I can see how important it is to process our birth stories and experience the emotions no matter what they are. Thank you Sherry and John <3
Leticia says
Hi there,
I’m a new reader who just stumbled upon your blog and after several clicks, ended up on this page! As I was reading your story..I kept thinking, this in some ways sounds eerily familiar… Then I came across the words “placental abruption”. I had the same experience!
My story although was slightly different! I was 36 weeks pregs and heading home after a long day at work. In fact, it was my last work day before going on my maternity leave. I worked about 30 mins from home and was shutting down my computer, etc. and suddenly felt intense pressure in my lower abdomen, so I just assumed it was the pressure of my daughter’s head or something (being baby #3, I didn’t think it was too weird).
About 15 mins away from home I feel a pop in my cervix and thought to myself “great! My water broke!” However, the moment I saw blood gushing out like some scary horror movie, I knew that it wasn’t right. Instead of driving to my house, I made the quick decision to drive myself to the ER. Mind you, I did not have a cell phone on me, so my hubby had no idea this was happening! As I nervously turned on my headlights, hazard lights, honking my horn and waving like a mad women when I was passing through red lights, I made it in record time to the hospital. As soon as I parked my car on the curb and stood up, blood just puddled around my feet. Thankfully a random nurse was walking by with a wheelchair and immediately helped me. They wheeled me in to the L&D as I yelled out “please call my husband!!” Thank goodness I had pre-registered, so they had all our info on file.
They immediately wheeled me into the OR and put me under general anesthesia. My daughter was also in distress and had a very faint heartbeat. I was told that from the moment they put me on that table, my daughter was out within 7 mins. They said I wasn’t even fully asleep when they cut me open! Thank goodness I don’t remember that!
Another similarity is that my daughter was born with a cord prolapse as well! Her apgar score was a 3, they had to resuscitate her! She spent 10 days in the NICU and was also the scariest time of our lives! Her lungs had not developed so she was on artificial breathing for 4 days. Thankfully they developed rather quickly after giving her different meds and successfully breathed on her own.
I didn’t realize what I had gone through until the doc came and explained what happened and how close we were to potentially losing my daughter or me! They said my placenta literally came out in pieces! Such a weird thing to happen to a person who is relatively healthy, never had any complications and has never smoked or taken any drugs besides Tylenol! Lol.
I’m happy to share that my daughter is 7 years old and as normal as can be. Also, I’ve have had another child since our daughter’s birth. I was very paranoid during my pregnancy as you mentioned the chances of this happening again are likely to occur in subsequent pregnancies, but once they know your history, they will monitor you so close. I had monthly ultrasounds to check the placenta and was asked to report any difference. Plus, you know what symptoms or feelings to look out for. Just know, there is hope if you plan on more children.
It took me several years before I felt OK to tell my traumatic birth story but you’re brave for sharing it.
Good luck to your gorgeous family!
YoungHouseLove says
I’m so glad she’s ok Leticia! Thanks so much for sharing your story. All of you guys have been so helpful and encouraging and kind.
xo
s
Christy says
Wow. That is an amazing and terrifying story all wrapped up into one. I’m not sure how I missed the original post, except that I had a newborn at the time. I am currently breastfeeding my second baby, and your story just had the tears flowing. You are an incredible storyteller and woman. I actually could visualize this whole thing going down, and that is downright scary! It is so awesome that your caregivers were on their ‘A’ game. I am always amazed at pregnancy and childbirth. It took more than a year for me to get pregnant the first time, and we found out that I also have a uterine septum (heart-shaped uterus). It was all very scary when I initially found out, but my current (yes, I dropped the first one) ob/gyn says I have a loving womb. Everything went remarkably well, despite many concerns. My daughter was evicted via c-section at 39 weeks. Then I had a miscarriage at 6 weeks. Then I had a second successful pregnancy and delivery. Children are such a blessing. I know it must be difficult, but please don’t let fear steal your joy. If and when you get pregnant again, celebrate that little baby every day. Thank you for sharing. Take care!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Christy, I’m so sorry for your miscarriage, but so grateful to hear about your two healthy kids! I love the “loving womb” description. So sweet.
xo
s
Ashley C says
I just read this for the first time and I bawled my eyes out. Both of my pregnancies have seriously been the perfect situations and I don’t think I really realize how lucky I have been to have these amazing experiences. I’m so grateful that your sweet little Clara came to you happy and healthy despite the odds stacked against her. Being a mother is the most amazing, beautiful, terrifying thing I have ever had the pleasure of doing and I am grateful for my two little blessings. Wishing you all the best for when you decide to have your second!
Candace says
I’m a fairly recent reader of YHL and get a kick out of your “life with Clara” posts, and reading this (linked from your 9/11 post), my heart aches for you! I have two little ones myself, and remember with each of them, holding that positive pregnancy test thinking “Well, no matter how this ends, I am forever changed from this point on.” Pregnancy is the most vulnerable you can ever feel as a woman, I think. You do the best you can, exercise, take vitamins, eat right, but ultimately your body can “betray” you and you can’t do anything about it. I will pray that God drives out your fear for any subsequent pregnancies you may have. That you be 1 of the 3 out of 4 that do not have this condition reoccur. My sister in law almost lost my niece at 30weeks, delivered her over 2 months premature. She is a thriving almost 4 year old now, but my SIL is pregnant with their second and everyday lives in that fear of “what if this time we’re not so lucky.” Breaks my heart for her. I pray for her, as I will for you, that when that time comes you have the joy, hope and excitement restored to you. That this “curse of knowledge” not be what consumes your thoughts, but only things of love, hope, peace, light. Many blessings to your family!
Anne says
I know that part of story (the abruption and being run down the hallway with my husband left behind in an empty room with nobody to help him, and then the surgery minutes after), except it happened while doctors were trying to manually flip the baby from breech. Scary. I got some therapy to ‘re-file’ the memory at the beginning of my second pregnancy, so I could think about other things, and so I could recall the memory without flipping out. Good luck in your decision to ever do this again.
Alexandra Restrepo says
I know this is waaaay after the fact, but I just read yours and Clara’s story and can’t believe how many similarities there were to my son’s birth day. For some inexplicable reason, his heart rate was very low when we got to the delivery room and wouldn’t come up, so he had to be delivered via emergency c-section. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for sharing your story and I completely understand feeling that any pregnancy down the road won’t be the same, happy-go-lucky experience as your first. Still, I hope that when you do get there you’re able to experience joy. I started attending a group in my area of other women who had had c-sections and found it very helpful to talk through some of my feelings. It’s organized through an organization called ICAN (International Caesarean Awareness Network). Maybe something like that could be of help to you. Anyway, all the best – looooove your guys’ blog!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Alexandra. So glad everything worked out with your son.
xo
s
Renee says
So, I’m 3 years late on this story, but I clicked on it because it was linked in another post. And now I’m crying for you guys. And I don’t even know you. What a terrifying experience! How wonderful that everyone came out okay. When/ if #2 comes along, I’ll be praying through that pregnancy for you all!
Jenny says
“Why me” …. why not you?
Jana says
This is totally weird considering this is 2+ years old but I found your blog a couple weeks ago through the Cavender Diaries (http://thecavenderdiary.com/) & instantly loved it. Since I’m obviously crazy & way too OCD sometimes, I went back & started reading from Day 1 of this blog.
I just want to say that I totally love the spirit of this entire blog. The realness without being oh-my-gosh-ew-ew-ew-we-cant-unread-that-REAL (haha!) is just perfect. I love your willingness to share such a big thing in your life like Clara’s birth story. It is truly inspiring & so beautifully written. I know that fear as big as that one, is hard to share with people… let alone THE WORLD. So I give you mad props. :)
Natalie says
I just read your breastfeeding post (my son is 10 months and we’re still going strong, even with me working!), and it linked here. I just wanted to say that I had similar complications with my daughter the first time around (I have a weird blood clotting disorder that no one knew about and she ended up being born at 39 wks at 4lbs 7oz). They took her out and I remember saying “Why isn’t she crying, make her cry! She’s blue, why isn’t she crying?!” and then she did and it was the BEST sound in the whole world! I blacked out shortly after that, and suddenly it was 5AM and I was in my room next to my sleeping husband and no baby (she was in the NICU to be safe because of her low birth weight and a heart murmur). I remember feeling so empty and lost and it was terrible! At 8AM they told me I could go see her if I ate breakfast, and I remember scowling at the nurse shoveling plain Cheerios in my mouth as fast as I could. I told her, “DON’T GO ANYWHERE. This will take me two minutes, and then we’re GOING to the NICU!” haha!
Anyway, 6 months later I ended up getting pregnant again by surprise! All those complications, and I was terrified. I went to a high risk OB who did ultrasounds every month, then every two weeks, and then every week at the end. And guess what? I had a healthy, 8 lb boy at 39 weeks! I know my situation isn’t the same, but I thought I’d share and let you know that the second time can work out just fine. Were there extra precautions? Yep. Try a shot of blood thinners in my preggo belly once a day for 39 weeks! Was it nerve wracking? Absolutely. But if there’s one blessing to having a complicated pregnancy the first time around, it’s that they watch you like hawks after that!
I wish you and your family nothing but positive thoughts for whenever/if ever you do decide to have another baby! You are such great people, and I love reading your amazing blog!
Natalie says
And for the record, my daughter turned out to be just fine. No complications with her. Happy, healthy, sassy little two year old now! ;)
YoungHouseLove says
So glad!
xo
s
Stephanie says
Just discovered your lovely blog and found your little one’s birth story! I can’t believe the odds. What an awful experience but a blessing at the same time! Thanks for sharing it. Also, you looked fantastic preggo! :)
Katie says
I only am now reading your birth story after reading the news of your pregnancy. It’s always so amazing to me how quickly they become yours and you yourself don’t matter. I have 5 kids, and my oldest had us scared a bit at his birth (nothing compared to your story) and it was amazing to me how none of it mattered, whatever happened, as long as he was okay. Thank you for sharing your story.
Laura says
The amazing thing about the written word / stories / the internet is even years later as I’m reading this it hasn’t lost any power.
Luckily I’m not at work, but there were tears… thank you and good luck with your new bean!
Kim Carver says
I also had a placental abruption and a nightmare emerg C section at 27 weeks. My baby was in the NICU for 76 days, and we are both so lucky to be alive. We have little miracles! I wish you all the best in this pregnancy, and thank you for sharing your story.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Kim, I’m so happy to hear that you both made it through! Such a blessing. Sending you lots of love.
xo
s
Megan F says
Wow. I wasn’t a reader of yours yet when this was first published, but I’m so glad I clicked on the link! You are an amazing writer and this takes me back to your 9/11 post. The 9/11 post gave me goosebumps; this one gave me swollen eyes. I only kept in the tears because I’m at work and my cubical walls are short!!
Thank you for sharing your story and reminding us that childbirth is truly a brave endeavor. My hubby and I are hoping to start trying for baby number one next year :)
Nicole says
Hi Sherry,
I remember reading this post 2.5 years ago when you shared it with the interweb, and, as a newlywed, I remember thinking “That must have been so hard…” and then moving on, as I was so far away from the world of pregnancy and childbirth. I didn’t really register what happened to you, except for the fact that you had a difficult delivery.
Three months ago, my first (a baby boy, Elijah), was born at 30 weeks because of a placental abruption. I also had no complications, risk factors, etc – so it was the same type of shocking experience that has definitely changed us forever. He was in the NICU for 40 days, and is now home. Although he is 3 months old, his corrected age is 2 weeks, so we’re living the ‘newborn’ life right now…so tired… :)
All this to say – when I re-read this post today after reading of your pregnancy (congrats!), I was so surprised to realize that you had had a placental abruption as well. I admire you so much as a blogger and woman, and its a cool sort of kinship to know we experienced the same thing.
But, you know what it even more significant to me? That you are pregnant again, and you’re facing the fear of what could happen. I am really, really scared to get pregnant again – we had hoped for lots of kids, but right now, I really don’t know what will happen. However, seeing that you are doing it is so inspirational.
I hope that in 3 years, I can post again and let you know that I also faced my fears and am pregnant!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw Nicole, I’m so glad to hear he’s ok! And I definitely think that with time comes peace and healing. I truly am at a place where the excitement outweighs the worry, and it’s awesome. I wish the same for you!
xo
s
Christine at First Home Love Liife says
Oh Sherry, first just let me say how excited and thrilled I am for you and John that you’re having another baby! I too know exactly the terror and fear you felt in that delivery room with Clara because as I sat here and read your story (in tears) it was so much like my own. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as lucky and mine ended in with a hysterectomy, full blood transfusion, and induced coma to save my life- I was 21. I’ll be following your journey and praying for you the whole way! God bless you and your beautiful family! XO
Christine at First Home Love Liife says
Somehow a whole sentence got cut from that! It was supposed to read ” I was 21…My daughter was born absolutely perfect though, so that’s really all that matters :)”
YoungHouseLove says
I’m so glad!!
xo
s
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Christine I’m so sorry! I can’t imagine. Sending you so much love.
xo
s
Sara says
Hi Sherry,
Congratulations on your new pregnancy!! I just started reading your blog a month or so ago, so I went back and re-read Clara’s birth story. How scary! I’m so glad it all turned out ok. I just wanted to tell you that my mom had placental abruption with me, too. My mom’s water actually broke at home (thankfully it was at night and my dad was there) and all the blood sent both my parents into complete panic. It was a similar crazy scenario with lots of blood loss and a sustained period of no oxygen for me and lots of worry that I would be ok, even for a year or so after my birth. But as I hit all the developmental milestones on time, my mom began to relax and she went on to have two more healthy children via c-section with no complications.
I hope you have a wonderful birth experience this time around.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for sharing that Sara! So glad you were ok and her next two pregnancies were great!
xo
s
JoDi says
I read this when you originally posted it, and it was very touching then. Reading it the second time, knowing you are pregnant again despite this experience and the inevitable fear, made me tear up even more. I pray that this time around will be a very different and completely joyful experience!
Lindsay O. says
Wow, you two. What a scary and beautiful day at the same time. Even knowing now that Clara is here and doing well, I was sobbing as I read your story. I will be saying extra prayers and blessings on your behalf as you enter into a new adventure with a second baby. Peace to you, above all things.
Jaime says
I’m not even a mom, not planning on it anytime soon, heck I don’t even own a house- I just really share your love of DIY!- but this story moved me so very much and I just wanted to let you know that your family is beautiful and I am so touched by your courage of sharing Clara’s grand entrance. You’ve got me tearing up here in NYC! :) Wishing you all the best.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Jaime, you’re so sweet!
xo
s
kim says
Hi,
I just read your story..yep the whole thing :o) I too had a placental abruption with my 2nd baby..(I lost our 1st baby at 7mo preg )..With a high risk preg as it was ,we were nervous the whole pregnancy..I was 34 wks when I had the abruption and it was concealed ..so no bleeding just a lot of strong contractions. I am happy to say he was in hospital for 2 weeks ,but is now 16 and other than asthma doing great! I had 2 other babies after that and no other abruptions! True enough anytime you have any scaring in uterus you can be at risk for these things,but it seems like you have the right attitude..put into gods hands ! Listen to your body and if you don’t ever feel right better to be safe than sorry..Go in to see the OB..So happy for your family <3
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Kim, I’m so sorry for the loss of your first baby, but so glad your son was ok and is now 16 and doing great!
xo
s
Cassie says
I’m pregnant now with my first baby. I cried through this whole post. I’m thankful things worked out for you.
Sara says
oh Sherry. I’ve only just started reading this blog in the last few months so I am so late to be commenting on this- but I just wanted to tell you the same thing happened to me delivering my son in 2011. I was so terrified to tell the story I would hyperventilate and cry uncontrollably for months. After I decided to stop talking about it, I relived it in my head again and again. I know now I was struggling with PPD but at the time I was just so terrified that I almost lost him I couldn’t move forward and enjoy my baby. It was such a dark time.
I got pregnant with my second only 9 months later. For me, Charlie was a magic elf that brought my happiness and true self back. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones? In any case I truly empathize with you and send you warm wishes and congratulations for your bravery to do it all over again. Thank you for sharing your story!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Sara, that sounds so hard. I’m so glad Charlie was your magic elf :)
xo
s
KathyL says
I’m crying (again) as I read this (2nd time now). You mentioned all the people that stopped in. My sister had a stillborn full term beauty about 15 years ago. I know the pain. I also know the love. After she was delivered, I stepped in the hall so they could clean up my sister and give her and her husband some alone time. As I walked out that door, it seemed as though every nurse in that hospital was standing there waiting and crying for us. They held out arms and held me and cried with me, and now, looking back–was is all nurses? Were there angels among them? Were they all one and the same?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Kathy, I’m so sorry for you and your families loss. I can’t even imagine what that was like.
xo
s