Megan & Eve’s Birth Story – 'Sup, Moms Podcast

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Due date: 8/24/20
Birthdate: 8/16/20
Gained 50 lbs
Found out in December 2020
- Little did we know what was in store for the next year…
First trimester was really hard
- Tired, but you have to chase after the other kid
- Depressed
  - On anxiety meds and thyroid meds
Pandemic started and Sebastian couldn’t come to any appointments
- Luckily, he got to come to the first one
- I was lucky that I didn’t have to give birth at the beginning of COVID
In the wee hours of the 16th, I woke up suddenly at 3:47am
- Started off like a pang
- Morphed into period-like cramps
- I texted Sebastian (who was sleeping in the basement at the time because I was SO uncomfortable sleeping) and he was randomly awake at that time too
- I started tracking what I believed to be contractions
Went to the bathroom and was leaking
- Called the doctor hotline
- While I was waiting for the doctor on call to call me back, we started getting ready as if we were going to the hospital
- As I put on a pair of leggings my water broke in earnest
  - Heard back from the doctor who said to come in
His parents came over around 5am to wait for Marin to wake up
I ordered Dunkin to pick up on the drive into the city, but I selected the wrong one…bye, $30
Leaked amniotic fluid in the street in front of the valet attendant
Got my first COVID test in triage
- SO PAINFUL I instinctively pushed the nurse’s hand away
- Thankfully I didn’t have to wear a mask during labor
The second time around was so chill
- Got my epidural, watched TV
- Pushed for 10 minutes and she was out at 2:20pm
Got to go home the very next day after Eve was evaluated by her pediatrician
My mom drove over while I was in labor and stayed for a couple days
The newborn phase, while still exhausting, was “easier” the second time because we had the knowledge and the instincts already
Twelve weeks later, I was getting a pain in my back
- I thought it was from exercise
- Looking back I also had shortness of breath, some pain while breathing, which I thought was from anxiety over baby sleep
One morning on a Saturday in November around 5am, I had to go downstairs because I was yelping with pain and I didn’t want to wake the baby
- I decided to go to urgent care
- I couldn’t take in a full breath
- A nurse said she thought it was a pulmonary embolism and I should go to the ER right away
  - I didn’t believe that was it and asked if I could stop for food first
  - I got Chick fil A
Got checked out and ran some tests and turned out I had clots in both lungs and some lung damage from overcompensation
Shared a room with a lovely woman named Joan
- She was facing the TV, but I had a view of a big pond
- My in-laws brought over my iPad, headphones, charger and other essentials
- My mom came over the next day
I had a lung cramp that night and I couldn’t breathe, it was so scary
- Joan offered to hold my hand
- Tylenol fixed it
Got to come home after a few days
- Had to wait for a heart ultrasound that they didn’t do on weekends
- Took blood thinners for 4 months, very expensive
Really set me back in terms of postpartum recovery
- Have to be vigilant for the rest of my life
If I were to get pregnant again, I would have to take a blood thinner shot every day
- Pretty much solidified that this is our last child
But the newborn phase, while difficult, was also easier
- You know what you’re doing
- You’re more confident
- You have what you need
- We couldn’t go anywhere due to the pandemic, but also because of newborn phase
Marin was jealous, but pretty good with the baby
- It took her a while to want to help or play with her

Here’s a link to the funny Tina Fey video about having teenage daughters.