Pandemic and Pregnant!

SURPRISE! To say our fourth little one was a SURPRISE is an understatement!! Life during the pandemic with 3 kiddos under the age of 6 had been chaotic to say the least.

We like most of the world went into those first two weeks in March 2020 with so much fear, but also so much energy and focus trying to fill the days of our then 5 year old, 3 year old, and newborn with educational activities, reassurance, and lots of love.

While the two weeks turned into almost 2 years we truly realized what we always held true, that FAMILY is everything! As cliché as that may sound we really tried to embrace the extra time at home together soaking up little moments because as we would remind ourselves they are only little once!

In the summer of 2021 things were improving and we began traveling again as a family to the beach, which was such a joy to be able to visit some places we had missed so much. Right before a big family beach trip in June, I remember sharing with my husband that I had been feeling really sick. Honestly I didn’t think anything of it, but my husband encouraged me to take a pregnancy test and sure enough…it came back POSITIVE!

I was in a bit of disbelief, but we went on that family vacation keeping such an exciting SECRET to ourselves the entire time.

Pregnancy SURPRISE after SURPRISE!

Another shock came, when we went for the initial dating ultrasound and found out that rather than being 8 weeks along we were actually already 12 weeks in and nearly through the first trimester.

Being so focused on caring for our three daughters helped time fly even more during this pregnancy. My doctor recommended I do genetic testing with this pregnancy because I was getting closer to 35 so the testing revealed most importantly that we were having a healthy baby and secondly that we were going to SURPRISE add a BOY to our GIRL GANG!

I was beyond excited and couldn’t keep this news to myself very long. To tell my husband I went to Nothing Bundt cakes and got a “It’s a Boy” White Chocolate Raspberry cake because it was a major CRAVING. I also got a little set of the Little Tykes Golf Clubs to tell my husband that he would be getting a little golfing buddy and son very soon.

Telling our Family and Friends

I remember telling my husband in our garage him just being in complete disbelief and excitement at the same time! I also asked him to keep it a secret a bit longer from the rest of our family because it just felt special to keep things to ourselves for a bit longer.

To tell the rest of our family and our girls we waited until after the anatomy scan at 20 weeks. The ultrasound confirmed we were having a healthy baby boy so we were finally ready to share our big SURPRISE! We hosted a dinner at our house with beautiful blue hydrangeas everywhere and we let our girls open a big box in our foyer, which held blue balloons, poppers, and little baby boy dolls for our girls.

We were (and still are) over the moon to add a little fellow to our crew!

I know I’ve said this before (check out my other Birth Stories), but my pregnancy absolutely flew and this one was truly no exception.

Soaking up My Final Pregnancy

We focused on soaking up the rest of summer and finally announced publicly that we were adding our precious baby boy over Labor Day weekend. During this pregnancy we also celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary, dressed up as the Toy Story family for Halloween, stuffed ourselves like little Turkey’s for Thanksgiving, chopped down our own Christmas tree, and even celebrated what felt like an almost normal Christmas while getting ready for our little guy who was due in January.

He was due late January and since most of my babies were late I truly felt he would take his time. After Christmas we even took a little family Babymoon to Hilton Head, SC where we enjoyed lots of beach walking, yummy seafood, and swimming. It was a great last trip as a family of 5.

I was getting tired by this point in pregnancy and I was thankful to have a husband who was up for taking my older girls to the indoor pool, while I napped with our toddler. Once back from that trip we finalized his Golf Themed nursery and I remember the pregnancy insomnia really kicking into high gear. I both loved and hated this because while it was great for staying up late when my kids were in bed and helped me nest, it also made me so tired in the afternoons.

By late January, I was beyond ready to meet our little guy and so were his big sisters.

Snow Day and Birth Day!

The day before I went into labor it snowed and in North Carolina a Snow Day is a big deal since we sometimes can go a whole winter without snow. I remember squeezing my big belly into my snow bibs and playing outside with my 3 girls pushing them in sleds, attempting to smash enough snow together to make a snowman, and throwing snowballs. I did my best to soak in the snow day with them, but honestly I was beyond exhausted from layering them up.

The next morning I woke up early and just had a feeling labor was starting. But wait, there was no way I could have a baby with every piece of snow clothing we owned strewn from here to there across the entire downstairs. I mustered all my strength and patience while carefully putting every piece of snow clothing in its place, then I took a bath to soak as I was starting to feel achy.

Around 9am, I woke my husband up to tell him I thought I was in labor, but that I wasn’t sure how quickly things were moving. We called grandparents for backup and put the final items into our hospital bags. My contractions were pretty inconsistent, but after my last labor, which happened so quickly my husband was not taking any chances so as soon as they arrived we headed out to the hospital.

On the way there we just talked and every once in a while I would have a mild contraction, but nothing was super intense. In fact, when we got to the hospital I was a bit worried I wasn’t consistent enough, but when we got up to Labor and Delivery they mentioned with a fourth baby they were happy I trusted my gut and admit me. Sure enough as we got settled into our room, things started to intensify quickly.

I had been walking around the room between contractions and then having my husband press into my back when one would hit. When the nurse finally asked if I wanted to be checked, she mentioned I was 9 centimeters. After this check my water broke and I knew it was time to push. My doctor was quickly brought in and asked if I wanted to move positions as I was on my knees with my head into the top of the bed. I knew I couldn’t move and so I just stayed put and focused on pushing.

Within just moments John Brooks was born and my doctor was telling me how proud she was of me. I was thankful for so many things in that moment. My husband for being so right to get us to the hospital when he did, the doctor for allowing me to birth the way that felt best to my body, and a healthy baby boy.

He was beyond precious and we soaked him in for the next 2 days at the hospital before finally introducing him to his 3 big sisters and grandparents. We were so thankful for amazing grandparents who loved on our three daughters while we focused on bonding with baby brother!

I always had grand ideas of all my kids meeting their siblings in the hospital, but honestly getting a few days away with just your new addition is the most magical thing and I am now a big fan of delaying sibling meetings until you are home.

Baby Boy and I both got lots of TLC at the hospital and nursing/breastfeeding was also going really well. In the early days he did have a bit of jaundice, which luckily cleared up thanks to lots of feedings and some snuggles near the window.

When we finally made it home to our girls, JB didn’t get put down for a long time. Some things haven’t changed and we joke that our now 18 month old’s feet hardly touch the ground because his big sisters are always toting him around.

JB I cannot believe you are almost two years old as I’m finally getting around to finishing my final pregnancy and birth story, but I am so thankful for the beautiful entrance you made and I love how each of my babies birth stories are just as unique and beautiful as they are! Being a mother to you and your beautiful sister’s will forever be the most beautiful thing in this life!