And Then There Were Four

And just like that… we’re a family of four.

(Five, if you count our loyal black lab - and you know we do.)

Everything kicked off fast. I signed off work a week before my due date, ready to ease into the final days. We were setting up balloons and presents for our eldest’s second birthday - cue all the “Mom’s about to crush this transition” energy.

Except the night before his birthday, I kept waking up, thinking I was peeing myself. Multiple times. I’d go to the bathroom, change underwear, lay back down… rinse, repeat. I blamed it on my poor Kegels. But somewhere between the third and fifth pair of underwear, my brain clicked: Wait. My water broke.

We grabbed our hospital bags and our toddler, and off we went around 11 PM. A neighbor came to the rescue at 2 AM and stayed with him while we went to deliver his new baby brother. Born exactly two years apart. Same birthday. Wild, right?

But here’s the part that absolutely crushed me: Knowing we wouldn’t be there when our first baby woke up on his second birthday. We’d set up the balloons, the wrapped presents, the morning magic - and I knew he’d walk out and experience it without us there. Not seeing his face light up, not hearing his laugh, not getting those sleepy birthday snuggles... it broke me. That was a moment I thought we’d always have - and we missed it by hours.

Labor, but make it chill(ish)

This time around, labor felt… calmer. I had real-time coaching from my doctor - giving me feedback on how to push, when to push, how to shift slightly to help the baby move. It honestly felt like getting corrections from a coach at training. Tiny tweaks, instant implementation. Somehow, that framework helped me focus.

And yep, I did poop during delivery. I know, I know - it’s the most-asked labor question (it was mine, too, the first time). I didn’t ask this time, but I did get the confirmation later: yes, even in a short 30-minute delivery, poop happens. And that’s motherhood, folks.

The differences this time

There were fewer moments of panic. With my first, his heart rate kept dipping during contractions, which caused a ton of anxiety. This time, I still noticed some slowdowns - I’d hear the monitor beep slow and quietly call in a nurse, just in case - but it didn’t derail anything. Still, those moments brought back memories and kept me on edge.

I was also Group B Strep positive again.

What is Group B Strep? It’s a common bacteria many pregnant women carry (harmless to them), but it can cause serious infections in newborns. That means IV antibiotics (penicillin) throughout labor as soon as your water breaks. So, as soon as the nurse realized mine had, I was hooked up and ready to go.

Another big shift from my first labor? I got the epidural sooner. Last time, I tried other pain meds and waited it out longer. This time, I knew what I wanted - the epidural was my first request once contractions started picking up. I made it about 3-4 hours into contractions, and even though I wasn’t progressing in dilation, the pain was still real.

And when I got the epidural? I cried.

Not from the needle - from the everything. The adrenaline, the buildup, the knowing exactly what this moment meant. That flood of emotion hit hard as I sat curled up, holding my husband's hands, waiting for the medication to kick in.

There was a bit of timing stress too - the anesthesiologist was in and out of surgeries, so I kept hearing “not available right now” and thinking, if I wait too long, I might miss my shot. Eventually, I bit the bullet and got it. And I’m so glad I did. It didn’t erase everything - you can still feel a lot during labor, especially the pressure - but it made a huge difference.

Unlike my first birth, I also ended up getting Pitocin. Even though my water had broken, labor stalled a bit - I wasn’t moving much. After a few hours, they gave me Pitocin to help things along. It worked fast. Really fast.

Postpartum whiplash

Since everything felt smoother, I thought I could bounce back just as fast. I did the dishes. Tidied up. Tried to be Supermom 2.0. Spoiler: my body said nope.

I got hit with a minor infection and some heavier bleeding - a very direct reminder to sit down and chill out. It turns out, even an easier delivery still means your body just made a whole human and deserves to rest.

Slower, sweeter

We moved into a new home just one week before the baby was born (because why not layer chaos). So everything feels new - new routines, new nursery, new baby. And this time, I’m trying to be more present. To slow down. To soak in the skin-to-skin moments instead of rushing into the to-do list.

Yes, it’s exhausting. Yes, it’s emotional. Yes, it’s chaotic. But this little boy? He’s worth every bit of it.

Here’s to the beautiful blur, the birthday surprises, the recovery curveballs, and the deep joy of growing our family. I can’t wait to see who this tiny human becomes.