Real Talk with New Moms | Sarah

Interview with Sarah

Q: When was your baby born? 

A: Little E was born in June of 2019.

Q: What type of delivery did you have?

A: I had an induced vaginal delivery at 41 weeks.

Q: Did you have a boy or girl? 

A: Boy.

Q: What was your most favorite part/aspect of your pregnancy? 

A: My favorite part of my pregnancy with E was feeling him move in my belly.  That is when it became more real that there was actually a baby inside!

Q: What was the most challenging aspect of your pregnancy? 

A: The most challenging part of my pregnancy with E was more mental.  Prior to E, we had had two miscarriages. I don’t think the fear of another miscarriage ever truly goes away (with any additional pregnancy), but since he was the first viable pregnancy after it was a constant mental battle to trust myself and trust the Lord that he was healthy and protected.  As the pregnancy progressed it definitely got better, but didn’t go away until I had him in my arms.

Q: What is something you want all women to know about pregnancy that nobody told you about? 

A: I want others to know that pregnancy is beautiful and being able to carry a child can only be described as a miracle… but it is HARD. It’s okay that it’s hard and you should never feel bad for feeling that way.  In the end though, everything is worth it.

Q: Was there anything you needed help with during your pregnancy? If so, what was the one thing (or something someone else did for you) that helped the most? 

A: Nightly back rubs were a lifesaver.  Towards the end, my back constantly hurt.

Q: What was the one question (or questions) that you got tired of people asking? 

A:  I didn’t get too many questions with E…now that I’m pregnant with our second (fairly soon after E was born)…I get a lot of “did you plan it?” “are you happy?” Those questions I could do without. Maybe having been through loss makes me see these questions through a different lense, but I could never not be happy about any baby joining our family.  We see it as a true blessing that we’re having another baby so quickly and with less stress of planning.

Q: What is one question you wished people would’ve asked instead? What would your answer have been? 

A: …maybe less questions…and more words of affirmation.

Q: Do you have any funny stories from your pregnancy, or moments you laughed at yourself?

A: Towards the end of my pregnancy with E I had not quite accepted how large I was getting.  I pulled into the gas station to pump some gas and parked right next to a poll. I tried so hard to squeeze out of the truck and almost got myself stuck in the door.  I also bumped a lot of my patients with my belly towards the end (I’m a dentist).

Q: Did you have any fears going into the delivery process? If so, what are your thoughts about those fears now that you’ve been through that experience.

A: I think most moms probably go into the delivery process with some amount of fear of the unknown.  I didn’t do too much reading into delivery techniques or the process in general. I just asked my nurses to do whatever they could for a safe delivery. I told them I would be open to any suggestions…they were the experts! I loved all of my nurses and my delivering doctor (who I met for the first time about 5 minutes before pushing) and felt like they coached me well through every step.  This next delivery I plan to go in with the same plan…which is go with the flow!

Q: What advice would you give other new moms preparing for their very first delivery.

A: I think every personality is different so it doesn’t work for everyone…but for me…it was to just trust the professionals in the room with you. Of course, if something doesn’t seem right then speak up for yourself.  But, these nurses and doctors deliver babies every day and they’ll have good advice

Q: Tell us about the highlights/positives of your birth story!

A: I went in for an induction on a Sunday night. After no progression with contractions (except discomfort), I asked for the (wonderful) epidural.  My doctor broke my water soon after the epidural. I was told it would probably be a long next day or two since E didn’t look like he was planning on coming any time soon and I should just rest. I took a nap and 2 hours later felt a little different. The nurses checked and E was ready to join us!  30 minutes later we had a baby!  He definitely surprised us!

Q: What was your first meal after delivery?

A: Paneras! I’m pretty sure I had a bagel, soup, cookie, and some of my husbands food

 

Q: Are you still amazed your body could do that? I mean… you must feel like superwoman, right? 

A: I’m amazed that something can start so small and then turn into a living, breathing human!  I’ll never look at another baby and not be amazed at how perfect and beautiful they are!

Q: Tell us your favorite things about your baby!

A: E is the easiest going baby! My favorite thing about him is is general happy personality and near constant smiling.  He loves meeting new people and trying to get strangers to give him attention.  He’s such a social butterfly …the total opposite of me!

Q: What were your “must have” items after brining your newborn home (for you and for the baby)? 

A:  My must haves were Lou Lou and Co gowns and swaddles. He lived in those for his first two months.

Q: What (or who) has been the biggest help adjusting to life with a newborn? 

A: When they say it takes a village… they mean it! We’re so blessed with both sets of grandparents are nearby and very hands on (of course while being respectful of our parenting).  I love watching E form relationships with his grandparents (and aunts and uncles) and know that he’ll grow up so loved.

Q: This is your chance to answer a question I didn’t ask (but you wished I did)!

A: Going into the birthing process I wasn’t too sure about the epidural. I had, of course, read about the risks… ya know…I didn’t want to make TOTALLY uninformed decisions.   After my contractions got painful with no progression, I decided that I DEFINITELY needed the epidural.  Let’s just say I’m so thankful that an epidural exists. More power to you if you can or want to do the birthing process without it, but I say there’s no shame in being comfortable.

A: I had heard that feet grew…I’m starting to come to terms with the fact that my feet may never go back.  Now that I’m pregnant again, I never did lose all the baby weight from E…but I’m really hopeful that one day my shoes / rings/clothes fit again. If not…guess I’ll have some shopping to do!

Thank you Sarah for being so open and honest about your pregnancy and birth experience! <3 I hope you cherish these photos for years to come.

New Mom Interview by Northern Virginia Film Maternity Photographer, Kristen Lynne Photography.