Daisy’s Birth Story
Welcome to the world Daisy Lucile Scott! Our fourth baby is here! It feels a bit surreal still, but we are so thankful for this sweet baby girl.
The Quick Recap
- She was born on June 30th at 37.5 weeks.
- She was a surprise pregnancy!
- I had gestational diabetes and was on insulin for most of my pregnancy, along with daily blood checks, I took two daily shots to make sure she stayed healthy.
- From 34 weeks onward I had weekly ultrasounds to check on her vitals and size.
- She was born very quickly and was my easiest birth by far!
- She’s cute!
The Whole Story
Now on to the nitty gritty for those who care. 🙂
Friday and Saturday I was having off and on again contractions. Nothing major or consistent, but noticeable. I regularly check my blood pressure on a cuff at home (I was induced for hypertension in my last two pregnancies at 40 and 38 weeks) and I got a few higher than 140 readings.
I wasn’t too concerned, because I was also getting normal readings sometimes, but on Saturday I got a 160+ reading so I decided to call into the OB office for a consult. They had me come in and be checked/monitored and did bloodwork, but my readings in the office were in the normal range.
So we headed home with the plan to come back around noon on Sunday and do another evaluation and see what my test results were. Saturday night I went full nesting mode (even more than I already was)–folding the last bits of laundry, packing bags, checking the nursery, sorting jewelry and untangling necklaces–all the essentials. 😆
On Sunday I slept in and decided to go out for a walk after breakfast. I figured just in case my blood pressure was high, walking would help me dilate faster if I did have to be induced. And walking is good for stress.
On the walk my water broke.
Not a giant gush, but enough that I was fairly certain that’s what it was. Fun fact: this was the first time my water has ever broken unassisted! It’s always been broken in the hospital during the induction process.
Since we were already planning on going to the hospital in a couple hours we stuck to our plan, got ready, and took some last pregnancy photos *just in case*.
Once we were settled in our room, my blood pressure readings came back fine, but my water had indeed broken. So we were go for baby and moved from triage to a delivery room. The nurse and midwife on delivery were the same ones I had seen the day before in triage so that was great and they were wonderful during the whole process.
Once we were settled, my contractions weren’t progressing a lot–still pretty sporadic and growing in intensity, but not a lot. Since I’m super familiar with inductions and using Pitocin, I ordered a quesadilla (to fuel up, obviously) and afterwards we started Pitocin to get things moving along.
Maybe 20 minutes later I knew it was time for the epidural. It’s always a nerve-wracking experience, but the relief on the other side was worth it. After it was in and we were sure it was working well on both sides, the nurse turned me on my left side with a peanut between my knees and I took a glorious nap.
Nate ran out to go for a walk and get a sandwich. About an hour later she came to turn me to the other side and to our surprise I was already dilated from a 3ish to a 9ish. I quickly texted Nate and told him “He didn’t need to sprint, but maybe get back to the room soon.” Fortunately, he was just getting off the elevator.
In about 15 minutes of laying on my other side with the peanut I was feeling the urge to push and notified the nurse. When she checked me baby Daisy was “right there” and she told me not to push and she would get the midwife.
They quickly got everything set and 1.5 pushes later Daisy was in the world! It was absolutely surreal how quickly and easily she came!
She was covered in vernix, but absolutely adorable and perfect.
Her cord was also tied in a knot, and miraculously it never effected her movement or heart rate in any pregnancy check or during the delivery process or afterward. She also quickly passed her blood sugar checks which was a huge praise! (Both boys struggled with this after birth and it’s a concern for Gestational Diabetes babies.)
The big kids were thrilled to welcome her into the family. They all love holding and loving on her and it’s nice to have big helpers at home! (Waaay different than toddlers!)
The Other Birth Stories
About Her Name
We chose Daisy because of it’s cheerful and feminine vibe. It’s a sweet and sunshine-y name and fits her perfectly! We also felt like it vibed with all the other kids’ names.
Her middle name Lucile is after my little sister, Rebecca Lucile, one of my favorite people whose strength and joy I’ve long admired. She was my first answered prayer and Layla feels the same way about her “miracle baby”, Daisy. Lucile means “light” which we also felt was really beautiful and appropriate for her.
The girl names we also liked but didn’t use were: Elsie, Lucie, Eloise, and Everly. The boy names I liked were: Conrad, Rowan, Hudson, Theo and Ellis.
About Trusting My Body
The day before I took the pregnancy test that would confirm this little sweetie was alive, I thought to myself, “I don’t think my body can be pregnant anymore.”
This thought was on the heels of a family discussion about having a baby in your mid-thirties and beyond. I was firmly team “no more babies” out of preference. But also, two plus years of an autoimmune disease with only an intense, life-long injection bringing relief, made me think my body was past its child-bearing era.
I found out the next morning I was startlingly wrong.
And then.
- My body built a baby. (Not as effortlessly as it did 10 years ago, but still.)
- My body delivered a baby with stunning speed and ease. (This thing did get easier with time, thank God.)
- My body is both healing itself and nourishing new life.
What a wonder.
To not be done.* To trust that my body is still capable, still strong. Resilient and rising. With stories of breakdown and beauty still to tell.
*except for real we are done with babies, done. 😆🙌🏼
About Accepting Ease
We are two weeks into life with Daisy and overwhelmingly her delivery and early weeks have been filled with ease. So far she sleeps, snuggles, and eats. Every health hiccup has been overcome quickly.
I find myself almost waiting for the other shoe to drop. We’ve spent so much of life since 2020 juggling struggles. My expectation is for things to be hard; for a strong faith to be required. I almost don’t know what to do with easy.
(And I’m not saying that things are just peachy, I’m well-rested, and not feeling a mountain of feelings, but comparatively to my past experiences and my expectations…things are easier. AND I recognize things may change and become harder.)
In my post-delivery haze, trying to wrap my head around the speed and ease of the delivery, I felt like God spoke two words over me: REST and RECEIVE.
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
-Matthew 11:28-30
From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.
-John 1:16
Instead of trying to worst-case-scenario my life and plan for every eventuality, Jesus invites me to rest and receive. The reality is life can be heavy and wearisome–but Jesus is there. Abundance is available. Gracious blessings fill my life.
I don’t have to be suspicious of ease, I can enjoy it with Jesus when it comes. He is equally present in joy and lightness, hardship and heaviness.
I’m still processing through all this. Maybe it’s making sense and maybe it’s the sleep deprivation kicking in. Nevertheless, I’m deeply thankful for those who have surrounded me in prayer and support during this time. You are part of allowing me to rest and receive and I’m so grateful.
