smith life now: Welcome, Zoey Louise

Here’s the story of the big little surprise and big little entrance into the world of a sweet little gal called Zoey.

Part way into the pandemic we found out we were expecting another child!!!!!!! We hadn’t planned for this and this big surprise was a BIT of a shock for us!! But here we were…having another child! Fast forward 41 weeks……to March 14, the day after my 38th bday.

I had been thinning and feeling twinges for days. Mostly at night.

I took Ella to kindergarten that morning . Tried to sleep in the afternoon; Annette was so tired and tantruming but wouldn’t nap. She was screaming and crying, which was very unusual for her.

1:30/40pm felt an interesting movement. A budge.

Went pee, then when I got up, water was still trickling out. Was so confused. Must have been my water releasing?!?! I was distracted w annette so I wasn’t sure.

1:58pm I texted and told Collin I can’t get the kids from school. He had a really busy day with work but when he heard about the water we decided to text Christine.

2:13pm Texted Christine about the water. No surges were happening so we said we would keep in touch.

I put on movie for annette (Winnie the Pooh) and lay down in bed, listening to hypnobirthing tracks for a couple of hours.

When collin and the kids got home, I was resting. They all went downstairs or outside to play. I had to go to the bathroom, afterward dropped to my hands and knees on the bathroom floor and giant surge. Wanted to get in the tub but couldn’t move. I thought, “I don’t want to do this here.”

At 4:11pm I texted Christine, “come.” I called for Collin but my voice came out so quiet. Breathed through the surge, somehow reached and turned on the water, not too hot, felt for and found the plug, put it in place and flopped myself into the tub like a seal.

I lay on my side with my right arm and leg over the side of the tub. Collin came upstairs!!!! Yay!!

I told him “more water.” He thought I needed it to drink and I started to leave, “no! Don’t leave me!” I called. He put more water in the tub, got a towel for my face to lay on. Then I asked him to get my phone and play Hypnobirthing affirmations. He did and gave me a blessing. This gave me so much strength. More big surges coming. Collin suggested getting on my hands and knees and I said NO. (Didn’t want to move from that comfy position). But I knew that’s what I needed to do so I did. I tried not to strain or tense at all while leaning to the side of the tub with my hands. Then I started to breathe the head out. Big short breaths and I felt the head coming out. I could feel that it was a big baby. Collin was encouraging me, “the baby’s coming! The baby’s here!” After a lot of hard work through one surge, I felt down and expected to feel a head but it was gone! Back inside! Dang it! Haha! Collin told me later that he had watched the head come all the way out to the mouth and then go back inside!!

Another surge and more deep short breaths. I felt for the head to guide it out and felt it there, a wrinkly point. So intense and then finally the head was out!!!! For good!!! I said, ok go get the kids! Collin sprinted and got them and just as they came up, the body was born.

The baby swam up to me!! I caught and held the slippery body to me, so purple and sweet. She didn’t make any noise for a second and then let out a cry and gurgle and breathed heavily. She heard my voice and felt herself close to me and got super calm and quiet. Opened her eyes a bit. I turned her over and announced that she was a girl. Fred said, “Aw…but I’m still so happy.” The kids all touched and talked to her. Annette kept touching her cheek and saying, “baby, baby,” over and over. Hattie told me she was so happy she wanted to scream and so she went outside and yelled and yelled for joy. I just sat up in the tub with her in my arms. Christine came in, they helped me to the bed. After pains were coming, I wanted to birth the placenta but also didn’t want to. Phew it was all so intense and hard.

Finally the placenta came out, and I felt instant relief. She started to nurse and stayed on my chest for a couple of hours.

Bleeding was normal/minimal, and there was no tearing at all! Christine had prepared me with teaching me about guiding the head out and using calmer, more controlled breathing. The placenta was healthy and good and very big! Ella wanted to cut the cord and Hattie got to help her. They did great.

My brother, Joseph, came to see the baby and everyone was so excited!

After laying and nursing with me for a while, baby got her vitamin K shot, was weighed and measured…21 inches long and 9.5 pounds!

All the kids are all helpful and so loving to her. They want to hold her and have alone time with her and me. It’s been hard for them to leave and go to school and activities. Collin has been taking care of everything and we are so busy that we barely get time together just us three. But my mom will be coming soon!

Zoey Louise Smith

Monday March 14, 4:24pm

We both love Zoey so much. It means “life.”

Louise means “warrior,” and Collin felt a strong connection to it.

After another day, my mom arrived and that was comforting and helpful to me and us in so many ways

Then Friday….

Christine, our midwife, had been coming every couple days to check up on us as per usual, but Friday my blood pressure was high—really high, and she recommended I go to get checked immediately.

The kids had played dates scheduled with friends that day and night and so Collin and Zoey and I left together. We first went to urgent care, assuming we would be sent home with an RX. They took my BP, and felt it was serious enough to send me to the ER. We went to St Marks, again, not knowing what would happen, but assuming we would be in and out. They got me right into a bed and the drs and nurses were sort of freaking out. Zoey needed to eat but because of ivs in both arms I couldn’t feed her. My milk had just come in the day before and she had already had a hard time latching on the left breast. I kept asking for a pump so she could be fed, then out of nowhere, they told me I was being transferred to labor and delivery and would be in the hospital for all least 2 days! My heart sunk. It’s was 9/10pm by now, we were not prepared to be overnight, the kids had arrived home and were upset and scared that we weren’t there when they got home. It was really really hard and I was also scared about my health.

Thank goodness my mom was here with the kids. I finally got a pump and Collin fed Zoey my milk. And finally someone explained to us what was going on and why I had to stay. I had postpartum preeclampsia with very high blood pressure and was high risk for a stroke or seizure. After getting lots of medicine, I didn’t want Collin to leave me but he went home for an hour to grab a few things. He took Zoey with him just in case to keep her safe. That was a hard time to be all along in the hospital late at night. I missed my kids and my newborn and my husband and home. It made me so grateful and so sad for many who have long hospital stays.

To speed things up, everything turned out the way the drs hoped; I responded well to medications and was able to leave Sunday morning to go home. All the drs and nurses were so kind and loving and informative. I am so grateful for them. The second night my mom stayed with me so Collin could be with the kids. We had a fun time. I continued to pump for Zoey and my mom would feed her.

We got home Sunday on a rainy day and it felt like it had been forever. I first saw Collin and Ella, home from church and I just held them and cried. Newborn hormones and sleep deprivation from staying in a hospital and all the beeping machines etc is no joke.

Then the rest of the family got home too. We were so happy to be together and also everyone is showing how hard it’s been on them in different ways. The kids had so many questions. Some were indifferent; some were really hurt and felt I had abandoned them. They were so glad to see baby Zoey too.

It feels like square one as I am healing from birth and trying to figure out breastfeeding, which is really really hard right now. The kids are pushing boundaries and are doing so well considering. I feel total gratitude for them and for Collin and my mom, who are doing everything they have to do plus what I usually do. Plus being yelled at and acted out on by kiddos figuring out where the boundaries are.

I’m so grateful for a midwife who came 3 times to check on me in one week, and cares enough to make sure I’m safe and healthy.

I’m grateful for little Zoey and our journey so far. It’s pretty chaotic and sometimes I don’t know how I’m going to do this. But as I pray, I feel inspired each day on ways to connect to each of my children and husband and how we will get through hard times and how blessed we are to have each other. A big thank you to friends for so much love and support. For meals and diapers and texts and offering to help or visit.

Now pictures!!