Rylee’s Pregnancy/ Birth Story ♡

Wow! My first blog post! I’m so excited to finally be writing and trying this out. To be totally honest, this was something I was really nervous about doing, but here we are. Just you and me.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy life to learn a bit more about baby Rylee and me. It’s funny because even though I’ve told the story to so many people, I’ve never actually written it down. Maybe this will be an emotional release for me.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

As some of you know, I had a terrible pregnancy. I mean, vomiting every day, low iron to the point of complete exhaustion, and dealing with an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s. Let me tell you, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I would open the fridge in the morning and start gagging. I didn’t even know fridges had a smell until I was pregnant! There were times my husband (sorry, love you) would toot in the car, and I’d have to grab a doggy bag out of my pocket to throw up in.

Not to bore you with too many pregnancy details, but it was rough. You can imagine the exhaustion I was feeling.

To start things off, I got a midwife. I was planning a more natural birth and had heard so many good things about midwives in Fort McMurray, so I thought, “I have to have one.” She was great, but I ended up not needing her in the end. The person who truly saved me emotionally was my doula. If anyone in Fort McMurray is looking for one, I highly recommend Krista White. She was my backbone when I felt like breaking. Her postpartum care was amazing and saved me on many nights when my husband was working.

Back to the birth story. I was about 33 weeks pregnant when I went for what I thought would be my final 3D ultrasound with Judy in town. She told me that the baby had a double nuchal cord, two loops around her neck, and not crossed the usual way. I left feeling devastated that it might not be my choice anymore to have a natural birth. But that night Judy called me and offered a free follow up scan that Saturday to see if anything had changed before I saw an OB. Unfortunately, there was no improvement.

That Monday I called Dr. Haq and got in for an appointment to review the results. She reassured me that it was still my choice whether to try a natural birth, we’d just have to be extremely diligent, or to schedule a C section to be completely safe.

Fast forward a week later, I paid for one extra ultrasound with Judy because I was so worried. Around 35 weeks, she found I had a double lobed placenta. I forget the medical term now, but basically it sometimes happens with IVF pregnancies, which I didn’t have, or if twins form super early, which was also never detected. There was a chance it was just a rare phenomenon. Either way, it meant I basically grew two placentas, and Rylee somehow managed to hide one of them until thirty five weeks pregnant.

At that point there was a real risk of hemorrhaging or other complications, so I made the decision to go with a C section. It immediately lifted the anxiety and all the what ifs off my shoulders.

November 18 – The Day Before
The day before my scheduled C section, I got a call saying it had to be postponed because of construction in the operating rooms. I like to think it’s because she didn’t want to be a Scorpio and wanted to align with Sagittarius fire energy, haha. We got pushed back to November 22.

The Morning Of
We were told to arrive at 7 a.m., checked in, and we had to wait by the OB doors. We didn’t actually get through the doors until 9 a.m. because they were locked and no one answered. So Krista, Michael, and I sat outside for a couple of hours, filled with anxiety, nerves, and excitement.

When we finally got checked in, I changed into a heated gown, which was super cool, had my IV started, and was taken to the recovery room to be wheeled into surgery. That’s when the emotions hit me hard. I sat there bawling for at least ten minutes. My wrists were so numb from carpal tunnel that Michael had to put my hair in a bun. I was so swollen I had to wear Crocs to the hospital, and it was officially time for baby girl’s eviction notice.

In the OR, I convinced the anesthesiologist to let Michael stay in the room during my spinal tap. That was a big win for me, having my best friend holding my hand through it.

We had to wait about 20 minutes for the OB to arrive because she was running late, shocker haha. My heart rate was up to 160 from pure anxiety, but the spinal was way better than I expected. It honestly felt like a quick bee sting. In a flash they had my legs up, catheter in, drape raised, and were ready to start. The precision in that room was impressive.

As I laid there, the team chatted casually about their upcoming Costco trips and what they might need to grab for each other. Some people might hate that kind of bedside talk, but honestly it calmed me. I knew everything was fine, and it distracted me from what was happening.

Then she was here. Rylee was born on November 22, 2024, at 10:13 a.m., weighing 6 pounds 13 ounces. My husband started crying, I was crying, and I begged him to confirm she was indeed a girl, and she was.

That’s when the fun really began. As soon as she was out, I started feeling sick. They placed Rylee on my chest, and I begged Michael to take her before I threw up on her. The nurses gave me some medication, and I instantly felt loopy, almost high, but thankfully no longer nauseous.

As they stitched me up, I watched Michael step into fatherhood so naturally. He was rocking her, trying to give her a soother, and just glowing. For someone who had barely held a baby before, he was amazing. I think I fell in love with him all over again in that moment.

Later, in recovery, after a few popsicles, apparently they help with nausea, and some cold cloths on my forehead, I finally got to hold my baby girl. From there it was all about healing, bonding, and soaking in the bliss of new parenthood together. The first night, after the sun went down and the nurses stopped checking on us so frequently, I truly fell in love with her. It made the pregnancy symptoms all worth it in that moment. I held her and stared at her for hours. I couldn’t believe I grew this human. She came from me? I was SO lucky. She was everything I wanted and more. Truly, the best dream come true anybody could have was!

If you’re still reading this, thank you! This will probably be my longest post, but hopefully it wasn’t too boring.