IVF Birth Story For Our Miracle Boy

My IVF birth story for our miracle boy!

Our baby boy just turned one and I figured it was finally time to share his birth story. His pregnancy was the longest year of my life (I would consider it longer than a year because of IVF), and this year has gone by a lot more quickly! I had my sweet friend Brittany capture his birth through photos and it was honestly the best money I’ve ever spent. These images are priceless to me and she really captured how I felt – anxious to meet him, nervous for my health and his health, and completely overjoyed and relieved as he made his way into the world. Each baby is such an incredible miracle. I can’t look at these photos without getting emotional. His arrival was much anticipated to say the least – I had debated for several years about whether or not I wanted to try IVF again. It was incredibly difficult (you can listen that podcast episode here if you want). The pain has been contradicted now with the joy. He has been such a beautiful soul in our home! Here is my after IVF birth story for our miracle boy.

IVF birth story for our miracle boy

A few weeks before Warner was born, I started to swell like I had with the twins. For me, it was extreme swelling (my ankles!!), and they were born at 32 weeks. You can read their birth story here. My legs and ankles started swelling again at about 35 weeks with Warner but not nearly as bad as with the twins, however, since I had preeclampsia with them and got extremely sick, I was wary and didn’t want that to happen again. My blood pressure started to get higher. At about 35 weeks, my mom came over for a girl’s day and she noticed how bad the swelling had gotten. We went into the OBGYN and had my protein levels checked. There was protein in my urine – preeclampsia was surely on the way. My blood pressure wasn’t super high yet, though, so they wanted me to continue to monitor it. We went shopping that day frantically – diapers, orders on Amazon…I had to be ready for this baby to arrive!

At 37 weeks, my doctor scheduled an induction. I was really relieved because I didn’t want to go through what I had with the twins. On the day of my induction, I called in to the hospital and they said that the office had messed up my date and that I would need to wait another day! I was not happy. My blood pressure started to go up really high that day, however. I kept checking my blood pressure and it was high so I called the doctor’s office and they told me to get checked in at labor and delivery. I was there for a few hours and they determined that I would be okay to wait until the following day. Inductions are so strange because you don’t really know when you’ll be scheduled to go in so when you have other kids, it’s hard to plan care for them!

checking into the hospital – IVF birth story for our miracle boy

On October 19, 2022, I called into the hospital to see if I could get a rough estimate on when I would be able to arrive. The morning had gone normally for me and I was trying to wrap up last minute packing and work obligations. To my surprise, they said, “we are having a slow day. You can come in now!” I was shocked! So I called my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law’s Katelin and Heather and my mom and was able to arrange everything. Tyler came home from work to watch the kids until my mom could leave work and then Tyler went to get his phone fixed (classic…he had broken mountain biking the day before) and I headed to the hospital. My mother-in-law would later take Harris and Goldie for a sleepover at her house and my mom would bring her and Tyler dinner to the hospital. When I pulled up to the hospital, I grabbed my bags and went inside. The twin’s labor was so long that I had brought my laptop and some of the nurses thought I was there for a job interview! Ha! They showed me to a room after I checked in and just as I started to get unpacked, they switched me to the room next door. As I looked out my window, I could see my mom’s work from where I was standing so I called her and told her to wave as she left to go switch with Tyler!

The moment was getting more real as I changed into my gown. The nurses were so kind — I really lucked out. They got me hooked up to all of the monitors for the heartbeat and vitals. My doctor came in about an hour after I arrived and broke my water by sticking his entire hand up there! It was NOT PRETTY. I was in so much pain!! I asked right after that for the epidural. Tyler arrived before they gave it to me. This always makes me so nervous because I’ve heard horror stories so I was praying so hard that there would be no complications!

I started feeling much less pain and was able to rest more. We had a nurse shift and our new nurse was so sweet. I would lay on one side, lay on the other and put the peanut ball between my legs. I sat up in the bed as it shifted to support my back. It progressed much more quickly with the twins. My mom left to visit my grandpa who she cares for and said she would be back soon, and then I jumped to a 9 dilation. She raced back with the tripod I had asked her to grab at my home and I called my photographer who had been on call and told her it was time.

pushing the first time

The doctor came in and we got all set up and I started pushing. The baby’s heart rate started to drop each push and I was getting exhausted. They gave me some oxygen. It wasn’t quite time yet. He used good judgment and decided to give me a break so we reversed it all back to me resting in bed the peanut between my legs. I was really tired at this point. Tyler really wanted the birthday to be on 10/20 which is easier to remember than 10/19 and he got his wish. We kept joking about it and I didn’t think it would happen but sure enough, he was born after midnight into the new day!

warner’s birthday

About an hour later, I called the nurse on the phone and told her that I felt an immense amount of pressure. She came in to check and said that it was go time; she could see the head! I asked for a mirror this time so I could see the head, too, because I wanted to be able to know when I needed to keep pushing. It’s hard when you have an epidural and can’t see what’s happening so this helped me a lot this time. He came out in three pushes! I will always remember the RELIEF I felt after such a long battle with infertility and a really hard pregnancy. I clapped my hands and said, “I’m so happy right now!” They placed him on my chest and he immediately grabbed my hair. It was so sweet! He took a hold of my finger after they untangled him from my hair. The doctor delivered the placenta. Having a full term baby was so different than having tiny preemies. He latched on to the breastfeed really well and I got to finally eat. A sandwich had never tasted so good! After taking pictures and doing chest to chest, having Tyler hold him and getting cleaned up, I transferred to a wheelchair and we went to the mother and baby floor. By this time it was about 3 am and I was beyond exhausted. I had an interesting nurse who wanted to have a full conversation with me about my paperwork and I still can’t get over this (I just delivered a baby and it’s literally 3 am…) but overall the experience was good.

the hospital stay

I brought some items to the hospital like my big 40 oz Stanley cup for water, my vitamins, and my favorite electrolytes so I would stay hydrated and start to heal. I switched out the frozen pads a lot to help with the tearing (I had a 2nd degree tear). The hospital is a rough place to be because you can’t actually rest a lot and I’m also so grateful for the care. My mom came the next morning to bring me a tea, and Tyler also came back after sleeping at home. Our house is about 5 minutes away from the hospital. Tyler’s parent’s came to visit that night. I got out of bed that day and took a walk around the halls. I couldn’t wait to get out of there, though, so I ended up leaving a day early. My kids both had colds unfortunately, so they couldn’t come to see him. They Facetimed us and said hi to the baby in the hospital! When we got home, they were both so shy! Harris gave him a tiny basketball though and has been SO sweet. It took Goldie a few weeks to warm up to him. It’s a big change for little people. They are now both the best siblings to him and I think he is so lucky to have them!! I’m so grateful for Warner and that I get to share his IVF birth story for our miracle boy.

Warner immediately had the sweetest temperament. I adore him and he has been the best addition to our family!

hospital bag must haves

This is my favorite diaper bag ever – I tried many different kinds with the twins and this was the winner by a long shot.
You’re definitely going to want to buy this to wash your lady parts after using the restroom. The angled nozzle makes it SO much easier to spray the water where you need it!
My favorite lotion. I hate toxins and I definitely don’t want nasty scents that mimic hormones (phthalates) around a new baby! Code JENICA10 for 10% off
I love this underwear for when you get home – it’s a pad and underwear all in one. I wore these for about 8 weeks.
Headphones, I love how easy it is to use mine.
A really long phone charger so you can plug it in and it reaches your bed
Nipple guards for breastfeeding
Tuck’s hemorrhoid pads with witch hazel. Super soothing! Some hospitals provide these
My Stanley cup HERE so I could have cold water all day long
Giving birth is really hard on your body (obviously ha ha) and these electrolytes helped me during pregnancy and after while I recovered
Slippers
Toiletries – brush, comb, toothbrush, face wash, etc.
2 outfits for baby (this is my favorite baby outfit store)
Cozy blanket and swaddles for baby HERE (the hospital ones are so stiff and not comfortable!)!
Comfy dress for after giving birth. I was SO GLAD I had a couple of these ones. I could lift them up to breastfeed in the bed, easily use the restroom, and they were incredibly comfortable!
Binkies for baby – these are my favorite because they are the best for their mouths!
Ear plugs or a noise maker so you can have some chance of getting a little sleep!