Birth Story



Peanut was born on Halloween 🎃! As a first-time mom, my biggest fear was not knowing I was in labor. I kept saying that my water *had* to break; otherwise, I’d wait too long and end up delivering in the car! My biggest goal was to have an unmedicated vaginal delivery.  

My water broke on 10/30 at 5:10 PM. My mom quickly rushed me to the hospital, and my husband met us there. We spent almost 3.5 hours in triage before getting set up in labor and delivery. I wasn’t having any contractions, and the doctors gave me until 10 PM to start progressing on my own before starting pitocin. I wanted an unmedicated birth, which ideally wouldn’t include pitocin, but I trusted my provider to do what was best. If it was necessary, I was open to it.  

For the next 1.5 hours, we walked, squatted, jogged, and curb-walked, trying to get labor to start. But nothing worked to kickstart things. At 10 PM, I started on pitocin, and IMMEDIATELY active labor began—it was exactly what I needed. From that point, things moved quickly. My contractions were consistent and intense, and I progressed quickly. After 5 hours of active labor and 1 hour of pushing, Peanut was here on 10/31!  

The NICU team was on standby because of his cleft, just in case he needed extra support or if his palate was affected. A few minutes after he was born, we found out his palate was cleft. Honestly, it was hard to hear. We had been hoping it was just the lip throughout most of the pregnancy. Hearing the news meant no breastfeeding, more surgeries, and the possibility of additional challenges. It’s okay that we felt disappointed—we just want the best life for Peanut, and this will make things a little harder. 🫶🏼 But we love him just the same.  

The moment we got to hold Peanut for the first time was indescribable. It was as if all the stress and fear melted away, replaced by peace, love, and overwhelming gratitude. We felt deeply connected to God and so relieved that he was finally here, safe in our arms. It was in that moment we realized just how strong and perfect our Peanut was, and we knew we were ready to face whatever came next.  

Thankfully, he took to the bottle well and didn’t have any other complications at birth, so we were able to take him home with us when we were discharged. I am so grateful for that! Some families aren’t as lucky. Most cleft babies thrive after birth and don’t require a NICU stay, but in some cases, babies can struggle with feeding or have airway issues that require extra care.  

While this wasn’t the exact journey we envisioned, I know Peanut is going to be so strong. He’s already shown us resilience and love in ways we never imagined. This is just the start of his story, and we can’t wait to see all the incredible things he will do! 

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