Welcome to the World, Baby Finnegan: Introducing Your Newborn

Introducing our fourth child…

My birth story is pretty ordinary—nothing dramatic or unusual—but I enjoy reading them, so I figured others might too.

My due date was August 28th. After past pregnancies when I went at least a week overdue, I was mentally prepared for the same this time. Yet by my weekly appointment on the 29th I was completely done: exhausted from insomnia, constant heartburn, pelvic pain, sciatica, frequent bathroom trips, and even morning vomiting. We’d finished all our trips and commitments, E had returned from work, and my mom had just arrived to help with the kids. Everything felt ready, except my body.

I had tried the usual home remedies—evening primrose oil, gallons of red raspberry leaf tea, extra hot sauce on everything, and as much walking as I could handle. A few evenings brought steady, intensifying contractions that faded before they became serious. I’d declined cervical checks in previous pregnancies because they were discouraging, so when I arrived for my appointment at 10 a.m., I didn’t know what to expect. I did know three things: I felt like I had either a UTI or a kidney infection, my midwife would consider induction, and I would probably say yes if offered.

All three turned out to be true. My urine culture grew E. coli, so I needed antibiotics. My blood pressure was high enough to fall into the hypertensive range, so I was sent upstairs for a non-stress test. My midwife could see how tired and stressed I was, and shortly after I reached labor and delivery she asked, “So do you want to have a baby?” Yes—I did.

If you had told me before my first birth that I’d one day happily agree to an almost-elective induction, I would have laughed. After three births, though, I was completely comfortable with it. I had a brief moment of disappointment when things didn’t move fast enough to meet my secret goal of having the baby by 8 p.m., but I’ve never been set on an unmedicated birth. One of my previous labors ended in a medically necessary induction for pre-eclampsia, and another time my water broke spontaneously and made a mess of our mattress—so this time my only real wish was that the baby come out safely and soon.

I arrived at the hospital around 3 p.m. E left to gather the kids and forgotten items while I bounced on a birth ball (I loved it and wish I’d had one at home). They confirmed I was progressing, started Pitocin, and broke my water. I had an epidural, we finally agreed on a name, and then waited. I developed a mild fever—possibly from the UTI—so they paused Pitocin for several hours, which allowed me to rest. By Tuesday morning I felt ready again, and labor resumed.

The on-call doctor was patient and supportive, and the team trusted my instincts. Monitors didn’t always show very close contractions, but I could feel how strong they were. I did a secret practice push and quickly realized things would happen if I pushed for real. Once I told the nurse and doctor, they prepared the room and let me demonstrate with a practice push. Everyone was impressed with my pushing—it’s the part I do best. At one point both my husband and the nurse forgot to help hold my legs, and I remember thinking this was ridiculous, but before I could complain the baby arrived.

The doctor called him a bruiser. Staff reacted with surprised faces at how big he was. I had guessed at least 9 lbs 4 oz, while E hoped for under 9 lbs, so we eagerly waited to weigh him after some cuddling and nursing. He weighed 9 pounds 13 ounces—definitely a large baby—so I was closer on my guess, and I’ll take that win.

Because I received antibiotics in labor, we needed to stay at least 48 hours. Then his bilirubin came back high and they kept us another night. We finally came home, but as I write this E and Finn are back at the hospital so Finnegan can get phototherapy to lower his bilirubin. I managed to pump a lot over the past couple of days to ease the discomfort of early engorgement—oversupply is a real challenge—and E can stay the full 24 hours without me. I’m eager to return to nurse, cuddle, and be with Finn, but I deeply appreciate E taking this shift. He missed a lot after Linc was born because he had to go to sea, including a similar overnight hospital stay, and doing this alone before was very hard for me. Hearing about Finn’s bilirubin made me anxious and sleepless; hospitals aren’t my favorite place to linger.

Fingers crossed that 24 hours of phototherapy will be all he needs so we can be done with the birthing center for good.

I had planned to document this birth thoroughly, but it’s harder than it looks. I felt distracted and didn’t pick up my camera until hours after things quieted down. Still, I did capture a few photos and will have the official Fresh 48 pictures posted later this week.