2023 was quite possibly one of the best years of my life because it brought me my sweet baby girl, Margot.
It’s been 4 months with her and it is 100% true that becoming a mother rocks your world.
She is so special to us and her story is one that I want to keep forever so let me start from the very beginning…
In August of 2022, Sean and I decided to start trying for baby #1 – we were excited and hopeful that within the next few months I would get pregnant, easy as that.
As you can imagine…it wasn’t that easy – I tracked my ovulation everyday in September and never received a positive test. In fact, I didn’t even have a period in September…or October and by November I knew something was not right.
As some of you know I have Hashimoto’s, which affects my thyroid and all of my hormones. If my thyroid levels are not within the correct ranges, it can make it challenging to 1. get pregnant and/or 2. sustain a pregnancy.
By November I knew that I needed to check in with the Dr. and get my levels checked. Of course upon doing so we discovered that my TSH level was extremely low, resulting in no ovulation/no periods and ding ding ding, meant I wasn’t going to get pregnant.
Thankfully, in December I was able to get my thyroid levels in check but again, no period and certainly no positive pregnancy test, despite our best efforts.
Now, this is where God majorly comes into play and once again confirms His hand in everything.
On January 9, 2023 I woke up with the strongest impression that I needed to take an ovulation test (now remember, I hadn’t even touched one since September). It seemed random but I took it and lo and behold, it was the 1st and only positive ovulation test I have ever received.
I’ll leave it to you to fill in what happened next…
Then, on January 21, 2023, after noticing a few nights of insomnia and odd moments of breathlessness, those magical two pink lines appeared and the journey began.
Those 9 months of pregnancy included about 10 weeks of nausea and extreme food aversions, a genetic testing scam, switching to a new (and wonderful) OB, finding out our little one was a girl (even though Sean and I both felt it from the beginning), deciding on the name Margot – which somehow came so naturally to Sean and I, we don’t even remember who suggested it first or where it came from, but fits our girl so well, and so much love for this little baby that we hadn’t even met yet.
I was grateful to have survived the 1st trimester, the 2nd flew by, and suddenly we were in the 3rd, painting a little pink nursery, gathering all the baby supplies, and watching as those tiny kicks turned into what felt like tidal wave sized body rolls. Honestly, looking back it felt like pure bliss. (Except for the pelvic pain at the end, where I quite literally thought I was going to crack in half every time I rolled over in bed…but somehow you forget about all of that).
As September rolled around all that was left to do was mentally prepare for labor and delivery (and for our lives to drastically change, of course).
At about 37.5 weeks, my OB was convinced that little girl was going to come any day, so of course, even after two membrane sweeps and a scheduled induction date set…she didn’t. My due date of October 2nd came and went and I accepted the fact that I would be induced two days later on the 4th.
But of course, Margot had other plans…she wanted to make it known from day one that she is the captain here.
On October 4th I woke up at 4am to a call from the hospital letting us know that we needed to come in at 6am instead of 5am due to a busy night of deliveries. However, after hanging up the phone, going to the bathroom, and climbing back into bed I started having contractions…real ones. In a matter of seconds it was made blatantly clear to me that all of the Braxton Hicks I had been experiencing were in fact NOT contractions and that this time I was indeed in actual labor. Oh, and the rule about waiting until they are 1 minute long and 5 minutes apart was automatically thrown out the window because they were coming every 3 minutes and those suckers were intense. So instead of waiting like we were told, we hopped in the car and made the 15 minute drive to the hospital, deep breathing and gripping the passenger side door the entire time.
By the time we arrived, they had a room ready for us (we were scheduled to be there 30 minutes later anyway). But instead of starting Pitocin, which I clearly no longer needed, they told me I was 4 centimeters dilated and said they would be back in a bit. By around 8am I had my epidural (the best $$$ I have ever spent), they had broken my water, and we were on our way.
Until a few hours later when they came in to check me again and saw that little girl had somehow managed to flip herself sunny side up…like I said, Margot (like most babies) likes to keep us on our toes. So for the next two hours, two nurses, Sean, and my mom flipped me from side and side and even onto my hands and knees (which as you can imagine is difficult, when you can’t feel your legs…bless them) until we had successfully turned that baby over and I had even dilated a few more centimeters.
Not long after my mid-labor yoga session, it was time to push and boy was I ready. I pushed for 2 hours, which felt like 10 minutes and was nothing like they show in movies. I was relaxed, feeling nothing (thank you epidural), and even chatting with Sean and the nurses in between pushes and catching my breath. Then, my angel of an OB came in (along with about 5 other people) and it was showtime. Within about 5 minutes and with two more pushes at 5:04 pm, our precious little girl arrived.
Margot McGetrick – 7lbs 9oz and 19.5 inches of pure joy, with the cutest little scrunchy nose and the prettiest, plumpest lips.
It was the most incredible thing I have EVER experienced in my life, truly a glimpse of heaven.
After a little bit of help due to a bit of swallowed meconium, it was time to cuddle my tiny sweetie all night long. It was magical. Those two days we spent in the hospital feel like a dream.
And then it was time to go home, now a family of three.
The day we came home, I remember sitting on our couch holding Margot, it was a gorgeous, sunny day, and it once again, felt like heaven. If there is one thing I know, it is that God stays close to new mamas and He sends angels to wrap them up, just as those mamas do for the precious babies that were so graciously and miraculously gifted to them.
And even after 4 months, I still get glimpses of heaven and I know that He is still with me, giving me strength after sleepless nights, patience amidst the tears, a surprising intuition, and the opportunity to understand what unconditional love feels like. Because even on the most challenging days, I still lay in bed looking at pictures of Margot, missing her, even though she is literally sleeping in her bassinet next to me.
I could write an entirely separate post about motherhood, it is truly a joyful struggle.
Margot has changed my life. I still look at her and can’t believe that she came from me, that my body grew hers, and that I am her mom. She is my greatest gift and I cherish every second with her, even when it’s hard.
I am grateful everyday for my (overall) positive pregnancy and birth experience because I know that is not the case for everyone.
If you made it all the way to the end…bless you. I think I covered everything but mom brain is real and I probably forgot a few things. So for now, I’m gonna go snuggle my Margot and attempt to not lose a handful of hair…postpartum hair loss is rough and little girl has a tight grip (Nutrafol send help).
Elizabeth McGetrick 