Katie: Third “Grand Finale Baby,” Termination For Medical Reasons, Second Trimester Loss, 34 Week C-Section, NICU Stay

Part two of Katie’s Birth Stories. On this episode, Katie tells us about her third “grand finale” pregnancy and baby. She had just gone through a termination for medical reasons, a second trimester loss, a pandemic, on top of her best friend’s diagnosis with terminal cancer. She again battled with high blood pressure readings and had to stay a week in the hospital and then have bi-weekly OB visits, all while managing two other children at home. At 34 weeks, the decision to schedule her third c-section was difficult to hear so Katie prepared for a long NICU stay. She also wanted to get her tubes tied during the section. Her recovery went well and baby Stephen only had a week-long NICU stay as opposed to the month long planned stay. Navigating the postpartum period was tough after so many losses but Katie felt a healing presence from her newborn baby.