Caroline, whom we affectionately call Birdie, came barreling into our lives during a global pandemic. Nothing about her conception, gestation, or birth was particularly easy. She is our first child, and unfortunately so many of those incredible first experiences were hindered by Covid. My husband, Colin, couldn’t come to doctors appointments (but he always waited in the car, excited to hear every detail). There were no visits with friends or family. I had to come to terms with not having baby shower. I couldn’t even shop for her clothes or furniture in person and it broke my heart. There were so many things we had to miss out on for the sake of “better safe than sorry.” Shout out to all the pandemic mamas - I see you.
Then, as if all that weren’t crazy enough, she burst onto the scene 3 weeks early and after only two hours of labor. She was mere minutes away from being born on the front seat of my beloved lime-green Jeep! Like with any early birth, we worried about her health. She was so small, just 5lbs 10oz before dropping to 5lbs 4oz in the first 24-hours. I was scared. And I’m not sure the contributing factor(s) but we couldn’t get the hang of nursing. Nurses, doctors, specialists all tried to help but it just didn’t happen. I felt like a failure. I turned to pumping and had to endure “power hours” where I had to alternate pumping each breast every 20 minutes for over an hour in order to build up supply. At first, there was nothing. Later there was blood. All of it was terrible. The ounces came slowly, both the milk and her body weight. I worked so hard for every precious drop and now we’re still going strong nearly 9 months later! She’s still petite but don’t be fooled, she is a huge personality. We love learning new things about her as, day-by-day, we figure out our family structure. My husband and I are committed to being, and raising, conscious, considerate, tolerant, brave human beings. Our family and extended family is so vibrant and diverse, which makes us so truly grateful. We truly believe the world can, and should be a kinder place. No jerks allowed!
We’re just about fun, but I’m always excited to connect with other mamas on my Instagram: @meredithelise1.