Rosey Redd Barrett's Birth Story

Rosey Redd

On Wednesday, July 7, Andrew was at the hospital on a 24 hr shift, and I was on the couch watching HSMTMTS after the boys had gone to bed. Around 11, I started having contractions and they were happening every 5-8 minutes. I’ve been having more Braxton Hicks this pregnancy than any other, but these seemed legit. I was panicking a little as it was already late and Andrew was at work, but I rolled with it. They weren’t too intense but after an hour and a half of regular ones, I have Andrew a call just in case. They trickled out and I was able to get some sleep, but I woke up the next morning with more contractions. 

They lasted a couple hours, even as I made my way to my 38 week appointment with my Midwife, Mindy. She checked my cervix and I was at a “four and stretchy.” She said this baby would be here within 24 hours. I was hyped!! Andrew was on a post-call day and already home, we’d made it through the Fourth of July, my hospital bag and the boys' overnight bags were packed, friends were back in town and Amy was on call, it seemed like a great day for a baby! But as soon as I left my appointment, contractions stopped completely. Bummer. I told my boss at work what Mindy had said and she said, “Let’s call it, today is your last day.” So I emailed my team and wrapped up any loose ends on my schedule. We took the day to rest and nap, and after dinner went to Old Navy to pick up some white shirts for the boys and got ice cream at Whippy Dip as a family for dessert.

Last appointment

Whippy Dip

After putting the boys to bed, I just felt discouraged that baby hadn’t come. I was 38 weeks and 4 days, the same exact day I had Rudy. Mindy had said the baby would be here in next 24 hours but I didn’t think it would happen. I had Andrew give me a foot massage (for the past several nights I'd made him give me one in case it's my last night pregnant), and we actually got in bed at a decent hour - around 11:30. 

Between 3 - 4 AM, I woke up with some killer back contractions. They were hard, but spaced out far enough apart for me to fall back asleep between them and have some wacky dreams. Around 5, Andrew woke up and started rubbing my back as I breathed through them, and I started timing them, about every 10 minutes. Soon Anj had to get ready to leave for work, and I asked him if he could just stay, but he had patients to round on and my contractions were still pretty far apart. So he gave me a blessing, grabbed me the exercise ball from downstairs, and headed to the hospital.

It seemed within minutes of him leaving my contractions were suddenly 5-8 minutes apart. And they were no joke. I tried getting up to take a shower and get some things ready but ended up just laying back in bed and trying to distract myself from the pressure/pain by scrolling TikTok. (Unfortunately it didn’t really work). At 6:30, I called Amy to let her know it might be go time. She offered to come right then, but the boys were still sleeping and I thought I had time so I told her not yet. Then I called Andrew and told him to come home! He said he’d finish up notes and then talk to the chiefs to see if he could leave. 

I got up to try and gather a few more things to get the boys ready to go, but it’s hard to do when you’re having contractions every 3-5 minutes. I called Amy back and said okay get over here - she was already on her way - and then I called the hospital to let them know I was in active labor, and they said they’d let Mindy know, and I should head there ASAP. I told them I had to wait for my boys to be picked up and then we’d come. 

By the time Andrew and Amy arrived, contractions were every two minutes and were sending me to my hands and knees. I put Andrew back on back-rubbing duty in between sending him and Amy around to grab swimsuits, blankets, car seats, and to wake up Rudy. Ray was a little apprehensive to go, but we got them loaded up in the car, and I made it outside mid-contraction to tell them goodbye around 7:20. 

I wanted to take a shower but Anj said it was go time and I could take one at the hospital. He quickly packed a bag, I changed, and we hopped in the car. The 15 minute drive to the hospital was torture!  I squeezed Andrew’s hand through contractions and turned on my seat heater in hopes it might help - ha! I updated family that we were on our way to the hospital around 7:40 and let my boss know I wouldn’t be making our final 1:1. I worried that I’d get there and only be dilated to a 5 - again, ha! 

We pulled up in our mini van to the valet drop off, and Andrew said he’d go park and meet me inside, and I said, no you better come with me. As I climbed out a contraction hit, and I leaned against a pole for support. The nice security guard came running, “Ma’am, are you okay?” and brought me a wheelchair. Anj wheeled me in to the check-in desk, and I signed way too much paper work and got my fingerprints and bracelets. Of course the lady asked me if I was having contractions mid-contraction. Yes, yes I am. She told Andrew to go ahead and wheel me up to triage and that he could come back and get checked in later. 

Being wheeled to Triage  - 7:58 AM

At 7:58 we were heading to triage where Mindy and a team of nurses were waiting. I hopped onto the bed, had a contraction, Mindy checked my cervix and said I was at a 9 or 10 and my water bag was hanging out of my cervix. I couldn’t believe it! She asked if I’d been feeling pushy, and I realized I definitely had. It was crunch time. I didn’t even have time to change into a hospital gown or get an IV placed. They quickly started wheeling me to the labor and delivery floor. Andrew didn’t check in, and our car was still hanging out in the drop off lane. Oh well!

After I breathed my way through another intense contraction with Andrew rubbing my back and Mindy coaching me through (just melt into the bed, Madeline), I transferred to the bed in my delivery room. The energy in the room was super high, as everyone was excited that I was already ready to deliver. Mindy tried to calm everyone else down, but I felt surprisingly calm. I hit the bathroom one last time, and then Mindy offered to break my water to get that baby here! Of course, I got nervous, but she said baby was engaged and in position and would be here in no time. Let’s meet this baby! 

Labor and Delivery - 8:06 AM

She broke my water at 8:12, and I was confused when I didn’t get hit with an immediate, painful contraction. My body was gearing up to push! I had a small contraction and felt that pushing feeling. With the next contraction, I did a very small push, trying to find my rhythm. The third contraction post-water rupture came, and I gave it my all. The ring of fire is no joke!! I definitely yelled and thought I was going to die for about 60 seconds as I pushed out baby’s head, but Mindy coached me through and seconds later I had a baby laying on my chest. At 8:24, Andrew announced “It’s a girl!!!!!” and the entire room burst into a huge cheer! I checked and double checked and could not believe that I was holding my baby and that she was a girl! She came within 30 minutes of getting to the hospital. Not messing around! 

I recently read this, "It is said that women in labor leave their bodies... They travel to the stars to collect the souls of their babies, and return to this world together." (Anonymous) I think that captures the last few minutes of labor perfectly. In my last two deliveries, that last intense push was an out-of-body experience. I love thinking about returning to the world together with my new little one.

IT'S A GIRL - 8:26 AM!

I got a major adrenaline rush after delivering that baby in record time. Seriously, there is no more empowering feeling!! No tearing, no IV, not hooked up to anything. Just me and Andrew and sweet, fresh baby on my chest! A baby girl, no less! She tried to eat a bit, but was mostly just sleepy… like my other two babies. I delivered the placenta soon after and barely survived the belly pushing to get out any clots - this alone is almost worth getting an epidural for… ouch. Because I didn’t have an IV, they gave me a shot of pitocin and some uncomfortably placed misoprostol to help get contractions going to get that uterus back down.

She's HERE!

Luckily that was over quick, I said goodbye to Mindy, got cleaned up, and went back to just snuggling my sweet little babe. We did skin to skin for about an hour (Andrew went downstairs to finally park the car), and then they grabbed her to get her measurements (7lbs, 1 oz and 20.5 in) and foot prints and move us to the mother and baby floor. I was still feeling great - I got up to go to the bathroom and walked (slowly) to our new room. 

My smallest baby yet

Dark hair!!!

Off we go - 9:41 AM

We got settled in our new room, and our nurses started taking her vitals. I could tell something was wrong, because they were taking her temperature over and over again. They couldn’t get a read and when they finally did, it was too low, so they had to take her away to put her under a warmer. The nurses also noticed a small dimple at the bottom of her spine and said they’d have the pediatrician on-call take a look. Immediately my high from an exciting and speedy delivery was replaced by worry and concern. 

They whisked her away and without anything else to do we ordered some breakfast and waited. Of course I googled - never a good idea. But soon enough a med student came in and reassured us that she was warming up, and that the pediatrician had seen her and didn’t think the dimple was any cause for concern. Whoosh! If all was well we could leave the next morning after she hit her 24 hour mark and passed all her tests. 

And oh, does she have a name? Nope! Not yet! The debate was on. A few months back Ray started saying that if we had a boy he should be named Sunshine and if we had a girl we should name her Rosey. It really hadn’t been on our radar, but the more he said it, the more it grew on me and Anj. However, I really didn’t want to give all my kids names that start with the same letter - too much pressure for future naming!!! So we were stuck between a few names and middle names. 

Finally our little girl was warm enough to come on back and get to eating. The PA who had examined her gave us some more updates. Like our other two, she had a moderate tongue tie that was making latching difficult. We’d see ENT the next day. She also suggested that we request an ultrasound of her spine (because of the dimple) while we were already here at the hospital, and consulted Andrew on appropriate procedures for babies that had been breech in the third trimester. I had an ultrasound around 32 weeks to check growth, and baby was breech. My midwife scheduled an ECV for 37 weeks, but recommended I start seeing a chiropractor for the Webster technique. Luckily the chiropractor I already see was versed in said technique, and after 3 weeks of appointments and lots of uncomfortable movements, baby flipped on her own. Babies that are breech in the third trimester can have hip dysplasia, but everything checked out! 

We started making the FaceTime rounds — starting with her brothers! The boys were having a blast at Amy’s. Rudy was excited about the baby (he LOVES babies), pointing and saying baby over and over, and Ray thought she was pretty cute and had to “snap a few pictures.” We called and texted a few other family members and friends to share our news. 

"Bebe"

The day kind of flew by, we had some lunch, and Andrew got a nap in. I was still too pumped to get much rest! Also, it’s hard to rest when you have to have your temperature and blood pressure checked seemingly every hour. We snacked, rested, and discussed names. They took baby back to the nursery around 5 for an ultrasound of her spine, and I took a much needed, very warm shower. Not having an IV was pretty much the best thing ever. 

Eventually we saw the actual pediatrician who told us all the same things as both the med student and the PA, and we were grateful that all seemed well. Our friend Danny, who happens to be Amy’s husband and a hospital administrator, stopped by to say hello before he went home to help Amy with all the kids. Andrew went and picked up Firehouse Subs and Boba for dinner, and then a few of his co-residents stopped by for a quick hello. More skin to skin, attempting to feed, vitals checks, and joyful calls with family and friends. Amy periodically sent me videos of Ray and Rudy having way too much fun at their first little sleepover. The night wound down and we all tried to get a little rest. They offered to take baby to the nursery but she was snoozing just fine. so we kept her in the room. I slept for few hours between 12-3 and 3-6 when Mindy came to check in. At some point during the night, we decided that her name was going to be Rosie or Rosey, but we weren’t sure which way to spell it. Right after deciding, I noticed that the nurse who came to check my vitals had two little rose pins on her badge, which seemed like good sign. 

First Visitor!

Mindy did a quick check and everything looked good. She chatted with us for a bit and let us know that when we got to the hospital and Andrew was wheeling me to triage, they watched him (via security cameras) leave me halfway up the ramp while he grabbed a mask and saw me start rolling backward down the ramp. I had totally forgot about that moment but it was just too funny that they all watched it happen and wondered what Andrew was thinking - me too, me too.

Midwife Mindy

We met our new nurses (the same one we had with Rudy!) and soon enough it was 8:30 AM, and Rosie/Rosey was ready for all the screenings and tests. Apparently it was a busy day, and they didn’t come and get her for a while so we took some photos of our sweet little girl. The ENT resident stopped by and took her to clip her tongue tie. Then the nurses came and got her while we watched the safe sleep videos and filled out all the paperwork except for her name. I was pretty stressed about getting her named, and started writing out all sorts of combinations with the different spellings. At some point I threw out Redd as a middle name - Andrew’s paternal grandma’s last name. It clicked. We put the two spellings up on the board and asked all the nurses and medical assistants to vote as they came in. (Random side note, one of the MAs was named Sanibel which is this little island that we’ve been to on the west coast of FL - sure enough, her parents had honeymooned there and decided if they had a girl they would name her that. Loved that!)

Her tiny face!!!!

After what seemed like forever, the nurses came and told us that there was a long line for the hearing test so it would still be a little bit. I think Andrew and I got more one on one time in our 30 hours at the hospital than we’d had in a while! The Rosie/Rosey debate continued while we packed up all our things, ate lunch, and got ready to head home. When they finally brought her back, our nurse Jen couldn’t believe that we hadn’t decided on a spelling. She changed her vote from Rosie to Rosey, and we decided that we’d indeed go the less traditional way (which Andrew had wanted all along). So yes, now all of our children have R names that also end in Y. What do you do - it just seemed like the right name for our little girl. Rosey Redd Barrett. We quickly added her name to all the paperwork so we could get out of there and get our boys - we had a wedding to attend!! 

We ran through all the discharge questions and then Andrew went to get the car and car seat! It was go time! We got our little tiny Rosey buckled up and called the nurses for our escort out. We loaded her up into the mini van and headed home! 

On our way, we stopped at Wegman’s to get some cake and Martinelli’s for our wedding celebration, and we called Amy to let her know that we’d be getting the boys soon! We brought Rosey home and much to my surprise Amy had been over the night before and cleaned my entire house and put up a Welcome Home sign that the kids had decorated. Cue the tears! (Also, the strange handshake between Andrew and Danny - he was giving him our house key - and the baby monitor detecting motion and sound finally made sense... Andrew told me there must be a storm and even though there was no signs of storms at the hospital I was tired and dazed enough to believe him.) I could not believe that just the morning before I was at home very pregnant and laboring and now we were back home, with a sweet little baby girl! Seriously unreal.

Andrew went to go get the boys, and I sat in my clean home with my new little daughter. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Ruth and Kayla, had sent some bows as soon as they found out baby was a girl, and they had already arrived! Having a girl is going to be pretty fun.. the bows, the clothes, she's already pretty stocked with a totally new wardrobe. 

Then, Rosey got to meet her older brothers. Ray immediately loved on her and couldn’t believe how small and cute she was. He couldn't believe that her face was smaller than his hand. Rudy wasn’t quite sure at first but soon got right up in her face to see what was going on. He kept pointing and saying baby and was doing great until suddenly he just burst into tears! I think the poor little guy was overwhelmed from a night away from mom and dad. He’s quickly warmed up to her since and can’t get enough of patting her head and touching her little toes.

After their meeting, we speedily got ready for Mike and Drew’s wedding. Luckily the extra bow tie I bought clipped perfectly onto a bow for Miss Rosey so we all could coordinate in our sage green. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful, and Mike and Drew looked so amazing. I was so so bummed that we couldn’t be there in person, but I’m so grateful that we were home in time to tune into the Zoom for their ceremony and then celebrate with a toast and cake. It was our first big event as a family of five, and Rosey had barely been alive for 24 hours! The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I guess our little girl wanted to be here for the wedding too.

We spent the rest of the day just being together and watching a movie. Three kids! How did it happen?!

Andrew was able to get this last week off, and my mom and sister-in-law Ashley flew in late Tuesday to come and help. I’m so grateful for everyone who brought dinners, checked in, dropped off treats, and wished us well. It’s been a week of newborn bliss and chaos and alllllll the girls clothes. I’ve taken up my spot on the couch to just get to know our little Rosey Redd. She’s sleepy and sweet and so, so loved. I just can’t believe she’s here, safe and sound. Happy due date, Rosey! I’m so glad that you were born!

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