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Baby #4 Birth Story – Introducing Baby Sam!

Dec 2, 2021 · 15 Comments

This post shares my baby #4 birth story – introducing baby Samuel Edrick Kelnhofer – Sam for short- born 11.18.2021 weighing 8 lbs. 3 oz. He is a sweet bundle of joy, and completes our family, now a family of 6!

Newborn baby photo in white swaddle this image

As I type this post, baby Sam is sleeping next to me, quietly, peacefully. He is a lot quieter than his siblings (Ben and the twins Freddie/Frankie) were when they were born (they made little dinosaur sounds or little goat grunts, whereas Sam is a quiet little guy – well, actually he was born the biggest/heaviest of my 4 kids – I find myself placing my hand on his chest to feel his breathing).

Newborn baby at hospital on the day he was born
At the hospital with baby Sam on the day he was born!

The day before I went into labor, something felt off. I was in a lot of pain and couldn’t move. I was originally going to have a c-section because he was breach (feet-down), but then a few weeks before birth, he flipped, so I was going to try to have what a TOLAC – trial of labor after cesarean (the twins were both feet down so I had a c-section with them, and I ended up going into labor when I got to the hospital.)

Similar to the twins, I started having contractions and going in to labor as I got to the hospital! When I got admitted and on to the labor and delivery floor, I was IN THE SAME ROOM as when I delivered Ben!!

I was in ‘pre-labor’ having contractions all night (I lovingly joke that Nick slept through ALL of it, the nurses – who are all angels- and doctors – I gave birth in a teaching hospital so it’s residents, fellows, attendings…lots of people- were coming in what seemed like every hour – they check your cervix and see how dilated you are and how you’re progressing with labor).

Keep in mind, shift change is at 7am. The sweet nurse was saying how she probably wouldn’t get to meet baby Sam. At 6am when they checked my cervix I was “complete” and I was given the go-ahead to start pushing. If you’ve ever been around childbirth/labor you know this can be a very long, strenuous process.

I started ‘active-labor’ at around 6:20am, and after about 3 pushes, the nurse went to get the doctors, and then with the doctors another 2-3 – TWO TO THREE- pushes, baby Sam was born at 6:40am!!!!

Newborn baby being held by dad
Baby Sam looking like a little gnome – being held by dad!

It was insane, absolutely mind blowing how fast it went. The nurses/doctors who had been there all night did in fact get to meet baby Sam. He came out so fast his head was round because he hadn’t spent a lot of time in the birth canal (sometimes, like with Ben, when babies are born they have cone-shaped heads lol).

Things have definitely changed in terms of after-birth protocol at the hospital. Instead of whisking the baby away to clean and measure the baby, they let you hold the baby and do skin-to-skin for a minimum of an hour. It was so special. Baby Sam also peed on me 3 times right as he was placed on me!

I hadn’t eaten since the previous day breakfast, and immediately after labor I was SO HUNGRY. You can only have clear liquids during labor – so I had had jello, yay, but 1 little jello cup is not filling. I didn’t have any chicken broth, because I had that during Bens labor and puked it all up, something I’m clearly still remembering, so I didn’t want to have a repeat performance.

hospital food - omelette for breakfast and grilled salmon and baked potato and broccoli for dinner

They rolled me and baby down to the recovery floor around 8, it seemed like they were in a rush to, and it turns out they were, because the entire labor/delivery floor was full, and women were going into labor in the triage rooms!

As soon as I got down to the recovery floor I could get something to eat – hallelujah!

Ok, what to eat at the hospital? Their veggie omelette, English muffin and side of fruit, it seemed like the best meal ever, it was delicious! Then for dinner I got their grilled salmon/broccoli/baked potato, and it was great!! Nick tried some other things from their menu (quesadilla – he said it was a big no-go.)

Another funny food-related hospital thing – when I was getting an epidural (thankfully this time I got it in time, with Ben I got one but it was way too late) the doctor said I’d feel “spice” “like a pumpkin spice latte” – that truly made me laugh, because a-it is soooo painful, and b- it’s more like a bee sting, and they’re giving it to you while you’re having contractions, so it’s a lot of pain on top of pain, and the doctor was kindly telling me it was like a pumpkin spice latte as my back was on fire.

Sleeping baby in a docatot next to laptop
Baby Sam in a docatot next to me as I type

What’s baby Sam like? He is a sweet little angel baby. As I mentioned above, he is so much quieter than my other kids were when they were newborns. He’s doing really good, and his cheeks are filling out. His siblings call him Sam-Ham, and it’s a nickname that I think is going to stick. He is just a little Ham! He had thrush so he needed some meds to clear that up, but he’s been a champ about it. And if he can sleep through the other 3 kids and all their noise (they’re SO LOUD) I hope that lasts and carries on and translates into him being a good sleeper.

Siblings introduced to new baby
Siblings being introduced to baby Sam

How is my recovery/life with 4 kids going? When you get home the drugs start to wear off, your hormones are all over the place and you feel like you’ve been hit by a truck, you’re trying not to bleed everywhere and navigate going to the bathroom…you have “supplies” to go to the bathroom with and then every time baby makes a sound you want to make sure he’s ok, and then you have to track how many times the baby has a wet or poop diaper and what time you feed him and how much he eats…all this to say, it’s a lot.

Recovery this time has been different. It’s faster and slower in some regards.
Faster in the sense that I was discharged from the hospital within 24 hrs. Sure I could have stayed an extra day, but why? Sam was good, I could walk, I wanted to be home to recover.
But…3 toddlers at home is a lot.
The first night I was home, I my adrenaline was so high that I couldn’t really fall asleep, and laying flat felt weird, and then every little sound woke me…and then Ben was in our room a bunch up in the middle of the night, and then I couldn’t fall back asleep, so I felt like a zombie.
With Ben he was in the NICU for a week right after his birth and I was still so focused on him I didn’t really care about myself.
With the twins, there was two of them and we kind of were just getting through it to survive lol. And I had a c-section, a really good one where I took 2 year old Ben to a parade a week after giving birth!
Also, with Ben and the twins, I produced not a drop of milk, I tried with lactation consultants and everything with Ben, and with the twins when it didn’t happen I was fine with that…again, twins, two feedings at a time, it was probably for the best.
Mom holding week old sleeping baby
Holding a happily fed, week old baby Sam
Now it’s different. I’m at home, and my milk is slowly coming in, so I’m trying the whole breastfeeding/pumping thing, which is a whole ‘thing’ in and of itself – so many parts and cleaning of stuff and time consuming!
The three older kids have been so sweet with baby Sam, I feel so lucky and full of love. Four kids. A family of SIX! Wow! Hope you’ve enjoyed reading the baby Sams birth story!
Family of 6 on a blue couch indoors
Our family of 6!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rita Kelnhofet says

    December 3, 2021 at 6:37 pm

    Love the photo of family of six, haven’t figured out who is the craziest yet. Dad, mom or the little ones. Going with dad and mom. Love all of you

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 7, 2021 at 11:25 am

      Aw thanks rita, and lol, mom and dad for sure. Love you!

      Reply
  2. Vickie says

    December 3, 2021 at 5:03 pm

    Wonderful Story and Beautiful Family !!!!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 7, 2021 at 11:25 am

      Thank you so much!!

      Reply
  3. Sally says

    December 3, 2021 at 3:58 pm

    Congratulations!! Such an amazing family! Wishing you and your family all the best!! Sending all my love🥰🥰❤️❤️

    Reply
  4. Sally Zucker says

    December 3, 2021 at 3:57 pm

    Congratulations!! Such an amazing family! Wishing you and your family all the best!! Sending all my love🥰🥰❤️❤️

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 7, 2021 at 11:25 am

      Thank you so much for the well wishes!

      Reply
  5. Mary W says

    December 3, 2021 at 1:06 pm

    I’m so glad you answered all our questions! I find it interesting how different childbirth can be for women and yet it all seems so familiar. Happy babyhood!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 7, 2021 at 11:26 am

      It is always fascinating to me too how different it is for every woman and every birth!! Thank you so much for the well wishes!

      Reply
  6. Jill says

    December 3, 2021 at 10:15 am

    So sweet! Thanks for sharing. And as a Grandma
    it’s the best gift one could ever have as I love mine so much

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 7, 2021 at 11:28 am

      Thank you for your sweet comment, the kids are so lucky to have grandparents (becoming a mom has also made me appreciate my parents and my in-laws even more than I already did, I feel so lucky the kids get to have grandparents in their lives!)

      Reply
  7. Stacey says

    December 3, 2021 at 10:02 am

    THANKS for sharing!!! So many congrats!!!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 7, 2021 at 11:28 am

      Thank you so much for your kind words!!

      Reply
  8. Andrea rentea says

    December 3, 2021 at 6:11 am

    Beautiful description of Sam’s birthday and being welcomed by the siblings. Amazing you already wrote a report so soon. Thank you so much

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      December 7, 2021 at 11:48 am

      I’m so happy you enjoyed reading about his birth story (I was jotting down little notes while pumping the first few weeks!) he’s such a sweet little addition to the family.

      Reply

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