Happy (almost) September! What a whirlwind it has been over here at Casa De La Schmaderer. We welcomed our sweet baby on August 20th and we have been in our newborn, baby bliss bubble ever since. I finally had the chance to sit down (with baby strapped to me of course) to write out our birth story. This is our third and last (???) baby and my emotions have been all over the place! There is just something so so special about the last. I have cherished every little moment so much more. Maybe it is because I have a good grasp on realistic expectations during the newborn and postpartum phase? Maybe we feel more at ease with sleep schedules? Or maybe it is just the pure fact we know we are in our “lasts”. Whatever it is, this baby has brought me so much peace. Lets get into the birth of our SON (insert crying emoji)!
MEET OUR SON
Brody Robert Schmaderer
8.20.23
12:31pm
7 pounds 7.5 ounces
Our son made a quick entrance into the world & an even quicker entrance into all of our hearts. My entire pregnancy I felt the word “warrior” strong in my being. I knew I was carrying a child that would heal me in so many ways & he truly is everything in life I never knew I needed. He is named Brody Robert after the two most influential men in my life; my Husband & my Dad. These two men that have fought for me in so many ways & are my daily warriors.
The weekend of 8.19-8.20 will be one that we will never forget! My parents got in from roadtripping from Nebraska around 6:30am on Saturday. When my doctor told me at my appointment that previous week that I was 2-3cm dilated and 50% effaced, I told them to come earlier than they had originally planned. We do not have family here in Phoenix and I was concerned who would watch the girls while I was in labor at the hospital. The girls were not allowed at the hospital during certain hours or even in certain rooms so my anxiety was at an all time high before they arrived. We had plans in place in case baby came before their arrival, but any parent would want family to be the ones to watch their kids. It felt like 100 pounds was lifted off my shoulders once they arrived and I finally felt at peace to welcome our baby at any point moving forward. I just turned 39 weeks and I was ready both mentally and physically! I had slight cramping for the past few weeks, swollen face and feet, and an overall heavy feeling.
My parents offered to watch the girls for us so we could go on a date night and I am so happy we took them up on that offer! My favorite restaurant, Elements, had an availability for dinner that night so I booked it right away. Little did we know our sweet baby would be born that next afternoon! We enjoyed dinner just us two and headed back home for our last night before baby. I was up on and off from 3am on with cramping. It was a Sunday and we had decided we would just watch church from home since we were on baby watch. Since I knew I didn’t have to rush to get ready and it wasn’t quite contractions yet, I decided to just get up and relax in a warm bath. I had a work campaign to post for that day so I started editing in the bathtub with the feeling “If I don’t do these now and post, this baby will be here first!”.
Once everyone was up and eating breakfast, I went out into our garage and walked for a mile on the treadmill to ease my cramping. To ease the lower back pain from my big belly, I started doing slow laps in the pool. Reina joined me for about 10 minutes when I started realizing a warm fluid was exiting my body. I immediately got out of the pool to assess what was going on when the fluid stopped. I continued to be in the pool with her when I realized contractions were starting. I looked at Brody and said “I am going to go get ready for the day” as a signal that today could be the day our baby would arrive. As I was doing makeup, warm fluid was slowly escaping my body and contractions were starting to come on stronger. I remember my doctor telling me “If you feel anything, head to the hospital right away” and that’s what we did! I told Brody to collect our hospital bags and get the truck ready to go to the hospital. It was pure chaos in the house for about 20 minutes. The girls were getting excited baby was coming, my mom was frantically getting ready, and Brody was practically sweating with all the commands I was giving him to get us ready. I realized I had not eaten for the day yet which worried me since they do not allow you to eat once you are admitted and hooked to an epidural. Brody sliced me some fruit and we were out the door! I had to have a towel in between my legs the whole time since fluid was slightly coming out the entire time. We pulled into the hospital parking lot, I stepped out of the truck, and my water broke!
I was admitted into the labor and delivery unit right away. I was 5cm dilated and 100% effaced so it was only a matter of time before our baby would be delivered. Remember, we did not know the gender for this baby so Brody and I’s emotions were at an all time high. I was SO emotional prior to active labor. I was crying off and on in both excitement and anticipation to meet our baby and find out if we had another girl or a boy! It was a feeling I cannot explain, just all the tears!! I was brought back into the delivery room and got my epidural shortly after. The staff at the hospital were incredible, I cannot thank them enough for how kind and caring they were. My main nurse was heaven sent and truly did her best to ensure I was comfortable. She put me on the peanut ball and laid me on my side so I could relax until I was fully dilated to deliver. Brody and my mom were right next to me in the room. We had about 50 minutes before I had to push. We talked, laughed, and talked about what we thought our baby would be like…
Boy? Girl?
Blue eyes? Brown eyes?
Dark hair? Blonde like Noelia?
Hairy body? Olive skin?
It felt like an eternity waiting for the moment I would meet him/her and the moment was finally here. When the nurse realized I was fully dilated she called for the doctor and it was go time! At this point, I am still crying with anticipation. I remember looking at Brody and telling him “Its the last time”. He grabbed my left leg and my nurse had the other and I went right into pushing. To my surprise, I only pushed for under 3 minutes. This was a drastic difference compared to the girls! I could not believe how painless, seamless, and peaceful the birth was. The doctor allowed me to feel the head once it was pushed through and shortly after Brody announced…
IT’S A BOY!!!
Brody and I will never, EVER forget that special moment. We were both in tears. I was sobbing from realizing my Mama gut was true-I would be blessed with raising a son! Raising a son was something I wanted deep in my being for so long. His life is heaven sent, and I am not just saying that as a postpartum Mama in baby bliss. My little Brody came at just the right time in my life. A time when I have been actively healing from so much. This past Spring was one of the hardest seasons I have ever walked through. It made me realize I had some deep demons that needed to come to the light. Brody and I started therapy and started walking our healing journey hand in hand. When I was on a flight home from LA this past May, I started sobbing because I believe God was giving me a word, or a name I should say. That name was Brody Robert, a name to honor the two men that have fought for me relentlessly through thick and thin. I was on the plane listening to worship music and just sobbing with the realization I was carrying a boy. The lady next to me even asked me if I was okay from all of my silent tears! She was so incredibly kind! Little did she know how much I was going through but also how much God was revealing to me in that very moment. That is when I knew my baby was a Son, my warrior for Christ. My warrior I would raise to be a light to those around him for Jesus.
I am so excited to raise him and to show you all glimpses of him through social media. Thank you all for the love, support, and community. We are so excited for life as a family of 5!
