We are now 5 weeks 3 days postpartum and I’m ready to share Emmy’s birth story.

I had a high risk pregnancy due to a few factors, my first born was nearly 2 months premature with an underdeveloped digestive system and an extremely severe case of GERD (top 1%) not to mention I’d had an emergency c section with him (against my vaginal birth wishes due to him being breech) and I had a detached amniotic sac at 18 weeks (whatever that means) and was leaking amniotic fluid at 26 weeks. I was on daily progesterone along with added iron due to a low red blood cell count and was basically on bedrest. Not lifting up my little guy that last half of the pregnancy was so hard!

I had an 80% chance of delivering another preemie baby, and had an entire care team with weekly appts from 16 weeks on and sometimes two appointments a week. My doctors goal was for me to make it to 30 weeks.

It felt like a miracle when I went into labor the evening of 39 weeks and 5 days! My daughter was born in the early hours of week 39 day 6. Exactly one day before her due date. Amazing! We couldn’t believe we made it to full term!

I also spent my whole pregnancy praying and hoping for a VBAC and I did it! My whole labor itself was 8.5 hours with 15 minutes of pushing. Baby girl’s heart rate dropped several times during labor before pushing and they gave me medication to slow down my labor to give her time to recover while the prepped OR for the possibility of an emergency C Section. Luckily, we got her stabilized and I got to push. I was bawling my eyes out in terror because her heart kept dropping that when they let me push, I pushed as hard and fast as I could to get her out as quickly as possible so that she would be okay. I ended up getting a 2nd degree laceration (tear) but I didn’t care about my pain at that time. I did get the epidural but my left side was feeling all the pain since her heart rate would drop every time I was on my left side. We got her stabilized and the epidural fixed only minutes before I had to push, thankfully.

Moments after she was born, we noticed this huge bump at the base of her spine over her left butt cheek and we were so scared. Immediately my mind went to cancer tumor. The doctors kept saying they didn’t know what it was and didn’t want to hazard guesses until testing came back. I got 30 min of skin to skin and got her to latch, daddy cut her umbilical cord and they took her off to NICU for testing and observation. Once she was at NICU, she was not allowed to eat for 18 hours. I wasn’t allowed to nurse her and she couldn’t get the expressed colostrum drops I had put in a syringe for her, or any formula through a bottle because they didn’t know if they’d have to operate right away. They put her on a sugar water IV instead just to keep her going.

Over the next 18 hours she was examined, poked, prodded and tested by so many doctors and nurses. She got 2 MRIs, an X-RAY, an ultrasound, lots of blood draws. Poor baby was crying so much she lost her voice.

At around 7pm... 17 hours after she was born we found out that Emmy has terminal myelocystocele, a rare form of spina bifida and would need surgery at 3 months of age but could gone home with us after we got her weaned off the IV and got her on my breast with her blood sugar stabilized.

Emmy is 5 weeks old now and thriving. Her 6 week neurosurgeon check up is this Monday and all the tests will be repeated as well as selecting a surgery date.

Please pray for my beautiful princess!

Emmeline Marie Sedillo

Saturday 08.18.18

01:23am

7lbs 9.9oz

20” long

Emmy’s birth

3 days old just a few hours before being discharged from the hospital

Now 5 weeks old 💗

If you’d like to follow Emmy’s journey, you can via Instagram @strong_like_emmy