Lottie found out she was pregnant in May of 2020. She originally established care with an OB but after listening to so many birth stories where moms mentioned the importance of trusting your care providers, she transferred care to a midwife group at 24 weeks. Pregnancy was pretty easy and uneventful (Lottie LOVED being pregnant) until she noticed some brown spotting at 33 weeks. An ultrasound revealed asymmetrical intrauterine growth restriction—her baby’s head was measuring consistently with 33 weeks, but her abdomen was measuring abnormally small. To be safe, the midwives decided to do NSTs twice a week to monitor the baby.
A few days later Lottie listened to episode #512 of The Birth Hour where Grace Green shared one of her birth stories and discussed the importance of monitoring fetal movement, the stillbirth rates in America, and the Count the Kicks app. She was particularly struck by this episode and downloaded the app and started counting her baby’s kicks right away. Five days later, on December 8th, Lottie noticed her baby hadn’t been moving all morning. She spent the next hour actively trying to get baby to move while her husband packed the hospital bag. When there was still no movement, she went into the midwives for an NST.
The NST was non-responsive so they did a biophysical profile (BPP) which showed no breathing movements, fetal movements, or tone. At this point Lottie was sent to the hospital where she had an emergency c-section. Their baby girl, Clementine, was born not breathing but miraculously was alive. They found out later that Clementine had hemorrhaged in the womb and the decreased blood levels caused her brain to be deprived of oxygen (HIE). As a result, she had a grade III/IV intraventricular hemorrhage (brain bleed) that led to seizures and hydrocephalus. This led to a 50-day NICU stay but by the grace of God she is home now and thriving. Lottie and Kelly are loving their new life as a family of three.
Lottie O’Sullivan Bio
Lottie lives just outside of Winston Salem, NC with her husband, Kelly, and four-month-old daughter, Clementine. When she is not busy working as a credit analyst or snuggling Clementine, she enjoys making pottery, cooking, sewing, reading, visiting vineyards, being involved at her church, and hanging out with her “flossy posse.”
Resources
- Count the Kicks App
- The Birth Hour podcast/Know Your Options birth course
- Birth Without Fear – January Harshe
- Ovia Pregnancy App
- What to Expect Pregnancy App
- More about Clementine’s NICU Journey
- Two songs that were really helpful during our time in the NICU:
- Prophecy Your Promise by Bryan and Katie Torwalt
- Holy Fire by Vineyard Worship
Kindred Bravely
Today’s episode is brought to you by Kindred Bravely. From adorable maternity wear to comfortable nursing bras, this mom-owned company has you covered. See all of their comfy clothing at kindredbravely.com! I especially love their Simply Sublime nursing tank, their high waisted leggings (for pregnancy AND postpartum). Listen to this episode for a special coupon code and to hear about my new favorites in their summer line of clothing and loungewear!
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