Sarah and her husband were ready to have a second baby in late 2020, but had to wait for Sarah’s pregnancy-induced hypothyroidism from her last pregnancy to be properly treated and under control in order to avoid miscarriage risks. Once that was resolved, Sarah got pregnant in February of 2021. Like her first pregnancy, Sarah experienced no morning sickness, but found the crushing first-trimester fatigue difficult to navigate with a toddler in tow. The second half of the pregnancy was more challenging- Sarah experienced severe Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD), also known as Pelvic Girdle Pain, and struggled to walk and deal with the constant pain. She also received a highly debatable Gestational Diabetes diagnosis, and struggled with high blood pressure readings during her midwife visits.
At 38 weeks 6 days, on Halloween, Sarah went into labor naturally. She took her 3 year old daughter trick-or-treating through active labor, put her to bed, and headed to the hospital. She was 6 cm when she arrived. She immediately received her epidural, and gave birth to her second baby girl, Clementine Hazel, 5 hours later on November 1. This birth was a truly redemptive experience after her first wild birth- peaceful, joyful, and absolutely perfect.
Postpartum ended up being much more difficult than expected, as Clementine came down with RSV at 11 days old. She fought it like a champ and never had to be hospitalized, but it was very scary! Adjusting to being a mom of two was also challenging from an emotional perspective- much more than Sarah expected. She also dealt with Postpartum Depression and Anxiety again.
Sarah Deming Bio
is 35 years old and lives in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband Misha, daughter Savannah, age 3.5 yrs, and daughter Clementine, age 4 months. She is the Manager of Business Operations for a strategic communications consultancy, and a mixed media artist with a small business, Sarah Deming Art. In her spare time, Sarah loves to read, garden, bake, knit, and enjoy the great outdoors. You can connect with her on Instagram @sarahdem418 or @sarahdemingart or by email: sae124@gmail.com.
You can listen to Sarah’s first birth story along with all of our archived episodes by becoming a Birth Hour Patreon supporter.
Resources
Doula Odile Penet
Expecting Better by Emily Oster
Mindful Birthing by Nancy Bardacke
Know your Options Childbirth Course + Back to Work Breastfeeding Module
The Birth Hour podcast!
Kindred Bravely– hospital gown, nursing pajamas, etc. (coupon code BIRTHHOUR for 20% off)
Aeroflow Breastpumps
Solly Baby and Boba X
Earth Mama perineal spray
My Brest Friend breastfeeding pillow
My Baby/Birth Amazon list
BabyIt from Fairhaven Health
This episode is sponsored by Fairhaven Health. Fairhaven Health offers a wide range of products for fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding and women’s health. Today, we’re highlighting a product from their vaginal care line – BabyIt Perineal Massage and Postpartum Gel. BabyIt is a water-based, isotonic and paraben-free gel designed specifically for perineal massage during pregnancy, and to soothe sore tissues postpartum. Fairhaven Health is generously offering 15% off of all products with the code BirthHour15 at www.fairhavenhealth.com
Just listened to this episode, anyone suffering from pelvic girdle pain please go see a chiro who is trained on the Webster technique. What a game changer from baby #2 pregnancy to baby #3 pregnancy!!!!