After planning for a baby for years, the time finally came for Kayla and her husband to start trying. They successfully got pregnant fairly quickly, but found their timing to be all but perfect as news of the pandemic began to spread. Although adapting to this new way of life during pregnancy was difficult, Kayla had a relatively normal pregnancy and planned for an unmedicated hospital birth with midwives.
At her 38 week appointment, Kayla was told that she was 4cm dilated, fully effaced, and her water bag was bulging. Later that afternoon, contractions began and really picked up later in the evening. Around midnight, contractions were intense so her and her husband headed for the hospital. Upon arrival, Kayla was 8cm dilated, but contractions slowed way down and labor continued for 9 hours before pitocin was administered and she finally reached 10cm. She had a little cervical lip, so with the help of her midwife, she was able to push baby Denver out after a little over an hour. Her healthy baby boy was born at 11:33am on August 4, 2020.
Her postpartum period was relatively smooth since her mom was able to come down to Virginia for 3 weeks. However, after the initial excitement wore off, Kayla realized that she was dealing with some postpartum anxiety and saw a counselor for help with dealing with her scary thoughts. Seeing the counselor and working with some self-help techniques really helped, and Kayla is thoroughly enjoying being a momma!
Kayla Sikes Bio
Kayla lives in Portsmouth, Virginia with her husband, Trevor, and son, Denver. Her and her husband are both from North Pole, Alaska and came to Virginia because of Trevor’s job in the Navy. Kayla works for local government as a Wellness Coordinator and loves working with people so much that she’s currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Health. She enjoys being active and spends as much time outdoors with her son and husband as possible. Connect with her on Instagram @kayradee.
Resources
- Books:
- Know Your Options Childbirth Course
- Taking Cara Babies Newborn Course
- Employee Assistance Program
BabyCube
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