Carole’s pregnancy with baby Max came as a surprise! After having difficulties and using Clomid to conceive her first child and experiencing two miscarriages, she didn’t expect to have more children. However, with Peter she found out she was pregnant almost immediately! This is their birth story!
The journey wasn’t without its challenges—Carole battled severe nausea from weeks 6 to 17, relying on Zofran and Reglan to get through. But compared to her first pregnancy where she wasn’t holding things down so well, this time was much smoother! She managed to maintain a healthier diet and stay active, kicking butt in karate classes until week 32, and walking throughout her pregnancy with minimal swelling. Regular treatments and massages, thanks to her doula Hanako Gotoh, kept her feeling great!
Maternity Photos
Carole, Peter, and Anya did a family maternity session at Chautauqua in Boulder when Carole was about 33 weeks pregnant. I joked about walking her into labor while we were taking photos! The next morning, Max had definitely dropped lower into her pelvis – she could tell because she could breathe so much better and fit her hand between the top of her uterus and her ribs for the first time in awhile.
The Start of Labor
Carole’s labor journey had its twists. Contractions led to two hospital visits—one in the Czech Republic at 32 weeks, and another at 34 weeks in Longmont United Hospital, where dehydration was the culprit. On January 1st, at 35 weeks and 3 days, labor really began though. Carole experienced early contractions and her water leaking, leading them to head to the hospital.
Labor and Delivery at Longmont United Hospital
As contractions intensified, Carole opted for an epidural, which gave her much needed relief. She comfortably and eagerly anticipated breakfast and her baby after that!
When it was time to push, Carole worked with her body to bring Max down, guided by her pelvic PT training. With encouragement from Peter and Hanako, and the support of Dr. Nalla, Max was born after just a few pushes. Carole’s reaction to Max’s arrival was heartwarming, and Peter’s role in cutting the cord and their immediate connection with their newborn was truly special.
Meeting Baby Max
Baby Max made his grand entrance on January 2nd at 8:27 a.m., weighing 6 pounds even! He was the very first baby born at Longmont United Hospital in 2024, so the staff surprised them with an amazing gift basket as congratulations!
Why Document the Birth?
“I chose to have my birth photographed because the rush of hormones makes you forget all the little details. I’ve seen so many births as a pediatrician, and I wanted to remember MY birth from that perspective as well. I’m so grateful that Kylie got pictures of all the little things they do – the CPAP, the vitamin K and eye ointment, the foot stamping, putting on the bracelet, clamping the umbilical cord… I’ve seen it all hundreds of times but it’s so special to be able to see that on my own baby. A lot of that happened while I was still mid-delivery (before the placenta was out) and I didn’t get to see the placenta at all except in a photo, so I’m really glad to have all of those pictures. I feel like I would have missed out on my birth details without those.”
“When I saw my birth photos I cried happy tears. I was overwhelmed with how beautiful it all looked, how she captured so many moments of connection and so much emotion between Peter and me, and all the close-ups of Max like his little feet and his umbilical cord. It was as if I got to be all over the room when it was happening instead of just in the bed watching from one perspective.”
The hardest part of looking at the images was picking my favorites, because they are all so amazing. I think the best ones are where you can see the excitement on everyone’s faces – the doctor as he was crowning, Peter throughout the whole thing, and Anya and my mom looking at Max for the first time.”
“Kylie is a ninja, it was like she wasn’t even there at the time, and then I saw all the photos and realized she had been all over the room. I don’t know how she got so many pictures without us even noticing she was doing it!”
-Carole
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