I am so thrilled to introduce you to Rhett Samuel Fagan! He’s 5 pounds, 13 ounces and 19.5 inches of mighty little perfect newborn baby sweetness.
I admittedly cannot believe I’m sitting down at the computer with a sleepy newborn baby swaddled up next to me… A newborn baby we initially thought we wouldn’t meet until next week and then learned maybe we’d be meeting later this week… but Saturday!? That shocked ALL of us!
Let’s back up a bit because Rhett’s birth story technically begins on Thursday at my 38-week prenatal appointment. I went in for a routine 38-week appointment late Thursday afternoon. Initially everything seemed normal until my ob/gyn measured my belly and it measured rather small. This happened with both of my previous pregnancies — I tend to gain weight early in pregnancy and my belly grows “normally” but then everything seems to slow at the end — so we initially weren’t overly concerned. My doctor said she wanted to do an ultrasound to be safe and check on everything so I waited for an hour to see our little one dancing around on the fuzzy black and white screen. During this time, I felt our baby move and already knew his heartbeat was strong so I tried not to let anxiety get the best of me which is, of course, easier said than done.
The ultrasound looked good. The fluid around the baby was good and our little one was moving well but the measurement of his stomach was rather small. I was assured he was perfectly healthy but that the size of his stomach meant that my placenta was, for lack of a better word, “expiring” and he might not be getting the nutrients he needed from me anymore. My doctor said she wanted me induced at 39 weeks because she felt that our baby would “do better out of my body than in my body” at this point and an appointment was made for an induction on Wednesday, September 2. We had discussed a 39-week induction at previous appointments but now the reason behind an induction completely changed. I was fully on board because it seemed like the safest option for our baby.
As I headed home, I felt my anxiety levels rise. An induction was uncharted territory for me and I began to struggle with a myriad of “what ifs” and concern for how our baby was doing in my belly if it already seemed like he wasn’t getting the nutrients he needed from me. Would everything be okay until Wednesday?
On Friday morning, I reached out to my ob/gyn’s office and requested an appointment with maternal and fetal medicine. I very quickly heard back from my doctor who had already sent the results and measurements from my ultrasound to maternal and fetal medicine earlier that morning. She called to tell me that I should head to the hospital to be induced that morning.
What!? While I knew this was a possibility, I was still shocked! Go to the hospital… NOW? Okay!
I am so incredibly grateful my mom was already in town and able to watch Chase and Ryder so figuring out childcare wasn’t a stressor as Ryan and I organized our things and got ready to head to the hospital. Thank goodness for Mae!!!
(Final family photos before heading to the hospital!)
We checked into the hospital around 11:30 a.m. and I felt like I was having an almost out-of-body experience. It was so strange for me to be walking into the hospital without experiencing contractions and it felt even more strange to think that only a few hours prior, we had no idea we’d be meeting our little one any earlier than Wednesday. The past 18 hours felt like one big whirlwind and, before I knew it, I was slipping into a hospital gown, getting tested for COVID-19 (I think that swab touched my brain) and hooked up to an IV.
I received Pitocin in small dosages of 2 milliunits (I think that’s the right terminology?) every 30 minutes beginning around 1 p.m. It took a long time to feel even a single contraction and when I did I told the nurse it was comparable to Braxton Hicks contractions and nothing “legit.” Hours passed by with little to no progress. My doctor checked me after a few hours and I was 2.5 cm dilated… only a 1 cm improvement from the day before when I was 1.5 cm dilated at my 38-week appointment.
Ryan and I joked that the afternoon we spent waiting for labor to happen was one of the most relaxing afternoons we’ve had in months. No work, no kids, no craziness… it was a little surreal!
Dinner came and went — a lovely array of liquid and broth-base foods — and since I was awfully hungry at this point and not permitted to eat any “real” foods, I basically inhaled everything.
Who knew hospital beef broth and lemon Italian ice could taste so good?
We kept going on the Pitocin train and met the next shift of nurses and the next doctor from my ob/gyn’s practice who is actually the wife of our boys’ pediatrician! She checked me and found that I was still only 2.5-3 cm dilated, though my cervix was thinning which she assured me was a great sign.
She suggested breaking my water around 10:30 p.m. and while I was initially hesitant, we talked through the pros and cons and she seemed confident breaking my water would trigger my body to recognize labor was happening in a way Pitocin clearly wasn’t doing for my body at the moment.
(Signs from the boys that my mom helped them make the morning of our induction.)
Breaking my water was all it took to get things moving! Very soon after that happened, contractions began to increase. They became longer and stronger and I was encouraged to request an epidural if that was part of my birth plan since things seemed to be escalating quickly. After I received the epidural, I apparently had a delayed reaction to the epidural (the first time this has ever happened to me) and 15 minutes later, my blood pressure dropped dramatically. I began to feel nauseated and extremely weak. Very quickly, my nurse had someone rush in with epinephrine which worked almost instantly and made me feel a million times better.
The epidural worked well though I still felt contractions stronger than my previous two labors. For a few hours, it helped dramatically with the pain… until it didn’t.
Around 1 a.m., I began to feel more and more pain with every contraction that passed. My nurse checked me and said I was 4 cm dilated and my cervix had thinned a lot… a great sign!
By 2 a.m. the pain from my contractions worsened further and my nurse said that from the way I described the pain, it sounded like I had a “hotspot” or a place where the epidural wasn’t effectively managing the pain. She called for the anesthesiologist but as we waited, the entire middle section of my belly below my belly button to the top of my vagina continued to feel immensely painful during each contraction. I was checked again around 2:30 a.m. and officially 6 cm dilated.
The most severe cramping I can describe took over and I found myself groaning as I attempted various laboring positions to manage the pain. I rocked back and forth on my hands and knees and groaned and did my best to breathe through the pain. Before the anesthesiologist had time to make her way over to our room, I turned onto my back and my nurse felt my belly during a break from a contraction and said she wanted to check me again even though it was only 15 minutes from the last time I was checked because she felt like our baby’s head had moved significantly.
I was officially 10 cm dilated which shocked all of us! After a slow start things clearly escalated very quickly at the end of my labor and I couldn’t believe I was about to meet our baby! My nurse asked if I wanted to attempt one “practice push” and I told her that with both Chase and Ryder, I only needed to push twice for them to come out and to be aware that this might be the case again this time. She encouraged me to do a “light push” and immediately saw our baby’s head and called for the doctor. Everyone rushed into the room and I did my best to refrain from pushing until my doctor was ready.
I gripped behind my legs and my doctor told me to push and then slow down as she helped coax our baby’s head out. I felt Rhett slip from my body and immediately looked down at our beautiful little one! I quickly saw that our baby was a BOY. A perfect, precious little boy and I was filled with so many emotions. In the moment neither Ryan nor I actually remember anyone saying we had a baby boy but clearly we figured it out and choruses of “It’s a boy!” filled the room!
I cried as Rhett was placed on my chest and Ryan hovered over our baby with tears in his eyes. A son! The feelings I had after Rhett’s arrival felt like the most wonderful mix of gratitude, relief and joy and the biggest exhale because our baby boy was here and he was healthy and okay and perfect. God is so, so good.
I wish I could somehow sift through all of the thoughts and emotions that come along with giving birth but I feel like I’m living in a daze of love and exhaustion and excitement at the moment. When Rhett arrived, I just felt so incredibly happy that he was here. HIM. The perfect addition to our family. He’s our third baby boy and already I can tell he’s his own perfectly unique little guy and I cannot wait to watch him grow and learn more and more about our littlest love. I love saying “my boys” and “my three boys” and the fact that I get to be a mother to three amazing little boys is something I will thank God for every single day of my life.
After Rhett was born and weighed, we learned that his small size meant he would need heel pricks every few hours to check his blood sugar levels. We went through something similar after Chase was born since he was also a small little guy and were grateful when all of his blood sugar levels came back okay. We were permitted to leave the hospital on Sunday afternoon and every day since has been a bit of a whirlwind as we adjust to life with the newest member of our family.
Chase and Ryder are so in love with their little brother. They love watching his “crazy faces” and laugh so hard when he does something silly with his mouth or blinks his closed eyes as he dreams.
Ryder now seems absolutely ginormous to us and imitates everything Chase does as a big brother which melts my heart. He likes to bring “Baby Whett” toys and we’re working on teaching him not to drop them on the baby’s face. Chase loves to hold Rhett and has a million questions about Rhett and nursing and mom’s milk. He loves talking to Rhett in the sweetest little high-pitched voice. He takes his role as “double big brother” seriously and wants to be in charge of pushing Rhett in his stroller, unwrapping him from his swaddles and supervising tummy time. My heart could burst.
We love you, sweet baby Rhett and I am so, so grateful I get to be your mama.
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
CONGRATULATIONS!!! So happy for your family! You are so blessed
Congratulations on your beautiful boy! What a great story… and those adorable, doting big brothers!!! 🙂
Congrats to you and your family, Julie!! He is adorable!! I’m so glad everything went well for you and that he’s healthy 💙. It’s funny, they did the same tests on me at 39 weeks because I was so small. In our case, he was just shoved into my organs (oof!). The hotspots are real and I’m glad you were able to be so strong through it all. Love the adorable big brother love. Congrats again on your perfect little dude crew!
I love this! I love hearing birth stories, no matter how he/she enters the world! I had a similar experience with epidural and needing epinephrine, mine was when they were telling me to push and I remember thinking “I can’t, I’m going to pass out!”
oh man, that’s so hard to have that happen when you’re ready to push!! it really was such a strange feeling — i just felt so incredibly weak, light-headed and nauseated at one time.
Thank you for sharing!
Congratulations!!!
Congratulations Fagan Family! God is indeed very good! You have a beautiful family and I’m thankful you share this amazing journey with us. Welcome to the world Rhett!
thank you so much, lauren!! <3
What a beautiful name and family! Congratulations to you all <3
So happy for your beautiful family! Enjoy every minute! Remember to give yourself time to recover/rest.
Oh my goodness, here was a blog post I wasn’t expecting to read this morning! (To say nothing of the fact that it’s probably one you weren’t expecting to write yet either, ha ha!)
He’s so perfect, and look at your two little blondies just loving on their new brother. So much joy in these pictures <3 I'm so so so glad that everything went okay for you, and even though it sounds like you got more of an unmedicated birth than you were planning on, I hope you are recovering well and getting the help and rest and support you need. Congratulations!
Congratulations on your newest baby boy! He is so perfect and I’m glad to hear that everything went well and you’re both healthy. I love all of the photos of your boys together – the sweetest. Did you use your phone to capture these photos or a “real” camera? The quality and lighting is just so great, I had to ask!
Enjoy these newborn days – they pass so quickly (as I know you’re well aware!)
thank you! i used my phone but i took the time to edit them in the VSCO app! it has various presets that make editing pictures SO easy. my favorite one is the AL1 preset because it brightens photos so well without making them look overly edited.
Congratulations on your beautiful baby boy, Rhett! Such a strong name for your newest son! I am so glad you are both healthy and happy and your induction was safe. God bless your incredible family!
CONGRATS!! I also had a reaction to an epidural with my first – blood pressure tanked to 55 over 26 but was able to bounce back as well. glad to hear you are all doing well! congrats mama!
Long time reader here again…congratulations to you and your beautiful family.
”…and we’re working on teaching him not to drop them on the baby’s face.” hahaha
Congrats!! I have two boys and love it! I experienced secondary infertility so I’m so blessed to have 2 healthy boys. Enjoy and I love his name!
Congratulations on baby Rhett’s safe arrival! He is perfect. I had my third baby girl 7 weeks ago, and I will never forget the moment we introduced her to her big sisters. My heart burst, and I cried all the happy tears. Also- I’m so glad you advocated for yourself as a patient and didn’t wait until your doctor reached back out. I had to do that during and after my pregnancy, as well, It’s something I’ve gotten better at since becoming a mom, but sometimes we forget to do that on our own behalf (easier to remember when it’s your kids’ health). Good job on bringing him safely into the world! Will be thinking of you during our own 3am feedings 🙂
thank you! yes! ryan and i actually talked a lot about that as we were heading in for my induction — how being our own advocate is really important (and critical) and something i’m learning to stronger about as i get older. something just didn’t feel right about waiting until wednesday if our baby wasn’t getting the nutrients he needed so hearing MFM felt the same way was all i needed to feel all the more confident about an induction being the best option for my baby + me. <3 and sending you good vibes for good sleep!! i was definitely awake at 3 a.m. last night right along with you! haha!
Congratulations on your newest baby boy! I’ve been reading your blog since before Chase was born and re-read all of your weekly pregnancy updates when I was pregnant with my first last year. Between my parents and sisters, we have “birthday season” with one birthday each month October through February and it was fun having something to celebrate every month (my daughter, husband and I have our own October through December). I was happy to see Rhett come a little early so your boys have their own little birthday season! These brother photos are so sweet.
Enjoy soaking up all the newborn awesomeness!
Congratulations! So beautiful!! My blood pressure dropped after epidural during my delivery in May and I also felt everything…so crazy how different each delivery can be. So happy for you and your family. Thanks for sharing your story. God bless!
What a beautiful birth story, and your boys are all precious! They are going to be one amazing squad. I’m sure they will be thick as thieves. Thank you for sharing, and I am excited to see all of the adventures your family will experience together. <3
Congratulations! My oldest turned 18 on Saturday so I’m especially fond of Rhett’s arrival date. I’ve been following your blog for many years and could not be happier for your precious family. You are so right – God is so Good! All the best to you and your boys!
I am SO happy for you all! Rhett is adorable! The pictures of him with his big brothers are too cute oh, especially the one where they are both looking at him oh, and the one where Chase is holding him and Rider is touching his little head. You are one blessed mama!
Things I could relate to in this post… I often say that waiting in the hospital room to give birth to my second son is the most relaxing day I’ve ever spent as a mom. Haha! As a fellow boy mom, I can tell you that you will never tire from saying “my boys” :-).
I cannot wait to hear in a future post about how you decided on his name. Reading all the names suggestions on your Instagram was so fun! You chose a beautiful name and you have such a beautiful family! Congrats Julie!
Ryder! Darn you talk to text… Though I seriously need to learn to proofread before I hit send!
Adorable ~ congrats to all!! The photo with all three boys ~ so cute. 🙂
I’m so happy for you! My son’s name is Rhett too!!! We called him baby Rhett for the longest time, but he’s going to be 3 this month. He was teeny as well, 6.25lbs. Apparently I had a small placenta, and I also had a knot in my chord. Its a miracle his a healthy big boy now! Its so coincidental that you posted this today because today is my birthday and your Rhett’s original due (9/9) is my husbands birthday! Well soak up all those snuggles and sleepy days, you know they pass all too quickly! Congratulations Julie!!!!
Soooo sweet!!!! I am so happy for you guys! Question – I noticed neither of you are wearing masks. Were the nurses masked up? Did they ask you to wear a mask even though your covid test was negative? Here in this part of TX, moms have to wear masks when they’re pushing regardless of their covid test results 🙁 Did you have anything wear covid-related during your labor experience?
We had to wear masks until my COVID test was negative. Other than that, it was a relatively “normal” labor in the midst of the pandemic.
Precious family!!!!
Welcome Rhett!!!
I love the pics of them all together!!
Congratulations! I’m so happy you had a positive experience and that baby Rhett is healthy!
The picture of your three boys laying on the blanket together is giving me all the feels!
Awesome! I couldn’t believe when my MIL who’s an LC at our hospital mentioned that moms have to wear masks regardless – made me so sad! I’m glad you had a good, positive experience despite the pandemic!!
Congratulations Julie!! I have been praying for you even before you confirmed your pregnancy. A healthy birth and beautiful baby boy- God is good! I also wanted to mention that, no joke, as you requested help for boy names, I literally thought you should name him Rhett. No lie! 😀 I am so happy for you and your growing family. Prayers answered!
Congrats on the beautiful family. Thanks for sharing the birth story, I’m expecting my first in 3 months and cannot wait to meet him/her 🙂
Congratulations!!! What a gorgeous family!! I absolutely love his name! Wishing you guys all the best!!
Such wonderful news, congratulations! I have 3 of my own and still cry reading people’s birth stories! Such a miracle. 💙💙💙
Congratulations! So happy for you all!
Sooooo much love in these photos. I’ve been a reader since puppy Sadie, and I still can’t get over the fact that you have three little boys. So stinkin’ sweet. They’re literally photo perfect and such a joy to see. Sending you positive/healing vibes from east Tennessee as you recover. I’m sure you have a wonderful support team <3
Congratulations to you and your family! He is so tiny and sweet. The pictures with his big brothers are so adorable…you can see the excitement and love for baby Rhett on their faces! Such an exciting time for you all:) Enjoy every minute!
Yay!!! He is beautiful!
I absolutely love reading birth stories. Thank you so much for sharing this deeply personal event. Hugs!
I honestly can’t believe you’ve even had the time/energy to write a blog post!! So proud (that sounds weird coming from a total stranger lol) that you advocated for yourself and your sweet Rhett. I’m a huge proponent of self-advocacy as it relates to anything medical because so often people/things fall through cracks. I’ve had it happen to myself several times and now, I just don’t stand for it. You knew you felt uncomfortable and voiced that for your baby. So happy he arrived safely and is healthy on top of being the cutest!! Congrats to all 5 of you…such fun times❤️
Ohh this made me cry tears of joy! Thank you for sharing!!! Enjoy this newborn time 🙂
Congrats on your sweet boy! I have 3 little boys and their is nothing better than the boy mom club! <3
Aw congratulations!! So happy for you guys, what a beautiful family! I’m 36 weeks pregnant and have an induction date two weeks from now… I wasn’t induced with my first so definitely feel you on the apprehension! Plus I had two friends who were induced and also had epidurals that didn’t work!!! Yikes, scary!! I noticed you didn’t have to wear masks in the delivery room? Was anything about your delivery/hospital stay different due to Covid?
Such a fun story! Congratulations to your beautiful family of 5! You deserve all the happiness!! 🙂
Sidenote: I tried searching on your blog, but couldn’t find anything. Any links to your matching overnight/hospital bags? Those are so fun!
In tears reading this as I’m 23 weeks pregnant with our second little boy. This just makes me so excited to grow our family and give my son a brother! All the love to you and your family!!
I totally teared up reading this <3 congrats, friend!!!
Thank you for sharing you birth story! I love reading them as every story is so unique! I am so glad your mom was already in town so you didn’t have to scramble for child care! I’m planning to have a c-section at 39 weeks and my parents will come around then but probably just before the c-section, not a week+ earlier. But I have a back-up plan (my best friend whose kids go to the same daycare). I had an induction with our son, too. Those can be extra tough labors because your tend to have more pain from the pitocin than you do from regular contractions. I got to a 9 with our son – with no epidural as I wasn’t able to have one due to being on blood thinners! I hated that I got so far and was so close to being able to push and then ended up needing a c-section but in the moment, I just wanted him out of me (his heart rate was dropping so that’s why I needed a c-section). It’s such a stressful time so the feeling of relief when you have a healthy baby in your arms is the BEST feeling!
Congrats again! He’s so beautiful and I love hearing how well your boys are adjusting!!
Congratulations!! I’m so, so happy for you and your family 🙂 The pictures of Rhett with Chase and Ryder just melt my heart <3 I hope your recovery and the transition into being a family of five (six with Sadie!) goes well. Sending you lots of love!
Congratulations to you and your beautiful family, Julie! It has been so wonderful following along as your family has grown. Thank you for sharing such intimate experiences with us. I remember following along with both Chase and Ryder because our two boys arrived shortly after they did. The gratitude I felt for being able to read the details of another mom’s journey was immeasurable. You are an incredible light. God IS so good and I am thankful for the hand He played in bringing your beautiful Rhett into this world. Congratulations Fagans!! He is perfect.
Congratulations on your beautiful, healthy baby boy Julie!! God is truly good and your family is so blessed. I hope you’re feeling well, and am looking forward to watching your wonderful family grow through all future adventures!!! God bless and congrats momma!!! <3
Julie, he is absolutely beautiful! The biggest congratulations to you, Ryan, and boys! I am so happy for you and enjoyed reading his birth story-wow, childbirth is a truly amazing miracle, every single time. God bless your sweet family!❤️
This birth story is so similar to mine! And I just had my baby on August 26th!
It was my first time being induced, pitocin did barely anything – only moved me further by 1cm but it did help me thin out. Then my midwife broke my water and that sped things up SIGNIFICANTLY. I never had an epidural with my first and I had planned on doing natural again this time around but the pitocin made the contractions SO much worse! I ended up asking for one but it never took 🤪
About 10 minutes after getting faulty epidural placed I had a couple strong contractions that made my body push so I told the nurse I felt like I had to push and sure enough I was crowning as my midwife was suiting up lol. 3 pushes later I had my second baby boy in my arms! Now we’re a family of 4 and big brother is around Chase’s age – he’s 5. He’s FASCINATED by the whole concept of breastfeeding and tries to help me pump, he even tries it on himself 😂
Congratulations to your beautiful family!
Congratulations to you all!!! He is such a beautiful blessing and a perfect addition to your boy crew!!
Congratulations mama and family! So beautiful! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Congratulations!!! He’s a beautiful baby and I’m glad your labor and delivery went well!