All About the Gosselins: Birth Stories

I always knew I wanted our kids to be close in age. I grew up with brothers and sisters that were all roughly about a year & a half to two years apart. When I found out on February 7th, 2007 that I was expecting a little bean, I was surprised, to say the least. I had taken a test a few days prior and it had been negative. But I didn't feel right so Friday night, before going to church, I decided to take another so I sent the hubby out to buy one at the store.

Once again, I was lucky enough to have a blazing PREGNANT shining back at me. I love those digital tests. No guessing lines... I was due October 18th, 2007.

I was working at Granata's at the time as a waitress. I know that it would've been okay to keep working for a little while longer but the second I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to take it easy. I constantly felt tired so I gave my two weeks notice. I didn't want history to repeat itself so at that time, I took it easy.

It was tough with a 19 month old baby boy running around to stay on the couch. I was very sick, like I had been with Charlie. Almost everything I ate came back up not too long after. In May of 2007, we got the opportunity to move into a bigger house with a backyard. We jumped at the chance. I took advantage of all the pregnancy glory and barely had to unpack any of the boxes at the new house.

At 18 weeks, I was so thrilled in to find out that our new addition would be a little girl. I started planning her nursery, pulling from the ideas I'd been dreaming up almost my whole life. I'd always wanted a daughter.
I spent much time watching TV with my baby boy. He said bebe Kate whenever he touched my belly. He kissed my stomach and hugged it at every chance he got. I named her the name I'd loved for as along as I can remember ever loving a name. Katelyn. Kate for short. I loved the classic-ness of it.

J threw my shower in August of that summer. It was perfect in every way. She was already quite a lucky little girl... Miss Kate.

I started getting less nauseous but when I did throw up I had a few scares when I started throwing up blood.
I was hospitalized and diagnosed with Mallory–Weiss syndrome. That was all kinds of scary. The tests they had to perform to diagnose that still make me gag to this day. They wanted to perform exploratory surgery to see if there was something much more serious at hand but I refused. To put me under general anesthesia and possibly harm my baby girl was out of the question. I stayed in the hospital in the antepartum unit for 2 days, banned from eating anything that wasn't clear or liquid. Do you know how hard that is for a hormonal, pregnant woman?! I thought then, that I was destined to never have an uneventful, normal pregnancy.

Come September, I was sure I would have had her due to my experience with Charlie. I had never been that pregnant before and as much as I LOVED feeling her kick and poke and hiccup, I was really uncomfortable.
On her due date, I went in for an induction. I don't know why I was induced when I think back on it. I wish I wouldn't have.

I checked in the morning of October 18th hoping to have her past midnight so that we could both share birthdays on the 19th. Pitocin & Cervidil were administered. The wait was almost unbearable. I sloooowly made progress and dilated.

Friends and family filled my labor room throughout the day. We laughed and talked. I loved the feeling of everyone there. All excited to meet the newest little miracle...

I was given a shot of Stadol to help me sleep... this was a wonder drug. Once it hit my IV, I was out. I'm talkin' 10 minutes later while I was saying something to Eric, Jaclyne and my mom I started slurring. Then I knocked out. I slept for quite some time not knowing or caring who was there.

When I woke up it was the 19th.Sill no Kate. All day long I labored and finally, at 4 centimeters, I was given an epidural. At least then I was more comfortable. My little Charlie was brought to visit me for a little while.

I was feeling pressured. Everyone was waiting to meet Kate. They were in the waiting room, in my room in the hallways... Boo Bear gave me a foot massage she learned that was supposed to speed up labor. The 19th came and went...still no Kate. She wasn't ready yet.

Things got serious. Everyone was sent to the waiting room, by the nurse on duty, Kimberly, for being too loud and I could better focus. She guided me through what I felt was the impossible. She told me to breathe when I thought I couldn't, she told me to get a hold of myself when I was crying and she made me do what I had to do to get to where I needed to be. I was very grateful to her. I wanted to hug her right then. I felt the need to push and my mom was there beside me, rubbing my hair. I kissed her and J goodbye at 5:30am and was wheeled to the delivery room with a once again blue jumpsuit-clad Eric.

With strict instructions to take photos just as he had done so wonderfully with our firstborn, he gripped the camera with one hand and held my hand with his other. I squeezed tight. I know I hurt him, but he never said a word. An hour and a half later, at 7:03am, Katelyn L. Gosselin was born. She was huge compared to Charlie was, weighing in at 7 lbs 9.4 oz. and she was 21 inches long and as BEAUTIFUL as can be. She came out crying and I said aloud to myself, "That's my Kate." I felt a peace wash over me. I said my prayer and thanked God for another chance to witness the most amazing thing in the world.

Kate's first photo

Kate with Nurse Kimberly

She was just breath-taking with her little head full of black hair and her soulful, deep eyes. I fell in love hard. The smell of her neck was intoxicating. She rocked my world.

We both look a little bit roughed up.

But I was in heaven, my first time holding this strange, familiar, beautiful creature outside of my body.

First father/daughter photo

I was in the hospital for only 1 day. Kate had very few issues but one little problem arose. She tested positive for Coombs disease (a blood incompatibility). Luckily, she never got any bad jaundice from it like babies sometimes do.