Caitlin is a blogger, former child therapist, and Mom of 4 (two by adoption and two by birth).  Read on as she tells us more about her surprise pregnancy with baby number 4!

Baby number 4 was a big surprise! We had been on the fence about whether or not we wanted to have another. When we found ourselves suddenly pregnant with this one, it was kind of nice that the decision was made for us.

It’s funny because since we are adoptive parents, everyone assumes we have fertility problems. In fact, we got pregnant with Elle on our first try and got pregnant with Luca without trying at all. So we are actually incredibly fertile people. Adoption was something we just wanted to do.

I took a pregnancy test on a whim one morning because I felt like I hadn’t had my period in a while. I was shocked when I saw it was positive! I called my husband upstairs and said “that test says I’m pregnant, but it’s really old and I’m sure it’s wrong!” After he went out and bought a few more tests, we realized it definitely wasn’t wrong. A few months later when we were ready to announce on Facebook, we took a photo of the kids holding signs spelling out “What’s one more?” and the last one saying “Baby number 4 coming spring 2016”. In our social circle it seems like no one has more than 2 kids, so needless to say everyone was shocked.

I’m going to be basic and say the second! Although my morning sickness was never severe, I did battle nausea all through the first trimester as well as fatigue. During my second trimester I had some energy and was able to continue my fitness classes as I did before I got pregnant. That lasted until around 30 weeks when I just felt so big and awkward. By the end of the third trimester I was completely OVER being pregnant.

For both pregnancies, the only product I really needed was my body pillow. It helps so much when you can’t seem to get comfortable laying down. With this last pregnancy I also had some intense cravings. The whole pregnancy I was obsessed with fruit salad. When I wasn’t eating it I was thinking about it. I even dreamed about fruit salad. Also for the last month or so I craved root beer floats. I made myself a huge one every night and I swear nothing has ever tasted as good to me as those root beer floats did when I was pregnant!

Nope! We love having the big surprise at birth. There is really nothing like it.

I was fortunate enough to have no complications during the pregnancy. The typical discomforts, back aches, etc but that was it.

I went into labor about a week before my due date, just like I did with my first. I was thrilled because I had been hoping to go into labor on a weekend (it made arranging childcare for my older kids much easier). The morning that I went into labor, I woke up feeling angry about still being pregnant. I had some contractions but only a few and they were mild. Then out of nowhere at 11am, I started having intense, painful contractions every 4-5 minutes. The contractions were really short though at around 30 seconds and I had been told to call when they were 5 minutes apart lasting for a minute. Since the pattern didn’t seem to fit the textbook definition of labor, I questioned if it really was. The pain was intense though, so I called my midwife. She told me not to waste time and to come right in.

The first real contraction was around 11am and I arrived at the hospital at 1pm. By 7 pm I was holding my baby in my arms. So the entire process was about 8 hours. For me it seemed like an incredibly quick labor and delivery. I only pushed for about 5 minutes!

I got the epidural shortly after they admitted me. I was already 5 cm at that point and the way things were moving I didn’t want to wait too long and miss my chance to get it.

My labor was actually an enjoyable experience. I had my epidural so I was comfortable, and I was laying in a bed chatting with my husband and sister. Being a busy Mom of 3, this felt like a vacation! The midwife was actually shocked when she came in and said I could start pushing and I asked, “do I have to?” Apparently I was the first laboring Mom she’d seen who wasn’t in a rush to have the baby! The absolute best part though was when my son entered the world. Our plan was for my husband to check and announce the sex of the baby. Instead, they placed him on me and we said at the same time “It’s a boy!” I was so overjoyed. My sister captured that moment with her camera and it’s a photo that can take me back to that moment in an instant.

I wouldn’t say there were any bad parts about my labor and delivery. The only slight complication was when they broke my water and told me there was meconium. For a moment I was nervous about that but they assured me they would have extra doctors there for the delivery to suction the baby immediately and make sure he didn’t aspirate. It turned out to be completely fine.

My big boy weighed in at 8 pounds, 11 ounces and was 20 inches long. He arrived at 7:04 pm.

Since this was my fourth child, I knew what to expect and didn’t struggle very much with the baby. He was a great nurser which helped a lot. The hardest part was probably trying to do everything for my other kids. My husband took a week or two off of work but I’m the one who really knows the kids’ schedules and routines. It was hard to step back and let him take control of them. My third child had a hard time emotionally when the new baby arrived, so I had to try hard to spend time with her and so she wouldn’t feel abandoned or displaced.

Your baby doesn’t know if you’re doing it wrong. Have confidence in yourself as a parent just go with what you think is best! Most of parenting is trial and error.

Lower your expectations and don’t sweat the small stuff. The first few weeks you will be in survival mode. Just focus on feeding your baby and sleeping when you can. The house can get messy, you can eat takeout, and you don’t need to say yes to visitors. Give yourself some time before you get back to normal life and do it at your own pace.

My journey to motherhood was not conventional and I feel like that’s given me a unique perspective on parenting. There are so many different paths to parenthood. I’m always looking to connect with other parents whose journey has been a little different, so please reach out on social media!