We welcomed Miss Ellie Mae on November 11, 2025! Though we are over ten months behind updating the blog about her, I do feel like the occasion deserves a recap of her birth story.
We survived the Connecticut road trip at 37 weeks pregnant. I was very stressed about the trip, in part because of the "what ifs" of going into labor unexpectedly away from home, and perhaps more so about blood clots and other related complications due to sitting for long periods of time in the vehicle. But we made it there and I was so relieved to be back.
I think Ellie definitely got the memo that I didn't want her born early. My last four babies were born 5-12 days after their due date, and she met that standard. At my 41 week mark on Saturday, November 8th, I woke up feeling panicky because I hadn't felt the baby move all night. I went in to the hospital to check on baby and the heart rate was fine. After drinking some orange juice and eating some breakfast, baby was moving again and I went home feeling much comforted.
On Monday morning I went in for my 41 week appointment which includes a non stress test and ultrasound. Once again, the baby had a great heartbeat but just wasn't moving much and I had to drink more juice to get her to move again. I had a bit of an explanation after the ultrasound when apparently this baby was measuring a whopping 11lb 4oz (and was just too squished to move)! I was in total shock as I have been overdue with most of my children, but they had all weighed within the 7.5-8.5lb range at birth. The midwife said she didn't think the ultrasound was accurate, but was probably a solid 9-10lb so they weren't going to let me wait any longer to have this baby. I was sent home to grab my things (and my husband) and be back in two hours for an induction.
At this point, I was in shock to hear I was having a big baby - and while disappointed that I wouldn't go into labor on my own, I was ready to have this baby after a long wait! We didn't know the baby's gender yet but I was pretty convinced it was a boy.
We arrived at the hospital around 1pm and had started checking in when the doctor and midwife came into the room to talk to us. They had been reviewing the ultrasound and gotten a couple other opinions and felt pretty sure that the baby was actually pretty close to the estimated 1llb 4oz, and when a baby is that big, it becomes more risky to do a natural birth than to do a C-section. Thus, the medical recommendation was to move forward with a C-section and we had an hour or so to discuss and pray about it. After much deliberation, we chose to schedule the C-section. That is when I realized I knew nothing about C-sections - had never spent any time researching them so that I would know what to expect - so I was very nervous and fearful. Hormones make things especially overwhelming at that stage of pregnancy, for those who are lacking that experience. :)
The surgery was scheduled for 10am the next morning (Tuesday), so we spent the rest of the afternoon, evening, and night waiting in our hospital room in nervous anticipation. I didn't sleep much at all. Knowing that I had to be aware of what my body was doing didn't help; if my contractions started picking up, I needed to alert them so they could switch to an emergency C-section during the night. Oh, and I couldn't eat or drink for about twelve hours leading up to it. Being apart from food and water at 41 weeks pregnant just makes me feel really anxious.
We made it through the long night and everything went smoothly. Though it was my sixth birth, I felt like a first time mom all over again because I had no idea what to expect. A C-section is a totally different birth experience. All I could remember about C-sections were the stories about things that had gone wrong for people and I had to keep reminding myself that this was a very common procedure and plenty of moms have smooth experiences all the time.
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| Daddy all ready for surgery! |
God was faithful! At 11:41am on 11/11/25, we heard "It's a...GIRL!" and Ellie Mae entered the room crying among all kinds of joyful laughs (all but the midwife had predicted a boy since I had always been right before, so the minority got it right this time)! I got a glimpse of Ellie going to the baby cart for her initial exam, and instantly I knew she was mine; she just had "the look!" The big question - how much does she actually weigh?? 10lb 10oz; the ultrasound wasn't far off! The midwife assured me we made the right decision to do a C-section.
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| The kids didn't know any details about the baby until they arrived at the hospital with Grandpa and Grandma Massner. It was fun to tell them about their new baby sister in person! |
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| All the proud and excited big siblings! |
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| Grandpa and Grandma Schulz - wearing pink for their new baby granddaughter! |
As for Ellie, she was a healthy girl but we did have to spend an extra day or two in the hospital so she could be under the bililights. Three of our six kids have needed this and I believe it is due to a blood type difference from mine.
Finally - after being in the hospital since Monday afternoon - we were discharged on Friday and were thankful to be home with the rest of our children again. They had spent the week with the grandparents and we are thankful for the village who chipped in that week, and in the weeks to come, to help our transition go so smoothly!
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| This girl has not been lacking for attention since day one! |
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| Ellie's first real bath! Wrapped in her Ethiopian bath towel from Uncle Justin and Aunt Darci who were in Ethiopia from October through December! |
We also enjoyed all of our visitors!
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| The Massner cousins all lined up! |
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| Ellie and cousin Myra |
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| Uncle Johnny & Aunt Brittany - and baby girl on the way! |
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| Adriana and Aunt Janette! |
As planned, we took off two months of homeschool to adjust to our new baby and enjoy the holidays. This really helped to focus on recovery and stress reduction!
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| School year pictures |
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| Family Christmas photo |
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| Mommy and Ellie - at Uncle Travis and Aunt Rhonda's Iowa wedding reception! |
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