Shelby Martin still can’t believe she gave birth to a nearly 13-pound baby.
This past summer, the Tennessee-based mom had the “perfect birth plan” in place before her fourth baby came into the world. Everything changed, however, when she and her partner, Joshua Thomas, found out their baby was measuring big.
“There was a real risk he could get stuck during delivery,” Martin, 30, shared with People in an interview published Tuesday, October 21. “That changed everything. I knew the safest choice was a C-section, and thankfully, I had an amazing OBGYN and care team at TriStar Centennial who I trusted completely. Sure, I grieved the loss of my ‘perfect birth plan,’ but looking back, I’m just so grateful.”
With help from a group of doctors and nurses, Martin and Thomas, 27, welcomed son Cassian at HCA Healthcare’s TriStar Centennial Women’s Hospital in Nashville on July 29.
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“After loss comes light. Just one year after experiencing an unimaginable loss on her birthday, this mom welcomed the greatest gift — Baby Cassian — who now shares the same birthday as her,” the hospital wrote via Facebook on September 22. “Born at 12 pounds, 14 ounces, he is the largest newborn delivered at TriStar Centennial Women’s Hospital in the past 3 years. Their story is a beautiful reminder of resilience and love.”
According to Martin — who experienced pregnancy loss one year earlier — baby Cassian briefly had to stay in the NICU for 10 days.
While some may assume it was due to his size, Martin said it was because he was born early. As a result, his lungs were still a little underdeveloped, and his glucose levels weren’t steady.
“Everyone was amazed by his size! He made such a big impression that nurses and doctors from all over the hospital came by the NICU just to meet him. He quickly became a little celebrity during his stay,” Martin shared with People. “Every time we visited, someone from the care team was already snuggling him. They truly adored him, and as a first-time NICU mom, that meant everything to me. Knowing he was so loved and cared for brought me so much comfort.”
As baby Cassian continues to enjoy time at home with his older siblings Elijah, 9, Waylon, 8, and Jonah, 7, Martin is in awe that she had such a big baby inside of her.
“We had a heads up that he was going to be big, but I would have never guessed almost 13 pounds,” she said. “Looking back on bump pictures, I probably should have known.”
To this day, Martin also can’t stop thanking the hospital staff who took care of her family during an unpredictable time.
Celebrity moms are becoming more and more open about their pregnancies — and have started sharing their postpartum bodies on social media. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Please enter a valid email. Subscribe By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly […]
In a Facebook post, Martin commented that she “couldn’t have asked for a better team to take care of our boy, or a better hospital to take care of dad and I.”
Martin added that she holds a special place in her heart for other moms and dads who find themselves in the NICU.
“This was my first NICU experience, so having to ask permission to hold him and seeing him attached to tubes and monitors was all so new to me,” she recalled. “Coming home without him was the hardest part of it all.”