Meet Nula: Giving Birth at Seven Sisters with a Cleft Lip and Palate

Hello world,

I’m Nula Grace. Besides holding the record for biggest baby born at Seven Sisters to date, I have something else that makes my story a bit unique.

When my parents found out about me and did the 22-week ultrasound they were told that I would be born with a cleft lip and palate. They were told to return for another ultrasound to make sure everything else about me was healthy, so naturally they were filled with fear and worry.

My mom definitely did not like visits to the hospital for ultrasounds, because doctors would often respond with concern when she told them she didn’t plan to give birth in the hospital, but instead at a birth center with incredible, nurturing and comforting midwives. Their response was something like “she might need to be in the NICU for a few days.”

Even regular people were trying to sway my parents to move to a hospital “in case I needed special interventions”. Luckily, after the hospital visits, my mom would immediately call Seven Sisters so the midwives could calm her down and remind her that if they were concerned about my birth, they would let her know. They would never put either of us at risk.

Over the summer, my parents went to Boston Children’s Hospital to meet with the craniofacial team there. They did an MRI and ultrasound and once again, my mom felt that same fear and worry she did at the other hospitals. Someone was going to tell her that she needed to be in a hospital to give birth.

Instead quite the opposite happened. A few hours after all the testing, the surgeon called my parents and what he said went something like this. “I’ve reviewed over 1,000 photos from the MRI and ultrasound and it appears your daughter’s palate is completely intact, and just her lip and gum are affected.” Then he gave my parent’s an overview of the procedures and finally asked where my mom planned on giving birth.

As you can imagine, my parents both got a little panicked and when my mom said “I’m planning to give birth at a birth center here in Western Massachusetts, do you think that should be fine?” She got pretty nervous waiting for his reaction. What he said caught her a bit off guard in the best possible way. “Give birth where you feel comfortable. If the midwives feel good about it, and you feel good about it, that sounds great to me”.

Now, besides being a really big baby, I am also the first baby born with a cleft lip and gum at the birth center. As my due date approached, Kirsten, Ginny and the team did their research. They followed up and reached out to doctors “in case of a necessary transfer” and made sure anything I might need would be there. Like those little breathing masks, they ordered a bigger size so it could fit over my cleft, should I need it. They had Lex, their lactation consultant, on call in case I needed some support eating. All the bases were covered.

Finally, my due date came, then it passed, then with a little nudging and some tinctures I arrived on September 7, 2022 at 7:39 P.M. The story of my birth is one of my mom’s favorites – but we’ll save that for another time. But what I will say, is that I know my mom felt safe and comfortable during my birth, which made me feel safe and comfortable entering this world. Shortly after I was born, Lex appeared in the bed next to us to make sure I was able to eat. We tried some latching, but ended up syringe feeding for the first night. Which was great. Lex continued to support my mom and two days after I was born I figured out how to nurse.

I wanted to share my story with you because I love Seven Sisters for so many reasons. But the most important reason I love them is because they made my mom feel safe. I don’t know much about birth, but I know feeling safe is REALLY important. I also wanted to share my story with you all because if you are considering birthing at Seven Sisters you should. Even if your baby doesn’t fall in the category of “everything is normal” their birth can still be a beautiful one. Do your research, and go with your gut. It takes a village.

Our heartfelt thanks to Adrienne and John for sharing Nula’s story.