Embracing Motherhood: Personal Pregnancy and Birth Stories

In this podcast episode, Jacqueline invites her sisters-in-law, Rachael and Summer, to share their individual experiences of pregnancy and childbirth. Rachael discusses her pregnancy journey and her son's eventual c-section birth (on his due date!). Summer details her attempts to have a natural labor which ultimately resulted in a scheduled induction. Throughout their conversation, both moms also open up about the unexpected aspects of their journeys. Overall, their stories highlight the varied nature of pregnancy, the shared joy of motherhood, and the resilience of women.

00:00 Introduction and Welcoming Guests

00:19 Rachael's Pregnancy and Birth Story

05:47 Rachael's C-Section Experience and Recovery

11:12 Summer's Pregnancy Journey Begins

13:28 The Struggles of Pregnancy

14:10 Summer's Wait for Labor

19:02 The Long Pushing Stage

21:07 The Magic of Forgetting

22:07 The Joy of New Additions to the Family

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• 21:07 (Cont.) Embracing Motherhood: Personal Pregnancy and Birth Stories

Transcript

Hey, friends. I hope you had a great Valentine's Day. Over at my house, we started the day with a few little gifts we got for the kids. They're really into Pokemon cards all of a sudden. So Got them some of those, a couple little action figures, and then obviously hit up the dollar section of Target.

Got them a cute little puzzles, some candy, you know, just some fun stuff to start the day. And then, of course, their dad went and got Dunkin' Donuts. So it was a sugar filled breakfast of Valentine's day. And then I was lucky enough to go volunteer for the heart challenge  at my son's elementary school, which was a lot of fun. It's always a good time seeing him in his element and being inside the school, so I was happy to be able to do that.

And then to round out Valentine's Day we did something that I saw on Instagram, which was as a candlelight dinner with the kids. Some mom shared that they have a candlelight dinner every night with their kids where they turn the lights off, they light candles at their table, And she noticed a shift after doing it her kids were calmer. Everyone was just kinder around the dinner table and really focused on each other in conversation. So we gave that a try with our kids for a special Valentine's Day dinner, and It was a lot of fun.

It was just something out of the ordinary, and  I think everyone was really focused on dinner and happy to sit at the table and finish, you know, with a 4 and a 5 year old, especially my little guy. He's just always ready to  may I be excused? May I be excused?  And, you know, to help help things along, I did give them a dinner that they enjoyed and made a special dinner for my husband and I. So, It was a good time.

And then, of course when the boys went to bed, we were able to have dessert and wine and conversations just as adults, which was nice. So a quick update on our daughter and surrogacy. we are 31 weeks along. And earlier this week, we had a conversation. It was us and our surrogate, and someone from our agency.

Let a conversation so we could talk about our birth plan, we're getting so excited. I mean, time is ticking. I think we have, like, 9 weeks. Technically, probably, like, 8 weeks until, the induction date that was scheduled at 39 weeks and 5 days.

So we are Expecting our little girl mid April unless she decides to come sooner. But as history has proven, our surrogate in her last 3 pregnancies Has gone pretty much to her due date every time. So, Something I cannot relate to, but something I'm very grateful for and that she is just a rock star at pregnancy. birth plan conversation was really eye opening just with realizing that there are so many things that I just never experienced in a typical birthing experience. You know, they were asking her questions of how she deals with pain and how she likes to spend her time while laboring.

Does she like music? Does she like conversation? Does she You want people in the room, out of the room, all these different things. And in that moment, I was just like, wow. I  Definitely never experienced this.

You know? All of my deliveries were early, emergent um, or just very scheduled like my c section. So there was no laboring ever. There was no birth plan ever other than my scheduled c section. But yeah, very, very interesting.

And then, we were asked who wants to cut the cord, and, you know, my husband didn't really have any interest in it, but, honestly, not for any reason other than, like, it's just never been on his mind. He's never been given the opportunity, and he's never felt strongly 1 way or the other. He's done some other special things throughout The process of having our children, he was the first to hold Noah. He was there every step of the way with Hunter, and watched him grow outside of me for, like, a whole trimester. And he even gave blood for Hunter when he was in the NICU because they're a match. So he has Some very special connections with our children, and he was also the first to see our daughters. So I thought this time, I would take the opportunity and be the 1 to cut the cord. I am nervous about it, but I am looking forward to being a part of our daughter's delivery in any way that I can.

And it's just it literally brings tears to my eyes thinking of this moment to come. You know, I'm excited. It it feels surreal, and I'm also nervous. The more I think about the first time I hold our baby girl and lay eyes on her I know I'm going to be filled with so many different emotions.

You know, I'm I've been through it before. The joy and grief can coexist. You've heard me say this, and I know that as I'm holding her for the first time, I am going to just be overwhelmed with all the emotions, just in disbelief that she's here with us and sad for our daughters that we're missing. Happy that I can watch this baby grow up and sad  looking at her and imagining just how her sisters would have been.

So lots of emotions, mostly grateful and excited, and I can't believe how quickly time has gone. So I just wanted to take this time for everyone listening. I just wanted to thank you. Thank you for all the well wishes. Thank you for the positive thoughts and prayers throughout this pregnancy and this whole surrogacy process.

We've come a really long way. And, at 31 weeks, I'm just so grateful for the health of our surrogate and the health of our baby. And I probably couldn't have got this far without all of you and without my unofficial therapy of chatting on the microphone every week and having beautiful conversations with so many different people who are in our corner. So Just wanted to take this time to say thanks. Today's episode was going to be a really long 1, to be completely honest.

I recorded a Super fun conversation with my sister in laws. Like, we have, like, an hour and a half of audio coverage. But, unfortunately,  after recording and starting to edit, I realized the audio quality Was not great. You know, with this podcast, the more I'm adding things and the more I'm learning I'm still a 1 woman show, so there's always a learning curve with everything that I'm doing and trying to get 3 different people To record correctly and get the right audio and record in person, which is something I don't usually do. Usually, I record with guests on Zoom because Guests are all over the place.

But given that they're my sister in laws, we tried to record in person, and I realized after the fact that the audio is just not not where I look like it. So today, I'm gonna share the first part of our conversation where my sister in laws share their  motherhood journey, their birth stories. And then we are planning to rerecord to fully capture the rest of our conversation, which was all about baby products, tips and tricks and everything related to newborns. So if you are expecting or have a newborn at home, stay tuned for an episode with all the baby product advice getting 3 different opinions on everything. And I myself am excited for it because like I've mentioned, it's been almost 4 and a half years since I've had a newborn, and I feel a little rusty.

Not in, like, the actual momming department of everything, but, like, in regards to what products are out there, what everyone's doing nowadays,  sleep training and feeding and just, You know, with every child, you learn a little bit more, and I'm just still trying to navigate how I might do things differently or what I might do the same this time around. So Get excited for that conversation. It will be coming your way shortly, but really wanted to make sure the quality was good enough for you to hear because it was a beautiful conversation and So helpful for me,  and I just love to picking their brains about everything given the fact that they are first time moms, and both of their kids are around 1 years old. 

So that rerecorded episode will be coming your way soon. But today, I would love for you to hear their birth stories. So after marrying her college sweetheart, my brother, in the summer of 20 21, Summer and my brother Joey happily welcomed their first baby in June of 20 23. As a young new mom in the midst of balancing motherhood responsibilities, Being a good wife and successful professional, she decided to make a change. Now Summer has the joy of being home with her vibrant 7 month old while continuing to follow her passion as an interior designer on a part time basis. This present season of her life is focused on slowing down, enjoying the small moments with her daughter, embracing the role of mama and supporting her husband and loving on her little family. 

And Rachel, as a wife and new mom, her days are a beautiful blend of embracing the joys of Family, motherhood, and channeling her creativity as an interior designer. Balancing the demands of parenthood, Rachel finds inspiration in the tiny moments, infusing her designs with the love and wonder that come with being a mom. Rooted in her faith in God, she navigates this beautiful journey, crafting both spaces and memories with a heart full of gratitude.

Take a listen as Summer and Rachel share their journeys into motherhood. 

Welcome to the podcast, ladies. Today, everyone listening, I have my sister in laws on the podcast. We've got Rachel and Summer here, and I am just excited to have them here share their own motherhood stories. They are first time moms  Very excited to have you guys here today. 

Thanks for having us, Jacqueline. We're excited to be here. Yeah.

  Let's start off just kind of introduce yourselves. Rachel, we'll start with you. Introduce yourself. Tell us, you know, a little bit about your pregnancy, your birth story. Love to hear it. 

Yeah. So I have 1 son. He is 13 months old now  my pregnancy journey was really textbook. Generally, pretty easy. I did have a lot of heartburn. I was taking Pepcid twice a day for, like, all 9 months but I didn't really have, like, any extreme nausea in the beginning, which was great. Obviously, you're really tired and, you know, just exactly what you would have expected from A pregnancy, especially your first 1, you have no idea what to expect. But it was magical. Honestly, I loved it.

I wasn't ready to be done Even Yeah. I mean, I had our son on his due date, and I feel like I could have gone for, like, another week or 2. I do think he would have been, Like a 41 weeker. Yeah. Had I let him do his thing, he was pretty comfy inside for sure.

I still can't believe you had him On on his date. 

Never happens. 

So not very common. You'd be interested with that percentages of how many babies are born on their due dates. But 

I feel like I've looked it up before. It's not high at all. No. Like Yeah. 

Yeah. It's It doesn't happen. 1 day you can guarantee you're not gonna have it. Right? Yeah.  Yeah. Right.

I remember, like, while I was, you know, being neurotic and planning out all the days, and I was like, oh my gosh. If he goes a week late, I'll be in the hospital On Christmas. Yeah. So  he was born December sixteenth, and my birth story did not didn't really go as I Had expected. So because of my BMI prior to getting pregnant, they were a little bit worried about possible placental  Failure in late term of my pregnancy. And so they didn't want me to go past 40 weeks. So if I got to that 40 week point, they were going to  ready. Yeah. I was 0 percent effaced, Not remotely dilated. 

First baby vibes.

Yeah. First baby vibes. Right? He was pretty cozy. He didn't wanna come out.

Yeah. So I went in on a Wednesday night. I literally worked up until, like, the like, going into the fall. Yeah. I worked all day, came home.

I had pancakes and scrambled eggs for dinner. Nice. And I was like, this feels like my last meal. 

What am I gonna have before I Walk in there. 

Yeah. And lo and behold, it was for, like, 3 days to eat because that's Yeah. As well. So started with, a medication called side attack, which is supposed to ripen your cervix. It's a lovely term. And then the next day, they started Pitocin.

And so, Typically, they max out your Pitocin level at, like, 20, but with doctors, like, permission and go ahead, they can bump it up a few levels. So For 2 full days, I was on a level 22 of 20 and genuinely not really feeling Anything. I knew I was having contractions because I was seeing it on the monitor.  I was maybe max out of 5 

in terms of pain. So I kinda count myself lucky. I feel like I got to experience, like, all the little Fun parts of labor because ultimately, my birth story ended up with a c section, so for failure to progress. So Jacob was, like, nestled right into my Yeah. Colon and kinda cocked.

Like, his head was on his shoulder, and so he was not Coming down the birth canal at all. Yeah. And by the time we decided to just go ahead and proceed with a c section,  I've been there for, at that point, like, 30 hours or something. Yeah. 

Mind in the hospital. I mean, you can relate to that 2. Yeah. 

So we were also in isolation because when I was admitted Yeah. To  the hospital, like, my mom flew in from Texas to be with me and got in, and they did a COVID test. This was just a mere 6 months before you had your baby somewhere, and they were still doing COVID tests and Tested positive even though even though I was asymptomatic.

And so mom had to leave. Jake wasn't allowed to leave the hospital room otherwise. Yeah. I had to, like, quarantine. Yay.

We were in isolation, basically. Like, they had to put their whole PPE garb on for anybody to come in and help us. So, Yeah. But, honestly, it was a blessing because because I had worked up until the day I went into the hospital, like, Jake and I haven't gotten a lot of time To spend with 1 another. And so those 3 days in the hospital before having the baby were 

Oh, that's true. I never thought of it like that. That's like a nice pause. 

Yeah. And so I know you joke sometimes that, Like, the hospital was like a hotel, and I have genuinely called it the hotel. 

This day, I was I swear in a recent episode, I, like, I had to edit it because I was like, oh, in the hotel. And I was like It's not Still not a hotel. You are not supposed to stay that long.  

Yeah. And I was there for 4 days. Like, not nearly as long as you 

But still and and when you're in a point like that where you're it's just like you're just waiting. It's Yeah. And you're not,  inactive anything. It It just feels a little calm to some extent. Not calm. Maybe that's not the right word.

But that my experience was pretty peaceful. That was 1 thing. I'm being very religious, and I prayed when my mom had to leave. I was so scared. Yeah. How am I supposed to do this without her? That was my whole plan was that she was gonna be here to help me. Yeah. I I was so scared. And I was like, I don't wanna do this. Yeah. Just give me a c section. Never mind. I will die. It's fine. 

So I just pray it goes, like, just let me have peace in these moments. And when my OB was like, listen, we because they broke my water and it had been 12 hours. They're like 18 is when we require it  but it's up to you, like, what you wanna do now. And I was like, I'm all done. Yeah. I'm done doing this. 

Yeah. This was fun, but, 

This is getting old now. It's been 3 days and Yeah. So they wheeled me back and I yeah. It was 

So you kind of described how you felt, but, like, I guess when you heard the switch from, like like, it wasn't progressing, what was going through your mind then? Because, obviously, no 1 Typically goes into their unless you know ahead of time that you have a, like, a scheduled c section. That's not like your thinking or your plan. Especially with your first, it's not, like, what you envisioned. How are you feeling at that point? 

Honestly, like, I was feeling hungry. Yeah. Fair. I didn't eat anything. And so I don't think I was getting frustrated, but mostly I was getting frustrated. It's wonderful when it's your baby and you're hearing the chimes because our hospital plays a lullaby Yeah. For the babies. Yeah. Mhmm.

And it was the most amazing sound to hear Jacob crying and to also recognize our lullaby. Yeah. But when you hear everyone else's lullabies, And you're just waiting. Oh. And you're just waiting, and nothing's 

You haven't been waiting for so long.

Yeah. You're just hoping, like, okay. Next So maybe I'll be 1 more centimeter, and I only progressed to a 4, which isn't even active labor Yeah. Like, for for days in the hospital. So it was disappointing but I don't think I really had a lot of disappointment about my birth experience Yeah. Until after the fact. The biggest, sore spot for me is just how much time passed before I got to hold Jacob.  When I look back on, like, time stamps The videos and pictures of me holding him.

Like, I didn't hold him for 2 hours after he was born. Yeah. I made up for that with, Like, months of getting a skin cut. Yeah. It felt like, but that was, you know, a bummer.

Yeah. But Definitely not what you envision,  you never  are thinking that you're not just gonna Have your baby right on you. Mhmm. For sure. 

In the moment, had no idea how much time was passed. Yeah. Yeah. There was definitely some Sedatives and my drugs and for my spinal blocks. Like, I have no idea, but I in that in retrospect Yeah. It Makes me sad. Yeah. Yeah. But, also, it hasn't affected, like, our bond No. Or anything. So No. Yeah. 

And you know this. I was I've always been worried about that, especially, sleep with, like, Hunter and stuff, and  I don't see an effect On  my relationship with Hunter, and that's been helpful for me going through surrogacy because I'm you know, I all the bonding I think about in pregnancy, and I'm like, oh my gosh. Is this be different? Is it gonna impact my relationship? And I don't know.

I think after  Hunter, I didn't hold him for I think it was, like, 9 days or something. And then, obviously, in the hospital for so long, I don't see a difference in my relationship with Hunter or Noah, who I carried and held 2 seconds after my c section. So, Yeah. What did you think of,  your c section experience overall? Like, was it what you thought? Was it easier or harder than you expected? 

Honestly, Probably easier than I expected. I mean, it is a major abdominal surgery. Yeah. But I had nothing to compare it to. Right? And I still have nothing else To compare it. 

I guess it's a good point. Yeah. 

So I don't know what, like, a vaginal birth recovery would have been like. Yeah. I think that they're Pain spots for either 1. I will say,  unless you've had a different abdominal surgery or another c section, like, you can't even describe  How surreal it is for the bottom half of your body really not to be connected to the outer half. Yes. Let alone the fact that Also, you just had a well, for my sake, an 8 pound baby taken out of your body. And so there's, like, your baby bump is gone. Yeah. So your abs Don't work. Yeah. So I was very surprised at how weak I felt afterwards.

Yeah. I would agree. I I think, overall, My experience with the c section and even having, like, different, but,  prior abdominal surgery, I thought that was harder. And I think it was probably because I, You know, it was like a surgery unrelated to giving birth, so it was you didn't have,  your baby to distract you.

You're like, you're Oh, yeah. We're occupied. Like, sure you're healing, that you're also keeping and sustaining your child and . Like, focusing for myself on breastfeeding. Right. I also had so much family in town to help me. So 

and just all the other just, like, postpartum things mentally, physically going on. So I don't know if that was like Yeah. You don't have time.

You're kind of Maybe on, like 

It's kinda like the last thing on on your worry list. Right? Yeah. Exactly. Everything else goes on. You're like, oh, in myself 

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Remember when I had surgery? Right?    I I felt the same way.  It was not as bad as I was expecting. Actually, I thought it was, like, pretty Simple and 

yeah. As long as I see blissful. Like, on track with my Advil and Tylenol and made sure not to get behind on that, Then I was fine. The only few times that I really felt pain were if I, like, slept through like, a dose of A dose. And then I had to And then I had to take, like, a harder medication to get through that. But that was really only the first 2 weeks. And after that, you know, you still have to be mindful and try not to overdo it, but you suddenly feel like, I'm fine. I can do this.

I get my house back in order and find a routine, and you have to remind yourself, like, you just had a baby. Right? Yeah. Not only that, they cut him out of here. Yeah. It was a major surgery. 

I'm sure we all have this in common, but, yeah, I was definitely not taking it easy. We are all doing this. I'm fine. I mean, come on. It's like we have a you have a newborn.  You're just so excited to, 

like I just needed the routine. Yes. Yeah. I wish I could go back and tell myself just jot a little bit. Because think about second. 

Totally.    Postpartum, , recovery. Like, there's something to be said about  the fourth trimester or whatever, which I had no idea was a thing. At least the first time I was pregnant, I was like, I'm fine. What? Here we go. Here we go. It's all relative, though. Right? Because, again, I don't have anything else to compare it to. So I think they all come with their challenges. Alright, Summer. Let's hear about your story. 

Okay. So I guess and we didn't really even say, like, Who's married to who? 

Oh, yeah. That's true. 

That's correct. In true twin form. I was like, these are my brother's wives.  K.

So we're married to twins. 

Yeah. My brothers are twins, and they are each married to 1 of them. 

So I'm I'm married to Joey Yes. This summer. I'm married to Joey who I would say is, like, a little bit more of, like, the planned twin. Like, he wanted to, like, almost know exactly the day I was gonna get pregnant. Uh-huh. So, like, he was, like, Very specific and, like, okay. I'm ready now.

Like, we can do it now. Yeah. That's not really how that works. Yeah.  But we were really fortunate, like, when we decided that we wanna started trying and  start our family.

It was pretty fast, just a couple months  and then I was pregnant. So I was really excited. Yeah. Really excited.   Yeah.

It was just like a crazy concept that, like, it just, like, happened. Then I was like, okay. We gotta accept it. Like, it's for real now. 

Yeah. It's happening. 

Yeah. My pregnancy, honestly, was Pretty normal, pretty textbook too.  I didn't really have any crazy nausea or anything. I was super exhausted for sure that first time I started to slept, Like, literally the entire time.

 I swear that first trimester, for me at least, it felt like I've never been so tired. Even with a newborn, Like, I just felt so drained. 

Totally different. 

It was like It's like your body is made of blood. Yeah.

I keep knocking my eyes open. Yeah. It's like for me. Kinda scares me to have a second baby because it's like just thinking. How do you go through that first trimester when you have, like, another baby to Take care. That, like, freaks me out. I don't know how I'm gonna do that. 

It's kinda 1 of those things where you just kind of just go into the mode because you After? Like, I I mean, that was with my c section.  Hunter was, like, 1 and a half. And, you know, I didn't have the option to just sit around. And Leading up to it,  same thing. Same worries. I was like, I don't know how how can I be pregnant while taking care of a little 1? Mhmm. And then, yeah, after pregnancy to recovering while taking care of 2 children, you just, like you will. You just figure it out. 

Well, it's different because it's not like you're doing something you don't Want to? Right? Like, anytime we're doing something for our children, no matter how terrible you feel, like, you you just You want 

Like how we don't get sick days. Right. Yeah. Funny. Yeah.

That's clearly pretty close to home for me. Yeah. 

So, yeah, the first trimester was a little tired. It didn't have, like, terrible nausea or anything. I will say that I was like I thought that I would like Pregnancy a lot more, especially Rachel was pregnant right before me. And, you know, she just always talked about how much she loved it and all the things that, honestly, I just really didn't love it. I didn't Love the restrictions that I had during pregnancy. I didn't, like, like, not being able to do things that I wanted or also felt like it was just, like, all anybody ever wanted to talk about to me whenever they talked to me. And and not that I didn't wanna talk about it, but I did love to talk about it. I was really excited.

It was just like, okay. Like, by the end, I was like, it's already. Like, you know, it's time.  And I I really wanted to go into, You know, my whole birth plan naturally and,  have that kind of moment at home with your husband where you're like, oh my gosh. My water broke.

Or Yeah. You know, like, even just starting to feel contractions.  So I really waited that out. I was like, I'm not gonna wait.  And I was, like, pretty close-up to my due date, and I remember the doctor being like, okay. Like, you can get a scheduled induction now. You're at 40 weeks.  And I was like, I'm gonna give myself another week. Like, I'm gonna make it to 41 and see if, like, this Happens, but I ended up scheduling that inductions because I was like, you know what? I did the things. 

Yeah. I I done did it. 1 more time. 

I am Done. Like, I was just really ready to meet her. It's also June. She's a June baby. So, like, a certain get hot outside. I was Also working right up to the end.

So, like, I was working at, like, 40 plus weeks pregnant and Ugh. Going into the office a couple times still, and I was just like, okay. It's done. So I ended up doing my scheduled induction. Yeah.

And   everything, honestly, with that went pretty to plan too. I do remember. I was supposed to go in, like, at night. Like, they want you to come in at night so they can give you that first medication to, quote, unquote, ripen your cervix. Yeah.

Such a lovely term. 

I know. I you're I never even knew about this. 

Like  also, like, vaginally can start to Yeah. No.

They don't feel like an oral pen. Yeah. You're like, ready? Oh, no. We're, like, really getting started, like, Right now.

Oh, yeah. You're like, oh. 

This is a very personal experience right now.

I didn't know that that was part of it. Like, I obviously never been induced, like, quite the opposite problem. But, like, I would always hear hear about pitocin and getting contractions started, but then when you it was explained when you were going through it, I was like, oh, there's this is like a process. 

That's also because I was not even I'm 0 percent effaced. Like, not not ready at all. So So maybe it's not start contractions if there's no Opening for your shower. Come through.

Science. I almost said bowl.  You're not wrong. Yeah. I'm not there.

And if it's It's closed up so tight. So you are a little bit dilated.

I'm a little bit I think it was 1 segment, maybe 2. It's like I can see it was, like, my daughter's only 7 months today, and I do not remember, like, the small details. I think I've, like, just blocked it.

Yeah. I think that's true. Well, this summer yeah. 

Only ever gonna have another kid if I like, block out some of those details. Yeah. Yeah. It was a little dilated, but I ended up yeah. We got the scheduled c section Or not c sections. Because Induction. Induction.

Induction. Thank you. And then you know, we were supposed to go in at 9 8 so that you could give you that medication, then you sleep through the night, then you in the morning.  But they actually ended up calling me, like, half hour before we're supposed to go in and just said, like, no. There's no room for you right now. There's just too many women in labor. Like, you're gonna to wait. And I was like, no. No. No. Like, I'm on Yeah. 

Hold on. 

I'm sure Joey was ready. Yeah. Oh my goodness.

Guys packed, like, in the car. Like, Had our last meal too. Like, we were ready. And then they're like, nope. And I was like, okay.

Well, are you gonna call me? And they're like, yeah. Just, like, keep your phone on. We'll call you. I was like, so, like, when are you gonna call me? Like, yeah. No. That's not 

What a weird experience to, like, be waiting for a phone call to go in to go into labor. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. 

Yeah. So then they ended up calling me, like I, like, gave up. Like, I we waited all night and then we, like, gave up. And I literally, the second I turned the lights off in our bedroom, it was, like, midnight, They called us.

Oh my goodness. Yeah. It's crazy. 

Kinda got, like, this funny, like, feeling of, like, driving to the hospital in the middle of the night go have a baby, but I wasn't actually in paper. But I don't know. It was so funny, like, with Joey to do that and that was Yes. This is my gosh. Carrying all of our stuff in Yeah. The hospital, Like, in the middle of the night.

I feel like that's, like, the first lesson all of the like, all of this because nothing ever goes to plan. It's like the first lesson in parenthood is, like, you can't control anything as much as you want to, And that never stops. Yeah. Never. Literally.

Yeah. So got checked in.  I got my medication pretty quickly. And then, yeah, by the time I got, like, my medication and, like, we're like, okay.

Like, let's close our eyes and go to bed. It was, like, 3 in the morning. Yeah. And then I remember waking Joey up at 5 45 in the morning. I was in so much pain.

And he's like, no. No. No. Like, someone needs to come in here right now. I need to get checked.

And he was like, What's happening? Like, we just fell asleep, like, 5 seconds ago. And then, yeah, like, the pitocin ended up working really well for my body. I responded really well. Like I said, I was, like, 41 weeks.

So, like Yeah. She was ready. Like, she was ready to come out. And, you know, I progressed throughout the whole day. I had a really great nurse, and I loved that.

Like, the nurse Makes all the difference. Yes. 

Agreed. I yes. 

I've definitely learned that. Like Yeah. 

We met the whole staff. Yeah. Everyone's there. You have your favorites. 

 But, yeah, I had a really great nurse. She was super helpful. And then I ended up Having Hazel that that night at, like, 10 o'clock at night. So it was, like, definitely a full long day.

Yeah. And I had my sister there with me, which was really nice. That's good. Obviously. So I had a really great team.

 I will say the 1 thing that really didn't go to plan for me, and mean, this just wasn't part of my plan, but if everybody else knew it was part of the plan Mhmm. Was just how long you have to push for. I know everyone has it differently, but I was just pushing for, like, 2 hours. And I was like That's exhausting.

Like, I should be done now. Like, I remember I kept telling the doctor. I was like, no. Like, this is the last time I'm gonna do this. She's like, like, you're gonna have to Keep going. And I was like, okay. But, like, how many more times? 

My gosh. Yeah. They don't really like process at the end. Yeah. I I feel like people don't talk about that. I mean  like you said, everyone's experience is, of course, different, but, like, oh my gosh. After 2 hours, I would be like, How is 1 supposed to have the energy to keep doing this? 

Like, I haven't eaten all day. I'm sweating.  I was like, I'm over this. 

And you're uncomfortable. 

Yeah.

And you haven't slept. No. I just like Yeah. 

It's just the end part for me was long. The whole day was, like, magic. Like, I just kept pressing and it was like everything was fine. My water broke on its own. Like, it was just like everything was going great. And then  I remember looking at my Swimming like, you never told me  that this part was gonna take this long or that this part would hurt. Like, I had gotten an epidural too, and that really helped the contractions, but I didn't realize Like, the pressure is still flat during the pushing part. So, yeah, I was not a huge fan of that 

of, like, home remedies trying to To induce your own liver. 

That's right. I didn't know any of this either. 

Your body, so they tell you to, you know, drink your raspberry tea, eat your dates. 

Weren't you, like, walking the curb or something?

Yeah. I did. 

Oh, she was she sits on a ball for, like, weeks. 

I did. Weeks. I did.  Yeah. All the dates. I went got, like, the date smoothies at Smoothie King. Like, I was ready. I really wanted to have a vaginal delivery. Yeah. I wanted to do the things. Like I like I said, I really wanted to  go into my birth story naturally. And, unfortunately, that didn't happen, but I was, like, really trying all the things. 

Yeah. It was a really good effort. 

Last It's fun when you're, like, walking around outside. Like, it's hot. But  yeah, like, in the end, everything worked out. . Beautiful baby. I was exhausted.  It was a long day. That was when I, like, finally got her and got to, you know, like, the postpartum floor and everything and got to go to sleep. But It was a pretty magical day. Yeah. I was there for 24 hours, like, more after that, and then we went home. 

Isn't it crazy too how, like, once so much time passes  even if it's, like, 2 months and you have your baby, you, like, you already start to forget. Like you said, like, she's, like, 7 months on. You already forget. 

Like, I was telling the doctor, like, after Right. I was like, I'm never forgetting this. I'm I am never gonna see you again because I'm never coming back. Yeah. She was, like, laughing. 

Hazel's like, help me try. 

Yeah. And I told her that. I was like, Hazel's an only child. Like, that stings for her. I can never see this again. I will never see you again, and she was just laughing.

She's like, I'll see you for your next 1. Yeah. And then when I went in for, like, my 6 week Postpartum appointment. I was like, you're right. I already forgot. Yeah. Oh, it's happening. 

Sure they hear it every time. Everyone's like, No. And, like, everyone gets blamed right there. Like, you didn't tell me this or it wasn't supposed to be like this, but then all of a sudden you're like, Mhmm. Baby fever again? 

I know. I know. Like, wow. That That they really like, there has to be something in our brains that we're required. That way, they forget. So 

Oh, absolutely. For sure. Yeah. So 

It's Chemical. It's 

That's how Yeah. That's how our species continues on. 

Literally.  Oh my gosh. Well, it's so fun for our family this past year because you had a boy, you had a girl. Our family just, like, grew by 2 little ones. I know. It has been so fun in our family with all the new additions. And, actually, it was really cool watching.

Like, I'm obviously the oldest in my family, so to see,  Other people be going through it again? Because my sister was pregnant at the same time as me the second time, which was a lot of fun just comparing notes. Obviously, 2 different stories again. But you guys had different experiences than both of us too.

You know, it's been really interesting everyone having their own unique Pregnancies and birth stories, and I've, like, learned so much just in the last year of,  listening to you guys and witnessing you go through it.

Well, thank you both for sharing your stories. Obviously, I do knew the birth stories and everything, but I don't know. There were some details that I still didn't remember, so it's really interesting to hear your experiences how each pregnancy and delivery is just always so different. That's cool.

So that's where I'm gonna end our conversation for today. Thanks for listening, and thanks for bearing with me with the audio. I know it's not the best this week, but I really wanted you to hear their stories. And like I said, I will have Summer and Rachel back on the show to chat with me about baby products and anything relating to newborns. And I promise you will be able to hear all of us, and the quality will be much, much better. So it'll be worth the wait for sure. 

So as I've told you, in a couple months, we will be welcoming a new baby into our family, which means my work schedule is going to get a little out of whack. Season 3 of the podcast will definitely still be going on. New episodes of the podcast will still be coming out every week until the end of May before we break for summer. But I am looking for additional support with the motherhood intended brand. If you are looking for something fun to do, Looking to just build your resume or maybe just get more involved in the motherhood and fertility space, Or maybe you're interested in learning more about podcasting. 

Reach out to me if any of these things are the case for you. I know I Talk to a lot of moms all the time who are stay at home moms and would love something for themselves. Send me an email. Hello at motherhood intended dot com. It's also linked in the show notes.

I am looking for help in the following areas.  someone who might be interested in graphic design opportunities, things like social media posts and creating a new show cover. I'm looking for a community manager, somebody who wants to be an admin in our Facebook group to help keep conversations going And connecting people with each other,  with over 500 women in the group now, it's a lot for me to handle on my own alongside producing and hosting and editing the show and sourcing guests and all of that fun stuff. I am also looking for help in the area of Sourcing guests. If you yourself are interested in sharing your motherhood story on the show, have a specific topic you think we should talk about or know someone who would bring value to the podcast, reach out to me as well.

I'm hoping by pulling in a few people into this project, We will keep things flowing beautifully with this show, and I will be able to take everything to the next level, which means better guests for you, more quality content, free resources, community groups, and more. Send me an email if you're interested in being a part of this brand on the ground floor. Exciting, exciting things are to come. And if you haven't yet, follow along on Instagram at motherhood underscore Tended. And our community group, as mentioned, is a great space full of over 500 women ready and willing to chat about all things infertility, IVF, adoption, motherhood, preemies, the NICU, just children in general.

There are so many different kinds of women with all different backgrounds at all different points in their motherhood journey. So join the Facebook group. It's totally free. You can find it at motherhood intended community group on Facebook. Everything is always linked in the show notes.

As always, my free resource is there as well. If you are navigating infertility, it's  month by month guide to help you feel calm and peaceful during this process with tips and tricks along the way, breaking it down month by month so you can Look ahead to your journey and kind of map everything out. If you're not at a point in your life where you're trying to conceive or struggling with infertility, but you still wanna get on my email list, click that link in the show notes. Anyway, it'll sign you up for our weekly newsletters, which will be coming out in just a couple weeks, And those weekly emails will be filled with so many awesome things, then you're sure to find something in there that is useful.

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I appreciate you listening as always. I hope you have a great weekend, And you'll hear from me again next week.