Sara was able to get pregnant pretty quickly and had a routine pregnancy up until 35 weeks. At her 35 week appointment she had high blood pressure and had to go to the hospital for monitoring. After a couple of days her blood pressure began to climb higher and she was diagnosed with preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome. Sara was induced and after a fairly quick labor gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Patrick. She had to stay in the hospital a little longer than usual while the doctors got her blood pressure under control and found the right mix of medications. By 12 weeks postpartum she was back to somewhat normal and they have all been settling in as a family of three.
Sara Ryan Bio
Sara Ryan is originally from Sacramento, California but currently lives with her family in Charlotte, North Carolina. After graduating from University of California – Davis, she moved to Washington, DC where she met her husband, Chris. After a few years working in DC, Sara decided to move to North Carolina to get her MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler (Go Tarheels!) and settled in Charlotte after graduation in order to start her career in banking. After a couple years in Charlotte, Sara and Chris decided they were ready to expand their family and welcomed a baby boy, Patrick, in the fall of 2019. Sara enjoys yoga, gardening, knitting, and convincing her husband to take on increasingly ambitious house projects.
Peanut is an app that helps you make meaningful connections throughout all stages of motherhood. Peanut provides a safe space for mothers, expectant mothers and those trying to conceive to build friendships, ask questions and find support by introducing you to others nearby who are at a similar stage in life, Peanut provides access to a community who is there to listen, share information and offer valuable advice: Whether it’s understanding IVF, adoption, pregnancy, baby’s first years or beyond, Peanut is a place to connect with other moms in the thick of it.
When Laurel found out that she would give birth to her first child at an overseas military base, she was elated! Although she was committed to choreographing a local production of Mary Poppins in her third trimester, she thought her pregnancy, having started smoothly, would be run-of-the-mill. However, Laurel’s on-base OBGYN clinic recommended inducing Laurel due to blood pressure concerns.
Her baby made a fast, exciting, and healthy entrance into the world after 38 weeks of travel and dance adventures in the womb. Tiny Marguerite was born stubborn and perfect in under 14 hours. Laurel, Dave, and Margo ended up back in Urgent Care three short days later when Laurel developed preeclampsia. Luckily for them, the hospital was at the edge of their neighborhood and a 2 minute drive away. Laurel never pictured a global pandemic, postpartum preeclampsia, and being separated from family for months as part of her birth story but can confidently say that the road to motherhood was anything but dull.
Laurel Simon Bio
Laurel Simon is a former professional dancer, dance teacher, choreographer, and stagehand who currently spends her days singing musical soundtracks to her daughter at home. The wife of an Air Force pilot, she has lived in various U.S. cities and counts Seattle as the top contender for hometown. Marguerite is her first child; she and her husband also have a lovable Sheltie pup and an irascible cat. Laurel’s public-facing account is @Sheltie_in_place_pup on Instagram. It features their dog and his adventures, with occasional human appearances.
Aeroflow Breastpumps has helped thousands of new and expecting moms find the perfect pump for her lifestyle. They offer all major pump brands including Medela, Spectra, Motif, Lansinoh, Ameda and more. And the best part, they take care of everything – including getting all required paperwork, dealing with your insurance company, and explaining your options in order to get your free pump shipped straight to your door.
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All you have to do is go to the Aeroflow Breastpumps website and fill out their free and easy Qualify Through Insurance form. Be sure to go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/birthhour so they will know I sent you!
In March 2018, Hannah found out she had a large cyst on one of her fallopian tubes that required surgical removal of both. This began a conversation between Hannah and her husband about when they should begin their conception journey. They were very lucky and ended up conceiving on their first try. In January2019, Hannah took a pregnancy test and was ecstatic as she watched the two blue lines form into a plus sign. Hannah enjoyed being pregnant and spent much of her time researching and planning to have an unmedicated birth. But Hannah also spent much of her time a little stressed and uncertain as she worked as a nurse in the Emergency Department of a major hospital during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
At her 37 week appointment, Hannah’s OBGYN discovered that her baby was in the breech position and had also developed a heart arrhythmia. She was sent to Labor and Delivery for further follow up and an ultrasound. Her baby was measuring in the 96th percentile for weight and her amniotic fluid levels were low. The doctors recommended an urgent Cesarean section that evening. Of course, Hannah’s Husband was on the ocean fishing during this time. Luckily, he was able to make it back with an hour and twenty-six minutes before baby was born. Hannah loves her birth story, but it is vastly different from what she had ever imagined and she is still trying to process through what happened and why. She and her husband feel blessed and are happy to have their healthy daughter here!
Hannah Wildhaber Bio
Hannah Wildhaber lives in Dayton, Oregon, and is married to her high-school sweetheart, Luke. They share their home with a dog named Harold, a cat named Howard, and their new baby girl, Rosemary Jude, welcomed on August 24,2020. Hannah is an Emergency Department nurse while her husband, Luke, is an agricultural financial loan analyst. In their free time, they are avid outdoors people, spending most of their off days on the water fishing. Connect with her on Instagram: @hannah_wildhaber or on Facebook: Hannah Wildhaber. You can also email her via harder.hannah@gmail.com.
This episode was sponsored by Motif Medical. Motif designs insurance-eligible products for busy moms. With a focus on innovation and empowerment, Motif’s line of breast pumps and maternity compression garments are sophisticated, yet discreet, and made to support mothers as they navigate new motherhood. Discover why moms are reporting more milk in less time with the Luna breast pump, and see how you can get it covered through insurance at motifmedical.com/birthhour.
After a fast labor with her first child (episode 397), Megan expected to labor quickly with her second, but she was unprepared for just how fast things would happen. Megan was in labor for just under 3 hours and struggled to avoid pushing for the 30-minute car ride to the birth center. She delivered her daughter just 2 minutes after walking barefoot into the birth center.
Megan Freeland Bio
Megan is a public health pharmacist by trade and a healthcare copywriter by profession. She lives just outside of Atlanta, GA with her husband, son, and daughter. Connect with her via Instagram: @multipassionatemeg
JoAnne and Adam decided to start trying for a baby over the summer of 2019 and were lucky enough to get pregnant on their first try. Despite having gestational diabetes, JoAnne’s pregnancy was a breeze and she absolutely loved being pregnant. When JoAnne was almost 9 months pregnant, Adam contracted the coronavirus and tested positive on two separate occasions several weeks apart. JoAnne and Adam had to spend the last six weeks of her pregnancy completely separated.
Due to the hospital’s ever changing policies, Adam was not allowed to be JoAnne’s support person. He had to miss the birth of his daughter.
Labor and delivery was a great experience for JoAnne – the epidural made it pain free and the doctor said she was “born to have babies.” The first couple of days postpartum were a struggle for JoAnne and her mom (who was her support person) due to covid related policies and complications getting discharged from the hospital
JoAnne Sines Bio
JoAnne lives in Massachusetts with her husband Adam and 5 month old daughter Elsie. She was a classroom teacher for four years and has her masters degree in education. She is now a stay at home mom who enjoys doing a variety of activities with her daughter each day. You can find JoAnne on Instagram @stayathometeacher2020
Peanut
Peanut is an app that helps you make meaningful connections throughout all stages of motherhood. Peanut provides a safe space for mothers, expectant mothers and those trying to conceive to build friendships, ask questions and find support by introducing you to others nearby who are at a similar stage in life, Peanut provides access to a community who is there to listen, share information and offer valuable advice: Whether it’s understanding IVF, adoption, pregnancy, baby’s first years or beyond, Peanut is a place to connect with other moms in the thick of it.
Megan and her husband, Matt, waited one year after their wedding to start their family. After four months of trying, Megan was ecstatic to learn she was pregnant!
While her husband was out-of-state for work, Megan attended her first-trimester screening, where she learned her baby had soft markers for Trisomy 21 or other genetic anomalies. Megan called her husband from her car in a McDonald’s parking lot, where through her sobs, she told him she felt like she finally had a higher sense of purpose. After meeting with a genetic counselor, Megan and Matt decided to pursue a cell-free DNA test instead of an amniocentesis. While they waited for the results, Megan and Matt treated themselves to a weekend away as a means of distraction. Megan convinced her husband to stay an extra night, arguing that if their baby had Down Syndrome, they wouldn’t be able to afford weekend getaways anymore. (She has a flair for the dramatic ;). Within an hour of returning home, they got the call: their baby had Down syndrome, and they were having a boy!
Megan and Matt embraced their son’s diagnosis and quickly found a home in the Down syndrome community.
Megan struggled with anxiety about the prospect of something going wrong during her labor, or the need for a NICU stay. After many discussions with her midwives and husband, Megan decided to have an epidural assisted birth to ensure that she had the mental and emotional clarity available to make any big decisions.
Six days before her due date, around 1:30 am, Megan woke up to a contraction. They kept coming, and around 5:00 am she could no longer stay in bed to work through the contractions. When she went to use the bathroom, her water broke, so she called her midwife, who gave her the go-ahead to labor at home. About 5 hours later, she headed to the hospital to learn that she was 5cm dilated, fully effaced, and baby was at zero station. Shortly after arriving at the hospital, she received her epidural and by 10:00 pm was fully dilated. Her epidural wore off on one side of her body, but this allowed her to labor and push in different positions with the help of her doula and husband. She learned baby was posterior, and she agreed to Pitocin to see if it would help him turn. Baby did turn, but did not descend and was still at zero station. Megan spent a few hours pushing in different positions to try to help baby descend, but he wouldn’t budge. After an unsuccessful vacuum-assisted birth, the only option was a cesarean section. Because her epidural had worn off hours before, Megan was put under general anesthesia for the surgery.
After 29 hours of labor, Robert Ignatius was born at 6:22am weighing 8lbs 12oz.
Bert latched right away and Megan was able to nurse him for one month. It then became clear that she needed to pump exclusively, which she kept up for 13 months. At two months old, Bert had surgery to have a gastrostomy tube placed. At four months old he had open-heart surgery. When he was six months old he accompanied his parents to the same place they had gone while waiting on the results from the cell-free DNA test, because, you know, they can still afford the occasional weekend getaway. 😉 He is now a thriving two-year-old and has never lived a day where Megan hasn’t felt lucky beyond belief that he is hers. He continues to amaze, teach, and inspire anyone who meets him.
Megan’s Bio
Megan lives in Baltimore City, Maryland with her husband, Matt and their two year old son, Robert, whom they call Bert. In her free time she enjoys cross-stitching, reading, (ahem, listening to audiobooks, because reading makes her sleepy) touring historical homes, drinking wine, and just basking in the glory of her chromosomally enhanced boy. She’s an active member of the Chesapeake Down Syndrome Parent Group (CDSPG) and loves to share Bert’s light. She would like to shout out the city moms of CDSPG for keeping her laughing and sane. Feel free to connect with her on Instagram, @robertignites.
Rachel shares more about her birth stories in her own words below:
Haven’s Birth Story
My husband and I got married May 2015. We got pregnant December 2016. We were not planning the pregnancy. I remember suspecting my pregnancy after my period was a few days late. I took the pregnancy test and I was equal parts excited and terrified when I found out I was pregnant. When I finally told my husband I’m pretty sure he felt the exact same way! But once we had a little bit of time to think about it we were both very excited! It was fun being pregnant in December because our families either got an ornament or jewelry with a saying related to either being grandparents or great-grandparents.
I also remember that very early on in my pregnancy I developed a very specifically located pain in my lower right back. It persisted throughout my pregnancy and it made exercising, even walking extremely painful.
Going back to about a year before I got pregnant, a friend of mine, who I really adored and looked up to, had a home birth. Before her having a homebirth I thought people who birthed at home were crazy! But then when I got pregnant I started thinking about actually bringing my child into this world and I wanted to be in the most calm and peaceful environment possible. So that is when I started looking into home births. This is when I actually started listening to The Birthing Hour podcast, I enjoyed hearing all the different types of birth experiences that the women on your show had. And the more I learned about everyone’s experiences of home births the more the idea of a home birth really resonated with me.
So, I talked to my friend who had a home birth and asked her if she had any tips or resources to help me along my way. She recommended that I take Bradley Method classes to help me prepare. Bradley Method classes are all about supporting natural birth, and also getting the husbands involved in the birthing process. A lot of times husbands feel very unsure about their role, but Bradley Method puts husbands into a birthing coach role, and that’s what I really wanted for my husband. In the beginning of my pregnancy, my husband was not on board whatsoever with having a homebirth. I am his second wife, his first wife was and still is a nurse. When she birthed their children she did everything by the book medical and at the hospital. So, this whole ‘home birthing thing’ was completely new and crazy to him! I eventually had to tell him, “I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable with this, but it’s my birth and this is ultimately my decision.” Eventually, though he came around and was totally on board.
I went on the Bradley Method website and found a Bradley Method teacher close by. I reached out to her and we had the most amazing conversation and she gave me a list of midwives that she knew who were local to start the interviewing process.
I started interviewing midwives and I found someone who I connected with extremely well. She became my midwife, and I started having my prenatal appointments with her at her house. The only time I had any prenatal appointments outside of her was to get my blood work done and an anatomy scan at 18 weeks where we learned the sex of the baby.
As a side note, before we got pregnant, my husband and I talked about moving. But then when we found out we were pregnant we decided it was too much and that we would resume looking after having the baby. However, at 6 months pregnant, I decided that I wanted to deliver my baby in the house where she would hopefully grow up in. So at 6 months pregnant, we resumed our house hunting journey and started the process of fixing up our own house so that we could put it on the market. This included of course getting rid of as much stuff as we could, we moved about half of our belongings into a storage unit for showing the house, and had a number of this to fix up around the house like replacing some siding and repainting the inside of the house. It forced me to be much more active than I wanted to be because I had so much pain in my back.
This is also around the time that we started our Bradley Method classes. The program is 12 weeks and it’s an awesome program that teaches both Mother and Father all the aspects of how the mother’s body is changing and what the labor and birthing process will look like. Bradley Method is also about having a peaceful, calm, and relaxing birth which is what I really wanted. So we are taught all sorts of different movements and exercises to help the birthing process along as well as ways to help you remain at peace during your natural birth. The husband’s learn a lot about how to support their wives. Whether it be massage or helping them into a birthing position. One big thing that stood out to my husband was that it was his job to keep me hydrated. They also really drill it into your head that first-time Moms can have really long labors. They could last anywhere from 12 to 36 hours or even more! So Jason was excited to support me during this lengthy process. We planned to go on walks, or out to dinner to help distract me in the early part of labor.
So at around 7 and a half months we finally got our house listed and it sold in 2 days. Luckily around that same time we also finally found a house that we fell in love with. So then at 7.5 months we started the process of packing up the rest of the house and at 8.5 months we finally moved in. Being a first-time Mom I was also told by my birthing team that most likely I would go into labor one to two weeks past my due date. So I did not feel rushed at all during this process and felt we had plenty of time. When we moved in I decided I wanted the entire inside of the house repainted as well as a few cosmetic things that needed to be done. So we did that and after that was done, we finally started the unpacking process and getting settled in.
I was a few days short of being full term, I got up that Saturday morning feeling very restless and eager to finish up unpacking and getting the nursery all put together. I went to HomeGoods and picked up a few last-minute baby items as well as things we needed around the house. A few days prior I was having a good amount of Braxton Hicks contractions. They were very mild and didn’t cause me any alarm. That morning I was in the parking lot of HomeGoods and I had 1 very large contraction that made me pause and take a breath. I assumed it was another Braxton Hicks. That was all I had and I went on about my business.
Later that day I was sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery putting the baby’s clothes on hangers. I stood up to hang the clothes up and all of a sudden I had liquid running down my legs. It wasn’t a lot of liquid so I wasn’t sure if it was my water breaking or if I had wet my pants! I went to the restroom, sat on the toilet and that’s when my water fully broke. I called my midwife to let her know. I was really excited and a little shocked that it was 3 days before my due date and my water had already broken. My midwife sensed my excitement and told me to stay calm, relax or maybe go out to dinner with my husband, and if my contractions hadn’t started by the next morning maybe we would think about taking some castor oil two help jump-start things.
Because we had just moved and we were just getting the house unpacked we were really low on groceries. I told my husband that I was going to get in the shower and that he needed to go to the grocery store to stock us up on some readily available foods for myself and my birthing team. I also called my doula, who I met through my Bradley Method classes, she was actually the instructor. I called her to let her know my water had broken and she said pretty much the same thing as my midwife did which was to try and relax and let her know when things started to pick up. Before getting into the shower I sat down on the toilet once more and had the mother of all contractions. It was extremely painful! I was gripping the bathroom counter and could not speak. I looked at my husband, who was in the bathroom with me, and asked, “is this how they will all be?!” For weeks in my Bradley Method classes, they told us over and over to expect a long labor and that it would be a gradual process. But here I am already having extremely painful contractions and my labor had just started! I was terrified that it was going to be like this for 36 hours.
I got into the shower and was trying to relax but my contractions were coming quicker and quicker and they were extremely intense. It was about 20 or 30 minutes later that I told my husband not to go to the grocery store and instead to call back my doula. He called my her and said you actually may need to go ahead and come over here. I could tell by her tone that she was a little annoyed that we were already wanting her to come over. I think she that I was being a little bit of a baby!
So I got out of the shower, I put on a little sleep dress, and started to labor in bed. This was about 30 minutes after I had my first contraction. My Doula finally arrived about 20 minutes later and at this point, I was in a lot of pain and having pretty consistent contractions. When she entered our room I could tell she was kind of shocked at the state that I was in. She started timing my contractions and she realized that I was having contractions on top of each other. That’s when she called my midwife and told her that she should come over. This whole time I’m kinda freaking out on the inside because this labor was not looking like anything I thought it would. I thought I would have this very calm gradual progression of labor and instead, I’m having very intense contractions back to back to back right away.
My midwife got there about 30 or 45 minutes later and started to assist me with my labor, suggesting certain positions and generally trying to help me relax and reduce some of the pain. Nothing was working. It was during this time that I also threw up a few times. My husband and my doula started setting up the birthing pool and filling it up. I labored for about 30 minutes more and had to get into the pool. When I finally got into the birthing pool I felt a little bit of relief and my contractions slowed down a tiny bit. My husband was trying to help me during this time… trying to massage me likely he had learned in the Bradley Method classes, trying to get me to drink water like a good birthing coach does. But, my labor was so intense I did not want him even talking to me much less touching me! Looking back I feel so bad about that. So at this point, it was about three and a half hours after I had my first contraction, and my contractions were so painful I could barely cope. I was so distressed because I was still terrified and sure that this was going to be a two-day process. I looked at my midwife and said “I don’t even think I’m very far along. Will you check me?” She did and to my surprise, she told me I was crowning and then I could start pushing anytime I wanted! I was in complete shock. I reached down and felt my baby’s head. I remember thinking that this was supposed to be a very special time, this is the time that I was going to bring my baby earthside… This should be a really magical, reverent experience… But all I could think about was getting this baby out as quick as possible! So I started pushing and I was surprised how good it felt. It was still pretty painful but it was a rewarding kind of pain. I pushed with all my might for about 30 minutes and out came Haven. So, at 8:05 p.m. on August 5th my daughter was born exactly 4 hours after my first contraction. I was completely in awe and shocked that I had just had a baby! I didn’t know that births could happen this fast when it is your first birth. For some reason, my body skipped straight to transition and there was no gradual progression. So, after relaxing for about 10 minutes in the water with my daughter it was time to birth my placenta. No one told me how difficult this part would be! Pushing out the placenta, even though it wasn’t painful, was pretty uncomfortable after just having a baby! But I did release the placenta and, we cut the cord. My birthing team wiped me down and I hopped into bed with my daughter. Everything seemed so surreal. I absolutely could not believe that I had my daughter in my arms and that it was all over. Jason and my birthing team cleaned up the birthing tub, packed everything up, we ended up ordering food in, and by midnight my birthing team went home and we had our new little family.
Emeline’s Birth Story
When my daughter was a little over a year and a half old, I really had a desire to get back into shape and was starting to exercise a lot. Then suddenly one day I got this pain in the lower right side of my back. The exact spot I had pain when I was pregnant the first time around… My husband and I were actively trying not to get pregnant, so I thought it was interesting that I was having this very specific pain again. Well lo’ and behold we found out we were pregnant again! After doing some calculations I figured out that this weird pain that I get during pregnancy had come about when I was only about 3 or 4 days pregnant! Thinking about it, that’s probably the same time I developed this pain the first time around as well.
I called my midwife to let her know and we started the process of prenatal appointments and preparing for baby number 2. Since I had such a fast birth the first time around my midwife told me to prepare for possibly an even quicker birth! At the same time, she said “however, no births can be planned so keep in mind, you could have a normal/longer length labor as well. It’s just not something one can plan.”
My second pregnancy progressed well, it was uneventful and healthy. Having a toddler while pregnant forced me to be a little bit more active than I wanted to be. And the pain in my lower right side was excruciating the second time around! I was getting massages and going to the chiropractor, and stretching as much as I could and nothing helped.
About a week before my due date I started getting extremely antsy and was ready to have my baby. I started researching all the old wives’ tales about how to jumpstart labor. Nothing seemed to work. It was the day before my due date and I decided that I would go on a very long walk with lots of lunges and squats to see if that would help move things along at all. The next morning, it was a Sunday morning, and my husband got ready before I did and went to church early to help with setup. My daughter had spent the night at my mother’s house the night before so I had the house to myself and I enjoyed a leisurely morning getting ready for church. I did have some very mild cramping, which made it a little bit uncomfortable to get dressed but I didn’t think much of it. It was around 10:00 a.m. and I was very tired so I decided to get some coffee at a drive-thru coffee shop that is near my house. I pulled into the drive-thru, the Barista opened the window and said “I’ll be with you in one second”. She closed the window and immediately my water broke! it was a huge gush of water and I was completely soaked. And it’s funny, I really love coffee, so I sat there for a minute thinking about if I should go home right away or if I should wait for coffee. I decided to skip the coffee and that I would most likely throw it up anyway. So, I drove off to my Mom’s to pick up my daughter instead. To this day I still feel bad for driving off without telling the barista my reason for leaving and I hope she didn’t take it personally!
My mother wasn’t involved in my first birth because she lived out of town, but since then she’s moved right down the street, so she lives so close now we were planning on having her at my birth. I told her not to come to the house just yet because I wanted to labor and home a little bit. I still wasn’t sure if my labor would be a fast one. So I took my daughter and called my husband on the way home to tell him to take his time coming home. I called my midwife and she told me that she was on the way, but I said, “no, let me just labor a little bit and I’ll let you know if things start to get intense”. Well as you can guess, about 30 minutes later I could barely function, my contractions were so intense! So when my husband got home I told him to call the midwife and tell her to come right away. I also told my mom she could come on. So, within the next 30 minutes, everyone was in place and they were filling up the birthing tub. My contractions were coming very quickly and they were very intense so I decided it was time to get into the birthing tub. Things didn’t slow down and I started having the most painful contractions I’ve ever had. They were sharp and horribly uncomfortable. I yelled out so loud that I startled myself, I had never made noises like that. My midwife didn’t check me but she suggested that if I wanted to I could see if pushing felt better. It did, so during my next contraction I pushed really hard and I felt my body moving my baby into the birthing canal, I took a breath and during my next contraction, I pushed again, and out came baby Emeline. She was born at 12pm, around 2 hours after my water broke.
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Christina labored for two days before her first un-medicated birth in a hospital. Despite having an incredibly supportive partner and doula, the birth was a stressful experience followed by a long 3 month recovery.
She carefully chose her midwife for her second birth at the local birth center, which ended up being a much more positive and redemptive birth. For her third birth, she had originally planned to use the birth center again, but her plans changed half way through her pregnancy and she found herself planning her dream homebirth in the midst of a pandemic.
Her third birth was as peaceful and beautiful as she had imagined it, but when her daughter stopped breastfeeding after routine lip and tongue tie revisions at 5 days old, she struggled with an unexpectedly difficult and emotional immediate postpartum period.
Christina (or Tina) lives in central Illinois and currently works in investment services, though she still isn’t sure what she wants to do “when she grows up”. She and her husband Chris have been married for 7 years and they have 3 children. She loves everything relating to pregnancy and birth and hopes to become a natural childbirth educator when her own children are older. She also enjoys caring for her collection of houseplants, listening to podcasts and baking. Message her on FB or Instagram @tina.rey3
Today’s episode is sponsored by Ergobaby. Founded in 2003, Ergobaby has pioneered the gold standard for comfortable, ergonomic soft structured carriers. Ergobaby is dedicated to helping families bond, grow, and thrive by creating premium baby products where function and quality are not compromised. Ergobaby has created a broad range of award-winning baby carriers, strollers, swaddlers, nursing pillows, and related products that fit into families’ daily lives seamlessly, comfortably and safely. In 2020, they launched Everlove by Ergobaby, a first of its kind baby carrier buy back and resale program, a sustainability effort to support families and the planet.
Morgan has struggled with Early ovarian failure since she was 16. Her doctor was not even sure that she would be able to have babies, but Morgan prayed for it because being a Mom was the only thing she has always wanted to do. After Morgan and Doug got married in June 2015, they started trying to conceive. Thankfully, they were able to get pregnant on the first try, not even a month after they were married.
Morgan’s pregnancy was pretty easy in the beginning, aside from morning sickness. At 26 weeks, Morgan woke up in horrible pain in the middle of the night. Doug was working as a diesel mechanic over an hour away, so she had her mom take her the the hospital which was about 45 minutes away. Morgan found out she was passing a lot of kidney stones (she has struggled with a kidney disease since high school- it is a rare genetic condition). Throughout the rest of her pregnancy, Morgan passed kidney stones every couple of days. During this time, Morgan was a Senior in college, finishing up her Education degree.
Morgan was due the Tuesday of Spring Break, and told her doctor that the baby HAD to come during spring break so she could finish student-teaching. Monday morning of her spring break, Morgan and Doug drove to the doctor’s office (45 minutes away). When she got checked, Morgan was dilated to 2cm and 100% effaced so she was able to get her membranes stripped to help things get started. She and Doug drove home and labored most of the day. Side note – Morgan passed a giant kidney stone 10 minutes before they left for the hospital.
After contractions started to get about 8 minutes apart, they headed to the hospital and settled into the OB unit. Baby looked good and so did Morgan’s blood pressure so they let her labor in the tub and on the ball. Morgan had been very committed to having an unmedicated birth because she didn’t want to be the first person in her family to have an epidural. Unfortunately, Morgan’s body was not able to relax enough after being in active labor from 10 am to 11:45pm. Morgan hadn’t progressed past a 4 and the doctor who was going to be delivering the baby told her she was either going to get an epidural or he would take her in for a c-section. After a half-hour of crying and feeling devastated, Morgan got the epidural. After the epidural was placed, Morgan was finally able to take a short nap. At about 4am, the nurse came into the room to check the baby, catheter, etc., and as she started to leave Morgan felt a giant pop/gush. It was definitely her water. At 6:30 am, Morgan was finally ready to push. The doctor came back in and Morgan was able to push the baby out in less than 30 minutes. Baby was a surprise gender, and Morgan and Doug met their baby GIRL, Emerson Lee, on her due date after 29 hours of labor.
After they got home, Morgan became really sick. She had a high fever and her skin hurt so badly she would cry every time she nursed. Morgan thought she had mastitis so she went in to see a lactation specialist and was able to rule out mastitis. Morgan was then sent over to her OB where she was checked out and found out that she had a very bad uterine infection. After a round of IV and at home antibiotics, she was feeling so much better and was able to settle into the journey of motherhood.
Morgan’s 2nd Pregnancy & Birth
In April 2018, Morgan ended up having a ministroke that was completely random and not really understood why. She spent 3 weeks in the ICU and Hospital learning how to reuse her left side. Shortly after she recovered, Morgan found out that she was pregnant again. She was completely shocked because she had just been through a huge medical issue and was not mentally or physically very healthy. Still, Morgan and her husband were very excited. Morgan was sick during the entire pregnancy with baby no. 2. She ended up losing almost 50 pounds at the beginning of the pregnancy just from being so sick, and getting off a lot of the stroke related meds.
At 28 weeks, Morgan ended up back in the hospital with horrible kidney pain, fever, sick, dehydrated, etc. They did an ultrasound and found 4 stones that were backed up and infected. She ended up going into emergency surgery at 28 weeks pregnant to remove the infected stones. She and the baby came out of it great and the rest of the pregnancy was mostly normal.
At 36 weeks, Morgan’s blood pressure was high at her appointment so she was monitored at the hospital. They were able to get her blood pressure under control and she was able to go home. Morgan was scheduled to come back into the office two days later on the day she was 37 weeks along. At that appointment, she had a bad headache, her blood pressure read very high continually for an hour, so the doctor that she was seeing at the time decided that they were going to have to admit her and deliver the baby because of preeclampsia. The doctor stripped her membranes, and then Morgan was immediately sent to the hospital and hooked up to magnesium and started her on the cytotec pill. At 8am the next morning, she was only dilated to a 3 but they broke her water and started a very high dose of pitocin. After 26 hours in labor and not a lot of progress she decided to get an epidural that ended up being very ineffective. After the epidural was placed, Morgan’s blood pressure ended up dropping as low as it could without being dead, and they lost the baby’s heartbeat. Once they had everything back under control, she had to labor without medication or epidural. After 37 hours, she ended up delivering their surprise baby boy.
After delivery the baby did great in the hospital other than losing a lot of weight to start with. On the day that they were supposed to leave the hospital, Morgan woke up with a 107 degree fever, body aches, etc. Turns out she had another uterine infection and they were kept in the hospital an extra 2 days to be on IV antibiotics.
Morgan’s 3rd Pregnancy & Birth
Morgan and Doug knew that they wanted another baby and figured it would take a while, so they started “trying but not really” when their son was about 7 months old. Morgan ended up having another mini stroke , was life flighted to a bigger hospital, and while they were in the hospital, they ended up sharing with them that they were pregnant. Morgan and Doug were very shocked but excited.
Morgan ended up hiring a doula for this pregnancy to help her get through this pregnancy and birth since the first two were so long and somewhat traumatic.
Morgan also struggles with a bad genetic Kidney disease that causes her to grow hundreds of Kidney stones in the tissue/lining of her kidneys that is not curable and not caused by diet, medications, etc. It is genetic and very painful. Because of this disease, the beginning of Morgan’s third pregnancy was very difficult. She spent the first almost 5 months in and out of the hospital for hydration issues, pain control, etc. She ended up having to have kidney surgery at 10 weeks and again at 28 weeks. Her stones at 28 weeks made her almost septic and they were scared they were going to lose the baby.
After the surgeries Morgan and the baby were doing fine, but they had to go in for non-stress tests and ultrasounds once a week.
At Morgans 34, 35, and 36 week appointments, the baby had been head down and very engaged, but when she went in for her 38 week appointment, (they were supposed to get membranes stripped and get labor going) the baby had turned its head up into Morgan’s hip. She had to do spinning babies, lay upside-down on an ironing board. She went back on that Friday (3 days later) and had an ultrasound and non stress test. They found out that the baby was engaged again, she was 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced. They ended up stripping her membranes and sending her home. Morgan then labored at home for the rest of the day, and ended up going into the hospital that night.
This pregnancy and labor were happening during the biggest flare up of the Covid-19, so the entire pregnancy had been very stressful for them, but they were also told that the Doula that Morgan had been so excited about, was not going to be allowed in the hospital with them. When they showed up at the hospital they spent almost an hour going through the check in process with the Covid Restrictions, all while Morgan was in active labor.
Once they finally got upstairs, Morgan was admitted because she was contracting a heavy amount and showed signs of early preeclampsia again.
Morgan labored all night with just her and her husband. At 5am she was hooked up to pitocin and the contractions started coming very hard and strong every 45 seconds. She decided to get an epidural, but they had to do it three different times and it ended up not even working. After she had a dose of Fentanyl, Morgan was able to take a little nap and woke up feeling huge pressure. Morgan ended up pushing their 3 surprise baby out in three pushes and met their new baby girl. She ended up having a little bit of postpartum hemorrhaging and then her baby girl was taken away to the nursery because her stats were not exactly where they wanted them.
Finally the baby was brought back to her. The baby (Willa Ruth) struggled to start nursing, but once they got started, they did a great job nursing together. Morgan was started on preemptive antibiotics for the uterine infection. The day that they were supposed to go home, Willa Ruth failed her bilirubin levels test and had to be placed under the lamp. Doug ended up being kicked out of the hospital because of Covid regulations and Morgan and Willa were stuck there by themselves for another three days.
They were finally released and sent home, where they all settled in great to a family of five.
Doug and Morgan are doing great. Emerson is now 4 years old, Sawyer will be 2 in January, and Willa Ruth is 5 months old. Morgan really wants another baby, but they have decided they will wait until Willa is almost 2 before they make their decision. They are loving life as a family of 5!
Morgan Watson Bio
Morgan is 26 years old, a middle school teacher in her home town of Athena, Oregon. Her and her husband have been together for 10 years and married this last June for 5 years. They have three kiddos, Emerson who is 4, Sawyer who is 1 (20 months), and Willa who is 4 months! Morgan’s husband is a farmer and works/owns part of their family farm which they live on, actually the same property as her Grandparents.
Peanut
Peanut is an app that helps you make meaningful connections throughout all stages of motherhood. Peanut provides a safe space for mothers, expectant mothers and those trying to conceive to build friendships, ask questions and find support by introducing you to others nearby who are at a similar stage in life, Peanut provides access to a community who is there to listen, share information and offer valuable advice: Whether it’s understanding IVF, adoption, pregnancy, baby’s first years or beyond, Peanut is a place to connect with other moms in the thick of it.
Brett and her husband went through two IUIs and 5 rounds of IVF. On their fourth round they had two viable embryos and both transfers eventually became her two sons. Brett says the experience of going through IVF nearly broke her but just before it did it she fought back and ending up learning things about herself that she never knew. Since then she has made it her goal to help other women suffering in silence to feel less alone in their struggles with infertility.
Brett Russo Bio
Brett was born and raised in New Jersey. She graduated with a degree in business management from Bucknell University, where she also met her future husband. After graduation, Brett found her passion working beside her twin brother and father for her family’s printing company, of which she is now the chief executive officer. She married her husband in 2015, and together they fought the hardest battle of their lives with their journey through IVF. Read her new book, The Underwear in My Shoe: My Journey Through IVF, Unfiltered and connect with her here.
Babylist
This episode was sponsored by the people at Babylist believe that you should be able to get exactly what you need for your unique and growing family. That’s why their baby registry lets you add any item from any store. Even add cool services and favors like prenatal yoga, doula support, home-cooked meals or dog walking. Start your registry today to be eligible for a free Hello Baby Box of goodies for baby worth up to $190 while boxes last.
Valerie’s journey to motherhood started with a surprise pregnancy in college that unexpectedly catapulted her into the world of midwifery, natural birth, and was a huge time of transformation in her life. Mosely was born at 40w5d in a birth center, surrounded by his dad, grandpa, grandma, aunt and midwife.
Three and a half years later her second pregnancy and birth center birth had a few hiccups along the way in the form of a subchorionic hemorrhage. Despite the minor complication, she delivered Rocco at 40w2d after only 1.5hr of active labor in the same birth center suite and surrounded by the exact same people plus a big brother and doula.
Five and a half years later, nothing could have prepared Valerie for the devastating complications she had to face with her third pregnancy. Complications started around 9 weeks with a subchorionic hemorrhage. Shortly after the bleeding stopped, her baby boy was diagnosed with congenital heart defects via ultrasound and fetal echo. Then, her water broke at 22 weeks. They were given less a 1% chance of him surviving the pregnancy after the rupture. She managed to miraculously stay pregnant after her PPROM (preterm premature rupture of membranes) for 9 very tumultuous weeks (one of which included a hospital stay for a suspected placenta abruption). At 31w3d Rex was born after his parents arrived at the hospital just in time for Valerie to push him out into the hands of his NICU and CICU teams.
Rex spent over 3 months in the hospital and had 4 open heart surgeries before he was 8 months old. Valerie is still amazed by the miracles that have taken place in her body and is excited to share the story of her miraculous boy that beat all the odds.
Valerie Rowekamp Bio
Valerie is a 37 year old mom of Mosely (12), Rocco (9) and Rex (3). She’s a Texan living in Denver, Colorado since 2013. Valerie is extremely passionate about style, beauty, personal growth, spirituality and women’s empowerment. She co-hosts Facing 40 podcast which celebrates the evolution that happens to women as they “level-up”. You can find her on instagram @charmedvalerie and @facing40podcast or her blog www.charmedvalerie.com
Motif Medical
This episode was sponsored by Motif Medical. Motif designs insurance-eligible products for busy moms. With a focus on innovation and empowerment, Motif’s line of breast pumps and maternity compression garments are sophisticated, yet discreet, and made to support mothers as they navigate new motherhood. Discover why moms are reporting more milk in less time with the Luna breast pump, and see how you can get it covered through insurance at motifmedical.com/birthhour.
During Nicole’s first pregnancy, her baby was diagnosed with a rare intestinal malformation called duodenal atresia. She went into labor at 32 weeks and went on to have a c-section with inadequate anesthesia. Her baby had surgery 3 days after birth and spent a month in the NICU. This experience has helped Nicole better serve her patients as an OB/GYN.
Nicole Rankins Bio
Dr. Nicole Calloway Rankins is a board-certified, practicing OB/GYN and mom of 2 who empowers first time moms to feel supported and prepared for pregnancy and birth. Over the last 15 years she’s helped more than 1,000 babies come into this world and has demystified pregnancy and childbirth for thousands more women through her 5-star rated All About Pregnancy & Birth podcast, her free online birth plan class, and her signature online program – The Birth Preparation Course. Visit her website www.drnicolerankins.com and follow her on Instagram @drnicolerankins.
Aeroflow Breastpumps
Aeroflow Breastpumps has helped thousands of new and expecting moms find the perfect pump for her lifestyle. They offer all major pump brands including Medela, Spectra, Motif, Lansinoh, Ameda and more. And the best part, they take care of everything – including getting all required paperwork, dealing with your insurance company, and explaining your options in order to get your free pump shipped straight to your door.
Bonus — you may also qualify for free maternity compression garments like compression socks, maternity support band, and a postpartum recovery garment PLUS breast pump resupply products ranging from new bottles, tubing, and flanges to duck valves and pump membranes.
All you have to do is go to the Aeroflow Breastpumps website and fill out their free and easy Qualify Through Insurance form. Be sure to go to aeroflowbreastpumps.com/birthhour so they will know I sent you!
