To listen to this episode, and hundreds more birth stories in The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter Patreon here!
After initially not wanting to have kids and having a change of heart, Simone got pregnant almost immediately after removing her IUD. Though they didn’t think it would be that easy to get pregnant after Simone’s weight loss surgery, Simone and her husband quickly got on board and did as much research as they could to be ready for birth and parenthood.
Simone prepared to have a typical, long-and-late birth, but Mother Nature had a different idea. Nothing could have prepared Simone and her husband Gregg for their little boy to come 10 days early, fast and furious, with a precipitous labor.
Simone Torborg Bio
Simone is married to her husband, Gregg, and they have an 18 month old boy named Arthur (and a pup named Tango!). They live in a small neighborhood in New York. Simone works full time as a hairstylist in a high end salon on the north shore of Long Island, and she is obsessed with coffee, funky glasses, and all things black.
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!
To listen to this episode, and hundreds more birth stories in The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter Patreon here!
Joanna Lundeen Bio
Joanna is a mother to Lleyton with a baby girl on the way, a graphic designer, and wife to Daved living in North Dakota. She spends her free time watercolor painting, talking about Buzz Lightyear & Spider-Man and supporting her husband as a coach of the boy’s basketball team. She loves to connect with other mama’s and share mothering experiences together. Find her on Instagram @jototheyo.
This episode is sponsored by Milkies by Fairhaven Health. Milkies is a line of thoughtfully designed products for moms, by moms, to help support all women in their breastfeeding journey. Products include breast milk collection and storage, supplements, teas, nursing pads and much more! Milkies is generously offering 10% off all products with the code BIRTHHOUR at www.fairhavenhealth.com.
To listen to this episode, and hundreds more birth stories in The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter Patreon here!
Lindsay and her husband, Jeff, live in Detroit, Michigan, with their son, Rivers. Lindsay has had type one diabetes since she was a child, and with it came some obstacles to navigate in order to start her journey to become pregnant.
Lindsay became pregnant shortly after her team of doctors gave her a green light; and, her pregnancy went well until she was unexpectedly hospitalized at 27 weeks due to pre-eclampsia. By 34 weeks she was induced because of elevated blood pressures at an NST. After a 40-hour induction/labor hooked to a magnesium drip, a failed Foley bulb, and hours of pushing Lindsay’s labor ended in a c-section that felt more mentally traumatic than she anticipated.
Her son had to stay in the NICU for 12 days but was not in a serious condition despite his gestational age. They were able to exclusively breastfeed a few weeks after he was home and they’re both happy and healthy now.
Today’s episode is sponsored by Ergobaby. Founded in 2003, Ergobaby is dedicated to building a global community of confident parents with smart, ergonomic solutions that enable and encourage bonding between parents and babies. Ergobaby offers 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. At the end of today’s episode I spoke to Kelly all about the new Embrace carrier from Ergobaby.
Julia knew she wanted an unmedicated birth from the start. Fear of the hospital environment and medical interventions influenced her decision, along with stories from her mother of her own births. Julia had a relatively straightforward pregnancy but several changes in providers, and she eventually transferred to a midwife group at 30 weeks. Julia went into labour at almost 38 weeks, had a 30 hour labor at home with mostly back labor, and after a quick drive to the hospital Frankie was born two hours later.
Julia FitzRoy-Chow Bio
Originally from the UK, Julia FitzRoy-Chow lives in Los Angeles with her husband Geoff and daughter Frankie. Previously Julia led the North American team for a popular home-sharing company, traveling the country vetting potential homes for the platform. Currently staying home with her toddler, and preparing for baby #2 in March.
Today’s episode was sponsored by Tubby Todd Bath Co. Created with sensitive skin in mind, Tubby Todd’s line of bodycare basics are gentle, effective and fun for the whole family. You might have heard of their eczema miracle worker All Over Ointment (fondly referred to as AOO), but this family-owned brand offers a full line of sensitive skincare solutions that you’ll love to reach for every single day. Start with The Regulars or Baby Bundle to get your little one set up with their very first skincare routine. Join the TT fam and get 15% off your first purchase with code BIRTHHOUR15 at tubbytodd.com.
To listen to this episode, and hundreds more birth stories in The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter Patreon here!
Jennifer’s husband was diagnosed with cancer two months after they were married. They were able to bank his sperm before he started chemotherapy and knew that IVF would be the only way to have children in the future. After years of battling cancer they decided they didn’t want to let cancer hold them back from living life. They implanted one embryo through IVF and were shocked when they found out their one embryo had split into two. They were expecting twins!
When Jennifer was seven months pregnant, her husband got very sick and was admitted into the hospital. They weren’t sure he would make it to the twins birth. Miraculously he made it home and was able to be at the birth with is wheelchair and oxygen. Jennifer’s birth was not easy and she decided she wanted to try and have her babies vaginally. The first baby came vaginally, but the second baby’s heart rate started to drop. They had to do an emergency c-section. Baby B came out blue and they rushed him to the NICU. Thankfully he was only in for the evening and Jennifer was reunited with both babies in the morning. They were able to spend a couple months together as a family of four before her husband passed away in July 2018.
Jennifer Hanks Bio
Jennifer recently lost the love of her life to cancer. She is now a single mom of IVF miracle twin boys. She hopes to help others as she shares her journey as a new widow and mother of twins. Connect with her on Instagram @cocoscaravan or on her website cocoscaravan.com.
FamilyAlbum Photo Sharing App
Today’s episode is sponsored by FamilyAlbum. FamilyAlbum is a family-focused photo sharing app with over 5 million users worldwide. FamilyAlbum helps you save, share, and remember the special moments in your baby’s life. You can even get started before baby is born and document your pregnancy.
FamilyAlbum app offers unlimited free storage, is completely ad-free, and provides smart, automatic organization. But my absolute favorite thing is that you can invite friends and family to view your photos privately and securely. You can even specify which family members see which photos. Your family will be notified when new photos are added and they can leave comments creating a fun conversation! You can also use suggested ideas for monthly photobooks, or create your own and then have them shipped straight to your door. The app keeps your memories safe, allowing you to recover them even if your phone is lost or damaged. To download this fun app head to the apple or google play app store and search for FamilyAlbum, or go to family-album.com!
SYDNEY’S BIRTH – Because of PCOS, Cassi had to use Clomid to conceive all but one of her babies. All in all, it took 15 months to conceive their first child, Sydney. The pregnancy was fairly uneventful, but Cassi was diagnosed with a marginal placenta previa at the end of it and was given a choice between an induction and a c-section. Though there was a significant risk of hemorrhage with a vaginal birth in this circumstance, she chose the induction and was induced just before 39 weeks. After 17 hours of labor, she requested an epidural, which needed to be placed twice because the first try did not work. Three hours after getting the epidural, Cassi was complete and ready to push and, just twenty minutes after that, Sydney Rose was born.
ELOISE’S BIRTH While trying for their second baby, Cassi had a miscarriage at 7 weeks and visited a reproductive endocrinologist (fertility doctor) for the first time. As she prepared to start injectable drugs, she and her husband conceived Eloise unexpectedly on a cycle they thought was a bust. The pregnancy was a hard one, full of anxiety, high blood pressure, and a lot of doctor appointments. At two days past due, they discovered that the baby had turned into a breech position and Cassi was scheduled for a c-section. The next day, Baby had turned again and so Cassi was scheduled for an induction instead. The induced labor was incredibly hard, with contractions coming every 90 seconds for hours. Though she was once determined to have an unmedicated birth for this one, Cassi eventually requested an epidural when it was discovered she was only 4.5cm dilated after enduring hours of hard contractions. Twenty minutes later, long before the anesthesiologist arrived, she was 10cm and ready to push. Eloise was born after just another couple of minutes, sunny-side up and with no epidural in sight.
FINLEY’S BIRTH Cassi’s pregnancy with Finley was easy and uneventful, as was the labor and birth. For the first time, she went into labor on her own just two days after her due date. She and her husband made the quick trip to the hospital in the middle of the night and Cassi labored peacefully in her room and the bathtub for a short while before she felt ready to push. Though there was meconium in her water when it broke, Finley was born without any issues, just two hours after their arrival at the hospital. He was born sunny-side up as well.
ISABEL’S BIRTH Though Cassi’s pregnancy with Isabel was free of any significant complications, she developed eczema in this pregnancy and, due to it getting badly infected multiple times, pregnancy was miserable. When she went into labor after having her membranes stripped a few days past her due date, she was more than ready to welcome her baby. Unfortunately, this hospital birth was less than ideal. It was a comedy of errors with a room full of nurses who didn’t respect her wishes or treat her as an individual and who seemed disorganized and unprepared to have a patient who wanted an unmedicated birth. Pushing was hard and required more work than ever for Cassi to birth her baby and Isabel was born sunny-side up and covered in vernix. At last, Cassi felt as though she had the large family she’s always dreamed of having. However, the disappointing circumstances of the birth have left her longing for just one more.
Bio Cassi Robinson
Cassi has been married to her college sweetheart, Dan, for eleven years and they live in the Pacific Northwest. She’s a stay-at-home mom to their four loud and energetic children, Sydney, Eloise, Finley, and Isabel. Other than motherhood and birth, she’s most passionate about photography and travel. You can connect with her on instagram (@cassi.robinson.8), facebook (Cassaundra Robinson), by email (clrobinson8@gmail.com), or on her blog, Living on Coffee & Prayer (http://www.livingoncoffeeandprayer.home.blog).
Human Milk 4 Human Babies (I think each state has their own Facebook group or page for this)
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Wumblekin
This episode is sponsored by Wumblekin. Life’s busy and there’s a lot of noise out there, that can be especially true during pregnancy. Wumblekin breaks down pregnancy, labor and birth with evidence-based education and expert-curated products for mom and baby. Easily buy or gift single boxes, or subscribe to receive them throughout pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Be informed and prepared by ordering Wumblekin pregnancy, birth and postpartum essentials, today! Get 15% off your first box by using promo code BIRTHHOUR at checkout. Visit wumblekin.com to order or subscribe, today!
To listen to this episode, and hundreds more birth stories in The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter Patreon here!
After a cesarean section with her first child, Danielle couldn’t shake the desire for a vaginal birth experience. When she became pregnant with her second child she sought out a provider who was supportive of her wish to VBAC. She incorporated every “trick” and potion in the book to help her odds of success, especially as she neared the end of her pregnancy. But she never dilated or effaced. Once her due date came she had made no progress and she scheduled her second cesarean.
She slept well the night before and checked into the hospital that morning with very little fear. But as if her body had muscle memory, when it came time to walk into the operating room, she was shaking uncontrollably with fear. At the beginning of the surgery, her OBGYN found Danielle had a large uterine window. This condition would have made a VBAC very dangerous. The first words out of her OBGYN’s mouth when she got inside were, “Your body was looking out for you.” Danielle believes this to be true. She didn’t get the experience she had hoped for, but with her OBGYN’s guidance, she got to have a “Gentle c-section” which included many things she didn’t know were options her first time around. She rejects the term “failed VBAC” and believes her birth experience is better described as a “Successful c-section”.
Danielle Estrada Bio
Danielle is an LA native and recent Austin, Texas transplant. She is the mother to two girls, Olivia and Elle, a wife, and successful tech executive who moonlights as a swimwear designer. Her uniquely inclusive swimwear brand, Olivia + Ocean, is on a mission is to empower and support every Mom who has struggled getting in a swimsuit post-baby. Born out of her own challenges resonating with the swimwear brands on the market after becoming a mother for the first time. She designs specifically for the needs of the postpartum mother who wants something functional that doesn’t sacrifice fashion. Her swimwear collection embraces the mother in search of her new sense of self that often accompanies the transition into motherhood. Connect with her on Instagram @oliviaandocean.
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.
Our sweet boy turned one last month and while we got a few gifts that have been huge gifts. We generally don’t buy much for our kids until they are older because they can easily be entertained by a spoon, a bucket, or a crumbled piece of paper but luckily we have friends and family that are in the know when it comes to all of the fun baby toys and our son has been loving a few things.
Push Toy
He’s 13 months and still not quite walking but man can he go when he pushing this thing around! We’ve tried quite a few and this one never tips backwards plus it’s a lot cute than many of the plastic ones I’ve seen.
Musical Instruments
This Hape piano collab with Baby Einstein is so cool! I love that it’s aesthetically pleasing but I mostly love the low volume setting! Our son loves to play with it and as he gets old there are even little music cards for him to practice playing tunes. So cute.
Another Hape toy that combines music with pounding (always a win!) is this toy. He loves to take the xylophone in and out and push the balls through. It’s getting lots of play time around here.
I also got him this drum for Christmas. It’s a little pricier than others on amazon but I read all of the reviews and I think this one will hold up best. Lots of people were saying their kids even used it as a little stool to sit on!
Blocks
You can never go wrong with blocks. We have a few sets that have lasted over the years and still get played with by all three of our kids (ages 8, 6, and 1). We love these and these (easy for little hands to stack because they fit together) and we just got these for his birthday and they’ve been great too!
Balls
Babies love balls, you can go to literally any store and find some good options but I particularly love these because they are great for sensory play as well.
Wooden Toys
We’ve collected a good amount of nice quality wooden toys over the years and a few of my favorite places for these are Haba, Hape, and Melissa & Doug. You can also find really special one locally or on Etsy.
Books
You can’t go wrong with buying books because again, babies don’t care too much about what they get and the parents will love you for freshening up their bedtime reading selection. For young babies we love these books that are impossible to destroy—seriously baby can chew on them, sit on them, bathe with them and they will be fine! We also love these board books.
Age Specific Play sets
There are also a couple of great subscription type toy sets for babies and toddlers that are awesome because little ones don’t need a bunch of toys at once! I’m a huge fan of MontiKids (BIRTHHOUR40 for $40 off) and Lovevery! You can even ask for gift cards from these companies!
To listen to this episode, and hundreds more birth stories in The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter Patreon here!
After dealing with Gestational Diabetes that was insulin dependent for her fasting numbers and finding out she had Group B strep, Victoria had the most amazing, beautiful birth. She labored for 24 hours, pushed for 3 hours, all with the wonderful support of her doula and birth center. She had a birth plan and things went pretty well according to her plan.
Unfortunately things got harder postpartum. Victoria tried to breastfeed but got sick every time and it got progressively worse. Her baby had no wet diapers for 24 hours so she started to supplement with formula. After a lactation appointment where she mentioned how she’d been feeling, she was sent to the doctor the next day with a subclinical infection where they checked to make sure she didn’t have any remaining placenta. Her health continued to worsen, so she went back in to the doctor and found out she had high blood pressure, 30 lbs of swelling, a headache, and URQ pain. She was sent home and told to get a BP cuff. 4 hours later her blood pressure was in critical level and she was admitted to the hospital for severe post natal preeclampsia and stayed in the hospital for 4 days.
Victoria is still sorting out issues months later. She is now considered pre-diabetic, has high cholesterol, is still on blood pressure meds for chronic hypertension, and had to wear a heart monitor. She is working with a therapist for medically-based anxiety and PPA, and taking Zoloft. Victoria never had any health issues prior to pregnancy and now she feels like her body is failing her after such a joyous birth.
Victoria Buker Bio
Victoria is the Director of Development & Marketing for a non-profit and has over 15 years of non-profit development and sales experience. She and her husband welcomed their first child, Madison Kai, in June. Victoria has an MBA from Georgia Southern University and a BS in Biology from Mary Baldwin. Victoria loves to be outdoors: whether that is running, hiking, exploring her new town, SCUBA diving or paddle-boarding. She is thankful that her little babe loves being outside too and taking adventures with Victoria and her husband!
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!
To listen to this episode, and hundreds more birth stories in The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter Patreon here!
Carrie, an experienced doula, had an unexpectedly emotionally-difficult pregnancy. She worked hard throughout to release secondary trauma from being a birth worker, all in hopes of having a home birth with a truly community-centered birth team. After a 21 hour labor with an extra-long pushing stage, she welcomed her son while sitting on her husband’s lap…on the toilet. Carrie had a positive and peaceful postpartum and breastfeeding experience and is passionate about helping others find ways to plan for postpartum that will work with their budget, lifestyle, and parenting goals.
Carrie Murphy Bio
Carrie is a full-spectrum doula, virtual/online doula, doula mentor, poet, freelance writer, feminist, and mother. She is a co-founder and co-coordinator of the UNM Volunteer Birth Companion Program and the steering committee lead for the New Mexico Doula Association. Carrie’s freelance writing has appeared in or on ELLE, Glamour, Women’s Health, FitPregnancy, Parents, and more. She is the author of two books of poetry. Carrie recently relocated with her son and husband from Albuquerque, NM to New Orleans, LA. Find her on Instagram @carriemurph or @carriethedoula.
This past year I had the amazing privilege of getting to work with Heather Gallagher to document our family from the end of my pregnancy through baby’s first birthday. I love that Heather offers this “year in the life” photography package because it focuses more on how the whole family changes and grows over a year rather than the more typical baby milestone photo packages I’d seen before. We have two older children and this year was HUGE for them in terms of changes and I’m so grateful to have these priceless images to remember our whole family unit over the course of the year that we welcomed baby number three into the fold.
I highly recommend Heather Gallagher not only for this year-in-the-life package but for any of your photography needs (especially birth photography!). She is based in Vermont but also travels for photo sessions from time to time!
Heather is also a full spectrum doula which you can learn more about by reaching out to her at hello@heathergallagher.co or following her on Instagram @heather.gallagher
Maternity Photos
Our first photo session was a maternity photo shoot at the Austin Public Library which is one of our favorite places to explore together. The kids quickly became comfortable with Heather and were up to their typical silly antics.
Birth Photography
The next time we saw Heather was for the birth! She arrived just 40 minutes or so before baby was born and probably would’ve missed it if she hadn’t had the foresight to be hanging around the area ‘just in case’ which I’m forever grateful for! Birth photos are the most beautiful images in the world and I look back at mine often. It can be hard to remember the details when you’re in “laborland” and having all of the little moments captured is not only really special but has also helped me in the processing of my birth story.
Postpartum Photo Session
Heather came back a few days later for a Postpartum shoot which really captures our big kids and how they were changing as they stepped into their new roles.
One Year Old Birthday Photo Session
We finished our year together with Heather capturing baby’s 1st Birthday party! Of course I love all of the images but more than that, it was so nice to not have to worry about where my phone was so I could be taking pictures as well and I am in way more of the photos than I would’ve been as well. I think it helped keep everyone else off of their phones as well especially when it came time for the smash cake—I noticed that everyone didn’t do the typical thing of all trying to film this moment because they knew Heather had it covered.
It’s so surreal to have more than a year captured of our family and putting together this blog post was so much fun as I went back through all of the images. It was definitely hard to pick my favorites and I’m sure my favorites will change over time! I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into a year in the life of our little family! If you are in the Austin area, I highly recommend Heather Gallagher not only for this year-in-the-life package but for any of your photography needs (especially birth photography!). Heather is also a full spectrum doula which you can learn more about by reaching out to her at hello@heathergallagher.co or following her on Instagram @heather.gallagher. Thank you Heather!!!
To listen to this episode, and hundreds more birth stories in The Birth Hour archives, join our listener supporter Patreon here!
Before getting pregnant with her first child, Brittany had hoped and planned for an unmedicated birth. Due to an unnecessary induction and several interventions her first birth ended in a cesarean. Immediately following that birth, she began preparing for a VBAC.
3.5 years later she was able to have a successful, unmedicated, intervention free VBAC. Unfortunately, it was not the redemptive dream-birth she had envisioned due to the treatment she received from the on-call OB. She shares her journey of processing and healing from two very different traumatic births.
Brittany DuValle Bio
Brittany is a nurse who lives in Northern California with her husband of 10 years and their two daughters, Josephine who is 4, and Wilhelmina who is 9 months. Connect with her on Instagram: @broseduvalle or Facebook: Brittany Rose DuValle.
Resources
ICAN
Birthinginsticts.com – Dr. Stu
Dr. Stu’s Podcast
VBACFACTS.org
Informed Pregnancy Podcast
Crane
This episode is sponsored by Crane Humidifiers. Crane’s colorful humidifiers are a nursery necessity to help relieve your baby’s tiny congested nose, which can make feeding and sleeping a struggle for both baby and mom. A happy baby is a healthy baby. Crane is generously offering $10 OFF and free shipping on all of their full-priced 1 gallon adorable animal shaped humidifiers and drop humidifiers with the code BIRTH19 at www.crane-usa.com.
