As a first-time mom, Kayla Bruccoleri spent the majority of her pregnancy educating herself on the female body and just how capable it truly is. She let that education empower her to have an unmedicated birth. Though she had a hospital birth, she labored on therapy balls, using labor bars, and spent almost the whole time in a labor tub. After about a twelve hour labor and an hour of pushing, she got her precious son placed right on her chest and they enjoyed every moment of that precious, golden-hour untouched together. Kayla would love to connect with you on Instagram over at @k_bruccoleri.
Crate and Kids
This episode of The Birth Hour is sponsored by Crate and Kids. Crate and Kids understands the joys, surprises (and challenges) that come with having a baby. That’s why their warm and modern designs are made just for your growing family while also allowing you to keep your sense of style.
Use code TheBirthHour10 at checkout to receive 10% off your full-price purchase of furniture and more at crateandbarrel.com/kids. It’s valid online only, and some exclusions apply, so see their website for details.
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 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. 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!
Joanna shares her experience with gestational diabetes and an epidural hospital birth.
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.
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.
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.
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!
