After months of unsuccessful trying to conceive and suspicions that something was off, Gabi underwent some medical investigations, which led to the discovery of a large, benign ovarian tumor and ultimately severe endometriosis. Then, 11 days after her second surgery for endo removal, the unexpected passing of her husband’s brother sent them into a whirlwind of grief.
Only six weeks later, their miracle baby boy was conceived. Deemed a “higher risk” pregnancy, Gabi routinely saw an MFM, managed hypothyroidism and a fetal heart arrhythmia, found at 23 weeks. A membrane sweep at 39 weeks kick-started an unexpectedly long and painful early labor. Originally hoping for a low-intervention hospital birth, Gabi opted for an epidural and from there, experienced a cascade of exhausting interventions. After only 15 minutes of pushing, Reed was born, but immediately required respiratory resuscitation after a tough labor of his own.
Surprisingly, baby boy #2 was conceived after only 2 cycles of trying! Despite the challenges of wrangling a young toddler, this was a much simpler, hands-off pregnancy. Gabi was supported by an amazing team of midwives, and she was determined to avoid any unnecessary interventions this time. Gabi awoke on her due date to mild contractions, which quickly progressed to active labor. Less than 6 hours later, Bennett was born at the hospital with zero interventions!
Gabi Freeze Bio
Gabi is 29 years old and lives in the suburbs of Northern VA with her husband, Matt – they are Virginia Tech college sweethearts – and their two beautiful boys: Reed, who is 21 months, and their newest addition Bennett. Her instagram is private, but feel free to send a message @gabi_freeze.
Resources
- Birth Stories on The Birth Hour Podcast (and patreon FB group!)
- Down to Birth Podcast
- Birthing Instincts Podcast
- Birthing with Power Podcast
- Body Ready Method (@bodyreadymethod) Insta Account
- Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth
- Natural Childbirth The Bradley Way
- Made for This: Catholic Mom’s Guide to Childbirth by Mary Haseltine
- The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin
- Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth
- Silverettes Nipple Covers
- Boon Trove Milk Catchers
Inito
This episode is sponsored by Inito. Inito is the only at-home fertility monitor that tracks four key hormones (Estrogen, LH , PdG, and FSH) on a single test strip and provides lab-grade insights in just 10 minutes. Unlike other ovulation kits that only give you 1-2 fertile days, Inito tracks your full 6-day fertile window and doesn’t just predict ovulation, it confirms it, which is essential information when trying to conceive or understand your hormone health. Instead of piecing together fragments of information, it offers a full, clear picture of hormone health. With 96% accuracy, Inito offers the reliability of a blood test, minus the inconvenience and the expense.
I’ve had the chance to personally use Inito and was amazed at the user experience of the app—you enter in your last period date and from there the app guides you through exactly what to do and even sends a notification when it’s time to test.
The kit comes with everything you need to collect a urine sample and the Inito connects to your phone’s camera to read the test—there’s no squinting and guesswork—just easy to read results and clear directions when you are in that fertile window and when you ovulate.
The Inito Starter Pack is available for just $89 with the code THEBIRTHHOUR at inito.com.
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