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10 - Sydnee's Fast and Unexpected Birth Story · Heartbeat of The Home

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thanks for being here and doing this.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: My pleasure.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm glad we're banging it out before I go.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: My week is literally like.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Are you moving this weekend?
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: Packing everything, move Monday.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, anyway, so like every day is trying to tie up like with friends and our families and packing and all that stuff.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like I feel like we're moving further away than just two and a half hours.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: But also for me, like it's a really big deal.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: No, it is.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: And like so, anyways, but yes, that's that's very much so been my week.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm really grateful to be here to be able to have this be one of the last things.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: And hopefully it's so revive like energizing and like healing and prepping you for.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: I was just gonna say, this is like I think I was telling you, like a mindset shift now of like I have not been able to like really focus on this pregnancy like mentally.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's just like getting through it, like just one day.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Like, oh, what ache and pain am I gonna wake up with this morning?
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: But I feel like this is like even looking at your questions, I was like, whoa, like I have to sit down and like think about this, you know.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, just because it's been such like on the back burner in my head.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: So, how do you feel about that having this one be very different?
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Not gonna lie, part of me feels a little guilty.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I've seen stuff about that of like just when you have a toddler, it's like you can't give like every first kick, you know, or like every this or every that, like it's not the first time.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: And not that I want it to be the first time, but I also want to be like honoring up that and like aware and not just like numb to it, you know.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like I've because of our circumstances, like, you know, we've been so busy and just like so hyper-focused on what is going on wearing suitcases, yeah, you know, whatever.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so now I think like, okay, once we get settled, unfortunately, I'm like, you know, 27 weeks, so it's like okay, we have some time, right?
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like now I can sit down and be like super intentional about the last third of this pregnancy before you know birth and prepping for that and prepping for whatever's gonna happen with Hadley and whatever.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't know, it's a lot, yeah.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: But it's gonna be good.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be good.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'm telling myself it's gonna be great.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: So it's gonna be good.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: Tell me about yourself and your fam and just who you are.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for joining me.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't really do an intro, but it doesn't matter.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: We have Sydney on the podcast.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Sydney.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: I am married to my husband Drew.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: We have a 19-month-old daughter named Hadley, and then another baby girl coming in November.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: We are in the process of moving from the cities up to Duluth for my husband's job, and we're very excited.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: We also have a dog.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: He's three, golden retriever.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: His name is Wrigley.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: He's wonderful.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_01: And tell me about yourself.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: Oh.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you do hobby.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I love I was a first grade teacher for three years, and then I had my daughter last year.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and I went back to school after my maternity leave for three months, and I decided nope, I'd rather be a mom than be a teacher, even though I love teaching.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: And so then now I'm a stay-at-home mom, and I absolutely adore it.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my hobbies include gardening, crafting, cooking.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: I love just being with people.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if that's a hobby, but we're gonna call it a hobby.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: I think it is socializing.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: You're a people person.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Being outgoing and like, you know, getting my energy from people.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like that's a I mean, it could be a hobby.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: I think so.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: Especially now, I feel like we just have less time for the crafts and stuff.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: So I feel like being around people is energizing, and I would call that a hobby because literally we were like talking the other day.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, okay, here's your budget for fun money.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like looking back at it, I'm like, coffee shop, coffee shop, coffee shop.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: These all must be this must be my new hobbies.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like going to a different coffee shop with a friend and a toddler.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like so.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: What is something that's super fun that Hadley's doing right now?
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: Like the stage she's in, or oh my gosh, I just love her.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's so fun.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, like I she's just getting to be so chatty.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like, she will come up with random words the other day.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: She was yelling hot dog everywhere.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Or like my one of my absolute favorite things that she does right now is anytime we enter into a space, she just yells, hello, like at the top of her lungs.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: So everybody and their mother is like, What?
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: It came out of this little girl.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: And she just it's so loud.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like today, we walked into the chiropractor, and there's like nobody in the waiting room except for the people working on the front desk, and she just walks in, hello.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: And everybody in the back that was getting adjusted, like when we went back there, was like, hello, because she was so loud.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: But I mean, like, it's cute.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: You can't blame her, and you can't just be like, shh, yeah.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: If somebody's gonna get mad about it, well, sorry.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: That's so but I love that, and she just is like always so chatty, and she just is like a little human now.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: Like, she's gotten to the point where it's like she's not a baby, she's a full-on toddler, and she's just so fun.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: I just love it.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: That's so fun.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: What's your favorite thing about being a mom?
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, for sure.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: Just like watching them grow and like realizing that it's like they're a part of you, and like something that I've really been holding like deeply in my heart is that like we're responsible for her childhood, and I've just been really reflecting on my own childhood and realizing like whoa, we get to, you know, be a part of the memories that she's gonna hold on to forever.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I just love that, and I love the idea that like I get to be with her every day and watch her change.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I think that's the thing that I get so passionate about is like I loved teaching, I loved my job, but now like watching a human that like you created with the love of your life learning and developing every single day is like the coolest thing ever.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I just love it.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: I love it so much.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: That's fun.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: Kind of pivoting towards your birth story and yeah, all of that fun stuff.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: It was so fun.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, uh it's kind of starting at the beginning.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_01: Tell me about getting pregnant, finding out you're pregnant, telling Drew that process.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: We had been married for three years almost, and we kind of knew that that was like our time frame of like, okay, we are living in a house, we got a dog, it feels like the next right thing.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like, we both like my husband was a teacher as well, and so we're both like very kid people.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: We just always knew that that was something, like, even from when we were dating, like, I honestly don't even ever think we had the conversation, like, do you want kids?
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was just like equally known that that was just like in our future.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so yeah, we just kind of decided we were like, okay, we're kind of ready, but like let's logistically think like time frame-wise as a teacher, when's like the best time to have a baby, you know, whatever.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and we had kind of decided, like, all right, maybe we'll start trying like in the spring.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: Don't ask me the year, that would have been 2024.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: In the spring of 2024.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we kind of were like, this was this must have been like February or March.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: And we kind of had said, like, hey, maybe we'll start trying in May.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: And we kind of looked at each other and we were like, we don't want to be the people who say we are for sure gonna start in May.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: We wanted it to be something that was a little bit more organic.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like, hey, we are in this season of life where like if we got pregnant today, great.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like we were doing natural natural family planning, and like we had been like prepping for prepping our bodies for me, like a year, him, more like six months, just like taking out toxins in our lives, like really focusing on just like our own health and well-being, making sure that we're staying up to date on like our supplements and just all of that kind of thing.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and just feeling our body, moving our body.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: And then we were like, well, we're kind of we've been doing all the right things, and like we're in the season of if we got pregnant, like it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: So let's just see what happens.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: And by the grace of God, we got pregnant the first month.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I am super aware with my body and my cycle and everything, and so I knew like literally day one that when I did not get my period, I was like, I am for sure pregnant.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like, wow, I was not expecting that.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm gonna be honest with you, I think in our world today, there's been a lot of really you hear a lot of really unfortunate news in the birth world, and just people who have had a lot of infertility struggles, and I think that we not were surrounded by it, but it definitely kind of started to seep in our heads of like this might not be, you know, easy.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like, this could be a journey to see, like to think that we could have gotten pregnant the first try.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, there's no way, and so I bought a pregnancy test, and I was like, okay, I'm gonna sit and take this by myself.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna get Drew wrapped into this.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like, if it's negative, like I don't, I don't know.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: I just didn't want him to like be disappointed.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: I I don't really know.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm not sure.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: But I ended up taking it and finding out it was positive, and I was like, okay, sweet, this is what this is what we're doing, like, you know, and so I went and I bought little shoes at Target and a little onesie or whatever, and slid the pregnancy test in there.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: And when he had gotten home from work that day, um, he like opened it or whatever, and he was just like, Are you serious?
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what?
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: And so it was never like one of those we have this massive hug and we cry and cry and cry and whatever.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: We were just both like literally like high fives.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: We were like, Let's go! But that's very much so our relationship.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: So and I was very, very pumped in terms of like my pregnancy.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: I was super sick for the first 12 weeks, and as a teacher, who I was really rough.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: I I was so sick.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I ended up getting through my 12 weeks.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: I ended up taking Zopran, um, even though I tried all the natural things first, but I was like, I literally can't go to my job.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like I physically cannot go to work, so I need some help.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: So taking Zolfran for like the probably the last four or five weeks of my first trimester, and then got into my second trimester.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: Smooth sailing, baby.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: It was wonderful.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: We went to Greece, I was 20 weeks pregnant, I was living my best life.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, third trimester was great too.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, obviously, like I would say worst part about my third trimester was turning over in bed.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I called the beach whale effect.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you just can't, it's not.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know how to explain it.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm not looking forward to that this time, but it's gonna be fine.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, third trimester was great.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: How do you feel like in pregnancy God showed up for you or provided for you?
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think like honestly, from the very beginning of like our prayer was like, Lord, like we just like want to serve you in this that like you call us to multiply, and we want to bring your goodness into the world in the little human form, and we just pray that this baby's healthy.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like, we did not care about gender, we did not care about anything, um, aside from just like Lord, like we just want a healthy baby, and I think that had been just like our prayer through through the whole thing, and God just like showed up time and time again through like I felt like my physical well-being.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like, yes, was I sick, but did I have it the worst that it could possibly be?
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely not.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like, He just provided in such a way that we were still able to like go through our everyday lives and like find joy.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I know in this world also a lot of people like to complain about pregnancy.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, don't get me wrong, there's so many reasons that people like so many hardships that people face.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I just felt like the Lord's hand was just so on my like through our throughout our pregnancy, like and on our relationship too, like with every navigation that we were facing and like decision that we had to make, like just like this mindset mindset shift of like okay, I don't need to be fearful of this, like God, like you created this, like you designed us to give birth.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that's my body was created for that, and it's beautiful, and I get to partner with you in that.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was magical.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: So, and so then what going into birth?
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: You said that you were really wanting a natural birth, so then what were you like hoping and praying for your birth plan going into it?
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we had um originally like been doing all of our appointments through a specific birth center, and when I was 37 weeks pregnant, I found out that they were closing and due to like financial reasons and that I needed to transfer my care.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: And so at that moment I was like, Oh, okay, a little setback, but it's all right.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: And so I ended up transferring to a different birth center.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, fine, you know, doing the rest of my appointments and meeting those midwives, which felt very quick.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I felt like okay, this is I can do this, like this is okay.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like, even though I had like my mindset, right?
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: Because you like start visualizing, like that's very much so like a thing, I feel like in the natural birth community of just like okay, visualizing your birth.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what do you, you know, and so I like visualized in the space and so to have to like shift, and like you know, you get familiar with the midwives that you're working with and whatnot.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: But anyway, so then we ended up switching to a different birth center.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: It was great.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone that we met there was great, it still felt like very cozy and like comfortable, which I feel like is important.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like, again, the mindset thing of like, can I be comfortable in this space?
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like, can I, you know, because if you're sitting and holding on to thoughts and fears and whatever and worries, and it can make labor and delivery a lot harder.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so we were all set and whatnot.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I was teaching up until winter break.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um so like right before Christmas of 2024.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: And Hadley's due date was January 7th of 2025, and we were to return back to school on January 6th.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: So I taught all the way up until literally the last minute.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and on January 6th, I ended up going into labor naturally, um at like oh my gosh, probably 11 o'clock, 10 o'clock at night, maybe.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, or like this is when I would say like I had like my first contraction.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I like didn't really know what to expect.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: Like I hadn't had any Braxton Hicks up until then, and so I was like, oh, this is for sure Braxton Hicks, like wow, my first one.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so lucky.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: And they kind of just like continued on, you know, every however long.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: And so I was like, okay, if this is starting labor, they tell you you should probably go to bed.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: So let's go to bed.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: So we went to bed and I was like, honey, we're gonna need to get some sleep.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: So like let's go to bed.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: Went to bed.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and probably like I don't know, two, three hours later, I was still like tossing it two hours.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: I was still like tossing and turning in bed because they were like noticeable enough that I couldn't fall asleep.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, my husband is you know next to me, and I'm like, okay, so either I can keep tossing and turning, or I can like go down and like try to fall asleep on the couch, like maybe watch a little TV, get my mind off things, like see if I can fall asleep on the couch.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: Then I don't have to worry about waking up my husband, you know, or whatever, so he can get a good night's sleep and whatever.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I go down on the couch, my 75-pound golden retriever decides to hop up on the couch and lays next to me, and bless his heart, he did that for the whole night while I labored alone on the couch until probably like and they like my contraction started to get like more a little bit more intense, like you know, it's definitely like uncomfortable, but like nothing that I was like, okay, this is that.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm like, okay, this is like, you know, alright.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: And probably at like five o'clock in the morning, mind you, I was supposed to be going to work that day.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, at like five o'clock in the morning, I was like, okay, this is like getting to the point, like I should probably wake up, Drew.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I woke Drew up and was like, hey, I'm like for sure in labor.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we're gonna need to like not go into work today.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I need to like call my school, you know, whatever.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I should probably eat something before, like, you know, they also tell you you should eat, get good, good, good food in your body, you know, prepare you for labor.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: And anyways, so he wakes up, we call, you know, a cancel or put in that I'm gonna be gone, and he tells his boss he's not gonna go into work and whatnot.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_00: And that at that point it's probably like, I don't know, six something in the morning.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, okay, these contractions like have now moved to like my back.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, mmm, that's different.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: So I was doing things on the ball and you know, moving around and all that stuff, and um, I had asked Drew to like make me, I think I had him make me scrambled eggs.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's what I had asked him to make.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_00: And he comes back and I'm like eating my scrambled eggs, and no more than five minutes later, I just puked them all back up.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: They were so disgusting.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, Yeah, that's not gonna work.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna need a smoothie.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna need a smoothie.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: And so he bless his heart makes me a smoothie, you know, or whatever.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: And um, my contractions are getting to the point now where it's like, okay, I could probably use a little assistance, like, we're gonna breathe through these.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think at like 7:30 in the morning, um my Drew was like, Hey, we should probably like call somebody to pick up our dog.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: So he calls my dad, and my dad's like, Yep, I'll be right over, you know, or whatever.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: And my dad gets over around eight, and they're standing in the driveway.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_00: I remember this.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: I was upstairs in our bedroom, and there's a big window that like looks down into the driveway.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, I'm going through it, like I'm breathing through these contractions, and I'm watching my husband, my dad, and my dog just chit-chatting out in the driveway.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: Drew's like, yeah, her contractions are like, you know, two some minutes apart.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_00: And my dad's like, um, what?
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: Why are you still here?
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like, shouldn't you be somewhere else?
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: And he's like, Oh, well, I didn't really, you know, she didn't really seem like it was that bad.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: So, well, I'm gonna go.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: You should go back inside.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: And so Drew comes back inside and he's like, Hey, we should probably like call the doula and like the midwife, because we hadn't done that yet.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like, we I think I was just expecting it to be so much worse.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: And so we get on the phone with our doula, and she's like, Okay, like, you know, walk me through what you're feeling, you know, whatever.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: She's like, Oh, yeah, you still, you know, you still got a ways to go.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: Just like keep working hard.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'll get packing up here and head your way in about 30 minutes.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, okay, sounds good.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: Call the midwife.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: She's like, same thing.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: She's like, okay, that sounds great.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, you guys should probably start packing up the car so it's ready to go.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: But like, you know, once they get to, I can't even remember what the rule is now.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_00: 51131.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: 4111.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: 411 is usually 511, I feel like is generally for the hospital.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like they should.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: 411 is like midwife, it was for like birth centers, and I mean we didn't.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: I think I'm pretty sure it was 311 is what whatever.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: I don't even remember what those all mean now, but anyway, so um we call her, she's like, Yeah, you could probably like get headed over.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_00: Mind you, we lived 40 minutes in rush hour away from said birth center, and so she's like, Yeah, you could probably get in the car in a little while, make sure you're all packed up, like eat something.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like, okay, great, sounds good.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so I had mentioned that like I was having some like back labor, and we had shared that with our doula, and she's like, Okay, I would love for you to do like a sideline release.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like, usually back labor means that the positioning of your baby is not quite like optimal, and we would love to like have baby slide into your birth canal a little bit better and just get in a little different position.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: And so let's try these sideline releases, and she's like, do them through a contraction on each side, and so um, we're like, great.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: So start doing our sideline releases or whatever.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: I like do it on one side through a contraction, and then I flip to the other side to do it through a contraction, and all of a sudden I felt this like shift, and instantly I was like, I have to go to the bathroom, like I have to pee so bad.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I like rolled off the bed and I hobbled to the bathroom.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: I sat in the toilet, my water broke.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, Drew, my water broke.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I instantly started pushing.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like I could not control it.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: Sitting on the toilet, instantly started pushing.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, um, we're gonna have this baby.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: She's like, what do you need?
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: to get Ardoula back on the phone.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: He's like, hey, Stephanie.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um I could just imagine Drew, just like, hey, so um Stephanie!
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: She's like standing there on the beach, and he's like, yeah, her water broke over the toilet.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: Stephanie's like, that's great.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_00: He goes, Yeah, but and she's pushing.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: And Stephanie was like, she's what?
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: Like, there's no way.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like, give me, you know, hand her over, give her the phone to me, whatever.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: So, anyways, she's like, Hi, honey, how are you?
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like pushing.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: And she's like, Oh, um, Drew, you need to get her into get her in the car right now and um take her to the nearest hospital.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I will meet you there.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: What is the nearest hospital?
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: And she's like, honey, where's the nearest hospital?
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: You're like literally five minutes away.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, praise God, it's five minutes away, like we, you know, or whatever.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, like he goes, Yeah, we're about, you know, five, ten minutes away from the nearest hospital.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: She's like, Okay, great, I'll meet you there, you know, or whatever.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I will call the midwife for you.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_00: So bless her heart.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: She was like, Don't worry about that.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: I will call the midwife, I'll let them know what's going on.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: So, important thing to note, I was wearing, I was wearing a very large oversized t-shirt, some nice undies, and that was it.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's the middle of winter, guys.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, it's January in Minnesota.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: In Minnesota, and I was like, okay, honey, I need some pants.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I need to give me some pants and some socks.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: So he goes, like, I'm still sitting on the toilet.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: He goes running into the bedroom.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: He grabs one of his friends from college basketball shorts, okay, that are like the elastic in them, like totally was shot, you know, so they're like huge.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: Fortunately, still had like a little bit of a drawstring on it.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so he's like, chucks those to me.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: And then the best part is that he gets me wool men's mid-caps or like high socks.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's like he's like putting them on for me.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: I straight up look like Adam Sandler.
• 24:20
  unknown: Okay.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: And he goes running down the stairs, okay, gets everything in the car, and then starts the car, and he's sitting in the front seat.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: Mind you, I have half a flight of stairs and an entire kitchen to walk through to get to the car.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_00: He's ready.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_00: He's ready to go.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_00: He was buckled into the car, okay?
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm like, are you kidding me right now?
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I hobble down the stairs, okay?
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_00: Again, my water is broken.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'm actively pushing.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: I hobble down the half flight of stairs, take a break at the kitchen island.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I'm going through my contraction or whatever, like pushing.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_00: And then I finally, he like looks at me and he's like, oh shoot, like I should probably help her.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_00: So he comes back, he comes and gets me or whatever.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I literally could not get myself into the car.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I belly flopped almost.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, backflopped.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: I backflopped into the back seat, and he gets in the front seat, he grabs a bucket and a towel, bless his heart.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, just in case, you know, whatever happens in the car.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: Five-minute drive.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like sitting in the back of the car with my arms around the two, you know, had rests in the front seat or whatever.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_00: And he's driving, and this is I have to just add this that he's the slowest driver I've met ever met.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like he's a very cautious, like safe driver, and he's going 90, okay, down the highway.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_00: He's like, if I get pulled over, I don't care.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, okay, well, that's great.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: Again, still pushing in the back seat.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we get to we we get there, he parks in the front of the emergency door, okay, throws on the hazards, runs in, gets me the double wide wheelchair, okay.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: Not just the sink of but the double wide, gets me the gets me the wheelchair, comes rushing back out, gets me in the wheelchair, leaves the car parked outside, okay, with the hat, the flashers on, wheels me in, and the receptionist at the front of the emergency room, mind you, it's golden flu season, so this place is packed out, okay?
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_00: This is like 9 a.m.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: at this point.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yep, it's about nine o'clock in the morning.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: And people are looking at me because I'm like yelling.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like you're in acting, I'm pushing.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_01: You're pushing.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_01: I was active labor.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: Correct.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: And people were looking at me.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'm pretty sure I traumatized some kids that were in there.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: And anyways, the look on this lady's face, it's like she'd seen a ghost.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_00: She was like, and again, I know you're gonna ask me, where did God show up in this moment?
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_00: This I believe I am so such a believer that this truly could have been an angel.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like three seconds after we had walked in and she had looked at me.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: This doctor had come out to ask her like some random question.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: He took one look at me, did not hesitate, walked around.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: He said, as soon as he he got to us, he paged, he's like, labor and delivery, we have a blah blah blah, whatever their codes are, yada, yada, yada, whatever.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_00: And he wheeled me up, he talked to me so calmly, so smoothly.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: You know, he was just, I'm not kidding you, an angel.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: He dropped us off at labor, labor and delivery, and he on my arm, he was like, You've got this, and then he just walked away.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_00: And then I was greeted by the sweetest nurse.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: She was like rubbing my back as she was pushing me in the wheelchair, she was talking so calmly, you know, as all the other 14,000 nurses that had swarmed us were like asking Drew four million questions.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: Because you weren't even a transfer at this point, you showed up in the ER.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_01: So I was like, they have no idea what's happening.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_01: They know nothing about me.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: They don't, yeah, they have no clue what's happening.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: All of a sudden, like this baby's coming, like, you know.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: So this is just a huge plug from my husband that like he had been paying attention to every birth class that we had gone to, every conversation that we had had about like what my desires and my wishes were for like my birth.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: And he, under pressure, was able to rattle off every single question that they asked.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, like, literally from head to toe, answered every question that they rattled at him while this sweet little nurse was just like rubbing my back and keeping me calm.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, another angel, just an absolute angel.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so, anyways, but then we get into the room.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's this tiny, tiny, tiny little room, and they throw me up on the bed.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_00: And um, Drew gets a call like two minutes later, and our duelist Stephanie's like, I'm I'm I'm just parking, I'm running up, like, you know, I'm gonna have to pass these people, like, you know, I'll be up there in a little bit or whatever.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: He's like, Okay, great.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so they had like me starting like on all fours, and then when Stephanie got up there, she's like, I guarantee you're gonna be able to push better on your side.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so I flipped to my side, and I think I pushed like two more times, and then Hadley was born.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_00: So, probably from like when we got there, it had not been more than 10 max 15 minutes until she was born, you know.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_00: And uh yeah, yeah, and then it's crazy to think like the whole like you have your baby, your baby's on your chest, and it's like wow, this is amazing.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_00: And then they're like, Okay, now you gotta birth your placenta, and you're like, I have to what?
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly, like we've talked about this so many times, but I have to do what?
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: And to my surprise, it was like one push, and it's just this like globby.
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_00: I don't even know.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: Just like slither.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_00: That's a terrible adjective, but yes.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so birth your placenta, and then my doula was like a big advocate.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_00: She's like, You gotta see your placenta, you gotta see your placenta.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_00: So she made sure that the nurse like showed me my placenta and she's like explaining it to me, and I'm like, that's really cool.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_00: And so, yeah, I could the nurse was like, You want to what with your placenta?
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you want to look at it and like talk about it and touch it and like do all these weird things, whatever.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, Yeah.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_00: Ended up with like a second degree tear and my OB that ended up delivering um another like God thing.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_00: She okay, what was her situation?
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_00: I can't remember exactly what like emergency.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_00: She only does, like, she literally is only there to do like my specific cases.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, like I was considered a drop-in on something like that, something stop drop, drop whatever.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but she's literally there for that, like, and she's like, I have not seen like this has not happened in quite some time.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you're the first one in like a couple weeks, which is like if you're working in the emergency room, I feel like you see stuff like that, and if that's your specific job.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I also found out that she like happened to be like the best surgeon, like that was even in there.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_00: And so she stitched me to perfection.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_00: Bless her heart.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_01: Just because you obviously your plans were the birth center, yes, and things happened so fast, and you were transferred to the hospital.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, it happened so fast that there wasn't any time for you know, pushing them, pushing anything that you didn't want pushed or anything like that.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I will say, like, I think from the get-go, like Drew being able to rattle off, like, I mean, they asked, I can't off the top of my head remember because I was also not really like coherent, um, remember everything that they had asked him, but it was like everything from has she had normal blood pressure, has she had any sort of like gestational diabetes stuff?
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_00: Has she had any scares?
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_00: Has she had any blah blah blah?
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: Has she had any pre um scary any of that?
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_00: Or like even um like early contractions or anything like prior to this?
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_00: And like they were just rattling all this stuff, and then they were starting to ask him things like okay, is she interested in any sort of like pain medication?
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_00: Which I thought, thinking like looking back, I'm like how was that even an option at that point?
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_00: What were they gonna give me?
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_00: Tylenol?
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like an IV drip of what, you know?
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, and so he had like, but they had like asked, you know, because I don't know, like it could have I don't know.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know what they were, I don't know what everything that they asked, but I think from the get-go, like his demeanor coming in, as well as that we had a doula and um they knew that I was a transfer from a birth center, I think they kind of understood the picture of like the desires that like I had for my birth.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think that because of those things, like and how fast it went, like, no, nobody approached me anyways with any of those things.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yes, it was definitely like not necessarily what like I had envisioned, but um, it's actually crazy because my dad had a dream a week prior to me delivering that my birth was gonna be so fast that I wasn't gonna make it to the birth center and then I was gonna deliver at the hospital that I ended up delivering at.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_00: And my dad is not like a guy to have dreams like that, and so that was another way that I think that the Lord showed up was like to come from somebody who I would never imagine.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_01: Did he tell you this before?
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, okay, yes, and I rolled my eyes at him and was like, Dad, shut up.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like, let's not have it.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_00: So I guess my first baby is gonna be long, it's gonna take forever.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, and so like I think though, the Lord was like being so gracious to me in that moment of like having that, even if it was like way the heck in the back of my brain, that like I probably knowing myself would have been so stubborn and then like, no, we're going to the birth center, like I'm not going to that hospital, like you know, and so I think if it wasn't for that, like being planted in my head of like, okay, God, this could be a moment of like you showing up and being like, This is what's gonna end up happening, and like protecting me from having a car baby in the middle winter.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I don't know, like I could have been so stubborn and been like, nope, I'm going to the birth center because that was my plan.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we could have ended up who knows where, but it ended up being like great.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_00: So that's awesome.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_00: I can't complain.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_01: How was it?
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_01: Because obviously, with the birth center, it has a pretty quick turnaround time once the baby is delivered.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_01: So how was that big sigh?
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_01: How was that transition?
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_01: Because obviously with the birth center, you're planning to go home.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_01: Is it four to six hours generally?
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_01: Pretty much.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so then how was it all of a sudden being at a hospital and that's not Yeah, that was not exactly the thing.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_00: I did not plan for that.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_00: My bag was not packed for more than four to six hours.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I guess their like standard protocol is that like you're at least there, at least there for 24 hours, but usually, you know, 24, 36, whatever.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um and after I don't even remember, a couple hours of being there, they kind of like kept coming back to like monitor me, and they were worried about um pre-eclampsia still.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_00: So like postpartum.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_00: Postpartum pre-eclampsia.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um and also like I hemorrhaged a little bit, and so they were also like monitoring me for that, but predominantly they were more concerned about like postpartum pre-eclampsia, which I never had any sort of like scare for pre-eclampsia prior.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so they were like, Okay, we're gonna come back in six hours.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_00: If nothing changes, we have to admit you for 48 hours.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, yeah, no, that's not gonna happen.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh they came back.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_00: My numbers or whatever they said was still a little like by four points too high, and so they were like, We have to keep you for 48 hours for monitoring.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I was crushed.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I remember looking at Drew being like, We have to fight this, like, there's no way they can keep me here for that long.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I'm signing the waiver that says, like, you know, whatever is like the we are not held liable for whatever happens to you, whatever.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_00: And he looked at me and he was like, Honey, they are going to bring you a meal, they are going to come and check on you, they're going to help with the baby.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: I can sleep on this couch.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's fine.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, secretly he was afraid to go home.
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_00: Probably.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_01: He was like, What do you mean we have to we get people to help us?
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_01: Like, we're gonna be okay.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_00: You mean like there's not gonna be a nurse that comes in and like checks with her every you know, 20 minutes?
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that was the other thing.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, anyways.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so I was like, Okay, I'm too tired, I'm not fighting this.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_00: It's fine.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so the first night goes by, and honestly, pretty good.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_00: And then they warned you about the second night, and they're like, Okay, the second night your baby's probably gonna like have a little bit more to say in the middle of the night, or whatever the case may be.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't really remember the second night to be honest with you.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_00: I was just so excited to get home and sleep in my own bed and like be done with the whole thing.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_00: But next morning, they're like, Okay, we have to take this, this, and this.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_00: And if you clear those three things, then you guys can head out.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, oh my gosh.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_00: And so sure enough, I passed them and they're like, All right, we'll come send the people to discharge you eight hours later.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_00: I know that's takes forever.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, what in the world?
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, and then they have you do like the car seat check, where they're like, okay, can you strap your baby in here?
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know, whatever.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_00: Well, okay, this is what I was saying.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's a good thing that they check for yes, it's a good thing.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it truly is a good thing.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I agree with that.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_00: However, what they tell you is, okay, this is what we're looking for.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_00: The three points of like like the three-point harness or whatever.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_00: However, you get your baby in there and they're not allowed to touch it.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, I'm sorry.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna tell me I need this is super important, and I need to my brand new fresh baby in the middle of winter.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go drive home, and you're not gonna check to make sure that this is okay.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_01: It has to be like my ability.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, 100%.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_00: 100% is, but I was just like, at that point, I was like so done with the whole thing that it just really sent me over the edge, and I just rolled my eyes and was like, Okay.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_00: So we walked down, Drew rolled up the car, you know, or whatever, and the first drive home with that newborn baby, you were like, What are we doing?
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's like, oh my gosh, we're going home.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_00: What is happening?
• 39:29
  SPEAKER_00: anyways, um, yeah, you like go to drive home and you're like, Oh, so we're like doing this thing now, like we are we are parents.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_00: So, anyways, yeah.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_00: That was my birth at a not birth center like hospital, and I just love like your positive outlook on it.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, things turned out well, but even just the pivoting and yeah, you just were like, This is just this is our reality.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we had no other you know, choice at that point.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, when you're in the state of pushing, like you are not.
• 40:09
  SPEAKER_00: I could have been, I don't even know where.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and it's like this baby, there's literally nothing you can do.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm like, this baby has to come out.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_00: And how was your postpartum experience?
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_00: Talked about a lot because I feel like a lot of moms, like when they're in it, like you're just in it and you can't see a way out.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, Drew, I'm gonna need you to like know that I'm not okay, and then I need you to advocate for me.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_00: And we had talked a lot to our doula about just like, okay, what are resources?
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like, just to have them, because I think if you're in it and you're frantic and you're panicked and you're trying to figure something out, like in the moment, it can be a lot harder than like okay, let's just have these base uh resources.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_00: So, what resources did you have?
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like the um mental health, like emergency line.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there's a specific midwife at our birth center who I was still because they still do like a checkup on me.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there's one nerd or uh midwife there that is like specializes in like postpartum everything, and so she's like the one to contact about that.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_00: But we had it all written at the end of our like I had a binder of like all of our birth stuff.
• 41:18
  SPEAKER_00: At the end of the binder was the resources, and so oh, and then a list of like what to be like looking out for as a spouse.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_00: That was something that I was like hyper aware of, and um fortunately, like I never had any of that.
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like, okay, we can talk like physical and then we can talk about like emotional, but like physically, definitely like the first like day or two, you're like, You got hit by a truck by a truck and a half.
• 41:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like, oh my gosh.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_00: I've never and I've been an athlete my whole life.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_00: I've you know done, I played tough sports, like I have done a lot of recovery, and I was like, wow, I have never been so sore in places I didn't know I could be sore, like everything's a little mushy, like you're like squishy in your yes, and like you're in a diaper, and you got like some leaking out of you everywhere, and it's like wow, this is really hot.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, okay, honey, I'm so glad you love me still, but you just feel so like wow, yeah, it's very humbling, um, beautiful, but humbling, anyways.
• 42:27
  SPEAKER_00: And then I feel like I really prioritize like the five-five five.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_00: So in bed for five days, around the bed for five days, and then just like it's in the bed, on the bed, and then around the bed.
• 42:40
  SPEAKER_00: There you go.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_00: Uh however, our situation also too, like they told me not to go up and downstairs.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_00: So, like the way that our house was situated was like we had two bedrooms and then a bathroom, and then you had to go down half a flight of stairs to get to like the living room and kitchen.
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_00: And so I told myself I was like, okay, I'm not gonna go down those stairs until I can't remember if it was, I think it was after day 10.
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_00: And then I like only took one trip down the stairs and like one trip up, and it took me like five minutes to get up and down the stairs because that was like they told you, like, okay, stairs are like the worst thing for healing, so like try to avoid them at all costs.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so, anyways, I really prioritized like 555.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_00: I had the greatest community that delivered the most tasty meals, which like was such a blessing to us, like to have that.
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I really think that like between my husband, uh, which my husband had to go back to work after three days, so we were home for one full day, and then he had to go back to work, so that was quite unfortunate.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_00: But my mom came and basically did everything that like I needed, or whatever.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_00: Granted, I was like sleeping a lot, or like laying, you know, whatever, but she came and she cleaned and she cooked for me and she got anything that I needed, and um, it was great.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_00: And then it was the weekend, and so my husband obviously was home again and whatever, but yeah.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: I think the hardest part of my postpartum truly was like not having my husband around as much as like I wanted him to be, which in our season, like where we were, like it just he that's just what he had to do um to take care of us.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, for our next baby, I'm advocating for at least two weeks.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh especially since we're gonna be alone and in a foreign place.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_00: But I truly am grateful for the postpartum that I had.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_00: Like there were so many moments of like just like happy tears.
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like I just remember like just looking at her and just like sobbing for like three days because I was just like, holy crap, like I just did that.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like we just did that.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_00: Like we we created a human man, and I just remember like sobbing.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like you have all like the hormones and everything that's going on, and I just remember sobbing, and then I remember the nights of like what do we do?
• 44:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like she's crying, like what do we do, you know?
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_00: And okay, like do I transfer her into her bassinet now?
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what if she's like awake for the whole entire night and I don't get any sleep?
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I just remember being like, Okay, God, like I just have to like surrender this to you, and I have to understand that like this is this is what it's all about.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you you don't have to stay up, you get to stay up.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that was another thing I think I tried to go into all of this with is like it's not a have to, it's a get-to.
• 45:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that's such a like a reward and uh a really cool responsibility, and you get to do all those things, you get to be the one that feeds them, nurses them, you get to be the one that changes their diaper, you get to be the one they're comforted by when they cry.
• 45:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that really helped my mindset shift of like this isn't terrible.
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's not meant to be like it doesn't have to be terrible.
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like, if you I don't know, for me that just like that mindset shift was really helpful.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_00: That was kind of like my at least like early postpartum.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't know what they deem postpartum is, like how long after I feel like it's pregnancy and delivery.
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, kind of like the fourth trimester, you know.
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like it's kind of the 60 days.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 46:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I feel like the like first obviously you have like the first two weeks, yeah, of like, or the 15 days we'll say, you know, and you're still healing and like trying to deal with your like, you know, everything that's going on, your healing body and everything.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_01: But is there anything you wish you would have known going into postpartum?
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_00: Something that you tried or that you like loved postpartum if you can't really think those oh well I'll answer both, but one thing I loved postpartum was the herbal like soak baths.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh, I don't know what they concoct into these herbal tea bag things that you put in the bathtub with Epsom salt, but hands down, any mama to be is getting one of those from me for their for a gift because uh that was my lifeline.
• 47:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I thought they were amazing, and I truly think that helped so much.
• 47:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I just remember being able to like sit in the bath and being like, this feels so good.
• 47:12
  SPEAKER_00: Something that I wish I would have known postpartum.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_00: I think the one thing that I didn't I did a lot of research about a lot of things, the one thing I think postpartum that I didn't do a lot of research on was like baby sleep and like what to expect for baby sleep.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think I was like, whoa, I don't know, like when is my baby gonna realize that it's daytime versus nighttime?
• 47:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how long are they supposed to be up?
• 47:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, when do I put them down?
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I think I mean I would say the first month obviously is like, yeah, whatever.
• 47:51
  SPEAKER_00: But like moving forward, it's like, okay, what like what kind of routine are we supposed to get into?
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, and even just like the idea of like an overtired baby becomes like way more difficult than a baby who like you know, you catch their cues and like they're able to go down.
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think I just didn't do a lot of research on like what to expect for baby sleep, and like obviously babies sleep a lot, it's kind of important, yeah, you know.
• 48:17
  SPEAKER_00: But I think the two the part about like having an over-tired baby, I caught myself in that a lot, and then I was like, holy crap, she's like so miserable and like fussy, and I'm like, nothing is calming you down, like what do I do?
• 48:29
  SPEAKER_00: And it all came back to at least for us that she was overtired.
• 48:33
  SPEAKER_00: I want to just have to add in there too.
• 48:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I can't imagine doing pregnancy, labor, and delivery postpartum without chiropractic care.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like, even going through this pregnancy, I'm like, I genuinely don't know how people do it.
• 48:48
  SPEAKER_00: If you are going through pregnancy without chiropractic care, you're a whole nother level because like yeah, but anyways, I attribute like so much of my pregnancy, labor, delivery birth, and postpartum to chiropractic care.
• 49:04
  SPEAKER_01: Little plug, love it, always.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_00: But I mean it from the bottom of my soul.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_00: I will travel two and a half hours weekly to come to this chiropractor.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_00: Are you actually going to?
• 49:15
  SPEAKER_00: Love it.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_00: At least towards the end of my pregnancy, yeah, not too close to the end, but like, yeah.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 49:21
  SPEAKER_01: Was there any classes or what did you do to prepare for birth?
• 49:24
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, chiropractor.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we think chiropractor was super helpful.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_00: So much.
• 49:29
  SPEAKER_00: We took birth ed, which was for us like a five-week course or something like that, but it was in person.
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_00: My husband and I, and it was like walked us through everything.
• 49:42
  SPEAKER_00: It was so, so, so, so, so informative.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I felt like even though I knew a lot of the stuff that like we were getting from that inf or from that class, for Drew to actually like hear from professionals, see it, do it, like there were so many hands-on activities and like pre like birth and or uh labor techniques and everything that we had to practice.
• 50:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like, that's where I think Drew learned all of the information to be able to use, like when it was crunch time and I was like in the emergency room.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I genuinely believe because we sat down and we talked through everything, like all of your birth wishes.
• 50:19
  SPEAKER_00: Like, there was a an activity where it was like, okay, here's all the things, everything from a completely unmedicated, like, you know, birth in a tub to C-section, to epidural, to pitocin, to like being like an induction, all the things.
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_00: There was all these things.
• 50:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it was like, okay, we're gonna do this activity where it's like, here's my dream birth, here's the things I don't desire for my birth.
• 50:45
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, now you have to take all those things.
• 50:47
  SPEAKER_00: There was like, let's say 20 things.
• 50:49
  SPEAKER_00: Now you have to take away five of them.
• 50:51
  SPEAKER_00: And then it basically like narrowed you down until you were like at your like core three things of like these are my ride or dies.
• 51:00
  SPEAKER_00: And that resource or like that activity was so difficult.
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I'm sure.
• 51:05
  SPEAKER_00: But I think it really like made me aware of like, okay, what is the most important thing to me?
• 51:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um so I did that, that was wonderful, highly recommend that.
• 51:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um I listened to a lot of podcasts now off the top of my head, I cannot remember the names of a lot of birth, like natural birth podcasts.
• 51:29
  SPEAKER_00: And then our doula has a required class that's wonderful.
• 51:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's a lot of like labor techniques and information that was hands-on again, that was super helpful, as well as our birth center had a breastfeeding and a labor class that was also mandatory.
• 51:50
  SPEAKER_00: And so all those things were like myself and my husband.
• 51:54
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think just with the a plethora of different resources, like we we were well educated, which is what I want.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that in the natural birth world, like education is gold.
• 52:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like the more you know about the process, the more you know about your physical body, the more that you understand physiological birth, um, I think is is gold.
• 52:17
  SPEAKER_00: And it's really helpful.
• 52:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I feel like even in natural birth, like, yes, knowing that process about your body, but also knowing what the process is in a hospital, you know what the cascade of intervention is, like all those things.
• 52:31
  SPEAKER_01: I think knowledge is so important.
• 52:34
  SPEAKER_01: So that if you end up there, like hopefully you don't, but if you do, and like that's not your plan, that you can like your husband can advocate for yourself because he knows or you know, yeah, what you want, what you don't want.
• 52:48
  SPEAKER_01: You can just kind of be more in control in that situation.
• 52:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 52:52
  SPEAKER_00: So 100%.
• 52:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like we were through the whole thing, it was like all about like in informed consent.
• 52:57
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like the first part of that is like informed.
• 52:59
  SPEAKER_00: How can you consent to something without the information?
• 53:02
  SPEAKER_00: And like, what is that information?
• 53:04
  SPEAKER_00: Is it all the information, or is it just some of the information?
• 53:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that sometimes informed consent is well, I'm gonna give you this much of the information, even though there's this much information, and then that's what you have to consent based on knowing.
• 53:18
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think the more that you know, the more you're educated, the more knowledge that you have around that space allows you to really advocate for the exact consent that you're giving.
• 53:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that was another big thing that we were passionate about.
• 53:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like, even though we were going for a center birth, we ended up in hospital.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_00: So, like they could have like, you know, postpartum, like they were pushing different drugs and they were pushing different things and whatever.
• 53:40
  SPEAKER_00: And um, if we wouldn't have like done the research to be able to know and like had people on our birth team that were well educated and like wanted to or and knew like our desires and were advocates for us, like I don't I honestly don't know what I would do.
• 53:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I really don't.
• 53:58
  SPEAKER_00: I just think yeah, information is cool.
• 54:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that's a really good perspective too, because like what I hear a lot is all this information scares me.
• 54:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 54:10
  SPEAKER_01: And so I don't want to do all the research because I don't want to find out all these things, and I'm just gonna see what happens, yeah, which is like terrifying to me.
• 54:18
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 54:18
  SPEAKER_01: And so I feel like knowledge is so powerful because, like you said, you can make your own decisions and you're not just leaving it up to some random person that you've, you know, maybe encountered a couple times.
• 54:32
  SPEAKER_00: I think that to speak to like if somebody is feeling fearful of like there's so much information out there, I think the biggest thing that I would advocate somebody for is to have a doula that knows a lot of that information already and can break it up for you into bite-sized pieces where you're not just on Google at two o'clock in the morning about every cascade of terrible thing that could happen.
• 55:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because that's not healthy for anyone.
• 55:03
  SPEAKER_00: No, but having somebody that's in your corner, and that's what I mean by like building your birth team out.
• 55:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like who is the provider, the main provider?
• 55:10
  SPEAKER_00: So, like whether it's a midwife or an OB, you know, who's gonna be on your team.
• 55:14
  SPEAKER_00: So for us, like we had a doula that we was, you know, we interviewed, like she's you, you know, we had friends that she was rec highly recommended by friends.
• 55:22
  SPEAKER_00: So going with her, and then our um neurologically focused chiropractic office that has a lot of other really great resources, like building out your team of people that are professionals in whatever it is that they that they that they specialize in, so that you don't have like that takes some of the legwork out of you sitting on Google or trying to research whatever.
• 55:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um and it's like, okay, I am trusting this one person that I have hand selected because I've interviewed them, they align with my values, they align with what I want, they are a professional in this, they're passionate about it, whatever.
• 55:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I am entrusting that you have my best interest in mind.
• 56:00
  SPEAKER_00: I've built a relationship with you, and I know that you're going to take, you're gonna take care of me and my desires, and you're not gonna give me misinformation.
• 56:09
  SPEAKER_00: And once you build out that team, then it's like, okay, whatever happens, like we can do this as a team.
• 56:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 56:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I would just like encourage somebody who's like, okay, maybe fearful of all of that, of just like, well, I don't want to do all the research about everything because it's so much, because it is, it can be for sure.
• 56:23
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and I'm a very much so a learner, so like that's something that I love to do.
• 56:26
  SPEAKER_00: But if somebody's not a learner like that, then that can be very overwhelming.
• 56:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I would just encourage somebody to like really build out your team of people who you trust who are gonna abdicate for you, and you can ask questions too, and they're gonna give it to you in bite-sized pieces for you to be able to make your decisions or whatever it may be.
• 56:45
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, and they're gonna ask you questions to like help you decide what you want and in situations they don't make decisions for you.
• 56:52
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, you've talked about it, right?
• 56:54
  SPEAKER_01: But they ask you questions, they are able to give you the information, feed it back, like you hear it from a doctor, they're able to like take it in and then give it to you, break it down for you for so that you understand, and then break down your options and then help you not feel pressured to do a specific thing.
• 57:11
  SPEAKER_01: So and just like give you all of the all of the options that you that you have.
• 57:16
  SPEAKER_01: So um, so you had a doula for your first birth.
• 57:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think this is a question that some people ask.
• 57:23
  SPEAKER_01: So then are you planning to still have one for your second?
• 57:26
  SPEAKER_00: 14,000 times, yes.
• 57:29
  SPEAKER_00: I will not have a baby without a doula.
• 57:32
  SPEAKER_00: I am just so passionate about them.
• 57:33
  SPEAKER_00: I think that they are wonderful, wonderful resources and deserve high, high praise.
• 57:39
  SPEAKER_00: They're doing God's work.
• 57:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but actually, the doula that we had for our first, she has um graciously, graciously um told us that she will be coming up to Duluth for us to have our second baby, bless her heart.
• 57:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, however, she did warn me that as soon as I have my first contraction that I need to call her and that she will be getting in her car.
• 58:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yes, but she has also told us that she will find an interim doula that she will work with for the off chance that things, you know, whatever needs to happen, that somebody would be with me that's like looped into everything and like I've met before and whatever.
• 58:21
  SPEAKER_00: So that while Stephanie's coming up, then that doula would be there in the interim.
• 58:27
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, that I think that in itself, like with the chaos that's been going on in our life, and just like with this, I feel like I haven't prepared as well for this second baby yet.
• 58:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that's true, it's never too late.
• 58:40
  SPEAKER_00: Peace of mind of having her is like for me mentally, like I can do this.
• 58:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I feel like even just so like for you, you did so much prep for Hadley, you know, that hasn't gone out the window, right?
• 58:55
  SPEAKER_01: You know, right, and so just remember that of you did so much, yes, you'll need a refresher, yes, this is a different pregnancy, it's going to be a whole different birth, like it's separate, but all of that knowledge can carry over, so you're not behind.
• 59:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 59:10
  SPEAKER_01: All of this, you've done so much prep work, and it's just going to continue.
• 59:14
  SPEAKER_01: So you're right, you're right, you're right.
• 59:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 59:17
  SPEAKER_01: Don't believe the lies that you're not prepared enough.
• 59:21
  SPEAKER_00: You're right, you're right.
• 59:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 59:23
  SPEAKER_00: I think the mental piece of like getting like, I mean, it's just like anybody who's been an athlete or competed in anything.
• 59:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I always I compare birth to like a big game or a big, you know, like the Super Bowl or whatever, right?
• 59:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like, okay, that's a real really big stretch.
• 59:42
  SPEAKER_00: But moms, moms, then you having a baby is bigger and better than the Super Bowl, okay?
• 59:48
  SPEAKER_00: Anyways, so I compare those things of like, okay, you do, you can't just show up.
• 59:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you can't just show up and expect to like be at your best, do your best, perform your best, whatever, without preparation, without mental preparation.
• 1:00:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so that's just the part of like okay, we gotta get back into doing the mental preparation so we're not just showing up the day of.
• 1:00:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:00:17
  SPEAKER_01: So that's well, thanks for sharing your birth story and chatting us about birth and postpartum, and just your heart for trusting God and his design for birth, and just like rolling with whatever was thrown at you, because there was a lot that was thrown at you that you didn't plan for, and but you just like you know, birth center closing, you're like, Cool, we'll regroup, and then there's just so many things throughout your pregnancy and birth and everything, and so you handle it with such grace.
• 1:00:49
  SPEAKER_01: And thanks for sharing your story and and just the encouragement.
• 1:00:53
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like just how much prep you did, even preparing for postpartum and like preparing for potentially postpartum anxiety and depression.
• 1:01:00
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's such a cool idea for people to have and really talk through and like have questions out of like, okay, do you notice these things?
• 1:01:08
  SPEAKER_01: Are these things that I can answer?
• 1:01:09
  SPEAKER_01: And just have someone who he's in it with you, but he knows you, you know.
• 1:01:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think that that's just like a really good resource and idea for people to do.
• 1:01:19
  SPEAKER_01: So too sure.
• 1:01:20
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for being here and taking.
• 1:01:22
  SPEAKER_01: I know you're so busy, so I really appreciate it.
• 1:01:25
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, don't give me that face.
• 1:01:26
  SPEAKER_00: You were sitting chatting with a girl outside drinking homemade tea on a beautiful night in Minnesota summer.
• 1:01:35
  SPEAKER_00: I can't think of anywhere else.
• 1:01:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'd rather be.