Farrah’s Two Birth Stories: 30-Hour Hospital Marathon vs. 3-Hour Bathroom Sprint

Roxanne: Welcome to the MamasteFit YouTube channel. In this video, we’re gonna be sharing a birth story from one of our friends, Farrah, where she had her first, which was in a hospital and had different interventions, and then her subsequent second birth, which was a whirlwind of excitement that I don’t wanna spoil the ending for you. 

So stay tuned.

Roxanne: Welcome to the MamasteFit Podcast Birth Story. Today we have Farrah here, who is one of our childbirth educators. She also took our prenatal fitness trainer course, and a longtime listener and follower, so we’re really excited to finally have her on the podcast to share her birth story. Thank you so much for coming, Farrah. 

Farrah: Yeah. Thanks for having me.  

Roxanne: Yeah. So let’s get started. Let’s share whatever you would like to about, like, your preconception, preparation for birth, for the birth story that you wanna share today.  

Farrah: Yeah. So, um, so I’m Farrah. Um, I’m a nurse and a doula and all the things, but pr- but that’s all, like, pre or post my conception journey. 

So, um, or I was a nurse, but, um, so pretty much many, many years ago, I don’t even know how many at this point, we were ready to start having a family, and, um, I have… I’m a PCOS-er. We didn’t totally know that initially, but in- uh, we had infertility problems, so did all the things. Saw fertility, tried all the stuff, like time stuff, Femara, IUI, IVF. 

Um, so a little bit of like a infertility mom. But then Over the years of doing that, when we were ready to finally, we, we do have eggs we retrieved, and then when we were f- ready to implant, it was time to check my thyroid labs again, and my thyroid labs were way off, so we had to, like, stop our implantation in the middle of it. 

And then I got pregnant with my first. So we can get to that one in a little bit. But, like, all my pre-prep was, like, seeing functional nutritional practitioners, um, like, d- functional dieticians. Just, like, I mean, like, literally anything and everything for- Yeah … helping the fertility journey. Um, just trying to get pregnant the normal way. 

And then finally, I shouldn’t say the normal way, but just, you know, the natural or whatever way that people like to say. But just, it just wasn’t working. So we finally, um, after a few years of that not working, did the fertil- like, the formal fertility process. And then, again, like I said, even that took a while. 

We were kind of thinking- Yeah … like, oh, we’d start fertility, and then, like, boom, we’d be having this baby. But, um, you know, learned a lot along the way of, like, you know, IUI and I forget the numbers, but it’s like, you know, finally when we’re like, “Why isn’t this working?” He was like, “Well, you know, it only increases your chances from blah blah blah percent to blah blah blah percent.” 

And it was like, so, and I clearly have poor egg quality, being a PCOS-er. I mean, not to, like, put that on myself, but we retrieved 29 eggs, and 19 fertilized. Only two made it to day two, or day five blast, and then only one was chromosomally sound. So, like, out of 29 eggs, we have one. So it was just evident that, like, it would’ve been extremely challenging to do on our own, so. 

Um, but then I joke, because with Rowan, um, we stopped that and then, like, changed all my meds, and then I didn’t have cycles again because we were having to force my cycles all through fertility. And I was joking with a girlfriend of mine, and I was like, “Oh, back on cycle day 60,” you know, “now that we’re not doing all the fertility meds.” 

And she was like, “You’re probably pregnant.” Um, and we, like, peed on a stick. I peed on a stick just to, like, prove to her that I wasn’t at, like, midnight, and it, like, immediately changed so fast that, like, I was like, “Oh, that’s the control line,” and I walked away. And then came back to it, and I was like, it was like, what are those, what are those called? 

Like, the dye stealer. Like, came back to it- Yeah … and I was like, “Oh, yeah, it’s a control line.” And then I was like, “Oh- Yeah … wait a second.” And so I was, I found out I was pregnant at, like, eight weeks, eight or nine weeks pregnant. Um- ‘ 

Roxanne: Cause you just didn’t believe-  

Farrah: Yeah. Well, it just- … that it was possible … and, and that- Yeah 

yeah. And that, like, we just didn’t… I mean, I didn’t have cycles, so, like, I wasn’t tracking anything. We weren’t, whatever. I, I joke that we, like, changed my thyroid levels so drastically that my body was like, “Release the Kraken,” and then, like, an egg was released and then, like, happened to get fertilized. So who knows? 

Um, who knows how that worked, but it was a, it was a fun surprise. I got to, like, tell my husband, like, randomly. I was like, “What are you doing on Friday?” And he was like… Oh, I also didn’t tell him right away because being a PCOS-er, I was like, “Oh, this has gotta be fake. Like, this is a false positive.” And I was googling at, like, 2:00 AM, like Can you have a false positive with PCOS? 

And like texting my girlfriend being like, “Uh, hello?” And so I was like, “I’m not telling Jeremy until I get blood drawn.” Um, which he wasn’t too thrilled about the fact that my friend knew before he did, but- Eh … that’s life. Yeah. And so she also was like, “Can you have false positives?” And I was like, “I have no idea.” 

And so sure enough, it wasn’t a false positive, and the fertility based on like my HCG numbers were like, “Well, normally we’d have you come in at six weeks to do like a dating…” They’re like, “But you should just come in already because clearly you’re pretty far along.” And then, then yeah, it was like eight or nine weeks or whatever it ended up being. 

So I was like most of the way through my first trimester by the time we found out. Well, that’s great. Yeah. Oh, and it was COVID too. No nausea. Oh, yeah. Well, yeah. Well, so like I’m not a very nauseous first trimester person. I’m lucky that way. I should have prefaced with that too. This was like COVID times, so like I was extremely tired on the couch, was having headaches, all this stuff. 

But like this is probably gonna make me sound like a lush, but it was like, it was COVID. We were like having a bottle of wine at night, you know, like watching movies till 2:00. So I was like, “Man, I’m just like really hungover.” And then like looking back it’s like, or it was my first trimester.  

Roxanne: Yeah.  

Farrah: And I was just exhausted, tired, and felt like crap. 

So. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so there was that. But I don’t know, it was kind of a, it’s a funny story, and like again, it, this took years. So prior to that is where I really fell into like the love and passion of like I w- I started becoming a perinatal fitness person even before being pregnant because I was doing all the, like the podcasts and the blogs, and really realized like the mis- mis- or just lack of anything we have postpartum in the United States. 

And so it kind of became something I became really passionate about, and I am a nurse, so like not in this field at all, but um, it just clearly was something I like loved. And so I actually became a fitness instructor so that I could do a different perinatal cert, um, before doing y’all’s. And I don’t know, I had, I probably stumbled across you guys at the same time, but so like did a totally different perinatal cert and I like became a personal trainer because, so that I could take that cert. 

Like, so like my goal was to do perinatal fitness. Yeah. Um, and then probably right around Rowan or after Rowan, I stumbled into y’all’s and like love how you guys do your… I mean, it’s very like in my mind, like rehab base, bands, dumbbells. Like you utilize pelvic PT and chiro. Like it ju- it’s just like everybody that you utilize to like create your programs, and then obviously like Gina has her ma- like it’s just like It’s such a good, well-rounded program, and then I love that, like, you have Gina and you. 

So it’s, like, the doula plus the nurse. Like, it just, uh, as soon as I found MamasteFit, I was like, “I, I need to get a second cert. I need to get it here.” So- Yeah … that was probably, yeah, that was probably, like, all during Rowan’s time. I probably should have checked that timeline, but if not Rowan’s, then, like, right after Rowan. 

Roxanne: Okay.  

Farrah: Um, so with my prep, like, with my prep with her, I was doing a lot of, like, my first prenatal cert stuff, so I was working out. I was a CrossFitter before, so I actually had, like, my CrossFit Level 1. Um, so, like, with her labor or with her pregnancy, very active, still CrossFitting. I was a CrossFit coa- I was a coach, um, until the gym closed because of COVID, and so, you know, in the gym pregnant doing the modifications. 

You know, I used to laugh ’cause my coach would be like, “Ah, you could do the, you could still do those kipping pull-ups,” and I’d be like, “No, I’m coning, so I’m gonna modify,” you know? Like, like, um, but learning that, like, mindset shift, too- Yeah … of just, uh, just because you can doesn’t mean you should, you know. 

Um, so did a lot of, like, the prep that way with her. Um, and I wanted a doula, so we got a doula for Rowan. And yeah, so just kind of did the working out, did the coaching, did the doula thing. And then my husband is a physician, and he went back to do his… I have something on my screen. He went back to do his, um, fellowship. 

So of course, as soon as we found out we were pregnant, or probably right before we found out we were pregnant, he went to go do a fellowship. And so the last six months of my pregnancy and the first six months of my newborn life, so for a year, he was, um, down at Johns Hopkins. So, like, he didn’t live with me. 

Um, and then he was traveling, uh, every weekend. If he wasn’t on call, he was coming home, ’cause, like, that was kind of the agreement. Um, we didn’t wanna move me. We had just, like, bought a house, and also I didn’t, like, we didn’t wanna move for a year. We have dogs and all the things. So he was like, “Well, I’ll come home on the weekends.” 

And then the weekends that he wasn’t home, I went down there. So that was kind of, like, our very atypical You know, end of my pregnancy. So essentially, like, pretty quickly after we found out, he was gone. Yeah. Um, yeah, yeah. So like, last six months, and then, uh, yeah. So, like, the birth story starts with, um… It was December. 

Rowan was born in December. And again, it’s like COVID times and all the things, but… So, like, he had just been there for the weekend. I went into labor, like, on a Sunday night. He had just been there for the weekend. He was driving back home. I think we were, like, on the phone around, like, midnight, um, you know, saying good night. 

He’s like, “Oh, I just got back home. I got to Baltimore,” blah, blah, blah, you know. And the agreement was always, “As soon as you think you’re in labor, please just, even if you, like, don’t know, please just let me know.” ‘Cause again, he’s three, three and a half hour, I forget what the actual drive is- Yeah. You don’t wanna miss it um, home. Yeah. So, you know, he’s like, “As soon as you just think, please let me know.” And I was like, “Yeah, of course.” And so, like, midnight happens, and, um, we, like, get off the phone. I’m done brushing my teeth, and I think, uh, it’s the usual, like, “Oh, was that a contraction or was that a Braxton?” Like, you know, I tell all the people in my childbirth class, like, you’re gonna be playing for a few hours that game of, like, is this labor? 

Is this not labor, you know? Um, and I was very convinced it was just Braxton Hicks, and I also had, like, the labor poops that day, um, which I blamed on my husband ’cause he wanted to try this tradition when he was gone. He was like, “Every weekend, I wanna do, like, Sunday fried chicken.” ‘Cause he’s from the South, so he was- Yeah he, like, hand battered- Most- … and did this, like- Oh, like- Yeah. Like, from scratch … good fried chicken. Like, made a bu- Yeah, like, made, like, a buttermilk fried chicken from scratch every Sunday. Which granted, we didn’t do this until he did his fellowship. So, you know, for six months every Sunday, we were doing this fried chicken thing. 

So it was, like, Sunday, I started getting what I now know are the labor poops, but I’m over here, like, cursing him, being like, “My body’s not used to, like, all this fried chicken,” you know, “this oily stuff.” Looking back, I’m like, “Oh, no, that was my body telling me I was about to go into labor.” But, so I just, you know, the labor, the labor poops happened. 

What I thought were Braxton Hicks were happening, and so I just was like, “I’m going to bed. I’m gonna chug a gla- you know, chug a liter of water, and I’m gonna go to bed.” And give- Just  

Roxanne: dehydrated.  

Farrah: Yeah, exactly. Like, ’cause at the end of the day, it’s midnight. I’m horrible at drinking water. I still am. Um, uh, oh, yeah, I’m also, like, pregnant with my third. 

So, like, for the, like, yeah, like, the other day, I was like, “I don’t think I drank water at all.” But, um, so drank water, went to bed. Woke up an hour later, still having these, like, intermittent… And I was like, “No.” Like, and I didn’t text him yet. So I was like, “I’m gonna drink more water and go to bed.” So I drank more water and went to bed. 

And then by the time I woke up the second time with it still happening, I Googled How many Braxton Hicks can you have? That’s adorable. And I’m pretty sure the answer was, like, if you have more than six, it’s contractions. ‘Cause essentially that means, you know, you’re having something every 10 minutes. And I was having pr- I was having six or seven, like, an hour. 

Like, looking back, I was having 10-minute contractions. Yeah. So then I was like, “Oh, I gotta text Jeremy.” ‘Cause when it first happened, like, we had just gotten off the phone, he had just driven three hours. It was midnight. I didn’t want him to, like, have to come home. Yeah. So I was just like, “Let him rest,” you know? 

So two hours in at this point, ’cause I had done the water thing for two hours, I finally called him and I was like, “I hate to do this to you, but you now need to wake up and turn around and do this drive to come home. I’m pretty confident I’m in labor.” And he was like, “Okay, yeah, great.” And of course, then at that point you’re, like, terrified that he’s gonna, like, fall asleep on the wheel, you know, like, fall asleep at the wheel on the way home or whatever. 

So I’m just like, “Please be careful.” But so he had to, unfortunately, he got, like, a little two-hour nap-  

Gina: What? …  

Farrah: assuming he went to bed right away. Who knows- Yeah … what he actually did. Um, and he drove home, and I think Jeremy got home… I was trying to look at, like, my timeline. He got home at, like, 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning, and so, uh, the first part of our day was just the usual, like, early labor. 

Like, we just kind of putzed around and did stuff. We, you know, we were probably still putting furniture together. Who knows what. We w- you know, took the dogs on a walk, that kind of thing. Oh, I did forget to… This is kind of funny. The, that weekend we had had a big blizzard, or, like, right before that weekend we had a huge blizzard. 

Oh, I didn’t know this. And so I was out there, you know, nine and a half months pregnant, and, like, with our snowblower in, like, two or three-foot-deep snow. Probably two feet. Felt like three. But, um, you know, snowblowing my driveway by myself, ’cause again, my husband’s not there. So, like, I’m snowblowing my driveway, and my neighbors are freaking out, and I’m just like, “If I go into labor, I need to be able to leave.” 

And so, like, that weekend, too, I think, which was helpful for the labor prep, was, like, we were, we live by a golf course, and so we were, like, walking through the golf course. And with two or three-foot snow, like, I am literally, like, almost, like, stir- like, like, curb walking, right? Like- Yeah … I’m out of breath, like, doing these, like, big huge steps through the snow. 

So, um, so I also joke that, like, the snowblower plus the, plus the giant walking through two foot of snow very, very pregnant. I have videos of me just, like, huffing and puffing, and my husband’s, like, way ahead of me, and I’m just like, “We’re walking through the snow,” you know? But- But yeah, so the… 

Surprisingly, there wasn’t a ton of snow on the ground once labor had started, so it must have just been, like, a weird… But we just, you know, we went for walks and all the things. Um, I’m trying to see, like… And finally, when stuff got a little bit more intense, I think… And we had a doula. So we had a doula. 

She had about, like, an hour and a half drive, so she was always just like, “Oh, keep me posted.” And, um, so during one of those walks, I apparently am a labor puker. So during one of those walks, I just, like- puked all over the road. And Jeremy was like, “Oh, okay. That’s interesting.” And I was just like, “Cool.” Like- here we go.” And then just started, like, dry heaving from there and puking from there. And so he was like- Oh, I love it … “Let’s get you inside.” And at that point we did the bath, which I, I think, like, almost… I don’t know. Have we met somebody who doesn’t like water? But, like, um, I love the bathtub. So, like, we filled the bath and I sat in there for who knows how long, and that is where Jeremy will say, like, my contractions definitely, like, shortened in length between. 

Like, he was like, we were kind of at, like, the six to eight mark, and then all of a sudden they j- you know, went down to, like, four or six minutes. So he was texting the doula and the doula was like, “Yeah, start thinking about, you know, going home or, like, going into the hospital.” And she’s like, “And I’ll start heading your way.” 

And so I love my husband dearly. At one point… The way he tells the story is I didn’t realize… You know how I’m always like, “Oh, I didn’t gain that much weight.” And he was like, “Girl, you did,” and it was fine. Oh. But, but no. But he was like, our tub is so awkward. Our tub is, like, a really deep soaker tub- Oh … and you have, like, almost, like, a foot of tile you have to, like, climb over to get into it. 

It’s like, it’s… The way it’s set up is not conducive for laboring in it. And so he, at one point he was like, “I need you to get out of this tub because I’m slightly worried I won’t be able to get ou- get you out of it soon.” Like, he was like, stuff was shortening, and so he was like, “It’s time to get out.” And then later he told me, he was like, “No, I was telling you to get out ’cause I literally was like, soon I will not be able to get her out of this.” 

Like, and you were still able to kind of help. So, um, our plan was to have him cook me this, like, gourmet dinner, like a gourmet mac and cheese or whatever before we left, ’cause it’d be, like, our last meal before going to the hospital and all the things. And so he was cooking me this delicious grilled cheese, and I had probably, like, two or three, I don’t know what it was, but, like, multiple contractions back to back. 

I remember being, like, on all fours. I love all fours. And I’m just in my living room, and, like, had a full, you know, probably, like, multiple contraction. Um, which then of course made me completely vomit again, just, like, whatever I had been eating for the day. And so Jeremy, like, mid cooking dinner was like, “Okay, I guess we’re just gonna go.” 

Like, he was like, “I, I feel like we should go to the hospital.” I don’t  

Roxanne: think we  

Farrah: need- What do you- … this  

Roxanne: mac and cheese.  

Farrah: Yeah. He was like, “What do you think? Can I let the dogs out real quick, and can we go?” And at that point I’m just like, “Yeah, yeah, let’s go.” Um, oh, and I forgot. I was doing Hypno Babies for the first, uh, for the first labor. 

So, like, I had my headphones in, you know, I’m, like, listening to the, to all the things. Yeah. Um, which is funny. You know, ’cause so then I’m like, “Don’t talk to me.” Like, “Let me listen to my, like, release meditation,” or whatever it was. Um, so we go. We live very fort- We live very close to the hospital, which is super fortunate, ’cause, I mean, everybody hates the drive there. 

Luckily my drive wasn’t very long. And we get to the hospital and, um, I had… I just remember, like, being… I had my headphones are in, you know, and at this point I’m, like, moaning and groaning and I’m like… I joke because I can’t envision myself doing this. Like, I can’t see it, ’cause I was just in the zone. 

But, you know, my husband was like, “I roll you in-” trying to do, like, check-in, and you have these headphones and you’re ignoring everybody, and you’re literally just like, “Release.” You know? Like, I was just saying whatever the word was for the Hypno Babies. Or I’m just like, “Relax,” you know? Like, um, so I think I would have loved to pull those nurses. 

I’m sure they were just like, “What is happening?” ‘Cause we live in a, a rural place, so, like, even when we showed up being like, “Our goal is unmedicated,” um, I mean, we had nurses be like, “Oh, I’ve never seen an unmedicated birth. This is great.” You know? It’s like, “I’m so excited.” And so I was like, “Cool. Cool, cool, cool.” 

So, like, I think me rolling in with headphones trying to do Hypno Babies was probably like… These nurses were probably like, “What is this girl doing?” Granted, I’m sure there were some nurses that have seen it, and since having Rowan, um, I’ve heard of, like, many more, like, seeing it and knowing it. But it was… 

It w- I do recall hearing people be like, “Oh, I’ve never seen an unmedicated birth before. This is great.” And my best friend was having a baby, actually she was still there, had a baby a day and a half before us, and she also was unmedicated. And so, like, one of the nurses was like, “We just had one of these. I just saw one.” 

And I’m like, “Oh, okay, cool.” Just one  

Roxanne: of these.  

Farrah: Yeah, yeah. So we get in. Um, I’m doing my Hypno Babies thing. We were not the first person in triage, but the first person in the triage apparently was quiet and very peaceful. So when the person came in to check us, I’m over here, like, roaring and screaming my release words or whatever, and then the nurse was like, “You need to check this girl first, please.” 

And so, like, they checked me, and I was like seven centimeters bulging bag. So, you know, and all of our minds were like- Good … “Yeah, right.” Like, you know, it’s first baby, so I was like, “Okay,” like, “We’re gonna, we’re not gonna have the baby, like, right now, but we’re about to… Like, we’re gonna have a baby, like, somewhat soon.” 

And this was, like, 18 hours in at this point, I think I had written down. So, like, 18 hours at home laboring, seven centimeters bulging bag when we get h- or, like, when we get there, and we’re like, “Yeah, in the next few hours we’re gonna have a baby. This is gonna be great.” Um, but little Miss Rowan is extremely stubborn, and knowing what I know n- well, she was born OP, so, like, surprise, but, like, um, for the later in the birth story. 

But she, she was an OP baby. So, uh, but I was having no back pain, so I labor really weird. Um, I… It happened with my second. I don’t know what it is with my pelvis. I just feel like I’m being torn apart by my pubic bone. Um, so don’t know what it is. I don’t have full belly contraction pain. I don’t have… She was OP and I had zero back pain. 

Um, so just however she was sitting, she probably was just banging on my pubic bone. Uh, like, and now knowing what I know, like, she probably was a little forward and just, like, couldn’t really dive under. But, um, so, so for another, like, six to eight hours we were laboring. And then my water broke. Um, and then another three or four hours after that until she came. 

But, like, just doing all the things. Like, m- practically every position you could think of. I really loved all fours. I really loved the, like, hanging over the head of the bed, you know, backwards, right? Um, the one I… I started to get really exhausted, so the one that, like, I really loved is when they dropped the foot of the bed so I could just, like, lay, lay out on the center of the bed, and that’s actually where my water had broken. 

Um, we got in the shower a few times, and my husband will hate me for saying this but, like, I tell everybody in the childbirth class this story so f- the world might as well hear it. But I was, like, getting into the shower and, ’cause I love water… Apparently, I was in the shower for, like, two hours. It did not feel like two hours when you’re in labor land, you know? 

Oh, yeah. Like, I thought they were kicking me out, like, 15 minutes later, and I was mad. And Jeremy was like, “No, you were in there for forever. They were, like, really wanting to see baby again.” But you know, it’s like, “Oh, you wanna get in the shower?” And so I’m stripped down naked, and I thought my husband was saying like, “Oh, do you want to put your swimsuit on?” 

‘Cause of course I, like, packed a swimsuit and packed a bra and packed all the things. But of… Once, once w- I was in it, I was just like a let’s-be-naked person. Yeah. And so I thought he was asking if I wanted a swimsuit. And I… You guys curse on this podcast, so I can curse, right? Yeah. But, but, um, but, like, I thought he was like, “Do you want a swimsuit?” 

And I was like, “I don’t fucking care.” And I just, like, walked to the bathroom. He was like, “Oh, okay.” And so he, like, gets in, and all it was was a shower, which I tell everybody, a shower is still great water. You guys know this- Yeah … too. Like, if you don’t have a tub, a shower’s amazing. And so he jumps in with me, you know, and I, I guess we were in there for over an hour, thought it was pretty quick. 

But I have, like, my ice chips, and I’m just doing my thing. He’s putting water everywhere. Well, what I later learned was, ’cause later on after she was born, he’s, like, soaking wet and, like, everything else. I’m like, “What happened?” And he was like, “I was asking you if I could put on a swimsuit, and you yelled at me.” 

And he’s like, “So I got scared, and I just got in the shower with you.” He got in the shower with me fully clothed, like tennis shoes and all. Tennis shoes, jeans, and a T-shirt. Bless him. And I was like… Yeah. I was like, “What?” And he was like, “You… I was like, ‘Can I put on a swimsuit?’ And you were like, ‘Rah, rah, rah.'” 

And he’s like, “So I was just like, ‘Okay, here we go.'” And so I always warn my partners now. I’m like, “Bring a spare set of clothes. Also, just prepare to get wet.” Like, ’cause, like, he didn’t bring extra clothes, at least not in for the first day, you know?  

Roxanne: Yeah.  

Farrah: So unfortunately for him, for the rest of the time, he was literally in wet jeans and, and- Oh, nothing worse- 

tennis shoes … than some  

Roxanne: wet jeans  

Gina: too.  

Farrah: Right? Right? Like, looking back, I was like, “Babe.” He was just like, “Ah, it just is what it is.” But, um, so yeah. So, like, tried the water, did all the things. She was stuck. Like, we just… It was a… So again, it was another 12 hours until she was born, so, like, um, I don’t fully know exactly what happened. 

My… I do recall, like, they wanted to try some Internal maneuvers, so we did some, like, internal maneuvers of her to try to get her… So what I think might have happened, ’cause again, I’m not… Nobody knows what babies are doing, right? But I remember them being like, “I can feel space.” Like, she’s got space behind her head, but she’s just not dropping. 

So what I’m guessing was happening is, like, her head was just, like, banging on my pubic bone. So almost, I tell people, I’m like, “She was stuck on my pubic bone, but not her shoulder. I think her head was stuck.” Um, but again, I don’t… Who knows? I don’t actually know. But again, she was OP. They were trying to do some maneuvers, and they were like, “We can feel that she’s got space, but she’s just not dropping.” 

So, like, who knows? Um, it was a resident, too, so like… A- and actually, this resident saved me from a C-section, so, like, I know some people are like, “Residents,” but I’m just like, actually, I was so exhausted by the end. I remember being like, at, by the end, I was laid flat in the bed, could barely push, and I was, remember thinking, like, “How are they not offering a C-section at this point?” 

Like, I’m pretty sure I’m at, like, maternal exhaustion. Like, Rowan was doing fine. That’s the only reason why I think nobody was like, “This girl needs a C-section,” is ’cause Rowan’s v- Rowan’s vitals were looking great. At one point They thought her vitals looked bad, ’cause her heart rate was, like, probably, like, in the one teens. 

I don’t know what it was, ’cause I wasn’t paying attention to life at that point. And it was my husband who was, like… And she was really hard to get. Like, they were always touching me. And again, they were touching my belly, and touching my belly would make that pubic bone splitting feel so much worse. So, I was always, like, batting them away. 

And at one point, the nurse was like, “I, like, I have…” So, like, at one point, the nurse is, like, literally just holding it, like, for however long she was in the room. So, just, I wasn’t a very, like, happy, complacent, or compliant laborer, which I think maybe happens to a lot of us pr- healthcare professionals.  

Roxanne: Yeah. 

Farrah: Um, so at one point, my husband was like… ‘Cause they were like, “She’s in trouble. Like, we need to get these numbers. We’re concerned.” And my husband finally was like, “Is that Rowan’s heart rate, or is it…” Which we didn’t know her name yet. But he was just like, “Is that the baby’s heart rate, or is that Farrah’s heart rate?” 

‘Cause again, I’m unmedicated, so, and I have a thyroid condition. So, like- Yeah … I can run high at baseline. And so, finally, they put a pulse ox on me, and realized the whole time that they were kind of concerned about Rowan’s heart rate, they were actually getting my heart rate. And so, once they got, like, a pulse ox on me, and they could be like, “Oh, that’s Mom.” 

And then they were like, “Oh, so we actually need to find her heart rate.” And then they found her heart rate, and she was just, like, rock solid. So, because she was rock solid, they just let us do our thing. And again, I was very, like,, “I will not push on my back. I will not labor on my back.” Um, by the end, I was so exhausted, I was on my back. 

Like, uh, my husband… Like, we did the bar and squatting at one point. My husband was like, “I was worried you were gonna get, like, a brachial plexus injury.” Is that what it is, where it’s, like, with your arms? ‘Cause, like, the moving split my pubic bone so bad, that I would squat, and then I finally was like, “I’m not gonna lay back down. 

Like, I’m not gonna get back on the bed.” So, I was hanging on my arms so that I didn’t have to do that little, like, dip. ‘Cause it just was, again, whoever knows, who knows what’s, you know, what it was, was, that what my pubic bone was doing. But, so I was very exhausted, doing, like, the microsleeps between. My husband at one point was like, “At one point, I thought you were asleep.” 

And I was like, “I probably was.” Like- You  

Roxanne: probably were, snoring.  

Farrah: Yeah. Yeah. I was like, I think between. Like, I was just, like, I was doing the microsleeps. But, so, so she was kind of our stuck, wild, whatever. As soon as they did… So, the resident was like- “I can do an internal maneuver. I don’t, I’ve never done them on someone that doesn’t have an epidural.” 

She’s like, “I’m a little worried.” And I was like, “Just do it.” Like, I, here we, you know. And so we did internal maneuvers for a little bit, and I can’t recall if eventually one of those maneuvers helped or if just eventually… ‘Cause again, at this point it’s pretty, my recollection’s pretty groggy, and Jeremy at this point is extremely stressed. 

He’s a little PTSD from this labor, actually. But, so he’s, like, doesn’t have a wonderful history, yeah. But either way, internal maneuvers were done. Finally, at one point she did pop under, and I think once she popped under she just eventually blasted out. ‘Cause like, she didn’t have coning of her head. Um, once she came, she came very fast. 

But like, her poor little face was, like, all bruised even though she was a, well, I guess OP they probably do get bruised, right? They’re banging on your tailbone and stuff. But- Oh, yeah, they still go through  

Roxanne: por- parts of the pelvis.  

Farrah: Yeah, yeah. So she was, like, so bruised. Yeah, so bruised, so swollen. So she comes out, and, um, yeah, like, everything seemed okay. 

They put her on my chest, and then I started, I started bleeding, um, and, like, partially hemorrhaging. So they started doing all the, like, they gave me meds. They started, like, doing a, you know, uterine massage. And, and at one point they were just like, “Have you peed?” Which that was another thing. I always warn people, please go pee every few hours, because I was at the hospital for 12 hours and I didn’t pee once. 

And the reason why I didn’t, we tried once. We tried when I was first there And sitting on the toilet, again, made that pubic bone pain so much worse. Like, I, either the bladder was irritating it or whatever, that I, I eventually, like… I didn’t, I wasn’t, like, actively refusing to pee, but I was like, “Nope.” Like, I couldn’t physically pee. 

And then because I couldn’t physically pee, I just never thought to do it again. And then when they were like, “Have you peed since you’ve been here?” I was like, “No.” And I was on fluids because I was yakking the whole time. Yeah. So I was on fluids for 12 hours, didn’t pee, and they were like, “Your bladder’s huge.” 

So I was the, I was that typical, like, started hemorrhaging because my bladder was ginormous. And so they straight cathed me at that point, you know, fixed all the bleeding and all this stuff. But during that, Rowan was on my chest, and I remember being like, “Skin-to-skin’s important. I want it.” And I remember thinking, because I could see through their glasses, like, how much blood was coming out, and I, like, looked at Jeremy, and I was like, “Take your shirt off.” 

And he was like, “Why?” I was like, “You’re gonna take this baby.” And, like, I wouldn’t have dropped her on the bed. Like-  

Gina: Yeah …  

Farrah: but that’s just what I was thinking. I was like, “I’m gonna pass out and drop this baby.” So I was like, “Take your shirt off. You’re about to take her.” And he was like, “Oh, okay.” So he takes his shirt off to do skin-to-skin, and then Rowan must not have been looking too hot. 

I didn’t look at what her Apgars were, but, um, so they were like, “Actually, we’re gonna take her to the warmer.” And so they took her to the warmer to do some stuff, and my husband’s a physician and now peds, and, uh, so he w- he… We have very awkward pictures of him just, like, topless, just in the dark- … waiting around. 

Just, just  

Roxanne: took his shirt off in the middle of the  

Farrah: birth. Yeah. It’s fun. Yeah. And at one, yeah, and at one point, like, he was like, at one point I went over to the warmer to watch the nurses to see what they were doing and to see how Rowan was doing. He’s like, “But then I realized I was this, like, big creepy dude without my shirt on looking over their shoulder.” 

And he was like, “And I had to back off because I was like, ‘This is probably really strange.'” So, like, um, so we joke about that too, because people are like, “What is Jeremy doing?” I’m like, “Oh, I made him take his shirt off for skin-to-skin because I was worried that I was gonna drop her.” But then unfortunately they then took Rowan, and so Jeremy’s just, like, shirtless in the room. 

But, um, so yeah, so he got yelled at and was in soaking wet clothes and then was shirtless and peering over the nurses’ shoulders while they were doing their thing with Rowan. But, but then it, Rowan ended up being fine. Honestly, like, who knows? I think she was just a little punky, you know? Like, who knows what really ended up happening. 

I don’t even think she got, like, positive pressure or anything. But- Yeah. Um- Babies be babies … babies do baby things, exactly. And if she, it may be she got positive pressure, because again, Jeremy was pretty unfazed, but, like, he wouldn’t have been u- he wouldn’t have been phased by them given, you know, like the neo T or whatever. 

Yeah, so, um- And so eventually my bleeding stopped. He was holding her, um, so we didn’t have to do a whole lot there. I eventually got her on my… You know, and then it’s, it’s just the usual, like, immediate postpartum, right? So the, I did have a tear. I had a, a deep two. Okay.  

Roxanne: Which  

Farrah: my mi- my midwife was like, “That doesn’t exist, but I think you had a third,” and they just didn’t wanna say a third. 

‘Cause, like, they were suturing.  

Roxanne: I think that there is different levels of a second degree tear. Okay. Um, there is not a name for it, but if you think about, like, if you look at a perineum, like, there is, like, a very superficial layer, which is the first degree, but then, like, the level of muscles that are there, there are different levels of muscles. 

And so, like, you can go into the first layer of muscle, and then healing is different than if you went deeper into the muscles. But, like, if you’re not around that capsule, and you haven’t gone into that, like, rectum, like, the sphincter capsule, then it is not a third. Um, but I’ve seen some seconds where, like, mm Is this a third or is that a second? 

It just involved all of the layers potentially, in some way. So, like, I do believe that there are different levels of second degree, ’cause there is, like, a huge difference between them, in people’s experience of the repairs and healing process with, like, deepers versus, like, maybe, like, not as deep seconds. 

So I don’t, I don’t discount that that is something that people say. It’s just not well, um, agreed upon in the birth world, I feel like.  

Farrah: Which totally makes sense then, because it was like the… Again, my resident actually ended up being a first year resident. We didn’t know that until the end, which is funny ’cause, like, us being medical, we probably would’ve been like, “We don’t want a first year.” 

But, um, but again, she’s the one that saved me from not getting a C-section, so, um, you know, whatever. But, but, like, so when she… So she was being taught to suture, which that was another thing, like, I think had Jeremy was Jer- That takes a long,  

Roxanne: long time.  

Farrah: Yeah. Yeah. And had Jeremy known she was a first year, I think he probably would’ve requested the upper to do it. 

But she just seemed so… I mean, again, clearly she was very, um… I guess I wouldn’t say her name on here even if I knew her name, but Jeremy remembers her name. But, like, you know, like, she was very knowledgeable and whatever else, so, like, we just kinda let her do her thing. But it was that whole, like, while they were teaching, the, the, the upper was like, “No, I’m not gonna… 

Like, see that right there? Like, we’re not gonna call that a three because that’s intact.” So, like, yeah, I must have just gone, like, straight almost two. Yeah. And then, like, ironically, um, my… I should, I should just say it. My husband’s an ENT, so he’s now a pediatric ENT. And so, uh, he’s always been… Tongue ties are something he believes in, but also something he feels is, oh, you know… 

Well, people need to know his opinions, but either way, Rowan had a very bad tongue tie. So one of the first things that Jeremy told me when he walked over was, “She has one of the worst tongue ties I’ve ever seen,” which I thought was hilarious coming from the ENT. Like, I was like, “Of course the ENT’s daughter’s gonna have, like, one of the worst tongue ties you’ve seen.” 

The worst tongue tie in the  

Roxanne: world. Like, what are the odds?  

Farrah: So, like, our regular postpartum was fine, but our night was very challenging ’cause her… I think most likely because of her tie, she did not feed. Um, she didn’t feed well initially, and, and it all, you know, clamp… But, like, you’re also new at it. 

Everybody’s- Yeah … struggling. Like, so we just didn’t think anything of it, and then she refused to s- uh, like, after a few feeds, she refused to feed. So we had her at, like, 6:00 or some- 6:00 or 7:00 AM or something, 6:42 or something like that. And by the evening she was refusing to feed at all. Um, looking back on it once lactation came, so like that evening I was like, “Hey, she’s not latching.” 

The nurses were trying to kind of help me, and we’re, so we decided to start like, um, doing like colostrum into a spoon to see if we could give her colostrum that way. So by the next morning, the lactation consultant was like, “I typically see ba-” She’s like, “Typically babies when they don’t feed or latch well because of tongue ties or whatever reason,” she’s like, “they’re typically just real pissed. 

Like, they still want to, but they’re mad.” And she’s like, “And occasionally you get the baby that just gives up, like is literally just like, ‘F it, this isn’t working, so I’m not even gonna try.'” And Rowan was that baby. So Jeremy assumed he was gonna request her tongue to be clipped there. Um, but by the, because we had such struggles that evening, he was just like, “We gotta, we have to do her tongue.” 

And so, um, he was going to let them do it, and E- ENT does tongue ties, and so he was gonna let them do it, let the pediatrician do it, who they, who they do it to at our, our hospital the pediatricians are trained to do it there. And, um, I think most are, but I don’t know. But, um, so they come in to do it. The pediatrician has like a person they’re teaching, and, but the pediatrician was like, “Oh, I’ll do it.” 

And he’s like, “But actually Jeremy, do you wanna teach him? Like, you’re the pro.” He’s like, “Let’s have a little thing.” And so Jeremy goes to like teach them how to do it, and then instead of like releasing the scissors to the person to do it, he just like boxes them out and decides to do it himself. ‘Cause I think at one, finally he was just like, “The dad in me was like, ‘No. 

No one else is gonna do this and mess this up.'” So Jeremy actually did her, um, her tongue tie instead of the pediatrician, which is fine. He’s allowed to do it, you know? But, um, but he was like, “I got really nervous.” Apparently, I don’t know, he says it was like real bad and like real deep, and he actually didn’t even cut as deep as it should have gone, so she’s still like partially tied. 

So like our, our feeding journey for her and me was really challenging still. She probably still had a degree of a tie, ’cause she had all the signs, right? Like the blistered lips and the shallow latch and the-  

Roxanne: Yeah …  

Farrah: whatever. And my supply was really low, so I assume that was part of it. Could have also just been me. 

You know, I, I’m a hormonal mess, and so, um, also she’s a reflux baby. I’m convinced reflux babies love to take like little small snacks instead of big meals, or at least she’s, she did. So, so that was us. Kind of like the usual postpartum struggles of like feeding and stuff. But as a mom, I tell people too, you like, you stress about feeding all the time, but, uh, even if your baby is thriving. 

Like, I was so stressed about feeding. I had the chunkiest baby ever. Like, Rowan had all the rolls, and I was still, you know, sad that I was only pumping, you know, half a, half an ounce of whatever. Tried all the things, and like Jeremy had to continually be like, “Babe, look at her. She’s fine.” You know? But I’m like, “But she wants to eat every 90 minutes. 

Like, she’s not getting anything.” Like, so she was our, she was our 30-something hour labor, got stuck, OP baby. Um, and then my baby number two was the full other side of the spectrum. We have time for baby number two? It’s obviously a much faster story.  

Roxanne: Yeah, let’s go for it. Usually, the first ones are longer, just in general. 

Farrah: Usually the what?  

Roxanne: The first ones are longer in general. Yeah. So, yes.  

Farrah: Yeah.  

Roxanne: Please  

Farrah: share all. Yeah, so like I… Yeah, I expected like baby number two to be, um, you know, shorter for sure. But like he, so baby number two is, um How do we wanna start this one? He… Well, I don’t know. Just reg- regular prenatal. I, I, like, physically do not do well getting pregnant. 

This is actually, like, my best pregnancy yet pain-wise, so, you know, lots of SI joint pain. I’m constantly going to the chiropractor and the massage therapist, and, um, at this point I had– I was doing y’all’s prenatal program ’cause I had found you guys. Um, and so just I’m kind of like a miserable person physically when it comes to being pregnant. 

So I didn’t do a whole lot of extra stuff with him, um, or like different stuff with him, ’cause again, still just doing prenatal fitness stuff, and pelvic PT. I saw a pelvic PT after Ronan, continued to see one with Arthur while pregnant. Um, and yeah. And then we, we- I wanted to get another doula, so our doula experience was a little challenging the first time for reasons I won’t say. 

She doesn’t need her story told. But, um, so I really want… And then again, Jeremy was kind of traumatized from the how hard my preg– Like, you know, he tells me afterwards, like when people are like, “Are you, would you do it again?” I was like, “Yeah.” And he was like, “You would?” And like, so he’s more traumatized from the preg- or from the labor than I am. 

It was long, I was stuck, I bled, you know, just all the things. And so, uh, I- my goal was to get a doula who was gonna be much more hands-on, and also like much more supportive of the partner. Like, not that this other doula wasn’t, but just like I- Yeah … I went in interviewing doulas being like, “I’m gonna need you to support my partner,” you know? 

So we- Yeah. Yeah. So we found a different doula. The goal was to have her be very much so, like, partner supported, um, and then also supported me too. But her… And she was a, she ended up being a labor and delivery nurse and a doula, and she was like somebody that a few of us kinda knew. Yeah, just like a great combo, right? 

Like, I was like, “This will be wonderful.” There was one, one weekend that she wasn’t gonna be able to cover because she was, you know, doing something, ’cause she’s a human in life and has a family. And so I had a backup doula who was a massage therapist of mine, um, who was fantastic as well. So, you know, we had it, we had it all lined up. 

We were good. Um- And I forgot to mention, like, Rowen, I had her a few days early. Like, I think she was due, like, the 26th, and we had her on, like, the 22nd or something. And so Arthur was due on, like, the 16th. I th- I only thought he was a few days early, but I just found out after this pregnancy that apparently he was, like, 10 days early. 

I don’t know. Like, I didn’t think he was that early, but that’s what my chart says. So, um, so I had another friend who had a baby and went into labor on the 4th, or, like, had a baby on the 4th. And so Jeremy was like, “You’re gonna go into labor soon.” And I was like, “No, I’m not. I don’t even feel close to being in labor.” 

And he was like, “You like to have babies when your friends have babies.” And I was like, “Nah. Nah.” And he was like, “Yeah. Yeah.” Well, yeah, that’s what you  

Roxanne: did last time.  

Farrah: Yeah. It’s like, I… And we didn’t know my friend was having labor until, like, that evening when Jeremy was driving home. I was like, “Go check the parking lot for their car. 

I think she might be in labor.” And Jeremy was like, “I’m not gonna do that. That’s weird.” And so sure enough, like, that friend was there. Like, we had, like, overlapping, like, well, a few hours, but obviously I wasn’t leaving the room for a few hours. But, but yeah. So Jeremy was like, “You love to have babies when your friends have babies.” 

Like, that’s just, like, the sisterly juju, you know? And so I was like, “Whatever.” And so the morning, the morning of the 6th, um, right? Is that when he was born? Yeah. The morning of the 6th, like, he got up to go to work, and I got up to, like, pee, and I had, like, a little bit of fluid in my underwear, and I was like, “Oh, did I pee myself?” 

And, like, I hadn’t been peeing myself before, but again, we all know that that’s a very common symptom. Like, so I just kind of was… And it wasn’t much, but I was like, “Oh, this is strange.” And so I was playing the is this amniotic fluid or is this pee game at 6:00 AM. Um, so I texted my doulas, ’cause I had them on, like, group chat or, like, a group message, even though I knew the one was gone, so that they could kind of, like, both guide me if they needed to. 

And so I texted, um, them, and I was like, “I don’t think this is amniotic fluid. I think I just was, like, getting up to pee, and this is just a little fluid. It’s not much. I don’t feel anything. I’m not having any contractions.” And so she was just like, “Well, put a pad in. Go to bed.” And she’s like, “And when you wake up again, if there’s more leaking, odds are it’s amniotic fluid.” 

And I was like, “Okay.” So did that. Um, and then my husband went to work, and I woke up again at like, I don’t know, 7:30, 8:00, whenever I woke up. My family was here at this point helping me take care of my toddler, so I probably actually slept in, which was nice. Uh but wake up, still not in contractions, don’t have any more fluid. 

So I was just like, “Okay, I peed myself.” You know? And still to this day, I don’t know if I peed myself or if it was, like, that top bag. ‘Cause right? You have, like, this top bag of the sac. So whatever it was, it is what it is. Um, probably around like 8:30 or 9:00 in the morning, I’m getting my toddler ready. She was actually going with the babysitter that day to have, like, some fun, you know, babysitter day, going to a park or going to an amusement park. 

Who knows what she was gonna do? And so, uh, getting m- getting her ready in the kitchen, and that’s when I was… That’s when, like, contractions started. So I was… I do that whole like, “Oh, okay.” You know? And my parents are there and they’re like, “Are you feeling something?” And I’m like, “Well, let me just see if this is a Braxton or not.” 

And then I have another one, and so I was just like, “Oh, okay. I, I think, think this could be, like, the start of early labor.” It wa- They weren’t painful yet, but… So sometime between, like, 8:00 or 9:00, closer to, like, let’s just say 9:00. Uh, you know, by 9:00 o’clock I think I was like, “Oh yeah, I’m having contractions.” 

Like, they’re not bad, but, like, we’re having some contractions. Cool. So, like, the babysitter’s gonna take her. I’ll get to, like, early labor peacefully without the toddler in the house, you know? And I at, at this point still don’t have labor snacks, still don’t have my labor bag packed because I’m a procrastinator. 

And so, um, and also I had told myself, ’cause with, with labor with Rowan being so bad and so much pubic bone pain and her being stuck, I was like, “If I feel that pubic bone pain again, I’m gonna do everything in my power positionally.” Like, at this point, like, I did have my doula stuff and whatever. So I was just like, “I’m gonna do all the things to get this baby, like, not OP and not stuck.” 

And so when contractions started to actually have pain, it was pubic bone. And I was like, “Oh, heck no.” Like, “We’re not gonna do this again.” And so, uh, I had texted Jeremy to be like, “Oh yeah, contractions are starting,” in the kitchen. And he was like, “Oh, okay, cool. Good to know.” Like, again, not anything too, like, bad yet. 

He called me at like 9:30, and uh, he was just like, “Oh, so do you think you’re, you think you’re in labor?” And I was like, “Yeah, I think we’re in labor.” And he was like, “So you think I should la- Okay, so I should, like, cancel my cases for tomorrow?” And I was just like, “Yeah, we’re gonna be in the throes of labor tomorrow. 

You should cancel your cases for tomorrow.” And he’s like, “Well, I have like two more cases now. Like, can I do these today?” And I was like, “Yeah, you have plenty of time.” Like, I was like, “We’re still good. Nothing is bad.” Famous  

Roxanne: last words.  

Farrah: I know. Yeah, exactly. So I was just like, “Yeah, just cancel them for tomorrow. 

Please don’t plan to go to work tomorrow.” And he was like, “Okay.” So that was like 9:30. My best friend calls me, of course, and she’s like, “Are you in labor? This is great.” And so I was like, “I’m gonna do the mile circuit.” And then, uh, and I sat my mom… I was like, “Mom, please go to the grocery store and buy labor snacks,” ’cause I haven’t done that yet. 

I’m gonna do the Miles Circuit, and then I’m gonna pack my bag. ‘Cause again, we got time, you know? And so, and the Miles Circuit’s an hour and a half. Like, it shouldn’t, you know- Oh my God, it’s so  

Roxanne: long.  

Farrah: I know. Um, so at 10 o’clock I started the Miles Circuit, and very quickly after that… So again, contractions are at, let’s just say at 8:30 or 9:00 for easy math. 

But like very quickly after that, during the Miles Circuit, again, pubic bone. It was so horrible. So I’m in that first position of the Miles Circuit, right? And I’m… I have a timer set. I’m like literally just like waiting for that timer to be done so that I can move and then get a heating pad. Like, I was like, I was like, move number two, I’m putting a heating pad on. 

Like, this is miserable. And he is moving around everywhere in there, and he’s going crazy. My contractions are like two minutes apart, three minutes apart, five minutes apart, one minute apart. Like, they’re just all over the place. And so I’m like texting my doulas, and I’m like, “Would the Miles Circuit like make him go nuts?” 

And she was like, “Oh, I don’t know. Like, yeah, maybe, like, maybe he’s just like getting in position, getting ready.” And I was like, “Okay.” And I was like, “These contractions are everywhere.” And she was like, “Okay.” Um, so then like move two of the Miles Circuit, I always forget which is first, if it’s the side lying or the puppy pose first. 

Side lying. So side lying, so the- It’s the  

Roxanne: inversion first and then side lying.  

Farrah: Okay. Yeah. So for side lying, I was like, I’m gonna do a heating pad. And at that point I can like, I have to like take breaks between text messages, right? Which we all know is like, ooh, like, you know, if you’ve gotta like check out. 

So like I’m texting being like, “This is horrible. Oh,” you know, like can’t text, can’t text, breathe, breathe, breathe. So then like get through that 30 minutes, and at that point… So, like, my… I knew my one doula was gone, so at that point I told my other doula, I was just like, “Hey, wrap up your day. This is getting intense.” 

I was like, “I’m kind of scared. I’m alone. My mom’s, uh, probably at the grocery store. My husband’s at work.” I was like, “I need you to… One, this is happening today.” So, like, she… ‘Cause again, she’s a massage therapist, so I was like, “Time to start canceling your ca- like, your appointments.” Um, and I was like, “And I’ll, I want you over here soon.” 

And she was like, “Okay.” And then I, I told both of them, I was like, “I’m aborting mission. I’m not doing the third thing,” which is like, you know, the asymmetric movement, which is like, you know, stairs or curb walking- Oh, yeah … or whatever. I was like, I was like, “I’m going straight to the shower.” Because I knew that water really helped me, and at this point I was spiraling. 

Like, contractions were really uncomfortable, and they were… I wasn’t doing well. So, you know, so that’s what? 11:00, I guess, if I started the Miles Circuit, so only two sections in. So 11 o’clock I get in the shower and I abort the last 30 minutes of the Miles C- the Miles Circuit. And I was like probably moving and grooving in the shower, right? 

Yeah. We have a nice big shower. You, you didn’t  

Roxanne: need it. Yeah.  

Farrah: Yeah, I didn’t need it at that point. So I’m in the shower and at this point, like, my mom is at the grocery store, I think, ’cause again, I can’t hear her. ‘Cause I also had, like, ear pods in while I was doing Miles Circuit. Like, I was trying to be in the zone. 

So I’m in the shower, and it’s just so intense. I’m doing like… I’m, like, doing the toe lift. I am, like- It, like, the contractions were insane. Yeah. To the point where then I start spiraling. I’m like, “Something’s wrong.” I’m like, “We have to go to the ho-” Like, I was like, “I gotta call people. We have to go to the hospital.” 

And then also the pain was so bad that I was like, “I can’t do this for, like, 12 hours.” I was like, “There’s no way I’m gonna labor at home.” Like, you know, I’m only an hour in and I’m miserable. I was like, “We gotta go. We gotta go to the hospital.” So I have my watch on and I’m, like, texting my mom. I’m like, “Mom, where are you? 

Are you in the house?” And then I text the doula and I’m like, “Get your butt over here. I’m not doing well.” And then I text my husband, I’m like, “Wrap up your day,” like, “It’s getting intense over here.” And, like, nobody responds. So I’m in the shower and I’m like, “What is happening?” And then now I’m over here like, “Oh my God, something is wrong. 

I’m all by myself.” Like, you know. I totally forgot my dad was upstairs. Like, my dad, my dad and my mom had come to visit. He was… Our house is built to where, like, the spare bedrooms are upstairs and on the opposite end of the house. He also was working with headphones on, so even if I had remembered he was there, he wouldn’t have heard me. 

He wouldn’t have heard you. Yeah. Um, but I totally forgot him. Like, I sh- could have texted him and been like, “Dad…” So at this point I’m like, “Nobody’s responding.” So then I’m like, I have to get my phone and I have to call them. And my phone is, like, acro- We have, like, a pretty large master bedroom, so, like, our bathroom. 

So, like, my phone is, like, across the master bath. So I’m like, “I have to leave the shower and go get my phone.” Oh, no. And so, like, you know, in the midst of one of those breaks, I waddle out, grab my phone, bring it into the shower. Like, I’m just like, “Hope this thing’s waterproof. Here we go.” And I dial my mom in the shower, and my mom answers, and she’s like, “I’m in the grocery store.” 

And I’m like, “Mom?” And she’s like, “Yeah.” And then she’s, like, asking me all these questions, and I can’t talk. And so she’s like, “Vera?” And I’m like, “Hold.” And she’s like, “Vera?” And she’s like, “Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.” And I’m like, “Hold on.” And finally she’s like, “Are you okay? Do you need me to come home?” And I’m like, “Yeah, come home.” 

And I hang up the phone. And then I call Jeremy, and I didn’t wanna talk to him ’cause I knew he’s gonna ask a bunch of questions, too. So all… The only call Jeremy gets is, he answers, he’s like, “Oh, hey, babe. I’m just wrapping up my last case.” And I was like, “Get home now.” And I hang up the phone. So poor Jeremy, the last thing he heard was like, “We’re doing great. 

I’m barely hearing any of it, like, barely feeling anything. Like, wrap up your cases for tomorrow.” And then he gets this, like, panic call from me being like, “Get home now,” and hangs up the phone. And so luckily, my mom had called my dad, like, after hearing me. She knew my dad was home. I forgot my dad was home, ’cause I… 

It was not on my register to, like, call my dad next. Like, again, forgot he was there. So sorry, Dad. But, um, so luckily my mom called my dad. So by the time I got off the phone with Jeremy, just being like, “Get home now,” you know, there’s, like, a knock on my door, and my dad’s like, “Hey, baby.” And, like, I’m butt naked, right? 

Because, like, I didn’t think I was gonna have a baby soon, so I was just gonna go into that shower naked. I wasn’t going into that shower in, like, a bra or anything. Like, wasn’t expecting anybody to see me. Nobody’s home except for my dad. But, like, so my dad knocks, you know, he’s like, “Hey, baby.” And I’m like, “Don’t come in. 

Like, I’m naked.” And he’s like, “Okay, I can hear that you’re in the shower. Like, are you okay?” And the… And then I’m not talking ’cause it’s just, like, contractions are coming and coming and coming. And so he’s like, “What do you need me to do?” And so I would… told myself, I was like, “I have to get that robe on. 

Like, I have to leave the shower and get that robe on so that my dad can come in this bathroom and I’m not butt naked.” Like, you know. So the only robe I have, it’s the middle of summer, and this is, like, a fluffy winter robe. Oh, gosh. And so I am soaking wet. I get the robe on. I am now hot ’cause I’ve been in a hot, hot shower, and I’m soaking wet. 

I let my dad in, and my dad’s not medical, and so this is, like… It looks like… I think I wrote the times down. So 11:22 is when I call my mom and Jeremy, so my dad came to the door probably right after that. And my dad is, like, not medical so he’s like, “Oh my gosh.” He’s like, “What do we need to do? Are you crowning? 

Are you having a baby? Do we need to call 911? Do you need to go to the hospital?” And I, I, at this point I’m, like, roaring over the sink. I loved, like, leaning over the counter and apparently having my head just, like, in the sink. And so my dad was like, “I’m gonna go get the car. We’re gonna take you to the hospital.” 

And I was like, “Cool, let’s do that.” And so he runs away and can’t find our car keys, and at that point my water does break. So at that point, like, water broken- Oh, gosh … all over the bathroom. So then I’m just like, “Oh, well there’s your water breaking.” So he comes rushing back and he’s like, “Baby, I can’t find the car keys.” 

And I’m just like, “My water broke.” And he’s like, “I see that.” And so, um, he- He’s like, “ 

Roxanne: I know.”  

Farrah: Yeah. And they drove here in an RV. And so my dad was like, “I’m gonna take you in the RV ’cause I have the keys.” And so he goes to grab me and I’m like, “Don’t you fucking touch…” Like, you know, just all the expletives. 

And so he was just like, “Oh, okay. What do I do now?” And like, and so at that point, like, I apparently didn’t wanna be moved, I didn’t wanna be touched. And so my dad panicked. And, um, Jeremy rolled in. It looks like we called 911 at 11:36, so sometime between 11:22 and 11:36. Um, luckily he was at the surgical center, like, right down the street, so apparently he just, like, literally looked at his anesthesiologist and was like, “I gotta go.” 

He’s like, “Case is done. Wake ’em up, please. Bye.” And just, like, left. Um, obviously, like, everybody was safe and good.  

Gina: Yeah.  

Farrah: But, um, he just didn’t roll the case. Mid-surgery, goodbye. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. He was just like, he was like, “We were waiting for him to wake up,” so I was just like, “You got this? Okay, bye.” Um, so Jeremy comes in and my dad, again, tried to move me, which thank goodness he didn’t. 

I love my dad to death, but like… And we live very close to the hospital, too, so, but my parents don’t know where the w- don’t know where the entrance is. Like, they don’t know where the women’s entrance is versus the ER entrance. And the way our road goes, it dumps you into the employee parking lot. So, like, had he been able to get me in the car, he would not have been able to get me to the hospital. 

Like, he would’ve been like, “We’ve been having a baby in an RV.” Like, it would’ve been so bad. But, um, so Jeremy gets home and my dad’s like, “I tried to move her. She’s really mad.” Like, and so I can hear them be like… At this point I’m, like, coming out of… I clearly was transitioning in the shower. Like, now knowing what I know, it was transition. 

But like, you know, I can hear them be like, “Well, we can both move her. Yeah, we’ll move her. Okay.” And Jeremy’s like, “I got this,” like, “Come on, let’s go.” And they both come into the bathroom to move me and I, again, many expletives pushing them off, like, “Don’t you fricking touch me.” And, and so Jeremy was just like, “Oh, okay.” 

And he was like, “Well-” I think this is the time to call 911. So they called 911 at 11:36. Um, and so I just did my thing in the bathroom. And part of Jeremy being there too, like, my dad was so sweet at that point. Like, he was putting, like, wet washcloths on my head. I remember my head being, like, in the sink. 

I’m so hot. Like, not the sink running, but just, like, I’m leaning over it. And I remember, like, I still tell my dad this. Like, I specifically remember that cold washcloth and being like, “This is the best thing ever.” Um, so my sweet little dad, who’s, like, not medical, he jokes. He was like, “Baby, I was your doula for a few minutes.” 

And I was like, “You were, Dad. You were my doula.” Um, and so EMS gets there. At that point, I’m, like, clearing out, and I was a little worried, ’cause again, I didn’t think I was having a baby soon. So I was like, “Well, I can’t just, like, labor in this bathroom or, uh, or, like, over this counter.” I was worried my legs and stuff were gonna get tired, ’cause I was, like, really hanging on. 

And so I was like, “Dad, can you go get the labor ball so I could, like, lean over that?” Um, and EMS gets there, and they do their EMS thing, right? Like, at this point, they’re trying to, like, ask me all the questions. They’re like, they’re just like, “Ma’am, do you have a medical history? What’s your, what’s your labor history?” 

Yeah. And I, and I’m- Not, not the time … not wanting to talk to them. Yeah. Like, so at one point… And, and they’re not asking my husband. Like, part of me, I look back at Jeremy. I was like, “Why didn’t you just answer these questions? You know the answer to all this.” So at one point, I look up at them and I’m like, “Listen, I am a nurse, and I am in pre-hospital also.” 

I was like, “I get that you have to ask these questions. I’m not going to answer them. I’m fine. I’m healthy. Baby’s healthy. That’s all you need to know.” And they were like, “But ma’am, we…” And I was like, “Nope, not talking to you anymore.” And they’re trying to start an IV, and they’re trying to do blood pressures, and, like… 

So that was, 11:36 is when 911 was called. So mind you, this is, like, h- had to have made it to me in minutes. Um, and then I’m on all fours at this point, and they’re like, “Ma’am, ma’am, you need to go to the bed.” And I’m like, “I’m not moving.” So we’re still in my bathroom, just, like I’m like, “Nope.” And luckily at that point my husband lied, and he was like, “Oh, this is how she had our last baby. 

This is how she wants to labor. Like, she’s good here. Like, she likes all fours. Her last baby was born this way.” And they were like, “Oh, okay.” Total lie, as we all know from the previous story of like, I’m like dead in the lane on my back. Oh my God. Yeah, like, like totally exhausted. So, um, so yeah. So they’re back there. 

They’re doing their thing. Baby’s coming. ‘Cause at this point too, when 911 was called, like I had already reached… I could feel his head. ‘Cause the, the, the dispatcher also was like, “Sir, how far a- like, apart are the contractions? Is the baby coming?” And my husband at this… ‘Cause I’m roaring, I’m screaming. I can hear him on speaker, and he’s just like, “I can’t hear you. 

Can you hear her? We’re having a baby, like right now.” You know? So I had reached down to be like, “Yep, I feel his head.” Um, so, so like, I kind of want that dispatch call. But, but so I’m on all fours. People are back there doing their thing. At this point I’m clear enough that like, I can feel baby coming, and now I’m starting to just scream again. 

I would love to hear a recording of this. But I’m starting to scream like, “Protect my perineum.” And Jeremy’s like, “What?” And I’m like, “Perineal pressure. Protect my perineum.” This is just like what I’m chanting out. Um, and I just feel fumbling back there And, uh, and then he came out all good and happy and well at, uh, 11:51. 

So again, EMS was called at 11:36, and 11:51 is when this baby was born. So, um, and so yeah, from, from 9:00… Maybe I’ll say 8:00. 8:00 to 11:50, 9:00 to 11:50, this baby blasted out. So, uh, and then he was, he was great. I, like, I’m still on all fours. It was so quiet. Like, ’cause I remember being like, “Is everything okay back there?” 

And it’s, like, quiet and no- and nobody’s talking. Like, even EMS isn’t talking. So I’m over here, like, “Oh, no, this isn’t good,” ’cause they don’t wanna say stuff out loud in front of me. So I’m like, “Hello? Hello?” And finally Jeremy was like, “He’s good. Like, he’s just staring up at us. We’re just… They’re trying to get a vital… 

You know, they’re trying to get, like, vitals- Oh, they’re like listening to him … on this, like, sticky, slimy baby.” Yeah. Yeah. Or just, like, they were trying to get a pulse ox on him. Oh my God. Stop. It was, um… I think it was one of their first, like, EMS baby calls. Um, and so, like, you know, Jeremy’s like, “They’re just trying to get vitals. 

He looks good. He’s staring right at me. He’s happy.” And I’m like, “He’s not making any noise.” But I think he just, like, blasted out, and he was just content, and he was just, like, looking around. Yeah. He’s probably  

Roxanne: like, “What the fuck just happened?”  

Farrah: Yeah. “Where am I?” He probably also was like… Yeah, he probably also was like, “What is happening right now?” 

So finally, eventually, I’m like, “Can I have him please?” Oh, and then at, at one point they, like, tugged to, like, move him. And I don’t know if I had a short cord or just they tugged too far, but I remember being like, “Whoa.” Like, I was just like, “Don’t pull.” Um, and then like- Still  

Roxanne: attached.  

Farrah: Yeah, yeah. And so then they were like, “Well, let’s unattach… 

Like, we’ll, like…” They’re like, “Let’s cut the cord and we’ll hand him to you.” And I, of course, then am like, “Wait, I want delayed cord clamping.” And Jeremy’s like, “Fer, it’s been like five minutes. Like, the, it is delayed. We are good.” And I was like, “Okay.” So they do that, cut the cord, give him to me. I’m now, like, sitting on my bu- like, sitting on my butt, like, you know, on my tile floor, which isn’t very uncomfortable, especially when… 

I had a third degree tear with him, so, like, didn’t know that then. But, um, and then our policy for our EMS around here is they won’t move you until placenta is born. Um, which is interesting ’cause I’m like, “Well, what if you hemorrhage?” Like, I, I wanna be in the hospital for when my placenta is born. But, okay. 

But either way, so they weren’t moving me, and I was like, “Can we go?” And they’re like, “Yeah, we just gotta wait for that placenta to come.” And I’m like, “Okay.” And we sat in my bathroom for, like, 35 minutes. Um, so mind you, like, I’m getting uncomfortable. I’m on my cold tile floor. Like- Okay, yeah … I have four EMS staring at me, my husband. 

You know, it’s just like, finally I was just like, “Can we call, like, your medical command, and can we go, please?” Um, and so they got approval to move me, placenta still intact, and then, like, loaded me up, me and baby up, went to the hospital. And the funny thing was, like, the, my doula that was a labor and delivery nurse had, like, warned, like, labor and delivery that I was coming at some point, ’cause she wasn’t there. 

But she was like, “Oh, I have a client. She’ll be coming in at some point. She’s in labor,” da da da. So, like, I at this point am missing these text messages, but we apparently got a text message. Actually, it might have been after Arthur was born. I think it was, like, 11 or, like, 12. And she was like, “I called labor and delivery. 

They’re, they’re ready for you. They know you’re coming. So whenever you’re, like, whenever you’re ready to go in, like, there’s plenty of rooms at the inn.” Um, ’cause, you know, sh- her last text message from me was what? When I said I was going to the shower. So 11, being like, “This is intense. I’m gonna go shower.” 

So, uh, so she’s just like, yeah. So she’s like, “Oh, I’ll call the unit.” And so we roll up to the unit, and the unit’s like, “We knew you were coming, but not with a baby.” And we’re like, “Surprise.” And then my, my doula, my backup doula, poor thing, like, she didn’t get that text message that was like, “Wrap it up,” like, “It’s getting serious.” 

Um, so she had still ha- her last text message from me was like, “Oh, hey, cancer day. Come over soon,” like, you know, “I’m ready for your support.” So she comes, like, rolling up to my house, and there’s two ambulances, and I’m being rolled out, and Arthur’s got wires all hanging over, and she’s just like, “What just happened?” 

You know? So, um, so my doula missed it. She followed us to the hospital. She’s also a photographer, so she was like, “Can I still come to the hospital and at least try to take some, like, pictures-” Portraits “… for the next few hours?” And yeah. Yeah. And I was like, “Sure.” Um, but yeah, so, like, vastly different labor. 

Went from, like, 30-plus hours and stuck and just a wild, exhausting ride to What, what’s that now? Three hours. Nine, nine to 11:50. Yeah. Like- Yeah … three hours. Three, three-hour labor. Yeah. Transitioning in the shower, blasting out a baby, almost having my dad be- Unplanned home birth … the person. Unplanned home birth, yeah. 

My husband always laughs. He’s like, “You always wanted a home birth. I think you did this on purpose.” I was like, “Yeah, ’cause I can make a baby come in three hours.” But-  

Gina: Yeah.  

Farrah: Um, but yeah. So, and, like, my dad was almost one of the people… I remember at one point when I was, like, leaning over the sink being like, “I’m about to have this baby with my dad.” 

Like, I was like- … you know, thank goodness I had a ro- thank goodness I had a robe on, but I was like, “Oh, it’s about to get intense.” Yeah. Like, I was like, I was like, if nobody else gets here, I was like, my dad’s gonna be catching this baby. I was like, oh. Like, and in that moment I remember being like, I mean, it’s gonna be what it’s gonna be, I guess. 

Yeah. And then at one point I do remember being like, “I’m having this baby in the bathroom.” Like, we ain’t moving. Like this is- Yeah. You, you have that realization- You accept it … that you’re… Yeah. You have the realization that you’re like, oh, this is happening. Yep, okay. Cool. Like, here we go. But, so yeah. Those were my wild-  

Roxanne: Yeah,  

Farrah: vastly different 

very opposite birth stories. Yeah. Yeah.  

Roxanne: Did your, did Arthur have a tongue tie or any feeding issues?  

Farrah: Um, he didn’t have a tie that needed to be cut. I’m still convinced he had a, a little one. But, um, but again, but Jeremy being like, “He’s fine. He latched on.” He latched okay. I still had a lot of pain, um, and, like, nipple damage and stuff. 

So again, don’t know if that’s a sl- a baby tie or, you know, and obviously, like, you know, as babies get bigger and their mouths get bigger and, like, stuff becomes more successful. So, like, we, we did have a successful feeding journey. It was still uncomfortable. It was still… Like, I was using, um, oh, what are those called? 

Like, shields for a little bit. Nipple shields. Yeah. Yep. And then, uh, we were doing some intermittent, like, pumping and bottling when I was just needing breaks. Like, my nipples were br- and you know, I was getting, like, the clamped nipple. Mm-hmm. I didn’t ever have, like- Yeah … the white nipples, but, like, and, like, his lips were still a little blister. 

So, like, I’m still convinced he had something, but he was able to feed. My supply was a little bit higher, um, too, like, when we pumped. So we actually had to stop his feeding journey early because he had really bad allergies. So, like, he was a milk and soy allergy, and we didn’t know- Oh, baby … he was egg also. 

And so once he started having, like, blood in his stool… Um, so we, we stopped our feeding journey, like, before six months. Like, I wanna say, like- Four or five months maybe. ‘Cause I was, I was dairy-free, soy-free. Um, knowing what we know now, I would’ve needed to be egg-free too. But he started to have blood in his stool, and then so the… 

He couldn’t even tolerate… We went to formula, and then he couldn’t even tolerate, like, regular hypoallergenic formula. ‘Cause I guess- Oh, God … that they were saying, like, a perc- certain percent of babies even… There’s still, like, a broken-down milk protein in there, and they were like, “A certain amount of babies actually still react to that broken-down protein,” and he’s one of them. 

So he actually had to go on, like, prescription formula. Um, and then… Yeah. And then, which, like, again, it is what it is. And so I remember being like, “Oh, well, is this just for like a month? Can I just, like, keep pumping?” And they were like, “No, this is gonna be, like, until he’s a year old.” And I was like, “Cool, so this journey is over. 

I’m not gonna, like, keep pumping.” Um- Yeah … ’cause I, we did- More just for your  

Roxanne: comfort. Yeah.  

Farrah: Yeah. And we did for, like, a few weeks. I, like, pumped and saved, ’cause I was like, “Well, eventually when he, like, grows out of it, he could have some of this milk.” But it’s after, like, the two-week trial and he was on the hypoallergenic formula and he was still having blood in his stool, they were like, “No, we’ve gotta go to prescription,” which means, like, you know, it is what it is. 

‘Cause if it was not prescription, then I think I could have done, like, a dairy-free, soy-free, blah-blah-free diet. Like, figured out- Oh my gosh … what he was allergic to. But-  

Gina: Yeah …  

Farrah: um, and then once he started POs, egg was the first thing we gave him, and that’s how we found out he’s anaphylactic to egg. So Oh- So we had a- 

Gina: good  

Farrah: to know. Yeah. So we had an allergy baby, um, EpiPen and all the things. But, but yeah. So I- our journey went better. Um, I think we would’ve had a successful journey had he not had the allergies. ‘Cause again, we were- Yeah … we were trucking along pretty good. Um, but like, I have a decent enough nipple damage that, like, even now, like, my nipples hurt pretty bad. 

And which I know is, like, normal while you’re pregnant too. Um- Oh,  

Roxanne: yeah …  

Farrah: yeah. So we’ll see, we’ll see with baby number three. I don’t know. ‘Cause, like, that’s always been my dream to, like… Or just my goal. My goal is to, like, obviously… Well, I shouldn’t say obviously, everybody’s got different goals. But, um, to do at least a year. 

I would’ve loved to do, like, closer to t- You know, my first baby, I was like, “I’ll just, you know, feed that baby until they’re done.” Like, I’m fine with doing, like, a two-year journey. But, you know, she was like, nothing. We switched her… I forget when we switched her to formula pretty quickly. Well, not pretty quickly. 

I think I s- stumbled along for, like, six-plus months. But, um, we eventually had to supplement for her. And then, yeah, obviously for Arthur, we moved pretty quickly to formula. So, you know, my dream… I’m like, “Maybe this one.” I’m like, “Maybe this one will be like, I’ll get my, you know, year or longer.” But-  

Roxanne: Yeah  

Farrah: It’s whatever it ends up being 

Roxanne: baby has a say, too, in how they get fed. Yeah. So.  

Farrah: Yeah. Certainly, certainly.  

Roxanne: Yeah. And you’re about to have baby number three this winter. So I guess stay tuned. This summer. August. Oh, my gosh. It is. August baby. Fall. Yeah, yeah, fall. Oh, my gosh. 

Oh, yeah, ’cause you’re having… Your scheduled child birth ed is in the winter. Oh, yes. Yeah, that’s what it was. I was like, “Why do I have December in my mind?”  

Farrah: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s why. ‘Cause that’ll be my next class. I know. We’ll discuss that. I wanna do- Yeah … I wanna do another class before that, but everybody’s telling me not to, so I’m just trying to, like, accept and listen to the guidance of other wise humans. 

Including you guys. You guys were like, “Do not do another class until…” Yeah, so, so we’ll… Which I get. We all know the postpartum, like, no sleep. I, I would  

Roxanne: hate to- Especially if you have a history with, like, feeding, like, trying to figure it out. Like, give yourself that space.  

Farrah: Yeah. And, like, I don’t wanna, like, have people sign up and then give them a sub-par course, you know? 

Like, if I’m tired and exhausted, and all of a sudden I’m like, “Uh, I don’t remember that thing.” So that’s why I keep telling myself, as much as I miss– I’m worried I’m gonna miss some moms in our community, I don’t wanna give them-  

Roxanne: You gotta  

Farrah: put yourself first … a sub-par  

Roxanne: experience. Yeah.  

Farrah: Well, yeah, that too, I guess. 

Roxanne: Well, thank you so much, Farrah, for coming onto the podcast. One, supporting us, and coming on the podcast now to share your two stories, and we look forward to hearing your third on the podcast hopefully. I  

Farrah: know. We’ll try to do it before three years.  

Roxanne: You’re fine. We, we will do it whenever you are ready. Yes, yes. 

Um, but thank you again so, so much.  

Farrah: Yeah. Thank you. 

Roxanne: I hope you enjoyed the stories of Farrah’s two birth stories, which were vastly different but very exciting nonetheless. Farrah is one of our childbirth educators in the United States. She’s teaching in-person childbirth education classes with our curriculum up in the Pennsylvania area, and we ensure that she is doing a quality job and is an amazing educator. 

And if you want to check them out, you can head to our website to see when her next date is, which are filling up quickly. But if you’re not local to either Aberdeen, North Carolina or Pennsylvania, you can check out our childbirth education online at mamastefit.com. And as a thank you for listening to this entire video, you can use code YOUTUBE10 to save 10% off any of our offerings, which include our online childbirth education course, our prenatal fitness programs, as well as our postpartum fitness programs so that you can move through pregnancy feeling strong and return back to the sport after having a baby. 

And if you’re a professional looking for ways that you can support your clients or patients during pregnancy and postpartum, you can also check out our pelvic mechanics course, which goes over all of the ways that we can support our clients and patients during labor, birth, and beyond.