Thank you for sharing your amazing story. What a gift to be able to carry then birth then nurture these precious babies. My first was an emergency c section and only 5 pounds but now aged 15 and almost as tall as I am. My son was delivered unmediated and 7 pounds 2. Ouchie and he wasn't even that big! He is now tho. It is magical , there's no other word to describe. All these years later and I still recall every moment. Enjoy your precious little one, the tough days come and go less frequently eventually xx
Thank you for sharing your story Julie! That is amazing. And I have thought about how small she is now and how big she'll be when she's a teenager. LOL. Slow down, imagination!
Thank you for sharing your story. I also had a miscarriage at 11 weeks and it was horrible. I remember walking around after and looking at women and thinking how many of them have probably gone through this and nobody knows. I too was terrified through the first trimester of my pregnancy with my first daughter (just turned two) until we had an ultrasound and everything was healthy. I've had two babies in less than two years and now whenever I see women with kids I think, man these women are strong and awesome. Giving birth really is the everyday miracle on so many levels. The goldfish/mom memory is a real thing. There's no way we as a species would go through pregnancy and childbirth again and keep having children if our brain didn't evolve the convenience of forgetting the really hard and painful part. Lucy is tiny and awesome, she reminds me of my little redhead who was born 5 lbs flat. Lots of love. --Whitney
Yep, I can't help but think the same thing when I see others. I always heard that you forget about the pain and that's how you can go on to have more kids. That week or so following her birth, I was all like, Oh no way could I EVER forget that! But, yeah, for whatever reason, I now think, yeah I could totally do that again. LOL!
Thanks for sharing your experience. I had two children, now they are 20 and 18, but I loved the way you shared your feelings, anxiety and pain. To give birth is a rollercoaster of emotions, but it is all worth. Much love
Becoming a mother and Being a mother are each very painful and hard (sometimes) but also the best joyful experience ever all rolled into one! I’m so happy that you have your sweet baby girl after your losses.
Your birth story was so interesting, thank you. Miscarriage is so common but we don't realise that until we got through it ourselves. Can I just say that you come across as a very level headed young woman and although you may at times feel you are a bad mum, you most definitely are not. You are so caring with your family, Lucy and Colin (and Squirrel) and the love just shines through.😊😍
Thank you again for sharing your experiences that you expressed so well. You were so honest and yet at the same time you did not try to trump others miscarriages. As women I think at appropriate times we need to tell our stories to our peers and younger women so they know what to expect and they are not alone. I remember going into menopause thinking it only lasted a couple of months and finding it could be 10 years, my mouth dropped open. I love the natural birth process. I had midwifes as well. My first birth was so easy I think because I was so physically fit, being in the military I ran 2-4 miles a day up to 8 months when my midwife caught me running on post. She had told me often to keep doing what your doing except eat more because I wasn’t gaining the weight that I should. She didn’t realize I was running. I was like you I had to zero in on my self during the transition and just zoned out. Easy birth of an 8lb baby.
Thank you! I am really glad to hear your comment about not trumping others. I have seen judgment and competitiveness in this whole pregnancy and birth culture and I really think it's terrible. It was important to me to not convey either of those things, so thank you for telling me that! I haven't thought about it, but it does seem that going through menopause will be really similar to this experience. There will be more research to be had! LOL!
Thank you so much for telling your story. It's been a while since I went through that, but it's something we will never, ever forget. Your rendition was spot on! For me anyway as I also had "natural childbirth". I'm not if they still use that terminology! :) Congratulations!
First off, congratulations to you and your little family! Secondly, it's so refreshing, in a way, to hear about a miscarriage. My mother had two of them before I was born and it took quite awhile before I learned about it as being the reason why my older sister and I are relatively far apart in age. Honestly, the fact that no one really talks about miscarriages and the fact that public perception of them as being a rare occurrence does a disservice to women. They're actually incredibly common, the March of Dimes cites it as being 50% of all pregnancies (including known and unknown), other research at about 30%, some going even upwards of 70%. They're most common before implantation even occurs and are usually due to genetic problems in the embryo itself, meaning the embryo was probably never viable and the loss mostly unrelated to anything the woman could do to stop it from occurring. None of that's to say, however, that the commonality of miscarriages should diminish and trivialize the pain and sorrow they can cause. Instead, it should more importantly highlight the lack of knowledge and support in this area and the need for discussion so woman/families feel less alone, guilty, and ashamed of it.
Well put, Renee. It seems to me that it has been even worse for past generations. In my experience with miscarriage it was muchly the older women in my life who misunderstood it and maybe were a little judgmental about what I was going through. Things are getting better all the time I like to think. 😊
Thank you for this personel story. Although my three children are young adults now, i still now how it was to give birth. It was the most wonderful experience in my life. I wish all the best for sweet Lucy, you will be a great mom😘
I didn't know it all when my daughter was born 27 years ago. But, all turned out fine. You're most likely doing better than you think. Nice life story and a courageous journey throughout. Hang in there.
Thank you! It's really crazy to completely not know what I'm doing when there are such high stakes (a person's life), but you're right - people generally turn out fine LOL! It really feels like being new to a job, only way more important. 😆
Thank you for sharing your story, I had all 4 of my daughters unmedicated. Wow. It’s an amazingly painful experience. But so worth it. Thanks again, she’s a beautiful baby!
Thank you for sharing about your miscarriages and your birth story. It is SUPER intense and AMAZINGLY! I too gave birth w/o drugs (twice,) and I wouldn’t do it any other way...even though it hurts like a son of a &*#! The intensity is oddly wonderful...we don’t experience that degree of physicality very often. I had a midwife with my 2nd and I loved that and would highly recommend it. I loved that you had a 2 week “lie in,” I wish we had done that. Pregnancy, birth and postpartum are all the horrible and wonderful mixture of happiness, pain, anxiety, sleeplessness and utter and complete joy. Women are freaking amazing for doing all of it! Men couldn’t handle it!
Really enjoyed your birth story - thanks for sharing!! I got pregnant our first month trying, but then had a miscarriage just before 12 weeks. It then took over a year to fall successfully pregnant with my first daughter. It was a smooth and uneventful pregnancy, but you do always have that fear after having a miscarriage. I then had my second daughter easily 19 months later. They are both healthy & happy! I did lose my next pregnancy at almost 20 weeks :( That one was definitely the hardest to handle. Best wishes to you with Lucy!! She is just beautiful & you're doing an amazing job! :)
Thank you so much for this video ❤️ I love your outlook on this experience! I had a difficult pregnancy and birth in 2011 at a hospital but an amazing and empowering breastfeeding experience. Then in 2012 I planned a home birth with amazing midwifes and it was such a good experience . We can say a lot of bad things about Icelandic health care but the fact that all women get home visits after birth is a crucial. Both for mom and baby 👶
3 natural births for me (all girls) and yeah, it’s crazy and intense. They were hospital births (there were issues with each baby) but within a week after birth all was resolved. Congrats to you and your husband. It IS magical!! 🧚♂️
Brave mama . Thank you for sharing your birth story of Lucy :) I wish Id had this type of source back when I was expecting my first son after trying for five years , two misses and a complicated /full bedrest most of pregnancy.... I had my full term beautiful son . Each day was such a challenge . Anxiety- yes, you desribe it perfectly. After that child came , I swore anyone who did it more than once was nuts (LOL!) So... two more sons , much easier pregnancies later ... I feel blessed . Women are made so much stronger than we realize . Your description of mothering made me smile. The hardest and best of life !
The resources that I have had are so wonderful. It feels like such a millennial thing to say, but I don't know how my mom did it without the internet! LOL.
Squirrel Pie Productions that’s funny you mention your mom. My moms era was when dads sat in the waiting room with a box of cigars waiting , the poor moms went through all the labor pains and at the point mom was at the finish line - the nurses would literally place leather restraints on wrists , and a mask of ether was given - period 🙄 So , many births were forceps assisted , baby’s bottoms classic old school “spank” since they were also sedated from ether 😯! My mom woke up was shown her pink or blue swaddled bundle , and a bottle of formula . Zero recollection of her children’s uncomplicated “normal “ deliveries . Whoa ! In comparison, to what that generation went through, I’m grateful! No doubt about it , your generation has the best choices , you’re the most informed and educated young women in human history 👍🏻😊 First phone call I made after delivering my firstborn , was to my mom - I apologized for every missed curfew and worry I’d ever given her 😂 Love of such magnitude for these little miracles - perhaps pregnancy and labor prepares us for the rest of our lives as parents ? Phew 😅 !
Thanks for sharing your story. I myself had a miscarriage around 9wks. But I had to do D&C twice because first D&C didn't really do clean everything. I had most hard time waiting for the next pregnancy. I did have bad morning sickness so it is not a true indication that pregnancy is healthy enough by that only😅 Congratulations becoming mother🎉🎉🎉It is a whole lot of new experience.
I do feel very lucky that I didn't have to do a D&C. And that is a good point about morning sickness! Even though it caused worry - I do feel lucky that I didn't have it!
Hi Tommie. My birth story started with 2 failed In vitro fertilizations, and started again with an Adoption story. After 2years of paperwork, my motherhood story began. That was 17 years ago when the orphanage director in China placed my beautiful daughter Helena in my arms. Now she's off to college. I'm happy that I raised a confident child who feels ready to go out into the world, but WHAT WAS I THINKING!!! My baby is leaving me!!! Cherish every day, it goes by so fast.
Wow! That's so wonderful! I think adoption is really incredible - I have a couple of friends going through the adoption process now and I am so happy for them. xo.
Aaaw! Thanks for sharing your story. I was 20 when I had my first son and 21 when I had my second. I wanted to go the normal birth route, but because of medical issues, I had to have C sections . They are 25 and 23 now and it was so nice to listen to you and just remember what it was like. I am privileged to say that I never had a miscarriage, but I know quite a few women who did. I have to say that the idea of a stigma when it comes to miscarriage is strange to me. In South Africa (where I live) I have mostly seen mothers receiving support and encouragement in such cases. It is such a difficult thing to go through and a physical as well as emotional loss for both mother and father (people tend to forget about them), that it is beyond my understanding why anybody would add a judgment label to it. Enjoy your baby. The old cliche of "they grow up so fast" is unfortunately true. You are a great mom. There is this old saying "the hand that rocks the cradle, is the hand that rules the world".. I used that one very often on the difficult days as a reminder of why I am raising this screaming kid that I can't figure out what he is screaming about.😁You are doing a good job!
Thank you for sharing your story too! I have wondered what it's like in other cultures, with regards to miscarriages. I am not surprised that women are more taken care of in that event in other places. Thank you for sharing!
It was,lovely to hear your birth story ,I am a midwife so very privileged too see how amazing women are .I also t each active birth and we really emphasise p positI've birth and birth without fear ,the mind is so powerful.I think we are also very fortunate with our healthcare in the UK as midwifery led care is the norm .
Yeah, I've heard really great things about prenatal/postnatal care in the UK. I've heard that home births are really supported, which is so cool to me. After spending so much time with my midwives, I have grown to really respect and admire that profession. I can definitely see why one would go into the field. xo.
We are lucky and I am a community midwife which means I see women on my caseload antenatal ly and at home after delivery,we,also attend home births .Because we have the nhs everyone has the same birth choices ie home hospital or birth centre .I am about to train in hypnobirthing so we can offer that to women ( that's something you do have to pay for here.)
I like when you said “ I liked when the intensity was over” , instead of saying when the pain was over. It’s the frame of mind.
Yeah, I really felt like the big deal to me was how physically intense it was more so that the pain. It really is in the frame of mind.
Thank you for sharing your amazing story. What a gift to be able to carry then birth then nurture these precious babies. My first was an emergency c section and only 5 pounds but now aged 15 and almost as tall as I am. My son was delivered unmediated and 7 pounds 2. Ouchie and he wasn't even that big! He is now tho. It is magical , there's no other word to describe. All these years later and I still recall every moment. Enjoy your precious little one, the tough days come and go less frequently eventually xx
Thank you for sharing your story Julie! That is amazing. And I have thought about how small she is now and how big she'll be when she's a teenager. LOL. Slow down, imagination!
Thank you for sharing your story. I also had a miscarriage at 11 weeks and it was horrible. I remember walking around after and looking at women and thinking how many of them have probably gone through this and nobody knows. I too was terrified through the first trimester of my pregnancy with my first daughter (just turned two) until we had an ultrasound and everything was healthy. I've had two babies in less than two years and now whenever I see women with kids I think, man these women are strong and awesome. Giving birth really is the everyday miracle on so many levels.
The goldfish/mom memory is a real thing. There's no way we as a species would go through pregnancy and childbirth again and keep having children if our brain didn't evolve the convenience of forgetting the really hard and painful part.
Lucy is tiny and awesome, she reminds me of my little redhead who was born 5 lbs flat. Lots of love. --Whitney
Yep, I can't help but think the same thing when I see others. I always heard that you forget about the pain and that's how you can go on to have more kids. That week or so following her birth, I was all like, Oh no way could I EVER forget that! But, yeah, for whatever reason, I now think, yeah I could totally do that again. LOL!
Thanks for sharing your experience. I had two children, now they are 20 and 18, but I loved the way you shared your feelings, anxiety and pain. To give birth is a rollercoaster of emotions, but it is all worth. Much love
Becoming a mother and Being a mother are each very painful and hard (sometimes) but also the best joyful experience ever all rolled into one! I’m so happy that you have your sweet baby girl after your losses.
Thank you! And that was beautifully said.
Your birth story was so interesting, thank you. Miscarriage is so common but we don't realise that until we got through it ourselves. Can I just say that you come across as a very level headed young woman and although you may at times feel you are a bad mum, you most definitely are not. You are so caring with your family, Lucy and Colin (and Squirrel) and the love just shines through.😊😍
Thank you so much!
thanks for sharing you story! i loved it! stacy
Thank you again for sharing your experiences that you expressed so well. You were so honest and yet at the same time you did not try to trump others miscarriages. As women I think at appropriate times we need to tell our stories to our peers and younger women so they know what to expect and they are not alone. I remember going into menopause thinking it only lasted a couple of months and finding it could be 10 years, my mouth dropped open. I love the natural birth process. I had midwifes as well. My first birth was so easy I think because I was so physically fit, being in the military I ran 2-4 miles a day up to 8 months when my midwife caught me running on post. She had told me often to keep doing what your doing except eat more because I wasn’t gaining the weight that I should. She didn’t realize I was running. I was like you I had to zero in on my self during the transition and just zoned out. Easy birth of an 8lb baby.
Thank you! I am really glad to hear your comment about not trumping others. I have seen judgment and competitiveness in this whole pregnancy and birth culture and I really think it's terrible. It was important to me to not convey either of those things, so thank you for telling me that! I haven't thought about it, but it does seem that going through menopause will be really similar to this experience. There will be more research to be had! LOL!
Thank you so much for telling your story. It's been a while since I went through that, but it's something we will never, ever forget. Your rendition was spot on! For me anyway as I also had "natural childbirth". I'm not if they still use that terminology! :) Congratulations!
Thank you! Yeah, I don't think I'll ever forget some of the details.
What a wonderful birth story. What a blessing!
Thank you Alena!
First off, congratulations to you and your little family! Secondly, it's so refreshing, in a way, to hear about a miscarriage. My mother had two of them before I was born and it took quite awhile before I learned about it as being the reason why my older sister and I are relatively far apart in age.
Honestly, the fact that no one really talks about miscarriages and the fact that public perception of them as being a rare occurrence does a disservice to women. They're actually incredibly common, the March of Dimes cites it as being 50% of all pregnancies (including known and unknown), other research at about 30%, some going even upwards of 70%. They're most common before implantation even occurs and are usually due to genetic problems in the embryo itself, meaning the embryo was probably never viable and the loss mostly unrelated to anything the woman could do to stop it from occurring.
None of that's to say, however, that the commonality of miscarriages should diminish and trivialize the pain and sorrow they can cause. Instead, it should more importantly highlight the lack of knowledge and support in this area and the need for discussion so woman/families feel less alone, guilty, and ashamed of it.
Well put, Renee. It seems to me that it has been even worse for past generations. In my experience with miscarriage it was muchly the older women in my life who misunderstood it and maybe were a little judgmental about what I was going through. Things are getting better all the time I like to think. 😊
Thank you for this personel story. Although my three children are young adults now, i still now how it was to give birth.
It was the most wonderful experience in my life. I wish all the best for sweet Lucy, you will be a great mom😘
Thank you! I don't imagine I'll ever forget such an amazing experience. 😊
I didn't know it all when my daughter was born 27 years ago. But, all turned out fine. You're most likely doing better than you think. Nice life story and a courageous journey throughout. Hang in there.
Thank you! It's really crazy to completely not know what I'm doing when there are such high stakes (a person's life), but you're right - people generally turn out fine LOL! It really feels like being new to a job, only way more important. 😆
Thank you for sharing your story, I had all 4 of my daughters unmedicated. Wow. It’s an amazingly painful experience. But so worth it. Thanks again, she’s a beautiful baby!
Thanks Christy! I think I could do it 4 times, I liked it that much. LOL. Maybe. Maybe not. 😆 But, yeah, amazingly painful is a good way to put it!
Thank you for sharing about your miscarriages and your birth story. It is SUPER intense and AMAZINGLY! I too gave birth w/o drugs (twice,) and I wouldn’t do it any other way...even though it hurts like a son of a &*#! The intensity is oddly wonderful...we don’t experience that degree of physicality very often. I had a midwife with my 2nd and I loved that and would highly recommend it. I loved that you had a 2 week “lie in,” I wish we had done that. Pregnancy, birth and postpartum are all the horrible and wonderful mixture of happiness, pain, anxiety, sleeplessness and utter and complete joy. Women are freaking amazing for doing all of it! Men couldn’t handle it!
So well put, Kim! I am so happy I did the lie in too. It was such a great time of self care.
Really enjoyed your birth story - thanks for sharing!! I got pregnant our first month trying, but then had a miscarriage just before 12 weeks. It then took over a year to fall successfully pregnant with my first daughter. It was a smooth and uneventful pregnancy, but you do always have that fear after having a miscarriage. I then had my second daughter easily 19 months later. They are both healthy & happy! I did lose my next pregnancy at almost 20 weeks :( That one was definitely the hardest to handle. Best wishes to you with Lucy!! She is just beautiful & you're doing an amazing job! :)
Thank you so much for this video ❤️ I love your outlook on this experience! I had a difficult pregnancy and birth in 2011 at a hospital but an amazing and empowering breastfeeding experience. Then in 2012 I planned a home birth with amazing midwifes and it was such a good experience . We can say a lot of bad things about Icelandic health care but the fact that all women get home visits after birth is a crucial. Both for mom and baby 👶
Thank you for sharing your story ❤️
3 natural births for me (all girls) and yeah, it’s crazy and intense. They were hospital births (there were issues with each baby) but within a week after birth all was resolved. Congrats to you and your husband. It IS magical!! 🧚♂️
Brave mama . Thank you for sharing your birth story of Lucy :) I wish Id had this type of source back when I was expecting my first son after trying for five years , two misses and a complicated /full bedrest most of pregnancy.... I had my full term beautiful son . Each day was such a challenge . Anxiety- yes, you desribe it perfectly. After that child came , I swore anyone who did it more than once was nuts (LOL!) So... two more sons , much easier pregnancies later ... I feel blessed . Women are made so much stronger than we realize . Your description of mothering made me smile. The hardest and best of life !
The resources that I have had are so wonderful. It feels like such a millennial thing to say, but I don't know how my mom did it without the internet! LOL.
Squirrel Pie Productions that’s funny you mention your mom. My moms era was when dads sat in the waiting room with a box of cigars waiting , the poor moms went through all the labor pains and at the point mom was at the finish line - the nurses would literally place leather restraints on wrists , and a mask of ether was given - period 🙄 So , many births were forceps assisted , baby’s bottoms classic old school “spank” since they were also sedated from ether 😯! My mom woke up was shown her pink or blue swaddled bundle , and a bottle of formula . Zero recollection of her children’s uncomplicated “normal “ deliveries . Whoa ! In comparison, to what that generation went through, I’m grateful! No doubt about it , your generation has the best choices , you’re the most informed and educated young women in human history 👍🏻😊
First phone call I made after delivering my firstborn , was to my mom - I apologized for every missed curfew and worry I’d ever given her 😂 Love of such magnitude for these little miracles - perhaps pregnancy and labor prepares us for the rest of our lives as parents ? Phew 😅 !
Thanks for sharing your story. I myself had a miscarriage around 9wks. But I had to do D&C twice because first D&C didn't really do clean everything. I had most hard time waiting for the next pregnancy. I did have bad morning sickness so it is not a true indication that pregnancy is healthy enough by that only😅 Congratulations becoming mother🎉🎉🎉It is a whole lot of new experience.
I do feel very lucky that I didn't have to do a D&C. And that is a good point about morning sickness! Even though it caused worry - I do feel lucky that I didn't have it!
Hi Tommie. My birth story started with 2 failed In vitro fertilizations, and started again with an Adoption story. After 2years of paperwork, my motherhood story began. That was 17 years ago when the orphanage director in China placed my beautiful daughter Helena in my arms. Now she's off to college. I'm happy that I raised a confident child who feels ready to go out into the world, but WHAT WAS I THINKING!!! My baby is leaving me!!! Cherish every day, it goes by so fast.
Wow! That's so wonderful! I think adoption is really incredible - I have a couple of friends going through the adoption process now and I am so happy for them. xo.
So beautifully expressed :)
Thank you!
Aaaw! Thanks for sharing your story. I was 20 when I had my first son and 21 when I had my second. I wanted to go the normal birth route, but because of medical issues, I had to have C sections . They are 25 and 23 now and it was so nice to listen to you and just remember what it was like. I am privileged to say that I never had a miscarriage, but I know quite a few women who did. I have to say that the idea of a stigma when it comes to miscarriage is strange to me. In South Africa (where I live) I have mostly seen mothers receiving support and encouragement in such cases. It is such a difficult thing to go through and a physical as well as emotional loss for both mother and father (people tend to forget about them), that it is beyond my understanding why anybody would add a judgment label to it. Enjoy your baby. The old cliche of "they grow up so fast" is unfortunately true. You are a great mom. There is this old saying "the hand that rocks the cradle, is the hand that rules the world".. I used that one very often on the difficult days as a reminder of why I am raising this screaming kid that I can't figure out what he is screaming about.😁You are doing a good job!
Thank you for sharing your story too! I have wondered what it's like in other cultures, with regards to miscarriages. I am not surprised that women are more taken care of in that event in other places. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing your personal pregnancy story. I always heard that the baby you deliver after a miscarriage is called a rainbow baby🌈❤️
Yes! I love that term.
It was,lovely to hear your birth story ,I am a midwife so very privileged too see how amazing women are .I also t each active birth and we really emphasise p positI've birth and birth without fear ,the mind is so powerful.I think we are also very fortunate with our healthcare in the UK as midwifery led care is the norm .
Yeah, I've heard really great things about prenatal/postnatal care in the UK. I've heard that home births are really supported, which is so cool to me. After spending so much time with my midwives, I have grown to really respect and admire that profession. I can definitely see why one would go into the field. xo.
We are lucky and I am a community midwife which means I see women on my caseload antenatal ly and at home after delivery,we,also attend home births .Because we have the nhs everyone has the same birth choices ie home hospital or birth centre .I am about to train in hypnobirthing so we can offer that to women ( that's something you do have to pay for here.)
🙌🏻💞🙏🏻