Erika Yalowitz: fertility journey and birth story

[00:00:00] Kelly: Hello. Today I have with me Erica Erica is the mother of one. on the advisory board for bras and is a champion for reproductive freedom. Erica as an intake officer in juvenile court, and she was recently a candidate for Virginia State Senate Today she is here to share her birth story and fertility journey. Erica, welcome and thank you for joining me.

[00:00:24] Track 1: Thank you, Kelly for inviting me. 

[00:00:25] Kelly: I am very intrigued by your story, and I've been watching your, second journey and I just really, I want to hear the full story, so I'm really excited today to be able to hear it.

[00:00:35] Track 1: Thank you, and, and I'm excited to, to share it. You know, not many women talk about this and, and I believe we, we should, we should do it more. because otherwise we let others carry that narrative for us, and we cannot allow that to happen, especially these days when we are. losing rights left and right. sadly.

And, and, and we need to take more control of, of our narrative, our rights, [00:01:00] the, the issues that we care about and why we care about them. It's really health. It all comes down to health.

[00:01:04] Kelly: So you had a miscarriage and you had to use some medications that are, that some people find a little bit controversial, even though truly they should not be. you

story and then share your birth story?

[00:01:16] Track 1: Yeah, absolutely. so I had been married for seven years, and I, married, Probably later than most of my friends. I was 34 and I was already desperate. You know, I, I hadn't had a pregnancy ever, I really wanted a baby, or, you know, my husband and I really, really wanted a baby had been waiting for a long time.

so we had started some fertility treatment and some point we're talking about a adoption, and decided, okay, I believe I'm late.

Let me a test, which. I didn't have much faith that that test was going to be positive because I had done that many, many times, running to take a test and it was always negative, always negative. I was not pregnant that time. I, I was pregnant and I was so happy.

I I called my family. I [00:02:00] was like, oh my gosh, I'm pregnant. I have a, a positive test. I told my coworkers, which was, know, the most horrible mistake, just, First time, pregnancy, and I was just inexperienced really. because the pregnancy didn't grow past six weeks. Um, it was, it was very, very sad.

I, you know, I was going to my medical, checkups and the doctor was like, you know, this embryo is not growing. This and. After, I think it was eight to 10 weeks, he said, we need to remove this pregnancy. Out of your body, otherwise it's gonna cause complications.

And, was extremely for me to understand that, to accept that, it was a really hard decision to make, but it was at that point my health or, or really nothing because nothing, you know, the embryo is not going to grow. so doctor prescribed Misoprostol, which is one of the drugs that we are at risk of losing.

and the drug helped me eliminate, that embryo, which was, you know, extremely emotional. Very, very sad. But I was very glad [00:03:00] to have that medication, legal and available to me. And I know that many women also use it for different purposes. So these medicines have really lots of uses and one of them was lifesaving for me. so yes, that, that was my, my first experience. And that was, year, exactly one year before I finally got pregnant with my baby. That was my second pregnancy and it was successful and.

I was very fortunate to have that opportunity and a mom.

[00:03:29] Kelly: So then, did you have to continue doing fertility treatments after that first, miscarriage?

[00:03:34] Track 1: No, I didn't. and what I heard from friends and family was that, now that I knew that my body could actually get pregnant, that I could actually, conceive. , it would be probably easier. And, know, they were right that that was true. one year after that loss, I, I did get pregnant again and it was a very successful pregnancy and I was ready for it.

You know, I had still been taking the. prenatal, supplements [00:04:00] and, everything that I had done, the first time around. But this time, the, the second time was successful.

And, and that was good. Without any intervention or, or, treatment.

[00:04:10] Kelly: describe your, second pregnancy. What was that like for you? What was your delivery like for you? How did that go?

[00:04:16] Track 1: my second pregnancy was, Very, very good. I was very lucky. I only had sickness once, maybe within the first two months. but other than that, first of all, I was very, very happy. I, I had finally achieved something that I really wanted. all I always asked for was to have a baby before I turned 35.

And there I, there was at 34, almost, almost 35, hoping to, to have a baby. it was a very healthy pregnancy. I, I felt like I really had a superpower. I really felt it was magical and everything in me, and, and people would tell me, Hey, you look great, that your hair looks great. Your skin looks great. Like, I think the hormones and the just, everything just went so [00:05:00] well.

I felt like my body was. Magical, really creating someone. it was really remarkable. was a very easy pregnancy, except for the very large belly. I, I had a big baby. I think she was, , eight pounds and eight ounces, but my weight has always been around 100, 110 pounds. So that was a pretty big baby for me.

And, uh, at the end it just got a little uncomfortable. It was hard to lay down Hard to sleep. I had the, the full body pillow accommodate the belly, and that was very helpful. I am so glad I, found that pillow. That was a very good purchase. other than that, I remember the day of her arrival.

the contractions got really strong, really, really strong, and they started. probably at 5:00 PM they went all night and they were just getting worse and worse. And I was just trying to reach out for my, my husband or something to grab and go, oh, they, they, they were getting so, so painful and so uncomfortable.

So finally [00:06:00] the hospital and it's anesthesiologist came in at 5:00 AM So I went in at 5:00 AM or 6:00 AM. and they saw me, I had an epidural. don't regret it at all. At the beginning, I, I was hoping to have everything natural. You know, that was my ideal. I just want everything natural like grandmas did.

And, and you know, if they could, why, why couldn't I? But then when I was in that position to make that decision, I decided, you know what? We have the technology. Let's just do it because I'm not gonna go through this. if it's completely unnecessary. We, we, we have the technology seriously. Why, why not? and I'm very glad I made that decision because the relief was, instantaneous.

I had been, sleepless that whole night, so having that relief was very good to help me through the next phase, which was the pushing and, all of that stress that comes during labor.

[00:06:53] Kelly: well, first of all, I, I bet our grandmas would've chosen that option if they had had it So are we[00:07:00] 

them by not taking it or

[00:07:01] Track 1: It's silly, you know, we think that we're less of a woman if I, you know, or, or I was, I just judge myself very harshly and I wanted to make sure that I also show, toughness and, and display something that, my daughter that I, I want her to, to feel her to be. But, on the other side, it, it's, it's really, we set burdens on ourselves that.

Have no meaning, no reason, and no logic really. if we can take advantage of, of something that we have available to us that's perfectly safe, that's perfectly okay that we are in a professional setting where it's going to be done by someone who has practiced that for many, many years.

you know, the, the risks are minimum and the benefits are, are so large That, why not? and I learned that that day very quickly, the decision was made very fast.

[00:07:46] Kelly: I rarely have anybody that that regrets an epidural

But I

I do have people that have wonderful natural deliveries. And having a baby no matter how you have it, is a very, very valid and wonderful and powerful thing to do. So there shouldn't be any [00:08:00] judgment. 

[00:08:00] Track 1: That is true. And, and, and it's mean. I think the judgment is, is self-judgment. We judge ourselves. We're not judging others. I don't judge anyone else who, who will, you know, do it or not do it. I was judging myself. I didn't want to be a chicken, you know, I didn't want to be, uh, anyway, it's just was nonsense.

[00:08:20] Kelly: of comparison too. And so we're looking at other people and thinking, oh, well that person did it, so why can't I? And of course you

the question is, at the end of the day, do you want to, and if you decide to just give yourself a little bit of relief, there's nothing wrong with that.

[00:08:34] Track 1: Very true.

[00:08:36] Kelly: was your delivery?

[00:08:37] Track 1: my delivery was, I was very fortunate. my mom lives overseas, but she traveled and she was here during, the delivery. My husband was here during the delivery. , unfortunately, none of them passed out . it was, it's messy. It's a mess. it was beautiful.

my father had passed away one year earlier that really difficult year. When I had that loss, was, really sad for me. and I remember when.[00:09:00]  her head came out, I, I could see her and I could see her face, and the first thing I see is her chin.

her chin looks like my father's chin. And I was like, oh my gosh, she looks like my dad. Oh, that was, it was beautiful. It was beautiful. Beautiful. and then just holding her in my, arms, you during all those months. I was wondering, what does her face look like? What, what, what is she like, what does she smell like?

It, it was very primal. you know, I just wanted to. Smell her. Just wanted to touch her. Just wanted to see her. And when that moment came, it was just beautiful.

[00:09:33] Kelly: Yeah, what a gift to have her look like your father 

[00:09:36] Track 1: Yes.

[00:09:37] Kelly: wonderful.

[00:09:38] Track 1: the first memory that I have of her, it was just her chin. She has my, my dad's chin. That's, Yeah.

[00:09:44] Kelly: did you do skin to skin and hold her and breastfeed right away? How did that go?

[00:09:47] Track 1: Yes, I did. Well, they, they took her away to wipe her. And then we did the to skin. I tried to feed her and it was extremely difficult. That was the other thing that I, I say, wow, this was.[00:10:00] really tough, and it took me a good month or two to get used to it. I almost gave up and I don't judge anyone who really can't do it because I, I, I almost said I can't do this.

I mean, the, pain, the bleeding, the issue about the, the milk coming out or not coming out, I was very fortunate because I, I was producing a lot of milk, but I also had to get rid of it. and my baby was not latching. so that was an issue and. I had to work with a consultant and, know, that additional support and lots of pumping because I needed to extract the milk.

Otherwise, it, it was just creating problems. It was extremely painful. but yes, after two months, the hang of it and then I kept breastfeeding her nursing hair for about. 16 to 18 months. so that was, that was very fortunate. was an experience.

[00:10:47] Kelly: It always is too. It's a learning experience for both mom and baby, cuz baby's gotta learn how to do it. did you find out if there's any reason for the difficult latch.

[00:10:55] Track 1: No, No, I don't believe so. Or actually, let me think.

[00:11:00] We, we had her seen for, you know, to see if the roof of her mouth

[00:11:04] Kelly: Mm-hmm.

[00:11:05] Track 1: was properly formed or something like that. But in the end, I don't think it was a problem with her or with me. I think it was both of us trying to adapt And it's not easy, you know that when, when you've never breastfed.

the skin is not adapted to, to breastfeeding it. It's a, it's a really rough process. you know, the, the, the pooling, the, tension, the, the pushing, it, it's just really rough on the skin. I mean, if you learn to play guitar, your fingers were bleed. It's kind of the same thing with your nipples. they will get irritated. They, they'll bleed and, and if you keep doing it, you have to do it every two hours. You know, you have to feed every two hours. So there's no rest it just keeps happening. And that was a torture at the beginning. But in the end, when I was able to find the, the lotion, the ointment that offered some relief is, some of that was medicated.

I, I had to pick it up at up. Pharmacy that worked 

[00:11:58] Kelly: great. [00:12:00] did you have any complications with your delivery?

[00:12:02] Track 1: So, yes, was not a complication during the delivery. I, I really didn't know. , this had happened until after I returned home. I felt that something was wrong with me. I really couldn't see anything, and I didn't know what the difference was between, you know, stitches or my own skin or, but I knew there was something that wasn't right and that didn't feel right, And I kept calling my doctor, and my doctor said, no, you're, you're fine. You're good to go. You know, we, we checked inside, there's nothing in it. And I thought there was something remains of maybe the placenta left my body, and she always said no, that there's absolutely nothing.

Everything's good with you. But I insisted in an appointment. I received an appointment four days after the delivery, and when I went in, she was still adamant there, there's nothing in there. She looked at me once and she saw nothing, and I just I'm, I'm absolutely sure there is something.

Please keep looking. So she entered with the, what's the name of the,

[00:12:56] Kelly: speculum 

[00:12:57] Track 1: Yes. she entered again with her instrument[00:13:00] 

[00:13:00] Kelly: speculum. 

[00:13:00] Track 1: I and she found a first size, of placenta and, extracted it. She really quickly, disposed of it, but it was infuriating First off. , you know, that huge, piece remain had, had been left there. Second off that she was not believing that I had it off that I, you know, really had to make her look.

And then the most infuriating part is that she just pretended that it never happened. She just like got rid of it and, and it was gone. And, you're fine. You can. , get out of here. so yes, I changed obese after that. 

[00:13:33] Kelly: So then after that, did you feel much better? Did you have any trouble with

anything like that? 

[00:13:37] Track 1: no, trouble all with bleeding and no, no problems after that. mean, it was just the regular bleeding, but it was not concerning. I mean, you know when something's wrong, you know something's okay. And I felt much better after that.

you asked about, any other complications I never expected, although I read in that book what to Expect When You're [00:14:00] Expecting. about incontinence, urinary incontinence, and I had never experienced anything like that. And it was, to me, it was scary. I just couldn't hold my urine for, you know, for a long time or, or just couldn't hold it at all.

And any cough, any knees, any movement was just like, what, what's going on with me? I was wondering if it was going to stay like that for forever. I mean, after that, I spoke with my mom and she was like, oh yes, your grandma had that. And when did it stop? Oh, never . I'm like, oh gosh, this is, this is not great.

What, why didn't I know this before? But, I had some, pelvic floor, work with a specialist and, thankfully it, was corrected in. Within a few months, but it took work, you know, keels and exercises and I had to really, really work make everything a little tighter again.

[00:14:56] Kelly: Yeah, that I had the same experience after my second, and that was really[00:15:00] just you feel so outta control. You're trying to take a care of a baby and you can't even really function yourself

[00:15:06] Track 1: Exactly, 

[00:15:07] Kelly: just like, what is happening?

[00:15:09] Track 1: yes,

[00:15:09] Kelly: I did the pelvic floor physical therapy too. It's hard, 

[00:15:12] Track 1: it is.

[00:15:12] Kelly: your heart. You're trying to take care and having these awkward exercises and make time into was that challenging for you as well or did they, did they work with try to like do exercises that moms kind of already 

[00:15:25] Track 1: it was very challenging and. My main issue was believing whether that was going to work or not. I just didn't see it work for a long time. You know, it was one mo month, two months, and I'm like, I'm not getting any better. This, this is not working for me. And I think that stress was more difficult to deal with than the actual work, but I, I just kept, kept working and, at some point it just became very automatic.

after I even returned to the office, I found myself just doing exercises just, tightening my body, [00:16:00] all the time. And, you know, as I walked, or as I was sitting or as I was standing, was always, always, always exercising.

just without, without thinking. And yeah, it worked over time. It, it did work.

[00:16:12] Kelly: it's kind of like a little miniature lifestyle change. , I feel like still take some of those things with me. Like when I'm running up the stairs, they told me to blow out that I'm not bearing down I'm constantly running up and down the stairs because like I left something there or, oh, I need to do this one more thing, And she was like, if you're doing that all the time, you need to blow out when you run up the stairs so that you're not bearing down. 

[00:16:35] Track 1: Wow,

that is interesting. 

[00:16:38] Kelly: It's so helpful. She also told pushing pee if it's hard to start your urine, she said to blow out like your blowing birthday candles, which somehow. Lifts the pelvic floor, but also allows the right muscles to relax, which I don't understand how it holds my pee. And when I'm running upstairs 

it 

[00:16:57] Track 1: Hello, hello. 

[00:16:59] Kelly: but [00:17:00] magical, it works. I even tell my, my son, when he was potty training, I said, just blow out the birthday candles and he'll do that. You can pee 

[00:17:08] Track 1: That, that's awesome.

[00:17:09] Kelly: It's did you ever have any difficulty with core after delivery. Did you 

[00:17:15] Track 1: Yes,

very much. Oh, that, that's something, yeah. I didn't even think about that. Yeah, so I had diastasis recti. . And I will tell you that, I went to the doctor and he said, you need to fix this with surgery. We, we need to surgically, pull the muscles together because you can fit like a finger in, in the middle of, of the, of the abdomen.

I started doing Pilates. I did PTIs for. about two years, and then I started seeing my muscles close, literally just, just like that. and, I think I continued it, it, it's a discipline, but it did not require surgery. can't say that I did. It really helped me [00:18:00] do it.

[00:18:01] Kelly: Something that I noticed that was so weird for me. I feel like my brain and my core were just not connected for a while. think that was a huge part of it, and I think that's what, even though I had already stopped going to the pelvic floor, physical therapy, just that, like you said, the lifestyle changes. Eventually something connected just. Like trusting and doing those exercises, like those little bitty pelvic tilts and just some of the, the things where you just focus on trying to activate those muscles. Just finally something clicked and suddenly now my brain knows they're there again, it's just weird what the body does after, after pregnancy and all of the things that you have to kind of correct, and I'm so thankful that we have those methods to do it now because It's terrifying when you can't control your body. 

[00:18:48] Track 1: is very true. it's a huge impact. It's a huge change. 

[00:18:52] Kelly: So then how did that all fit into, recovering, going back to work and all of that? how was that for you?

[00:18:59] Track 1: You know, [00:19:00] it's so ironic, that in this country, one of the, most advanced developed countries, economies, most strongest economies in the world, we treat so, Quarterly. I had started a, my current job, I was six months pregnant, so I did not have any accumulated leave. my, leave was two weeks of, paid leave for maternity leave, and then I was on my own for 10 weeks.

So I took 10 weeks of unpaid. maternity leave, which, you know, I wonder how a single mother can do it. I, I was very fortunate to have my husband, my husband's income and, you know, I, I was able to just not work, for, 10 weeks, but not everybody, has that benefit. I was also very fortunate to have my mother here, and then my sister flew in also to help.

or to support them just to be together, which was very helpful for my, state of being and, and, and my, emotional wellbeing. I know that postpartum depression is a thing, and, and my sister had it, so I think [00:20:00] she was very concerned that I, I could be prone to it. Thankfully, it was not the case, but I was very well supported and I felt very well supported.

So returning to work after, after all of that was, was off, uh, detaching from my baby. Finding finding a place for childcare, gosh, that was, also very, very challenging. Finding a place where I could trust that I could afford. , because that later became one of the decisive points should I have or try for another baby.

I mean, can we afford a second mortgage, literally, or a third mortgage because we, we'll bring a mortgage and childcare, which is another mortgage, and then if we have another child, it will be another mortgage to file it. was, a tough time, to find the care, to return, to work, to do the whole pumping thing.

I'm also very fortunate to have a private office with a door, and I could do everything I needed to, but many women are not so fortunate. I, every time I had, you know, this opportunity to do things for myself and I saw other coworkers who just didn't, [00:21:00] you know, who worked in administrative positions without an office, without places to, pump or, do some of these things, you really notice the differences and, and how we a solid structure that covers.

All maternity needs, at the state level and at the federal level. and you will tell that I'm also always thinking about policy . so yes, that was very challenging. Uh, not just that lack of support, pay, but finding childcare and then doing all of these things working and.

Pumping and having the separation, an anxiety, I dunno how else to call it, during the first year was, was really tough. 

[00:21:39] Kelly: Yeah, I can echo those statements. It was very difficult, probably Finding it in daycare, I feel like is one of the most anxiety-provoking things I've ever done. especially when they're so little, it gets a little bit easier later you can kind of trust them to, you know, let you know if there's any problems [00:22:00] and they can can express what's going on.

But when you're turning over a little baby to someone you've just met, very, very, very difficult.

[00:22:06] Track 1: It's very true. I found a place with cameras.

and I could log in from work, I could log in remotely. So I had, at work, I have these two screens. One is my work screen and the other one was the screen to watch my baby

day long. a game changer for me because, you know, I felt like I could see her.

I, I could be there with her a little bit.

[00:22:32] Kelly: That's amazing. If there's anything that you could go back in time and tell yourself, what would that be? 

[00:22:39] Track 1: Wow. Trust the process. Trust the process. it's different for everyone, but in the end, everything is gonna be okay. Just keep going one foot after the other. if you don't feel too confident to do one, you know something by yourself, ask for help. if you, need a little more time to do anything, whether that is returning to [00:23:00] work or deciding whether to continue breastfeeding or every little decision, is so important. Just take your time and make sure that you do the best for yourself. be patient with yourself. be compassionate with yourself. Be patient with yourself. treat yourself with love. don't rely on other people's expectations or your perception of other people's expectations, which is probably the most accurate thing.

just do everything for yourself and trust the process.

[00:23:27] Kelly: that's so important, your perception of other people's expectations. Cuz isn't that what women do to themselves? You're constantly comparing yourselves. I've added a couple, questions since I started this because the, things that just continue to come up. the first one is what was pushing like for you?

it, was it just kind of A natural process.

you have to really think about what you were doing and try to get those muscles to work how long did you have to do that?

[00:23:51] Track 1: So I think I started pushing,

I think I pushed probably for 20, 30 minutes total because, [00:24:00] for me, the dilation process was a little lengthy. . And when it was finally a 10, actually, I believe I dilated to 11, which, which was pretty remarkable. But my child was a large, my baby was large baby. so in the end, when I was ready to push, I knew it.

I knew it. I, I felt that she was, she was really coming out. She was. Pushing herself out. So I made sure to, you know, contact the doctor and then I started pushing. It was very intuitive for me. it was just, you know, push and, and it was, I think that was right because, pushing, it took really. I can't say 20 minutes, probably was much less than that, but to me it felt like it was a long time because it was hard.

it was a lot of work, but by the end of all that long night and all of those contractions, and when I was finally dilated to, to the point of, you know, of delivery, it was. . It was easy. I, it was very intuitive. I pushed [00:25:00] and she was cooperating. She came out. I saw that beautiful face, that beautiful chin and, and yeah, the rest is history.

[00:25:07] Kelly: I love that your doctor said you dilated to 11 because her head's so big. That's hysterical. I've never heard anybody say that.

[00:25:14] Track 1: I, I, I didn't either. I didn't either, but that, that's what I heard. I.

[00:25:18] Kelly: Yeah. It's funny because it's so subjective. Like once we say 10 it's just because the cervix isn't there. But I think I'm gonna use that if, if the head's big

[00:25:26] Track 1: really. 

[00:25:27] Kelly: Cause you have an 

enormous head 

[00:25:30] Track 1: the, the truth is like, I, so my body is so small and I remember it. I look like, from the front, I look like a normal person. And when I was on the side, I was this, this 

belly. 

[00:25:43] Kelly: I did that too. I have pictures where, or like a video where I'm like standing and everything's normal and then I turn and it's like, whoa.

[00:25:51] Track 1: You were, you were something like this. so yes, she was so big. it was, it was just a beautiful thing. And I am very, very lucky [00:26:00] that the, the second time around, you was, it went all, well.

[00:26:04] Kelly: The last couple interviews I've had women talking about we need to do. as mothers help recreate the village. So I feel like if you've ever had any kind of difficulty in the postpartum phase, it's kind of just something you wanna reach out and help other moms. I had some people come when I was, recovering with my first, and they brought me food and they talked about some of the books that had helped them and that kind of thing. I think a lot of people maybe don't even know what to do to help a new mom and. A lot of times people assume that they're just gonna come over and be entertained by a baby isn't necessarily helpful, So what do you feel, what were some of the most helpful things that people did to support you?

[00:26:46] Track 1: Wow. well, luckily my, my mom and my sister were very helpful. and my sister has two children, so she, kind of knew what to do. I think she was also looking out for me because she was recreating the village. She [00:27:00] had postpartum depression and she was there for me like, Waiting to do or say whatever she needed to say in the event I was a crisis.

that was very helpful. they both fed me. That was helpful. I could do or say something to anyone, could be, oh, the breastfeeding. It's not easy. It's possible. Don't beat yourself up if it doesn't happen. . there are some teas that can, help with the production of milk.

is something that I used, it's a Colombian thing. I, I was born in Colombia and it's called pan vanilla. It's essentially, sugar cane boiled sugar cane, and it's, it's a block. It's a block of sugar cane. , but it does have like a molasses, molasses flavor to it. And we, we make tea out of that or we, we sweeten everything with that.

But that tea is said or believed in back home to help produce a lot of milk. So I was drinking that thing all the time and I, I dunno if it's true, but it worked. I was [00:28:00] producing a lot of milk that. , it could be a blessing or not because I needed to pump all the time and if I was not pumping, I was in pain.

but it just use whatever works for you. That is what I would, tell anyone, use whatever works for you and try new things. never know what will work and if something definitely doesn't work, don't feel bad about dropping. It if is not your thing. you, you may have the, the pelvic floor issues or not, take your time and do your exercises. The patient 

[00:28:31] Kelly: take care of yourself. Self-care is not something to be feared. 

[00:28:34] Track 1: That is, 

when you have someone else to take care of you, you, you also need. need to take care of yourself.

[00:28:41] Kelly: Well, Erica, is there anything else that you wanted to add that we didn't cover?

[00:28:46] Track 1: No, thank you so much for having me and for bringing this perspective. I, I think that if there is anything that I wanna say and I want to remind women of is there are currently, according to the World Organization, [00:29:00] 23,000 p women die in unsafe performed. Abortions or, proceedings. And I believe it's, very important for us to advocate for ourselves and, and for other women.

We, we never know when we will be in a position when we need that care. And a huge percentage of the women accessing, abortion care services are married women with children. so. , you never know what, what life may bring you in the, in the future or what may happen or what may happen to someone you love.

But I believe that it's something that we all need to defend for ourselves, access to, to reproductive rights. and to be mothers for choice by choice, to make sure that we all have that option to decide. And. I wish the best to everyone expecting right now or who have just delivered their baby.

And I hope, anything and any little piece that I have said today or shared today will be helpful to you.

[00:29:53] Kelly: Thank you so much. 

Do you have questions that you wish a labor nurse could answer [00:30:00] as your due date approaches? Do you wish you could pick someone's brain about all the things that might happen during your labor? When you meet with your OB or midwife, do you forget your questions in the moment? Do you feel like you need someone to take more time to walk you through what might happen in the hospital and how to truly mentally prepare. 

You're in luck because I'm offering this as a free service in 2023. To get details on how to schedule a free session with me. Email me at birth journeys, R n@gmail.com.