Maternal Wealth Podcast - Own Your Birth
The Maternal Wealth Podcast creates a collective space for sharing all birth-related stories. I want to acknowledge birth's uniqueness, honor its variations, and remind us of the power we hold in giving birth.
As a Labor and Delivery Nurse, I see the impact of our stories. Let's share those stories with those who come after us to prepare them for what's to come. For those who came before us, allowing them to reminisce and heal as we realize we were not alone in our experiences.
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Maternal Wealth Podcast - Own Your Birth
Kelley Weinzetl: Next-Level Women’s Coach - Embracing the Unpredictable Journey of Motherhood, Empowering Birth Choices, and Balancing Ambition with Family Life
After navigating the highs and lows of early motherhood alone, Kelley Weinzetl found herself reinventing her life in unexpected ways. She joins us to share her incredible journey from being a young single mom to becoming a life coach dedicated to empowering women, including creating an ebook about transforming your life titled The Power of 3. Kelley offers a fascinating perspective on balancing ambition and family life, having given birth at both 20 and 36. Her story is not just about resilience but about embracing life's unpredictability and finding strength in every chapter of motherhood.
Kelley's candid reflections on her pregnancies reveal the contrasting experiences of being an invincible college athlete at 19 and a more prepared mother at 36. The emotional rollercoaster of her first pregnancy, marked by vulnerability and youth, gave way to empowerment and clarity during her natural birth journey years later. With honesty and warmth, Kelley discusses the joys and challenges she faced, from navigating contractions to the unexpected pain of post-birth recovery—a journey that teaches invaluable lessons about personal growth and the unpredictable nature of childbirth.
Listeners will be inspired by Kelley's stories of teamwork with her husband during labor and her message of hope for mothers of all ages. Her experiences highlight the importance of personal choice and the beauty of natural birth, offering encouragement for anyone embarking on their own motherhood journey. Kelley's insights remind us that every birth story is unique and beautiful, and her episode is a celebration of resilience, love, and the power of embracing one's individual path.
Connect with Kelley Weinzetl
Music Credit
https://uppbeat.io/t/the-lakes/photographs
https://uppbeat.io/t/dave-whitcroft/amazing-grace
https://uppbeat.io/t/the-lakes/thrive
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Welcome to the Maternal Wealth Podcast, a space for all things related to maternal health, pregnancy and beyond. I'm your host, Stephanie Theriault. I'm a labor and delivery nurse and a mother to three beautiful boys. Each week, week, we dive into inspiring stories and expert insights to remind us of the power that you hold in childbirth and motherhood. We're here to explore the joys, the challenges and the complexities of maternal health. Every mother's journey is unique and every story deserves to be told. Please note that this podcast is for entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult with your healthcare provider for medical guidance that is tailored to your specific needs. Are you ready? Let's get into it.
Stephanie Theriault:Today's guest is Kelley Weinzetl. She She and I literally met a couple days ago on the phone. I put on a feeler on Facebook, looking for women who are interested in sharing their birth story. She reached out and she's all about it. Kelly gave birth to her daughter Juliana when she was 20 years old and then gave birth to her son, rhodes when she was 36 years old. She shares the differences and the similarities of having birth in her early 20s and mid 30s. You're gonna hear the fantastic story of how her husband, taylor, jumps right in to help with the birth of their son, rhodes. I'm excited for you to meet Kelly and hear all about her amazing birth story. Welcome, kelly. Thank you, stephanie, I'm so excited to be here. I think your story is going to be great and I am excited for everyone to hear If you could tell us a little bit about yourself, where you're from and why you wanted to be on the podcast.
Stephanie Theriault:Yeah, I'd love to. So I was born in California, but I was raised in a tiny little town called Cowichie, washington. I lived there for pretty much most of my growing up life, grew up on a farm, chasing the chickens, riding horses, doing all that fun stuff. I loved it. I would say I couldn't wait to go live in the city, though, after growing up in the country, and now I live in Eagle, idaho, which is a pretty decent sized city. Now I've lived here since 2011. It's right outside of Boise, idaho. I love it, but I would say, now that I'm older and more mature and have children, I my heart just is like crying out for the country. So it's so funny how that happens. That's how I grew up and I am a mom of two.
Stephanie Theriault:My background in the sense of my motherhood journey. I was going to college and I had a baby early at 20 years old and was a single mom for 12 years and was a single mom for 12 years. I didn't date anyone for 10 years we're actually a little over 10 years and met my husband and it was a one and done. I remember praying to the Lord. It was just like okay, I'm a one and done, girl, I just want to date one person and marry that person, and I had to wait for 10 years and nine months for that one person, but met him at church of all places which you think you're going to meet. You'd never know where you're going to meet that person, but I met him at church at a prayer meeting, which was awesome. We got married and then we said, oh, we're going to wait for a year to have a baby. Well, four months into marriage, we got pregnant and now we have our beautiful son that is going to be a year old here in a couple of weeks, on February 28th. We're just in a season of just thriving and career wise.
Stephanie Theriault:I've worked in the medical field for several years, since I was pretty much 19 years old, and I just recently stepped away from my corporate career as running a medical equipment company to step away and help women, coach women to really go from surviving life to thriving, which is what I did in my life as a single mom and to just slay their goals.
Stephanie Theriault:Honestly, I reached all of my goals that I was burning for as a single mom before I really even met my husband, and so it's just such a passion of mine to help women reach their goals and to step into the fullness of their identity. So that is my passion, that's driving me right now and that's also why I'm here, because when I was 19, 20 year old, having my first baby, I knew nothing and I just kind of gave into what the society norms and medical field norms were of childbirth. And now fast forward. I am an empowered woman and I wanted to have a natural birth and I did it, even though it was a challenge, for sure I did it. And so I just here to share my story about my birthing experiences, the differences, but then also just helping women feel empowered to have big, ambitious goals that maybe feel intimidating or scary, but help them step into it and step into the tension and wait and sit there and accomplish and achieve what matters most to them, without sacrificing family or their core values.
Stephanie Theriault:I love all of it Surviving to thriving. I love that, yes.
Kelley Weinzetl:It's exciting.
Stephanie Theriault:Let's get into your first pregnancy when you were 19, 20 years old. Let's get into your first pregnancy when you were 19, 20 years old. Share with us how that went for you. And then what advice would you give to women who are 19, 20 years old, who are pregnant and so they can have an empowering birth?
Kelley Weinzetl:Yeah, so, to be fully transparent, back then, you know, I was wild and I was going into college. I was playing soccer for my college. I was on the first women's soccer team for my college, which was so amazing, so fun. Then I was also playing basketball for my college as well. I was an athlete and with that just came with this untouchable type of personality and just on top of the world, I can do anything, nothing's going to happen, blah, blah, blah. And then come to find out I was pregnant. So that really put a halt on things and was really scary. Honestly, I remember I was just like gosh, I haven't had my period in a while and my boobs are really sore. I better take a pregnancy test. That's literally what my dialogue internally was. So I went and took a pregnancy test in a Starbucks bathroom, of all places, and it was positive. And I quickly went back to the store to get another one just to make sure that was correct. And it was. And in that scenario I had recently broke up with my boyfriend and so that was no fun being single, finding out I'm pregnant and no longer being with that person.
Kelley Weinzetl:But fast forward a little bit and the pregnancy honestly went super smooth. I really didn't have any complications the whole time. My pregnancy was a breeze. The biggest part of it was the mental being unmarried, being young and the judgmental-ness of society and everyone around you. Society's like oh yeah, go have fun, be free, do this, do that, but then as soon as something like a consequence of being pregnant happens and it's like all this judgment comes in and so just that stress of feeling judged, the shame of feeling like gosh, I'm pregnant and I'm only 20 years old. I'm 19 years old and that was just awful. And then the uncertainty of how in the world am I going to even raise a child? How am I going to be able to provide for a child? I was just barely finishing my associate's degree, so it was just a very uncertain time and I obviously was not with the father at that time. So eventually we did, in the pregnancy, get back together, which was great during that time, but it was honestly very tumultuous even still being together.
Kelley Weinzetl:But I would say, like speaking directly to a 19 year old, 20 year old that's pregnant things that I like fully went through was I had always been pro-life, always, and then I was pregnant at 19 and 20 years old and I was just like boy okay, what does this mean? What does this mean for the rest of my life? And I remember when I was in that Starbucks bathroom and I had that positive pregnancy test and I remember fully thinking my life is over. My life is over. Like I had so many aspirations. I was hoping to go to play college soccer at Central Washington University and I was hoping that maybe, if that didn't work out, I was going to go walk on at Boise State. University was just had so many dreams ahead of me. And now I was pregnant, had no plans and I just felt very alone, very afraid and like my life was over. But it was not.
Kelley Weinzetl:And so through that time of deciding what to do, I just really to the core of my beliefs. I was just like I cannot make this baby pay for my choice of being irresponsible, me pay for my choice of being irresponsible. I can't make her pay for me being irresponsible in a moment because I didn't think through my choices or I didn't protect, or I didn't make the right choice. That's not her fault. So whether or not I raise her or not, it is not worth her life for my moment of irresponsibility. That is not fair. So that is just my full, transparent, like dialogue within myself of why I chose to have my baby and I was not going to make my baby pay with her life for my irresponsibility.
Kelley Weinzetl:So I did choose to have my baby and then, when it came to like, okay, am I going to raise my baby or maybe give my daughter as a gift through adoption to someone who can't have a baby or who you know, something like that I was just like I'm a very like go getter type of person and I just knew that no one was going to know how to parent my child like I knew, and there was no way I was going to trust someone else in the world to parent her the way she needed to be parented or loved or cherished. And so I just couldn't take the risk that she might not go to the most loving family that loved and cherished. And so I just couldn't take the risk that she might not go to the most loving family that loved and cherished her. And I knew that I could do that. I didn't know how I was going to provide for her, but I knew myself and I trusted myself and I knew that God would help me. And so I just was like nope, I'm having this baby, with or without the father being in this baby's life, and I am going to raise her as my own daughter and just become the most powerful woman that she could be.
Kelley Weinzetl:And coming to the end of that journey, that was like a whole beginning phase, right Of just the pregnancy, like that was all going on in the beginning trimester of pregnancies. But after all of that was said and done, then it was just like enjoying pregnancy. And another thing I would say to someone that's 19 years old or 20, I remember, caught up in that beginning phase, after I decided, okay, I'm having this baby and I'm raising her, I remember like feeling that disgusting shame and feeling like I was naked and that people could just like see the choices I've made, and it just felt so gross Like there's not a better word to put on it than just feeling gross and I just remember all of a sudden, just like you know what? What if this is my only child? What if this is the only time I'm pregnant? I don't know if I'm going to have more children, I don't know when if I do have more children and if this is the only time I'm going to be pregnant. I want to have the best pregnancy of my life. I want to enjoy and savor every moment, even though it feels uncertain and scary. And so I just put that shame and all that disgusting negative energy away. Honestly, I just like set it aside. I was like that is not for me and this is how my pregnancy is going to go. And I loved it. I mean, I loved being pregnant. I love feeling my baby inside me.
Kelley Weinzetl:I like I said my pregnancy was very easy, especially, I'm sure, because I was so young. I mean, I was in a bikini in August doing cannonballs and I into the pool and I had her September 6. So I enjoyed it every second. And I mean I put like the chairs together so my belly would hang and so I could go tan a little bit outside. I was very young, young and silly, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Kelley Weinzetl:But in that, that immaturity, I also thought when it came to delivery, to labor, I was like, oh, I'm an athlete, this shouldn't be a problem, I'm just going to, you know, one, two, three push and it's going to be fine. And so I did zero prep for delivery. I just, you know, signed up with an OB, started going to that OB and that was it. I did nothing. I did no classes, I did no books, nothing. And so when that came, yeah, it was a learning curve, let me tell you, it was a learning curve for sure.
Kelley Weinzetl:So my due date was September 4th. I worked up until the day. I worked out every single day and I did not have her on September 4th. And so I thought, when September 4th came and gone, I was like I'm never going to have her, she's never going to come. And especially since I had done no research or investigation on what labor delivery was, I fully expected September 4th to be the day and it wasn't, but only thank goodness. I only had to wait two more days and my water broke at home and that was wild feeling, like it was. Uh, we had gone to bed and contractions were starting to go or come on me, and then I felt this rushing feeling and I ran to the bathroom. I was like gosh, that was weird. And then I was walking back to my bed and all of a sudden I felt like that rushing feeling again and my water had broke. And then, man, as soon as that water broke, the contractions were on. It was go time. Thankfully we live very close to the hospital.
Kelley Weinzetl:So we quickly loaded up in the car, got to the hospital, got into our room and, honestly, once we were like in the hospital, the nurses were like, oh okay, we're going to put you in a wheelchair and take you to the room. But I did know that I had in my mind was like no, I'm going to be upright as long as possible, because I've heard of you know so many people that have their labor stopped or whatever, and they had to walk around. So I was like, okay, I'm going to walk everywhere I can. So I insisted that I walk to the room, which thoroughly annoyed the nurses. But I was like no, I'm walking. And so we're walking to the room and I like a contraction would come and be like, oh, wait, wait. So I'd have to like stand there, and that just annoyed them even more. So they like we're getting a wheelchair. So they came and got a wheelchair, came put me in it, and I kind of gave in just because I was like Alright, I see how this can be difficult getting to the room.
Kelley Weinzetl:Yeah, so we get into the room and I chose to do an epidural. The whole reason behind an epidural was all I knew, was fear. That was the only thing I knew about labor was it was going to hurt and it's going to be painful and you're going to be screaming and it's pain, pain, pain. That was all I knew and so I was like well, I'm absolutely getting an epidural. Then I don't want to be in pain. So I got the epidural in and for the most part was smooth sailing and I just laid in the bed for you know hours.
Kelley Weinzetl:Then, once it like was in for a while, it did start to wear off on my, like, left side of my body so I had to get a booster. And then you know, it's about six hours, what have you? And we're getting ready to push or they're telling me, okay, it's going to be time to push and that epidural is wearing off again on that side and it's pretty pinchy and burning and all that. And so during the whole like pushing phase, I just remember it really felt like the epidural had worn off and was like full feeling of things.
Kelley Weinzetl:But at the same time I knew it wasn't, because now I've had a baby, naturally, and it was definitely not fully worn off, but it took an hour and 20 minutes to push my daughter out and we did traditional, like everything was traditional, because I knew nothing of anything else. So I was on my back the whole time. The baby she wasn't turning as fast as they wanted, so they did use the vacuum, which I had no idea what that was or what the complications could be, which thank goodness I didn't know, I guess, because that would have been terrifying, knowing that that's what they were going to use. But they use the vacuum and it was really. Honestly, putting the vacuum in or whatever they do down there was excruciating, that was super painful, but she came out in like minutes and she was a healthy, beautiful baby girl. That was the beginning, or the first baby.
Stephanie Theriault:I want to tell you something special. I feel like this episode and you and I were meant to meet. I believe in numbers and birthdays. My oldest son, his birthday is September 6th.
Kelley Weinzetl:Oh my gosh, how fun, that is so cool. How old is he?
Stephanie Theriault:He is eight years old, that's so cute, so how fun.
Kelley Weinzetl:Yes, yes, gotta love those September babies.
Stephanie Theriault:We paused this episode for a quick message from our sponsor At Maternal Wealth. We aim to ensure that you have access to the best and the most appropriate care. That's why we created a Maternal Healthcare Provider Database. Maternal health providers can easily create profiles to promote their services and business, helping to increase access for those seeking their care. This is a one-of-a-kind database that offers a new and exciting way for women to search for and find maternal health providers near them and tailored to their specific needs. Profiles feature badges that highlight various services, such as TODAC-friendly practices, all-female practices, lgbtqai plus inclusivity, language options, access to vaginal breach services and more. How was your postpartum care like? The recovery?
Kelley Weinzetl:So painful, that is for sure. And oh, you'll love this. So they had I believe it's called a boudet. The hospital I stayed at was like it had a beautiful big room. You birthed, labored and stayed in that same room and I had also tested positive for I think it's the strep B. So I ended up having to stay three days in the hospital, but everything was fine.
Kelley Weinzetl:But the thing about the Boudet they were like, okay, well, don't forget to turn it off because it'll flood your room. I was like, okay, well, don't forget to turn it off because it'll flood your room. I was like, okay, oh, you of course know that first night after I had my baby, I forgot to turn that bidet off. I wake up, the whole room is flooded.
Kelley Weinzetl:I was so embarrassed and I my boyfriend was sleeping on the couch and so I seriously took out every single linen towel, was on my hands and knees, cleaning it up as fast as I possibly could before a nurse might come in.
Kelley Weinzetl:And I was like, because I was so embarrassed, I cleaned up the whole room and my linen basket was stuffed with every towel, but there was not a drop of water. Let me tell you on that, I'm sure when the nurse came in she was like, ah, she must've not turned that boot day off. So when we got home, well, before we got home, you know I was in the hospital and you know, going, uh, voiding was not too bad, but when I was going to have a bowel movement oh, good Lord, the most painful experience ever wanted to cry my eyes out, just like do I have to ever do that again? Like it was terrible. So I did not expect that at all, so that was shocking. Which now, knowing what I know, I'm like okay, like okay. Well, I fully understand why that was so painful did you have any tearing?
Kelley Weinzetl:no, thank goodness, no. So and honestly, I think that is mostly because my nurse I knew my nurse. She was my childhood friend's mom, which was cool and, um, she spent time down there preparing that tissue for being stretched and I didn't know that's what she was doing until now, of course, reflection, and I like, okay, that's what she was doing and my mom was with me and so she also had shared that. She was also, you know, down there like massaging and stretching and doing things, and so I did not tear, which was thank goodness. I did not tear or have to have an episiotomy, so that was great.
Kelley Weinzetl:But the biggest thing was having a bowel movement would like send me into tears and it was just like give me so much anxiety because it just hurts so bad. For so long I did have to use suppositories because it just was. It was that bad, it was terrible, that part was the hardest, but I did not bleed very long, which was amazing, and my body like came back quickly. I only gained 18 pounds as a 19-year-old, 20-year-old, pregnant woman and I think I lost the most I've ever lost in my life Went from being like 150 pounds down to 120. It was pretty wild. Just nursing. I nursed for nine months so there was like not an ounce of fat on my body, sure fat baby, which was wonderful, I'm not complaining but definitely a different experience compared to being a 35, 36 year old woman having a baby. For sure it was definitely an interesting experience and I would say the recovery as the 19 year old, 20 year old, was way more painful than it was as a 35, 36 year old woman.
Stephanie Theriault:I'm excited to hear about the next birth story.
Kelley Weinzetl:Yes, okay. So now let's fast forward right All those years. And, to be honest, when I met my husband, my daughter was 14 years old and, like I said, I had dated a guy or two, but I had never had a boyfriend and I had purposed to stay single for a long time because I wanted to focus on my daughter. I didn't want to focus on a guy. I didn't want him. In the way I grew up in a split family. My dad, he was like a habitual dater, so there was always a new woman, not my mom. My mom was kind of like me, one and done, but I just didn't want her to be in this environment of constantly a new guy in my life. So I purposed to stay single for a very long time and then, finally, I felt like I was ready, met my husband he did not want kids and so I was like my husband, he did not want kids.
Kelley Weinzetl:And so I was like, yes, lord, this is him. He was buff and just very attractive, had this arm sleeve tattoo. He was into the Lord. I mean, I met him at a prayer meeting. So I was like, amen, he is here for me. I'm so excited. And then, when I found out that he was younger than me by five years, which I had forever I was like I will not date someone younger, I won't do it. And then, finally, I was like all right, lord, I will not date anyone younger than five years. That's the cap. He seriously is five years younger than me. It was like that, don't you think you're so funny?
Stephanie Theriault:Yeah, he was listening.
Kelley Weinzetl:Yes, yes. And so he was five years younger, no kids, and didn't want kids. So it was like, all right, here we go, this is awesome. Well, he got around my daughter and he was like, ah, so you know, I think I want to have kids. Now I was like, well, I guess that's a good thing, but, oh, my goodness. So he decided he wants to have kids. I was like, all right, you know, I can't not allow you to be a father of, you know, your own flesh and blood. So I was like, all right, we'll have kids. And so, like I said, we decided, okay, we're going to get married, we're going to have a year of just being married and then we'll get pregnant. Well, of course, four months in, we get pregnant. And that was my fault, I like broke the rules, but that's okay. And it was like, of course, like the one time, you couldn't have done it more perfect. And he's like, well, could you be getting pregnant, like right now? I was like, well, yeah, if we were trying to get pregnant, this would be the day we would want to probably do that. And, of course, that just worked out. So we had our baby, okay.
Kelley Weinzetl:So the pregnancy was a lot different, a lot different. So I had zero nausea with my daughter the first trimester. I was very nauseous and I was so sensitive to the sun Me and my husband. We had taken a trip to Arizona and I love the heat, I love the pool, I love that oh, my gosh, I was melting the whole time. I was like I cannot, I can't, it's so hot. I was such a baby I couldn't be out in the sun more than like 15 minutes. It was ridiculous. So that was crazy and I was very nauseous. But thank goodness I did not throw up my poor cousin. She throws up nonstop her whole first trimester. It's like, oh, I do not know how she does it. She's had four kids, it's crazy. So I was barely experiencing nausea. I don't know how she does this. So I had some nausea, but that was pretty much it. And then second trimester, that was pretty easy no nausea anymore. So that was great.
Kelley Weinzetl:And then third trimester, I like would have those like lightning feelings. I didn't know what those were and, holy cow, I just be like stopping my tracks, like what the world was that and just, literally, just, without lack of better words, just felt like a lightning strike in my crotch, like I remember going to TJ Maxx with my husband. We're looking for furniture or something and I seriously had to sit in like their furniture section on the couch and my husband, like was going around the store bringing me things because I was like I can't. I like either he's kicking me in the crotch for somehow or something's happening because I cannot walk, and it was so painful. So those would happen so randomly throughout the whole third trimester, which was nuts. And we did a road trip in my third trimester too. So he's from South Dakota and that's about a 20 hour drive from where we live and, not to mention, we did it in the winter, which I would never do again. But so we do this long road trip. My ankles were fatter than fat, like I had elephant ankles. It was ridiculous. It was a fun time, but I will never do that again. So third trimester, I just definitely like those lightning bolts to the crotch were a game changer for sure.
Kelley Weinzetl:Going back to the first trimester, I seriously put on 10 pounds like instantly. I was just like how, how, and it was like I really didn't have cravings with my daughter. I was all about Asian food, literally. My husband was out of town and I ordered like five or six different dishes, but I didn't want to like anyone to know, so I ordered them for takeout, for pickup, so I could take them home and have them all spread out and just eat from each of them. And I think I ate all six of those dishes for like four days. But I loved Asian food. But back to the third trimester yeah, it was definite. Swelling in the legs was crazy, crazy. Like one day I came home from work and my right ankle was just a balloon and I'm like, oh my gosh, I can't, this has got to be wrong, because the other ankle was fine. And so I like I took a picture and sent it to my midwives and they were like, oh, it's fine, it's you know, your baby's probably just sitting in this way or that way and and it's totally normal thing. But if something else happens, let us know. And that's another thing that I did.
Kelley Weinzetl:Totally different was I wanted to have a natural birth and I wanted to do it without medication. I am a very goal oriented girl and I was just like okay, my body was built for this, it's designed for this. I do not have to medicate it to do this. I want to fully experience what the experience of birth is and, plus, I am a Christian and my relationship with the Lord is very special, and I just was like gosh. The Lord designed me to give birth, so I want to experience what my body's design is supposed to do. So I had like books and podcasts that I listened to.
Kelley Weinzetl:I did all the investigating and researching this time and I chose to go to midwife because I wanted it to be along that natural line, and so I felt like a midwife experience would give me that more than going to an OB, and I also wanted to still go in the hospital, even though I wanted that natural experience. It'd been a hot second, since I had my first baby, so I wanted that expertise to be there just in case I needed help or something went wrong. I wanted to have the help just right there, not to have to hop in a car and drive and then hopefully something doesn't bad happen in that process. So that's why I chose midwife and that's why I chose to do it in the hospital and not a home birth or something like that. My midwives were amazing, and the most wonderful thing that I loved is they did not insist on vaginal checks at all the whole time. I loved that. I was just like, oh my gosh, this is great, I love it. So I fully enjoyed it not having to do that at all whatsoever one time. So that was amazing.
Kelley Weinzetl:And my first appointment going in the midwife was like so now that you're 35,? But the midwife was like so now that you're 35, you're a geriatric Like what? So I went from pretty much an adolescent pregnancy to a geriatric pregnancy, which was like that's rude. Who dubbed it geriatric? That is totally rude. But I was like, fine, whatever. So that was kind of comical. I was a geriatric pregnancy. Yeah, it's like someone needs to rename that in the medical field. Iw, go make someone change that.
Stephanie Theriault:Seriously.
Kelley Weinzetl:It should not be geriatric, but yeah. So the third trimester, the swelling was crazy, but it was. It was, it was fine, but it was just like kind of more uncomfortable at the end just because it felt like my legs were so full, if that makes sense. So my baby was due Valentine's Day, which was so fun, but he did not come on Valentine's Day, let me tell you. He decided to come two weeks later when we had to evict him and I had to be induced.
Kelley Weinzetl:Some people might say, well, you didn't have a natural birth because you had to be induced, and I'm still qualifying it as a natural birth because I had zero medication for pain relief. I'll say that because I guess Pitocin, you'd probably say, is a medication of sorts. So yes, say is a medication of sorts. So, yes, valentine's Day comes and goes, no baby. I wait the whole two weeks, no baby. And during that time I did have ultrasounds and they would check the baby to make sure everything was fine, which was good. They did say that my, what is it? The placenta, I believe, was starting to calcify. So they were just keeping an eye on that and through those two weeks and then ultimately we came to that last day of just she did a membrane sweep and that I thought was going to be very painful and uncomfortable and it actually really didn't hurt at all. So that was a wonderful surprise. But it was way bloodier than I expected. But that happened. I had some light cramping and that was it, no action. So he was not coming out. It was freezing here, so he must've just been cold, right, wanted to stay warm and cozy in there. So then the next morning at 7 am we had to go in and be. I was induced for that. But the inducing process thankfully it was all pretty smooth and easy.
Kelley Weinzetl:I didn't know too much about induction or being induced. That wasn't something I had really researched because I didn't expect that. I expected with my first daughter I was two days late, so I figured I'd probably be two days late, which wasn't the case. Come to find out I know I told you before, but come to find out my husband had been two weeks late, his older sister had been two weeks late and then his younger sisters. One was a week late and then the last one she was induced. But my midwives had said it can be familial. So I was like, oh my gosh, this is your fault that I'm two weeks late because of you, but it was fine.
Kelley Weinzetl:So we go in and we chose the balloon because my midwife explained, you know we could do this. I think it's like a chemical or something or a hormone of sorts that they put in and she said once you do that you can't take that back because it's absorbed into the body. And if your body doesn't like that, there's really not too much you can do, there's no going back. And then you have to wait so many hours before you can do another technique to induce. So I was just like, well, let's definitely not do that. So we did the balloon. That did not hurt at all, I will say mortifying the position you have to be in to do that and I definitely cried because it was just like.
Kelley Weinzetl:I think I was just so caught up in like I wanted everything to be natural. I wanted my water to break natural, I wanted to go into labor natural, I wanted to have my baby fully natural and I couldn't with being induced and so I didn't want any IVs and being induced. You have to have now an IV. You have to have monitors. I didn't want monitors, I wanted to be the pain in the booty, patient for the nurse, where it's like I don't want anything and all of a sudden I'm having all the things. And so I was.
Kelley Weinzetl:I think it was mostly just like the position you have to be in to get the balloon. But then also, you know, my hopes of having this full experience being natural was going away. But you know that, thankfully, my midwife was amazing. If you're in Boise, her name is Megan Kitterman. She works at Idaho Stork. She's awesome, go to her. But she did great.
Kelley Weinzetl:My balloon, getting that put in did not hurt at all and they still allowed me to wear my own gown and my own socks, so I didn't have to wear the hospital gown or anything like that. But it did feel like not the best having this thing taped to my leg and like being pulled, and it just felt so you know, for lack of better terms again gross, like this thing just coming out of me and pulling on me. But to speed it up a little bit, that was in for probably three to four hours and then my water broke and you know, during that beginning phase everything was like pretty calm. My contractions I didn't really feel them at all and everything was going smooth. I was on the ball most of that time too, like a yoga type ball, bouncing around and walking around and all of that. But then once my water broke, they upped the Pitocin and, man, the contractions. It was go time again. That definitely didn't change the contractions. It was go time again. That definitely didn't change. That was for sure the same with this pregnancy or this delivery as well.
Kelley Weinzetl:My husband he absolutely wants nothing to do with anything woman stuff like periods and things like that and he was such a help. He was like all hands on deck the whole time. So that was amazing. I'd be on the ball, he'd be behind me and he put counter pressure on my pelvis and I had a heating pad that I was using on the front or the back, so that helped. And then once that stopped working, we were going to transition to the bathtub. So thankfully, my hospital did have a bathtub, so the nurse got that already. Thankfully, my hospital did have a bathtub, so the nurse got that already.
Kelley Weinzetl:I got in the bath and I'm like butt naked in the bath and I remember like at one point I opened my eyes, because once those contractions started, I don't think I really opened my eyes, except for like here or there. My eyes were closed shut the whole time and I had read Ina May's book about childbirth and so I knew, like a lot of techniques of like giving that like deep, like you know noise and doing raspberries and just how that's connected to the cervix and to soften and allow it to dilate faster. So my mindset the whole time was just making those deep voices, doing the raspberries to soften and to open the cervix and to just welcome contractions as a partner to birth and that they're not my enemy and all of those things. But then also, you know, I wanted to get in the bath so that all that tissue was nice and soft and to help pain management to another pain management technique. So we get in the bath, I'm in there and man, I'm not a tall woman but I have some long legs and that was kind of a pain. I had to have my legs all like bent, funny to be in the tub.
Kelley Weinzetl:I'm like sweating and my eyes are like closed shut just because I'm like concentrating and I like open them for a second and there's like five people in this tiny bathroom, including my 17 year old daughter that's seeing her mom butt naked. I'm like trying to get through this and it's like pretty painful at this moment and I'm just like, whose big idea was this to have this natural birth? And I'm like, okay, it was mine. And so I'm like they had told me that, you know, I could say a word or whatever, let them know, and they could give me this like drug. That would be like having a glass of wine, where it would just take a little bit of the edge off. And so I was kind of like really thinking that.
Kelley Weinzetl:And then I was like no, you are here to have a natural birth. You can do this. You were made for this, you were built for this. You're not giving up now and you will regret it if you do. So I was like all right, we're not doing that. And I'm in the bathtub forever. Get out of the bathtub because I'm like sweating hot. And now I'm like, fine, I'll put on your gown, because my gown, like I didn't want to put that back on because it was actually not the best, like with the IV, it was kind of a pain. So we put on the hospital gown, which I really did not care about Actually. Yeah, yeah, we did.
Kelley Weinzetl:And then, because at one point I didn't have a gown on at all, I can't remember, but eventually I'm like butt naked the whole time walking around and I never imagined that that would have been me, but it was like I didn't want anything on. Then we like get over to the table or the not the table but the bed and we do the peanut ball. My husband's pretty much just moving my body at this point and putting me where I need to go. So it was amazing to have him to just like get me in the right positions. But I'm on my side, have the peanut ball, flip to the other side, peanut ball in between my legs and like one legs up in a stirrup. So it's like I can only imagine what this looks like. But I'm covered with a blanket, thank goodness, and all the while I really wanted to have worship music and I romanticized this birth experience. So I had like this playlist and all the things, worship music blasting.
Kelley Weinzetl:And while I'm on the peanut ball on the other side, all of a sudden I'm like listening to the music and it's in Spanish, so like the playlist must have ended and it just started playing whatever music under Christian was coming up, because I knew the like I could hear the music. So I knew the song, but it was in Spanish. I'm like this is hilarious. This like is in the background, but that was just like a funny moment where it's just like are we listening to Spanish music right now? That is hilarious. Hilarious because none of us know Spanish. So the contractions are pretty intense still, and now, finally, I'm going through a contraction and my body pushes. That was wild, because when I had the epidural I could not feel that at all. So my body all of a sudden transitions from this like painful experience to a push, and I was just I knew that I was supposed to tell them, so I was like my body just pushed.
Kelley Weinzetl:So they're like okay. So they switched me to the birthing chair. So I scooted down. My husband sat behind me and I'm in this birthing chair squatting. They've got like a mirror underneath me the whole bit, a flashlight, because we have the lights down low and they're down there looking to see like what's going on. And so we pushed forever in that birthing chair and the funny thing was or maybe not funny, but the cool thing was that it didn't hurt anymore when it changed from contractions to open the cervix to contractions to push the baby. Now it didn't hurt, it was just exhausting because every muscle, every fiber of my body was shaking every push and I'd have like a short one and then a really long one. So and then I transitioned from making those noises to just pushing everything, all my effort into that push.
Kelley Weinzetl:So, birthing chair we were there for quite a while and we weren't getting anywhere fast. So they wanted to check me. So I got up on the bed again and the midwife saw that the like lip of the cervix was on his edge of his head or something like that. So we did a couple pushes to get that manipulated down, which didn't hurt, but it just like was pretty difficult, but that was the only time. I was on my back the whole time. And then after that they wanted me to try to go to the bathroom. So I waddle over to the toilet, I'm on the bath or on the toilet and a contraction comes and I think, because I was higher up and I could hold onto the handrail man, I pushed and he like dropped with, like right into.
Kelley Weinzetl:They say, when the baby's about to come out, you're going to feel like he's in your butt. And OMG, like I was, like he's in my butt, he's like right there. It was like a melon between my legs. It was. It was crazy. And my, my midwife is right next to me and I was like I'm going to have him right here on the toilet. She's like no, you're not, you're going to, you're going to make it back to the bed. I was like I don't know if I can get up, get over to the table and this time she wants me on all fours. So I'm on my hands and knees on the bed.
Kelley Weinzetl:My husband, in throughout this whole process of pregnancy, has decided that he's going to catch our baby, deliver our baby, which was beautiful. So he's getting ready to deliver the baby and I'm on all fours and the baby like goes back up. So now I'm mad because the baby is like not there anymore, my gosh, darn it. So I'm on all fours, I do a couple pushes, I can feel he's there. And I was just like, once I felt him there, I was like he is not going anywhere. So I was just like determined, I'm not waiting for another contraction, this baby is coming out.
Kelley Weinzetl:And so I'm pushing with like all my might. I can feel him crowning and I can hear my midwife saying, like you know, I think it's like mid or mild and then medium and then full crown, and she's like slow down, slow down, slow down. So I like slow down, which I didn't think I could do that, but I was able to slow down and then pushed him out his head and then got his shoulders out. And then, after he came out, they're like okay, flip over. So I'm like okay, so I flip over onto my back and they put him on my belly and that was like intense, just like all of that movement. And then he's on my stomach and I really wanted him to like get the full what do you call it? Like the full blood from the placenta and so they waited for the cord to go white and they said when the cord's white, then it's done. So that only took a few minutes.
Kelley Weinzetl:Then my husband cut the cord and then we really wanted the baby to do, my baby to do the breast crawl, which was magical. But the poor little guy, he was like cold, I guess, and so he would breast crawl over and then they would be like, oh he's cold and move him back to the middle of my chest. So the poor guy had to breast crawl three times, but but he did it. So if you're wondering if babies do it, oh yes, they do, and he had to do it three darn times. So we got to do the breast crawl, which was beautiful and yeah, so it was just a beautiful experience. And he was born at 6 pm on the dot. So that was the experience. It was beautiful. I would absolutely have another baby natural, all hands down, like for sure, and I think every woman should at least experience it one time, even if they don't do it again natural. But I think it's just a beautiful thing what our bodies do in birth.
Stephanie Theriault:It was amazing just listening to your story gives me goosebumps, because it is such an empowering story to hear. And when you talk about at the beginning like fear, right, there's so many of us go into it fearful and it's just an experience we go through and then we come out on the other side empowered and you hear it time and time again like I would do that again. I would do that again, and it's so. Once you go through it, you can even describe it right, right, I love it.
Kelley Weinzetl:A magical experience, like, truly like it just just what our bodies can do, really, even just the process of dilating and how big it has to get down there and then how small it gets again, and just how your body's going to do it, regardless if you're going to partner with it or not. So you might as well just choose to partner with it and help it do its job, and it's just such a gift for your baby too, like I don't know. It is just amazing. I think just the whole pregnancy, birthing, breastfeeding, all of it is just so mind-blowing. What our bodies are built to do. It's just amazing.
Stephanie Theriault:I love the fact that your midwife was open to letting your husband glove up and help catch his child. I love that she was open to that.
Kelley Weinzetl:He did and she was just totally about it and he was getting gloved up. And then I don't know why, but he was like, well, do I have to wear gloves? And they said no, and so the man that can't even talk about periods decides he's not going to wear gloves and to deliver this baby. And he did, and he delivered him just fine. And listening to him tell the story is hilarious. He's like I was like picking things off and it was just disgusting but beautiful at the same time. So it's just yeah, and we love to be able to tell so many people that he delivered the baby and they're like, oh, we didn't even know, that was an option. And it's our pregnancy, it's our baby, it's our delivery. We've hired them to just help and assist and that's really where the empowerment should be and assist and that's really where the empowerment should be. Unfortunately, it's not that way for some cases, but it's just like and that's something I very much learned this is my birth, this is my baby, this is my body and, without being snotty or mean or rude, I want to do it my way, but of course, I've hired you to be here to advise me and guide me, and if that's not the best route anymore, then, yes, intervene and say, okay, this is actually, let's do this for you and your baby's safety, or whatever. It's an empowering journey, that is for sure.
Kelley Weinzetl:And postpartum was amazing because, in my opinion, I wasn't laying on my back for hours on end and during the birthing and delivery my baby wasn't on my organs, you know the colon, the rectum. Her pressure wasn't laying on that for an hour and a half going through the birthing canal. Instead, I was on every position you possibly can imagine, except for on my back, maybe like five minutes on my back, and so I did not have trouble at all going voiding, I didn't have any trouble doing a bowel movement, no pain at all whatsoever, but I bled for like a month. I was like, oh my gosh, am I ever going to stop bleeding With my daughter? I think I bled for like a week Now, at 30, you know I was 36 by the time I birthed him and I like bled for literally like a month.
Kelley Weinzetl:That was so obnoxious and I would say, the first time no one gave me an ice pack or like even offered an ice pack, nor did they suggest like oh, use this squirt bottle. I had the bidet, but, no, no squirt bottle. Well, because I had done all the like research, man, I had my whole kit, all this stuff, but the hospital here in Boise, st Luke's, downtown, they had a million ice packs for you, so that was awesome. And then they had a squirt bottle, they had this, they had that, all these things that you could use. They sent you home with special underwear that you could wear, which I was like, oh, I'm never wearing those and I wore them like every day. Can I have some more, please? Dignity, it goes out the window. It's just like what is the most convenient thing and that those are so convenient.
Kelley Weinzetl:But, and I would say, the one thing that was way more difficult this time around was breastfeeding With my daughter. Breastfeeding was so easy, she knew exactly what she was doing and my milk came in like gangbusters, like it was overflowing milk, and this time it took like a week for my milk to come in, and so it was like I mean it was my milk has been fine, but it just was such a mental game like feeling like is my milk in, is it not in? Is he been fine? But it just was such a mental game Like feeling like is my milk in? Is it not in? Is he getting enough? Is he just cluster feeding?
Kelley Weinzetl:And I forgot that, how babies cluster feed, and I think maybe my daughter didn't do it as much because I had so much milk Whereas there was just like just enough for the beginning. He didn't really lose weight so we never had an issue. But I just remember it just was way more difficult and mentally draining to breastfeed this time in the beginning because my milk didn't come in ever full gangbusters where it's just like there's so much extra. It was just enough the whole time, which kind of is a blessing now that I look at it, because then I didn't have to pump and do all of this. It just was enough.
Stephanie Theriault:It was what your baby needed.
Kelley Weinzetl:Exactly so, yeah, so the second round was beautiful and I liked postpartum much better. The second round, let me tell you.
Stephanie Theriault:Well, kelly, it's been such a pleasure chatting with you. I hear your passion and I love that you trusted your body and I love that you are opening up and sharing to women who are listening to the podcast, to young women who have found themselves pregnant at 19, 20 and listening to your story, so they'd feel like they're not alone and can hear your words and your advice, and I loved hearing about your second birth going all natural and inviting your husband to be a part of it. It's just been an absolute pleasure.
Kelley Weinzetl:Thank you. Yes, it has been so fun to relive it and to tell it and to share, and I just hope it encourages anyone that's young and in that position that you can do it. You were built for this and there are resources out there to help you and you can absolutely do it. And if you're older and finding yourself pregnant, you can absolutely do it too, like it is a birth, pregnancy, labor. All of it is a beautiful thing, and I just hope that they're all inspired and hopeful and filled with excitement about their journey.
Stephanie Theriault:And Kelly. If there's baby number three coming along the way, make sure you reach out to me.
Kelley Weinzetl:I will. I will for sure.
Stephanie Theriault:All right, thank you.
Kelley Weinzetl:Thank you.
Stephanie Theriault:Thank you for listening. Be sure to check out our social media. All links are provided in the episode description. We're excited to have you here. Please give us a follow If you or someone you know would like to be a guest on the show. Reach out to us via email at info at maternalwealthcom. And remember stay healthy, embrace your power and you got this, thank you.