MyMaine Birth, Jill’s Journey with IVF

Today’s birth story guest is Jill and she shares her two birth stories with us. The first was when she was 21 years old and the second was several years later and involved a fertility journey and the use of IVF.

Parenthood is an intricate tapestry woven with threads of joy, struggle, love, and unexpected turns. Jill's story is one such tapestry, featuring the colors of spontaneous motherhood, the grays of infertility, and the warm hues of a family finally feeling complete. Her journey is both unique and universal, echoing the experiences of many who have faced the unforeseen challenges of becoming a parent.

When Jill first became a mother at the tender age of 21, it was not something she had planned. The surprise of her pregnancy and the swift adaptation to motherhood could have easily overwhelmed her. Yet, she embraced it with the innocence and courage that often accompanies youth. Her description of her first child as her "puzzle piece" reflects the profound and instant bond that formed between them, a connection that undoubtedly carried her through the uncertainties of young parenthood.

As life unfolded, Jill's desire to grow her family led her down a path filled with more complexity. Infertility can be a silent struggle, marked by private pains and hushed conversations. Jill's candidness about her and her husband's challenges with fertility opens a window into a world often shrouded in secrecy. The decision to pursue IVF with Boston IVF represented a beacon of hope in the fog of uncertainty, a step filled with daunting procedures and an emotional rollercoaster that only those who have ridden it can truly understand.

The successful birth of her second child through IVF is a testament to the marvels of modern medicine and the persistence of hope. Jill's narrative provides comfort and camaraderie to those who may be walking a similar path. The process, marked by injections and the meticulous monitoring of her body's responses, ultimately led to the triumph of a new life. The rapid labor and delivery, although a whirlwind experience, culminated in a moment of pure elation.

Yet, the journey did not conclude at the delivery room. Postpartum anxiety is a shadow that can follow the brightness of childbirth, an uninvited guest in the sacred space of new parenthood. Jill's openness about her struggles with anxiety is both brave and necessary. It highlights the importance of communication with one's partner and the significance of advocating for oneself. Through sharing her story, Jill gives voice to the silent fears many new parents face and underscores the vital role of a support system.

The profound love and connection within Jill's family is further illustrated by the adoption of her first daughter by her husband. This legal affirmation of a bond that already existed in their hearts completes the portrait of a family united not just by blood but by choice and unconditional love.

In conclusion, Jill's personal account of her journey into motherhood reminds us of the resilience embedded in the human spirit. It's a narrative that resonates with many—unexpected beginnings, hard-fought battles with fertility, and the delicate dance of balancing postpartum recovery with the celebration of new life. Her story is one of strength, love, and the triumph that often awaits at the end of a challenging road.

Parenthood may come with no guidebook, but stories like Jill's serve as guiding stars for those navigating the same tumultuous yet rewarding seas. They offer solace, understanding, and the assurance that even in our most vulnerable moments, we are never truly alone in our experiences.MyMaine Birth is a space where we share the real life stories of families and their unique birth experiences in the beautiful state of Maine.  From our state's biggest hospitals to Birth Center Births, and home births, every birth story deserves to be heard and celebrated.  From the first feelings of pregnancy to the first cry of your newborn, we explore the journey of childbirth in all of it's beauty, intensity and emotion.

Whether you are a soon to be mom, a seasoned mother, or simply interested in the world of birth, these episodes are for you. 

As part of my commitment to capturing these incredible moments I am proud to offer my birth photography services to families across Maine.  As an experienced photographer I am dedicated to capturing the beauty and emotion of this special moment.  And, I also design a personalized and intimate photo album creating a beautiful and lasting memory of one of the most special moments in your life! 

For all the information head over to https://www.mymainephoto.com and schedule a call with me!  

Thank you for listening to the MyMaine Birth podcast!  I look forward to bringing you more amazing birth stores!

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Angela: 0:00

So now tell me about your labor and birth.

Jill: 0:06

So that if I could do that a million times over, I would in a heartbeat.

Angela: 0:12

I'm Angela and you're listening to my Maine Birth a space where we share the real life stories of families and their unique birth experiences in the beautiful state of Maine. From our state's biggest hospitals to birth center births and home births, every birth story deserves to be heard and celebrated. From the first feelings of pregnancy to the first cry of your newborn, we explore the journey of childbirth in all of its beauty, intensity and emotion. Whether you're a soon-to-be mom, a seasoned mother or simply interested in the world of birth, these episodes are for you. As part of my commitment to capturing these incredible moments, I'm proud to offer my birth photography services to families throughout Maine.

Angela: 0:59

As an experienced photographer, I'm dedicated to capturing the beauty and emotion of this special moment in your life, and I create a personalized and intimate photo album that you will treasure forever. For all of the information, head over to mymainphotocom and fill out the contact form to schedule a call with me. Now sit back, relax and join me as we dive into the world of childbirth in Maine and discover the joy, strength and love that is at the heart of every birth story. Today's birth story guest is Jill, and she shares her two birth stories with us. The first was when she was 21 years old, and the second was several years later and involved a fertility journey and the use of IVF. Hi Jill, welcome to my Main Birth.

Jill: 1:52

Hi Angela.

Angela: 1:55

So you have two birth stories to share today.

Jill: 1:57

Well, so my first was a little bit of a surprise. I, my birth control, failed and I was like, oh my goodness, I am 21 pregnant. That is terrifying. But then when I gave birth at 22, I was like, oh my gosh, you're like my puzzle piece. Everything is perfect in the world. I'm so excited. And then when I, when we got pregnant with our baby now I was like, oh my gosh, I don't know what to do. I have no idea what I'm doing. Like I felt more of a rookie this time that I did the first time. I was a little more terrifying because I think I was so naive about the first time and like just going in with rose colored glasses. And then this time I knew more and I knowing more made me more afraid.

Angela: 2:44

So to start, will you share a little bit about you and your family?

Jill: 2:48

Yeah, so my husband and I got married June 13th 2020 in our backyard. We had a nice little COVID wedding. I have a daughter before I met him and he actually ended up adopting her on February 2021, which was so exciting. And then we decided we wanted to have a child of our own, because our oldest has begged for a baby sister since she was four years old, which we told her that was not a guarantee. We found out that we were struggling and we needed help, so we went through Boston IVF, which was a terrifying moment for me because I knew about all of the injections and stuff and I wasn't ready for that. But then we were blessed with our baby and she was born so quickly and so healthy and we, our family, is now completely complete. Like it just feels so good.

Angela: 3:52

Aww. So now you share about when you found out you were pregnant for the first time and a little bit about your thoughts in choosing your care.

Jill: 4:01

So when I found out I was pregnant, I was working for my brother-in-law. He was a professional magician and he traveled throughout the country performing at colleges and I was promoting him and I was 21. So we had gone out for a little bit and I came back to the hotel room the next day and I was like, oh my gosh, I feel really sick. So I was not feeling great and I, for some reason, I thought I should just take a pregnancy test and I did, and I took a shower and I looked at it and I went no, that's not real. So I was a bit terrifying and I had a really hard time with it until I went to a therapist and she told me your daughter is made out of love. Because what was the feeling you got the first time? You heard her heartbeat and I said I was completely in love. And she goes, and that is why your daughter was made out of love.

Jill: 4:54

That saved me through my whole entire pregnancy, because I was young. It was confusing, I didn't know what to do, and then I was young and decided I'm going to go with a midwife. Not sure why my thought process went there, but they were absolutely amazing. I felt so safe with them. They always listened to me. I just absolutely loved the care that I got from them and then everything just fell into place. Everything just felt so natural. Everything felt like it was meant to be like. Even though it was very scary being 22 with a newborn I wouldn't change it Ever I felt like that was where I was supposed to be at that moment in time.

Angela: 5:42

So how was your birth?

Jill: 5:44

experience. In my eyes it was great. In my family's eyes they said, oh my gosh, that took forever. So how I remember it was. I went in. I woke up at like 3am and I felt crampy and I was like, oh, what is this? So I called my midwives, explained it. They told me what to look for and that was. I saw some of the signs and I was like, oh, what is this? So I called my midwives, explained it. They told me what to look for and that was. I saw some of the signs and my.

Jill: 6:09

I did not call my mom because I knew that my mom would rush over. My sisters called my mom and she rushed over and she's like we gotta go, we gotta go. And I told her no, I'm taking a shower, I'm eating my posts and then we will go. And she had a stick shift and I just remember being like, oh my gosh, this is the worst car to go in to the hospital while you're in labor. I could feel every shift. And we get there and I'm just like, yeah, I feel fine.

Jill: 6:37

And I did ask for the epidural because I know myself and I don't do great with pain. After I got the epidural I just kind of hung out and for me I remember pushing only for a couple minutes, but in reality I was told I pushed for two hours. And then I met Madeline and she was this really pink baby who came out with a cone head and a little bit of a crooked nose because she was in the birth canal for so long, because I did push for so long, but it was great. She was just a perfect little baby. She was 7 pounds 2 ounces and her and her sister were both 19 and a quarter inches long. So it was a good experience. I had no issues with them at all experience. I had no issues with them at all. I felt like my midwives really listened to me. I felt like they really took care of me and I had my whole family in the room my sisters, both my parents and they were all there cheering me on, which was fantastic.

Angela: 7:42

Oh, that's incredible. So how was your postpartum?

Jill: 7:47

With Madeline I don't remember as much. With her, I felt like I just kind of went back into normal life with her. I just kind of found a routine with her. I don't remember my emotions or anything like that. I, for the most part, I felt pretty great, like I felt like I could do things. I wasn't feeling like I was sluggish, but I was also 22. And that's a pretty prime time to have a baby Like. That's a great time to like recover. It's like you bounce back real quick and that's how I felt. I felt like I bounced back really quick from her and I emotionally, physically, everything.

Angela: 8:35

So now will you share about your fertility journey and when you found out you were pregnant for the second time.

Jill: 8:42

Yeah. So when my husband and I found out that we were having issues I wasn't making as many eggs and he didn't have a lot of sperm and we were kind of devastated and I told him IVF is so expensive, and he looked into it and his work had a progeny plan which paid for 98% of our IVF journey and because of that I was like it's meant to be for us to try it then, because if we're able to use that, then I feel like we need to go forward and see what happens. I remember when we got all of the medicine, all of the injections which I had to do several times a day, multiples, and I just kind of went blank. I was like I just had to not think about it, I just had to do it and move on, because if I thought about it I was not going to give myself the shots every day that I needed. It was not easy. It definitely there were side effects that were not comfortable and you're just pumping yourself full of hormones, which is also a lot.

Jill: 9:58

The day of our egg retrieval I didn't want to go, I did not want to go under, I did not want to do any of it. I was very terrified. But we got eight eggs and then we were told three of them did not mature and then we had five that were being fertilized, one of them which was already hatching, which is Lillian, which that right there just tells me like what her personality is going to be like she was like I'm already ready to go. She was the one that we did a fresh transfer with, which was, I believe, five days after the egg retrieval, and then we sent away one of the eggs because none of the others were viable, and then that egg that we sent away was not viable either. So, out of eight eggs, only one was only one was viable, and that was Lillian, and we are so thankful that we got that one egg.

Jill: 10:55

And then I just kind of, once we found out we were pregnant, I did not handle it very well, no-transcript. I always was like baby dust, sticky baby, give me sticky baby. I was just so nervous that it wasn't going to work, which is a really terrible mindset to be in, and anyone going through IVF I highly recommend talking to someone or staying positive, because I definitely was not, which did not help me in any way. Once we got the blood drawn, it was a good level. We were like, okay, we have a baby, this is happening.

Jill: 11:55

And then I just kind of I did call around to see my midwives that I had before but they had merged somewhere else and getting a call back from someone was pretty hard. So I was like you know what I really like? My OBGYN at InterMed, so I might as well just go with her. And then I've never given birth at Maine Med and I work there, so I might as well experience it and I'm really happy about my choice. With that, I feel like it was very different because of my age and because of where we went and it wasn't familiar, but it felt great. I loved my nurses. I had one nurse in particular that I absolutely loved during my delivery.

Angela: 12:40

How was your pregnancy? Did you do any extra testing?

Jill: 12:44

So before we did any egg retrieval or anything like that, my husband and I did genetic testing to see what we do carry and I carried five different genetic issues and I don't remember how many he carried. With Lillian in particular, we did not do genetic testing but we did go in and do a heart ultrasound for her because we were told that IVF babies are known to have heart issues and they just wanted to make sure that her heart looked good. But we didn't do any genetic testing on the embryo itself before we transferred, just because we did a fresh transfer, but the one that we sent away we did have genetic testing done on and that embryo itself had quite a few genetic issues with it, so we did not keep that one genetic issues with it, so we did not keep that one Well that's really interesting.

Jill: 13:46

Is there anything else that you want to share about your pregnancy? I definitely I felt like it was a little more rough. I don't know if it was because of the hormones beforehand from the IVF. I was very sick throughout it. Eating was not great, I got sick a lot at work, which was not very fun, but I definitely I feel like I soaked it in a lot more than I did the first time, like every kick or like wearing certain clothing that like showed off my bump more. I didn't do that a lot with Madeline. I would just sit in the chair and I would just kind of watch her move and I would just kind of try to soak in every moment. With our oldest daughter, she got to feel the first kick and my husband would always put his hand on my belly and it almost felt like Lillian would run away, but Madeline would feel Lillian's kick and then finally, chris was able to feel them and he'd be like, oh my gosh, that's amazing and that was really fun.

Jill: 14:44

Being able to share with both of them was a really huge highlight of the pregnancy and going through it. I mean there are definitely a lot of ups and downs, but we went to Disney when I was six and a half months pregnant and we found out we were having a girl there. That was really really, really cool. That was super special. But for the most part, I definitely feel like it was a little more difficult this time around. Physically, it was a little more hard Mentally, I feel like, because I knew more things, I was more nervous and anxious. I feel like my anxiety amped up, which was not, which was frustrating, because I just wanted to soak it in and enjoy every moment. But it also was different because I had a very supportive husband and a very excited older daughter and we were just creating more, growing our family, which I felt like that part was just super exciting.

Angela: 15:47

Oh my gosh, I love it. So now tell me about your labor and birth.

Jill: 15:55

So that if I could do that a million times over, I would in a heartbeat. So I went to a doctor's appointment at the beginning of July and I went and saw the NP and she said, oh, because you have an IVF baby, you can do ultrasounds up until the end. And I said, oh, okay, and she's like you want to do one in a couple of days. And I was like sure. So I told my husband I was like you don't need to come, her head is she's head down. We don't get any good pictures, like it's fine. So I go to this appointment and they keep measuring me and I'm like this feels a lot longer than normal. And then I get the hold on. I'm going to go talk to the doctor and I go okay, I know, know what that means. So the doctor peeps her head in, she goes you're going across the street to have a baby and I just stop and I start sobbing. And I wasn't sobbing because I was going to have a baby, like she was 37 um weeks and two days at that point and I was like she's fine, she'll be totally fine.

Jill: 16:57

I was sobbing because my oldest daughter was at sleepaway camp and I didn't want to ruin it for her. And the next day was her last day and she wanted to be there. So I text my husband what's going on? And he's all frantic. He was out for a walk with my, with our dogs, and my sister called him and their phone call kept dropping. He was just kind of like, oh my gosh, what do I do? What do I do? And eventually I was like, hey, just get my stuff. The car seat's already in the car. We're ready to go.

Jill: 17:30

And then my middle sister. She was in South Portland and she's like what do you need? So she picked me up some stuff. And it was a one day I didn't wear a nursing bra and I was. I was like I need that. So she met me at Maine Medical.

Jill: 17:45

And then my oldest sister, tanya, she showed up as well and they're like here's the plan, we're going to induce you. And I was like, okay, and they said you can either do a medical, a medication induction or a mechanical induction. And I was like what's a mechanical induction? And they explained the balloon that they put inside you that helps dilate your cervix. And I was like, oh, I'll do that. And once we did that, it didn't hurt. I felt comfortable, everything was great. My sisters and I were laughing hysterically the whole entire time we were there. They were like tugging a little bit, come on, let's get this baby out. And we're laughing hysterically, my husband's laughing with all of us. We're just like really loud, like you would not think that we were there to give birth.

Jill: 18:37

Eventually they leave and and we are able to just kind of chill out. And the nurses they gave me the rundown of what they were expecting and hopefully this balloon would help me dilate up to four centimeters and I was like, okay, great, so come nighttime I use that soaking bath. Oh, my goodness, that was amazing. I soaked, I tried to sleep and in the morning they were like everything is working great, everything is moving beautifully, let's get this going. And they did give me Pitocin because I wasn't naturally Originally, I wasn't naturally dilating on my own or having contractions, so I needed a little help. So they gave me the Pitocin to get my body ready for delivery.

Jill: 19:22

Around noon is when they gave me my epidural and broke my water. And then a couple hours later, my sisters and my husband and my daughter all go downstairs and they have lunch or dinner and Madeline, my oldest daughter. She showed up at the hospital right at four o'clock. My mother-in-law dropped her off and I was so thankful for that, but they're downstairs just having a good time. I'm upstairs napping because I was exhausted. I hadn't slept really a lot the night before and my body was so relaxed with the epidural that I was able to just sleep.

Jill: 19:59

So around 4.30, my oldest sister was like, asked my husband do they have your number? And he goes, I don't know, maybe. And so they eventually were like. My oldest sister was like we need to go upstairs now and check on what's going on. And when they did that, the nurse had come into the room to check me and she went oh my gosh, oh my gosh. And I looked at her, I go what? And she's like the baby's right there. She's like did you feel anything? And I was like no, she's like. I was watching your contractions on the screen the whole time. I didn't think that the baby was coming right now and I was like I honestly feel fine, I don't feel anything going on. So the nurse was just kind of frantic for a moment and then got herself collected and called for everyone that she needed. And my husband shows up at the door and he opens the door and they go you can't come in right now. And he just kind of looked at them like what is going on? We were gone for only a couple minutes or like an hour, and they go unless you're dad. And he was like I'm dad. So he comes in and he's just like, oh my gosh, we're having a baby right now. I come upstairs from eating and this baby's coming.

Jill: 21:14

So my two sisters and Madeline, my oldest, were in the family waiting room and one of my sisters was not very happy about that. She was like I have been here for two days. I'm going to be there when my niece is born, which I did. I wanted all of them to be there. So eventually they got Madeline. And then I was like wait, I want my sisters too. And they got my sisters as well and they all came into the room around like 4.40, 4.45.

Jill: 21:42

And Lillian was born at 4.49. It was so fast. The doctor asked me do you remember how to push? And I said like you bear down and you push and she goes. Yep, and she goes. Let's do a practice push. And I do a practice push and she goes. Nevermind, that's a real push and Lillian was out in two and a half pushes. I just remember feeling so overwhelmed with happiness and just crying because I was so happy having my sisters there, my there and my husband there was amazing because I, you, just all of them welcomed Lillian into the world at the same time and it just felt absolutely perfect oh my gosh, I love that they all made it in there just in time, that's.

Angela: 22:39

I'm so glad for that.

Jill: 22:41

And me too, I owe it all to my oldest sister, because she was like we need to get up there now.

Angela: 22:49

Yeah, Good thing. Yeah, you said that in your email like she had this spidey sense which is definitely around birth.

Jill: 22:56

Oh, yes, and she definitely. She was like. I knew we were supposed to come up here Because I I didn't text them or call them or anything, I was napping.

Angela: 23:06

Oh my gosh, I love it. So how was your postpartum?

Jill: 23:12

That was an interesting ride. So at first I felt like I was floating on cloud nine, like I felt like I came home on a high. I was like I want another baby already. I was like was floating on cloud nine, like I felt like I came home on a high. I was like I want another baby already. I was like I want one now. And my husband was like calm down, we just had a baby. I felt super energized, I felt just and I felt like I was in a euphoria. Basically, I just felt so excited and I couldn't come down from it and I felt so good and it was the opposite of baby blues. It was very, very interesting. Eventually that calmed down and I was like I do not want another baby right now. I am fine with this newborn that we have right now.

Jill: 23:57

I did get postpartum anxiety like way more. I didn't want to drive. I constantly told my husband he was not allowed to wear socks in our house while holding the baby because we have wooden floors and that really triggered my anxiety. I thankfully was able to like talk about it, talked to him about it constantly. I was like I know I have all of these irrational fears that are probably never going to happen, but I have to tell you how I'm feeling because if I don't, I'm going to burst like I have to explain how I'm feeling to you right now and please, can you maybe do some of the things I'm asking, like don't wear socks or put slippers on when you carry the baby. That was, that was something that we can joke around about now, um, thankfully, and that, and my anxiety got a lot better by the time she was probably like two months old, like it went. It got better and better and better, and I did talk to my doctor about that, just because I was a little nervous about how overwhelmed I felt, and she did say that we could try medication, but it could affect, like, your milk supply, and I was like I told her I didn't want something else to be anxious about, because I didn't want to hurt my milk supply, so I just talked about it a lot, talked about how I was feeling, which really, really, really helped.

Jill: 25:27

I definitely feel I was way more tired this time around, but I stopped During my pregnancy how I would just kind of stop and enjoy the moment. I did a lot of that this time around too. I just wanted to soak up everything that I could, and just watching my husband and my oldest daughter with the baby just was really really nice to see as well. Having that help was really great. My husband was able to take six weeks off from work, which I know not everyone is blessed to have, which was so nice. I didn't feel like I was alone. It wasn't like he had a week off and then had to go back to work. It was we got to do it together, which was really helpful, which I think really helped with the postpartum issues. Physically it took a lot longer to feel better and emotionally emotionally I feel like it took a little longer to feel better, but it for the most part I feel like it was. It was a pretty positive experience.

Angela: 26:31

The postpartum yeah, it is a roller coaster of hormones and emotions and all of the things it definitely, it definitely was.

Jill: 26:43

And it having a 12 year old at the time who was going through all her changes and then having a newborn at the time and then I was coming out of all of my hormone changes it was a lot. It was a lot of girl energy that first summer and a lot to kind of navigate through because I needed to be the support system for my oldest daughter and for the baby and nursing and everything like that for her. And then, thankfully, my husband oh my goodness, he helped me so much. The biggest thing that he did for me was he made all of my meals. That was probably the best thing that he could have done for my postpartum. He was like, what can I do for you? And I'm like just make me food, bring me water. That's honestly the biggest thing that I wanted and it was the most helpful thing that he could have done for me Because he was taking care of me, which felt good.

Jill: 27:51

The best thing that I could do was vocalize what I needed in that moment and he would listen, which was great. And then he would vocalize to me what I needed in that moment and he would listen, which was great. And then he would vocalize to me what he needed in moments too. This was his first baby, so he wanted to learn more and he would ask me how. Just a bath time or changing a diaper or giving her a bottle and stuff. He had never had baby experience, so that was really fun too. It was the communication that we had after we gave birth, or I gave birth. It was key to help us and to make us feel like we were not drowning in the newborn phase. That was huge. And then I had support from my sisters and my mom and my sister and my mother-in-law, which were great. They I mean everyone wanted baby snuggles, so that's that's also a really giant plus.

Angela: 28:51

Yeah, oh, my gosh, baby snuggles are the best they are, they are oh. So now, if you were to give advice to someone who is expecting or new parents.

Jill: 29:08

what would you say? I would definitely say communicate with your partner as much as possible. Communicate what your needs are. Both of you communicate what your needs are what you need in that moment. That really really helped. My husband and I Call your doctor if you're not feeling right. I mean, I called my doctor and you only you get that six week postpartum checkup and that's it. And I called them about, like my anxiety that I was having. I called them about some other issues that I felt like I was having and I just like just be your advocate, like you know your body. Don't let them say, oh, it's normal when you don't feel normal and then just soak it in. Take all the pictures, hold your baby all the time. You don't need to put them down, c them, they're only little ones.

Angela: 30:06

yeah, it's so, it's oh yeah, I feel the same exact way. I think my youngest daughter. I didn't put her down like I don't think for her whole first year. I had to, it was just let me just hold you.

Jill: 30:19

Yes, I mean I you. The way that I see it is like this is my last baby, these are all my last first. I'm never gonna have these first, ever again. And I like I say all the time I go, I don't remember the last day I picked up my oldest daughter and that breaks my heart, um. And then with Lillian, it's like all of us are experiencing me, chris and Madeline, we're all experiencing Lillian's first together and it's so fun and just watching her turn into like a toddler because once they turn one they're a toddler oh, it's been beautiful. I mean watching the relationships grow within our house has been beautiful. Just soaking it in, just soaking it in, taking one moment at a time. The dishes can wait, you know like just enjoy those moments with your baby, because they never, you never get them back yeah, they get big so quick they get so quick.

Jill: 31:34

I mean, I was right before this. I was on the floor with Lillian and she was attacking me with drooly kisses and I'm like, oh my goodness, a year ago you were just sleeping in my arms peacefully right, your house was probably neater. Yes, we weren't missing toys like I we have almost. We have very limited toys out. I'm like how is how is this gone already? Where did it go? They turn into these little tornadoes, and the best little tornadoes.

Angela: 32:06

But it's yeah, it's just like each stage. So get all in, even with your oldest daughter. It's like you know, there's it's just, it's all, just incredible all the different stages.

Jill: 32:15

It is and I and it's. I'm blessed that I had 12 years, but just my oldest daughter, because her and I are very, very close. She still snuggles with me, she still sleeps in bed with me. Sometimes she still tells me that she just wants mommy dates and I had to make sure I prioritized her as well, because she would express to me Mom, I feel like you're with Lillian all the time. I want time with you and I would say, Madeline, I'm very sorry and you're right, I will do that. That was also. That's also very important is, even though the baby needs you all the time, like your older kids are just dependent on you. Still, even if they're a preteen or a teenager, kids are just as dependent on you still, even if they're a preteen or a teenager.

Angela: 33:01

Yeah, absolutely, it can definitely be a struggle managing everybody's needs. Oh, yes, well, thank you so much, jill, for sharing your story today.

Jill: 33:16

Well, thank you so much, angela.

Angela: 33:19

That was so fun. I mean, it's fun to recap and that's the end of another episode of the my Main Birth podcast. Thank you for joining me and listening. I hope that the stories shared here have been inspiring and informative to all of my listeners. If you're looking to capture your own birth story, I highly recommend considering my birth photography services. I'm a professional photographer and I'm very passionate about capturing the raw and emotional moments of the birthing process, and I designed a personalized and intimate photo album, creating a beautiful and lasting memory of one of the most special moments of your life. For more information, head over to mymainphotocom and schedule a call with me. Thanks again for tuning in and I look forward to bringing you more amazing birth stories. Don't forget to subscribe and leave me a review, and I'll see you back here again next week