Birthing Beyond 35

Welcome to another episode of Birthing Beyond 35!

We are back after a short summer break with a stellar episode featuring Ch-a Mosely.

Ch-a conceived naturally at 46 and had her first baby at 47. Like most, this wasn't the path Ch-a anticipated, but after choosing to focus on her own career aspirations and making the choice to never settle, she found herself with her baby girl when the timing was right for her.

You can follow Ch-a on instagram and check out her website at https://pregnancyoverforty.com/

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This week, Wanda Pedzinski joins me from Toronto. She has two beautiful girls, and what makes her story so unique is she had her first baby at 40 and her second at 46.

Wanda, however, endured seven miscarriages to get to that point of having her second girl. She was so brave she never really gave in advice from her doctors or what people at the fertility clinic said; she instead said, "I trust my body, and I’m gonna keep trying". 

I hope whoever has had challenges gains some insight and perhaps some inspiration from this week's conversation.

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On today’s episode, I’m joined by Henrietta, who is based in Australia. She shares her open and honest journey into becoming a single parent by choice. 

After finding out she was pregnant with a man she wasn’t in a relationship with, she decided that at 39 years old, this was her time. After discovering the “happy accident,” she decided then and there to have the baby and raise him alone. Henrietta is brutally honest about her decision to do what is right for her and is very open about her encounters as a single mother. This is a great listen for anyone out there, be it advanced maternal age or not, and perhaps wondering if going on the solo pregnancy journey is for them.

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This week, Nik Toth joins me from her home in Bali, where she lives with her boyfriend, Dylan, and baby boy, Blaze.

Nik is an NLP Mindset Coach, Somatic Educator, & Healer who gave birth to her first baby at 39.

From working in Las Vegas in her twenties to running a fitness coaching business in Sydney, Nik covers all the bases when it comes to transformations. Nik also shares her vulnerable transformation from a weight-loss-obsessed young woman secretly struggling with an eating disorder to discovering her worth is from within.

After being told by a doctor at 38 that she was more than likely infertile and that her boyfriend also had a low sperm count to the point the doctor claimed IVF wasn’t even an option,  Nik went away and focused on getting her hormones aligned with her manifestations. A few months later, she fell pregnant naturally.

Nik also shares her story of wanting a home water birth and the pivot she had to endure from wanting a natural birth.

You can follow Nik here and listen to her podcast here 

More about Aware Parenting here  

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In this week's episode, Senior NFL Insider for The Athletic, Dianna Russini shares her path to meeting her husband in her mid-to-late thirties and her quick natural conceptions for her two baby boys.
 
After many years of focusing on her career, Dianna was starting to wonder if she’d ever have the opportunity to be a mother. Then, in a moment, life dramatically shifted.

Dianna discusses becoming a mother for the first time at 38 and again at 39. Also, she describes how she kept her first pregnancy a secret from the public despite being on television weekly.

Dianna’s story reminds us never to give up hope or buy into the narrative that just because you’re a certain age, what you want in life won’t happen.
 
You can follow Dianna here or follow her work at The Athletic.

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Joining me today is actress and mom influencer Selah Victor. She is the mom of three boys who she had in her late thirties and forties, both naturally and via IVF.

After her first attempts at trying to conceive naturally, Selah learned she had endometriosis and was made to believe IVF may be her only option.

Little did she know it wasn't! After having her first baby via IVF at 37, she went on to conceive naturally with her two other boys at 39 and 41 years via C-section and VBAC!

You can follow Selah here https://www.instagram.com/selahvictor/

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This week ESPN Analyst Mina Kimes candidly discusses her road to becoming a mother at 38 years old.
 
 After climbing the competitive ladder as a woman in sports media, Mina started considering her options for starting a family when she turned 35.  Originally believing IVF was potentially going to be her only option, Mina went ahead and froze embryos. Little did she know she would not be needing them!
 
Fast forward to a couple of years later and Mina conceived naturally with no issues.
 
Mina's story is also a great reminder we don't have to be rail-roaded into thinking a pregnancy timeline is one-size-fits-all, and to trust your own body and beliefs.

Listen to Mina's podcast here or see her killing it with NFL coverage over on ESPN

https://www.instagram.com/mina_kimes/

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Perhaps you’ve tried everything to get pregnant and still don’t feel like you’re making progress. Or maybe you’re just starting to think about your health and hopeful about having a baby in the future.

Joining me this week is Michelle Oravitz, who recently authored a new book, The Way of Fertility, which dives into fertility through the lens of ancient wisdom. Michelle is also the host of a fantastic podcast called ‘The Wholesome Fertility Podcast’. 

You no doubt have also been hearing a lot about egg quality, especially if you’re trying to figure out how to improve your fertility health. Michelle walks us through simple things you can implement into your daily life to help you on your pregnancy journey.

Links:

https://www.thewholesomelotusfertility.com/about-us

https://www.instagram.com/thewholesomelotusfertility/

]https://www.thewholesomelotusfertility.com/thewholesomefertilitypodcast

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Single and living in Salt Lake City with a demanding TV career tested Kristen Kenney's resilience.

After a failed engagement in her mid-thirties, Kristen threw herself into her work as an NBA sideline reporter which led to her to believing IVF or adoption was her only option.

After an emotionally draining, yet positive experience attempting to secure healthy embryos, Kristen randomly met a man in Las Vegas and fell pregnant naturally, giving birth to her first baby at 40-years-old.

Join us for an open, no holds barred conversation about being single, being down and out, and life doing a 180 when you least expect it.

You can follow Kristen at @kristenkenney

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Each and every week my aim is to share stories directly from moms who have had healthy pregnancies and babies over 35.

And in today's episode we get to really focus on not getting caught up in societies expectations of when and what we should be doing by a certain age as a woman. 

Laura Behnke was 35 years old and had never been in a relationship. The former TV presenter was living in New York, concentrating on her career, all the while having this little secret that she’d never had a proper boyfriend.

But as life and priorities shifted, Laura allowed herself to be open and a few months later, she met her husband, getting married at 38.

Deciding they wanted children, the IVF journey began - from dealing with a rare genetic condition to educating themselves on infertility treatments, Laura really opens up on her whirlwind of a journey.

We even managed to discuss home births and hospitals! This episode has it all and it's also a great reminder that not everyone’s path to having a baby has to be planned, or easy.

IG: @laurabbehnke

@thelifeactuallypodcast

Website: laurabehnke.com

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