Baby boy number 2 has arrived! It’s so wild what an adventure pregnancy and labor and delivery are. There’s so many highs and lows and ALL THE EMOTIONS but with the absolute best reward ever in the end. In this episode, Kristina is sharing her entire birth story; which was much different (and harder) than her first experience, and to be honest, pretty stressful and traumatic. Although both mom and baby are recovering and doing well, Kristina openly and transparently walks through the details of her labor and delivery, giving her advice and learnings along the way. She shares how she and her husband Steve introduced baby Christian to Nikolas, his initial reaction to his baby brother, and how it’s going now. Motherhood is so hard and so fulfilling at the same time. Balancing a newborn and a toddler is a whole new ballgame but Kristina feels so confident and at peace knowing that she’s got this.

“On the way to the hospital, honestly, we had so much fun. I was in so much pain and we just started blasting music and acting like we were going to the club. We were singing at the top of our lungs and it felt like we were just about to embark on this crazy adventure, which we were. But instead of going to the club, we're going to the hospital.” - Kristina Zias

“All I knew was: the baby's gonna come tonight, so there's no point in me trying to get some sleep. So I was like, I'm gonna do my makeup and hair because if we're gonna have a baby tonight, I might as well at least try and look cute, and at least that will distract me from the pain. This is how I choose to give birth, how I choose to distract myself. And it was an amazing distraction, honestly. - Kristina Zias

What We Talk About:

How Kristina’s feeling as a mom of 2
Processing a traumatic birth with self compassion
Was the psychic medium Steve saw (from episode 89) right about the baby’s gender?
Preparing for birth when you have a big baby and what Kristina did to get him to come naturally
The timeline of the night she went into labor
How she distracted herself from the pain
Her expectations versus the reality of her second birth
The biggest differences in her experience with Nikolas and her second delivery
What she suggests talking to your doctor about before delivery
Her stressful pushing process
The scary post delivery realization the doctor had
What Kristina’s recovery process was like and what she did to feel more like herself
How they introduced Nikolas to the baby and his initial reaction
How everyone’s doing now

“Not to sound so woowoo, but that energy really makes a big difference. I know if I were to have another one or if you're having a baby, I think it's important to communicate the type of energy you need from your doctor because that is something I never would've thought of.” - Kristina Zias

“ Around 11:26 AM my little boy Christian James DeAngelo, who was born: nine pounds, five ounces with a knotted umbilical cord. My little miracle baby is just like the sweetest little thing, and I feel like I'm just meant to be a mom. I feel so confident in that, and it feels really great. Obviously it's super, super hard and challenging and there have been tears along the way but I feel like you realize how strong you are and how resilient you are, and just having a growing family is such a blessing.” - Kristina Zias

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Resources:

Prenatal massage: Sparrow’s Nest Los Angeles
Steve’s Psychic Reading episode 89
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Follow the Hosts/Founders: @kristinazias & @raeannlangas
Learn more: https://www.theconfidentcollective.com/
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