Gaines for Girls with Riley Gaines - Our Baby Is Here! Riley Shares Her Birth Story & Delivery Recap

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00:00:18.420 Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the Gains for Girls podcast.

00:00:21.660 If you're watching on YouTube.com slash OutKick, which you should be,

00:00:24.820 that's where you can find all things Gains for Girls, 1.00

00:00:26.620 you would see that sat in the seat next to me and today's co-host,

00:00:30.640 my most favorite co-host, is my husband, Louis.

00:00:34.620 Yeah, I guess last time we were on, we had just announced some exciting news

00:00:39.000 that we had a little girl on the way, and I guess it's only fitting to have another update

00:00:43.500 since little girl has now finally arrived.

00:00:46.160 No longer pregnant. She is here.

00:00:48.080 She made her way into this world on September 29th.

00:00:51.400 Six pounds, 10 ounces, 20 inches long.

00:00:54.240 We figured we would do an episode today to kind of go over all things labor and delivery.

00:01:00.060 The episode that we did a few months back when we had announced the pregnancy,

00:01:03.400 I talked a lot about my pregnancy, especially, of course, the first two trimesters,

00:01:07.500 I think at that point going into the third trimester, what that looked like for me,

00:01:10.860 how I felt.

00:01:12.240 I guess we can kind of give a little update on the last little third of that pregnancy

00:01:16.080 in the beginning of this episode.

00:01:17.420 But I've had so many of you guys, really you gals, lots of women who have reached out

00:01:22.260 since announcing that she is here.

00:01:23.960 She has been delivered.

00:01:24.740 She has made her warm welcome to this planet, to the Barker family.

00:01:28.460 I've had a lot of you reaching out, asking about what was labor like.

00:01:31.920 I think it's super cool because a lot of young women, especially, just inquiring. 0.99

00:01:35.920 You know, maybe pregnancy and labor delivery is something that has scared them in the past.

00:01:39.180 They had lots of questions.

00:01:39.880 So put something up on my Instagram a few days ago saying, you know, ask all the questions

00:01:44.980 we're going to cover in this week's episode.

00:01:46.240 So we have a list of questions we're going to go through, but figured we would start off

00:01:50.120 by, I guess, I think it's important to go over kind of that third trimester.

00:01:53.560 Anything of note to you, I will say kind of like if you didn't watch the episode when

00:01:58.500 we talked about our pregnancy and how that had been, especially on me and my fitness and

00:02:02.780 sleep and all the different things, all the symptoms that I had, I will say I was very,

00:02:06.900 very blessed and till that point had a fantastic, easy peasy pregnancy.

00:02:13.340 So I thought you were good up until probably the last 10 days and then you'd wake up every

00:02:20.840 hour to go to the bathroom.

00:02:23.440 And if you were going to like try and move around, like to readjust in bed, it would seriously

00:02:27.840 be a three point turn and every movement was.

00:02:30.640 Yeah.

00:02:31.540 No, honestly, my worst symptom, like truthfully, and I say this with my full chest, the entire

00:02:35.960 pregnancy was having to pee all of the time. 1.00

00:02:39.280 I'm so excited now to be in this state where I think, especially with breastfeeding, like 1.00

00:02:43.540 you can't drink enough water because you're losing fluid.

00:02:45.920 So like that has been the best, like outside of her being here, getting to love and snuggle

00:02:51.120 and just hold her, be her mom.

00:02:53.600 The best part of her being here is not having to pee all the time.

00:02:56.300 So the last trimester was just as easy as the first two, to be honest with you.

00:03:01.120 So if you're watching this, if you're a woman who, you know, hopes to get pregnant,

00:03:05.400 wants to, maybe is scared to, we hear a lot about the bad stories, like the horror stories.

00:03:10.480 And look, I am not here to discount what some women go through, but I am here to shed light

00:03:15.180 on there are pregnancies and labors and deliveries, as we will get into, that go super smooth.

00:03:21.100 And that is myself.

00:03:22.260 We live in this world where there's so much like, what about ism, where people feel scared

00:03:25.340 to say they had a good pregnancy because they don't want people coming after them saying,

00:03:30.200 you know, it's just the what about ism.

00:03:31.480 You see it on TikTok all the time, on social media.

00:03:34.100 But I'm not ashamed to say that I had a fantastic pregnancy.

00:03:37.200 I think a lot of it as well, like in all seriousness, was the fact that you were so fit

00:03:42.060 going into it.

00:03:43.680 I really think that that helps you out tremendously.

00:03:46.640 I mean, throughout the whole time.

00:03:47.820 Yeah, I agree.

00:03:48.360 I think prioritizing fitness prior to conception, maintaining that fitness through my pregnancy

00:03:53.840 and now being postpartum, it's been a week and about two days since she made her way

00:03:59.400 into this world.

00:04:00.520 But even still getting out and walking and of course, listen to your doctor, trust your

00:04:03.600 doctor, let him guide you on what that kind of looks like for you specifically.

00:04:07.880 But I've been totally good.

00:04:09.100 So fitness is definitely a key player in, I think, how you feel during pregnancy.

00:04:14.000 Okay, now let's talk about labor and delivery.

00:04:16.620 It was Sunday afternoon.

00:04:19.160 I did not want to be induced.

00:04:20.620 I wanted to do this whole thing as natural as possible.

00:04:24.520 But I kind of told myself, knowing her due date, that I did not want to go into October.

00:04:28.960 And if that was something that was going to happen, I would rather be induced than go

00:04:32.640 into the month of October.

00:04:34.560 Nothing against the October babies. 0.95

00:04:36.220 Yeah. 0.99

00:04:37.020 Honestly, this is like a super stupid reason why. 0.99

00:04:40.260 But I wanted her birthstone to be sapphire. 0.91

00:04:43.280 Again, sorry to all you October people.

00:04:45.000 Is it opal?

00:04:45.880 That's just like not as pretty as sapphire.

00:04:47.560 And that is the most like, that is so, I'm recognizing that is like so silly, but that

00:04:52.320 was kind of like what I had in my mind.

00:04:54.400 That was your competitive side where I don't even think it was much the birthstone.

00:04:57.700 I think you just wanted to beat your due date or try to beat your due date.

00:05:01.480 That's true.

00:05:02.680 It is.

00:05:03.180 I think it's like the athlete and you like, you feel like that's kind of like the threshold

00:05:06.080 and you want to beat it.

00:05:07.180 Good challenge.

00:05:07.920 Yes.

00:05:08.300 Well, that did not happen.

00:05:10.060 So I went in for an induction.

00:05:12.420 So I went in on Sunday at around 3 p.m.

00:05:14.880 We basically just walked in.

00:05:16.680 They took us right to our room.

00:05:17.640 It was already prepared given that it was kind of scheduled.

00:05:20.640 That was that.

00:05:21.860 When you're being induced, this was something I didn't really know.

00:05:24.360 I thought you just get there, take the Pitocin.

00:05:26.980 I didn't even know like, is that an IV drip?

00:05:28.440 Is that something you take orally?

00:05:29.460 Like I really was kind of in the dark about this, which I should have done more research,

00:05:32.520 but it wasn't the case.

00:05:33.620 You get there and they give you this thing called Cytotec, which kind of, I guess the intention

00:05:37.200 is to ripen the cervix, if you will.

00:05:39.520 That sounds so foul.

00:05:40.540 Yeah.

00:05:40.720 It's supposed to like ripen the cervix, help you dilate a little bit.

00:05:45.080 So took my first dose of that orally.

00:05:47.420 It's like this little bitty tiny pill at 4 p.m.

00:05:49.700 I pretty immediately started feeling like different.

00:05:53.760 I don't know how to describe it.

00:05:54.700 It wasn't full-blown contractions at this point, but I could feel things starting to,

00:05:58.980 I mean, be the beginning stages of labor, I guess.

00:06:01.360 You take Cytotec every four hours.

00:06:02.720 So that my first dose was at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

00:06:04.940 Took my second dose at 8 p.m. on Sunday.

00:06:07.260 This is when I could really start to feel contractions.

00:06:11.580 It had turned into like what I would describe.

00:06:13.780 And again, for all the women watching this, like pretty intense, like menstrual cramps,

00:06:18.320 manageable, bearable, but definitely painful.

00:06:21.460 So this to me was like, oh, is this what a contraction is like?

00:06:24.640 Again, first time mom, you don't really know.

00:06:26.340 I thought I can do this.

00:06:27.980 My plan was to be as natural as possible.

00:06:30.340 I talked about that on this podcast before.

00:06:32.260 Did not want an epidural initially.

00:06:34.080 I don't really know why.

00:06:35.020 There wasn't really like a set reason as to why I didn't want one.

00:06:38.180 I think for just of the conversations we had, I mean, talking it through, just thinking,

00:06:43.560 you know, trying to think logically about this stuff.

00:06:44.940 We thought it's going to make delivery easier.

00:06:47.280 You can get it, move around.

00:06:48.840 If you wanted to get on the squat bar, you can get on squat bar, whatever.

00:06:51.780 So that was kind of the, I think that was some of the thought process and not doing an epidural.

00:06:55.820 I'm just doing it naturally.

00:06:56.920 You're tough.

00:06:57.320 You know, if anyone was going to do it naturally, we were like, you could do it.

00:07:01.060 And that was, I think with the epidural, again, not really knowing a fear of mine was, I mean,

00:07:05.540 you're essentially paralyzed as it had been told to me from the waist down.

00:07:09.100 And that's kind of like a scary, I don't really like relinquishing control of my body, right?

00:07:13.840 I'm typically someone who's so in tune and self-aware with, with my body and bodily functions.

00:07:18.020 It scared me to not be able to move my legs in a critical, like really important thing, such as childbirth.

00:07:24.220 So that was, I guess, the thought behind it.

00:07:26.260 So anyways, menstrual cycle cramping type thing, took my third and final dose of Cytotec at midnight on,

00:07:35.820 I guess at this point, going into Monday morning.

00:07:38.120 So going from the 28th to the 29th of September.

00:07:40.860 Immediately upon taking that third dose of Cytotec, my contractions like amped up to a level I was just simply not prepared for.

00:07:50.120 I basically had what I think can really only be described as like an hour and a half long straight contraction

00:07:55.460 because my contractions were so close together with little relief.

00:07:59.960 And so I sat there for about an hour and a half.

00:08:02.880 Louie was a trooper.

00:08:03.600 He was awake in the chair next to me, like consoling me.

00:08:06.380 I thought I was going to throw up.

00:08:08.180 I was like in tears, so cold.

00:08:11.600 My body was shaking.

00:08:12.720 I was contracting from like my traps down to my toes.

00:08:15.800 It was so uncomfortable.

00:08:16.800 I really tried to tough it out for about an hour and a half.

00:08:19.400 It's like 1.30.

00:08:20.420 There was a moment where we thought you were just going to ascend into heaven.

00:08:24.640 Yeah, I was like, I'm dying.

00:08:25.600 This is it.

00:08:26.260 This is the worst pain I've ever felt in my life.

00:08:29.640 And so again, it's the middle of the night.

00:08:31.680 It's 1.30 in the morning at this point.

00:08:32.760 So I'm like, you have this like little red button on your hospital bed that you can click and the nurses will come in.

00:08:37.060 And they were coming in periodically and checking on me.

00:08:39.140 But I was too, honestly, too prideful to say that I was in pain.

00:08:42.820 You know, I was like, oh, no, I'm fine.

00:08:43.960 Thank you.

00:08:45.280 But it reached a point where I was hurting.

00:08:47.680 You were ill.

00:08:48.200 You were becoming ill from it.

00:08:49.460 And so I'm like talking to him.

00:08:50.460 I'm like, do I click the button?

00:08:51.420 And do I tell her I'm in pain?

00:08:52.580 The nurse, like, of course, I'm in pain.

00:08:54.200 Everyone in this unit, I would imagine, is in pain.

00:08:57.040 And again, being a first time mom, you don't know what these things are supposed to feel like.

00:08:59.720 I click the button.

00:09:00.900 I call her in there.

00:09:01.560 I'm like, look, I know I said I don't really want an epidural.

00:09:04.960 I want an epidural.

00:09:06.320 Yeah.

00:09:06.740 Give me the epidural.

00:09:08.440 So she did.

00:09:09.800 They had the anesthesiologist lady come in. 1.00

00:09:13.120 I mean, I sat there.

00:09:14.360 Let me tell you, the contractions were so bad.

00:09:16.080 You don't feel the epidural.

00:09:17.280 I didn't feel the epidural at all.

00:09:19.280 And it, like, went into effect pretty immediately.

00:09:22.600 It's a pretty hefty needle.

00:09:23.920 I'm glad I didn't see it.

00:09:24.960 The lady was asking me, because I saw the needle and stuff. 0.99

00:09:27.600 But I stood, you know, facing you when your back was away from it.

00:09:31.260 So we couldn't see it.

00:09:31.820 But I still, you know, being nosy.

00:09:33.840 Saw the needle and everything.

00:09:34.920 It was pretty impressive.

00:09:35.880 I'm glad you didn't see it.

00:09:37.720 You may not have wanted anything to do with that had you seen it.

00:09:42.460 So that was good.

00:09:43.000 No, I don't think so.

00:09:43.800 But went into effect pretty immediately.

00:09:46.460 And like I said, I thought you would be kind of paralyzed from the waist down.

00:09:49.640 I wasn't at all.

00:09:50.240 I could still move my legs.

00:09:51.260 Granted, of course, they were, like, heavier.

00:09:52.580 But I could still move around, which I appreciated.

00:09:56.720 So this is at 1.30 in the morning.

00:09:59.160 At this point, my blood pressure starts to plummet.

00:10:02.380 It got super duper low, which I will say I felt fine the entire time, especially after the epidural.

00:10:06.520 I felt great, actually.

00:10:07.580 Like, I was like, everything from this point on was really a breeze for me.

00:10:11.680 But my blood pressure started to plummet.

00:10:13.260 And, you know, they have all these wires hooked up to you and monitors and sensors.

00:10:16.540 And they could tell that the baby's heart rate started to drop.

00:10:20.520 And I think it's because my contractions were so frequent.

00:10:23.060 The way that she was positioned on the umbilical cord was causing her blood pressure to – or her heart rate to drop.

00:10:31.360 So –

00:10:31.680 Yeah, the way that they described it was, you know, if her heart rate drops during a contraction, they're not terribly concerned.

00:10:38.080 But it was always following a contraction.

00:10:40.420 So they said that, okay, that's a blood flow issue.

00:10:44.200 And they didn't necessarily like that all that much.

00:10:46.900 And, again, this is – this went on from 1.30 in the morning to 4.30 in the morning.

00:10:50.540 So basically the middle of the night.

00:10:51.940 Like, all the nurses are in this room and they're kind of freaking out.

00:10:57.240 They put me on oxygen.

00:10:59.320 Professionally, though.

00:10:59.800 Yes, professionally freaking out.

00:11:01.340 They weren't panicked.

00:11:03.340 No, no.

00:11:04.300 But it's always – I think it would be of concern to anyone when, you know, you've got five nurses in there, the charge nurses in there.

00:11:10.260 They're all staring at the monitor.

00:11:11.520 They're moving you around.

00:11:12.580 All that kind of stuff.

00:11:13.300 Which, again, I wasn't concerned.

00:11:14.960 I mean, I think I'm typically a very low-stress person.

00:11:18.360 So I was just happy I couldn't feel my contractions anymore, to be honest with you.

00:11:21.880 Yeah, you were happy as a clam.

00:11:23.180 You were on cloud nine at that point.

00:11:24.620 I was a little bit more of a nervous wreck, but we were good.

00:11:26.960 And I will say at this point, too, they don't let you eat in the hospital, especially when, you know, you're being induced.

00:11:32.540 Because if you have to have a C-section, they don't want you to have, like, a full stomach contents.

00:11:36.840 And so hadn't eaten since, like, 11 a.m. the day prior.

00:11:40.480 So was really, really hungry.

00:11:42.160 That was one thing.

00:11:43.060 So if you're going in for an induction, make sure you eat before you get there because they don't let you eat when you're there.

00:11:47.860 Did we sneak a couple twin snakes?

00:11:50.700 Yeah.

00:11:50.940 Absolutely.

00:11:51.520 Yeah.

00:11:51.980 Twin snakes are my favorite candy.

00:11:53.780 The little gummy, like, sweet, sour little Haribo things.

00:11:56.780 I love them.

00:11:57.440 So we definitely smoked some of those.

00:11:58.520 Sneaking them under the bed, too.

00:12:00.520 Yeah.

00:12:00.880 I had Cheez-Its, actually, in my little, like, gown pockets.

00:12:04.900 So don't tell the nurses that.

00:12:07.000 So anyways, from 1.30 to 4.30, the nurses were kind of stressing out with the whole oxygen problem. 0.99

00:12:13.560 Anyways, they had to end up giving me a shot of this thing.

00:12:16.960 I think it's called, like...

00:12:18.520 Sounded like Turbo.

00:12:19.440 Yeah.

00:12:19.680 Turbo is what they were calling it.

00:12:20.800 I don't know what the medical, like, analysis name for it is.

00:12:25.960 But that basically slowed down my contractions to a much more steady rate.

00:12:29.840 At this point, my blood pressure was better.

00:12:32.440 Her heart rate was better.

00:12:34.440 I was able to take a little nap.

00:12:35.880 So I slept from, like, 4.30 to 7.30 that morning.

00:12:39.160 Doctor came in.

00:12:40.640 He said, look, I'll be back in just a little bit.

00:12:42.400 We're going to break your water.

00:12:43.420 You're dilated at this point to the, you know, amount you need to be.

00:12:47.320 And we're going to give you this baby.

00:12:48.680 Which was, like, surreal to hear, honestly.

00:12:51.120 It was right at noon when they broke your water.

00:12:52.840 Broke my water.

00:12:53.760 She was here by 12.30.

00:12:56.020 So minimal pushing, really.

00:12:57.840 I think I pushed through maybe four or so, like, contractions.

00:13:01.380 Which, that's how this works.

00:13:02.320 Again, I wouldn't have really known that.

00:13:03.980 You push with the contraction.

00:13:05.320 So the contraction will come.

00:13:06.220 They'll tell you push.

00:13:07.120 It's basically three 10-second pushes in one contraction.

00:13:12.480 One thing I did that I did not think I would have wanted to do.

00:13:15.540 But I was, like, too curious.

00:13:17.120 Like, I felt like I was missing out on something.

00:13:19.180 I asked for a mirror.

00:13:20.620 It does sound.

00:13:21.100 It sounds weird.

00:13:22.180 But I think especially with people that are competitive.

00:13:24.880 Like, you can see the head.

00:13:25.940 Like, you can see the head.

00:13:27.360 You can see her hair.

00:13:28.400 Like, it gives you that, oh, like, she's there.

00:13:31.120 She's coming.

00:13:31.760 And so I think it was a little motivation for you to keep working.

00:13:34.440 Yeah.

00:13:34.660 So they put, like, a mirror down there that I could see.

00:13:38.440 Which, again, like, not a sight that I want to see again, necessarily.

00:13:43.500 But it was really cool to see, like, her head and all the hair that she has.

00:13:47.440 She has such dark, thick hair.

00:13:49.520 Which was such a shock to me.

00:13:50.900 Because, of course, being blonde, I just assumed that she would have lighter hair. 0.67

00:13:54.420 I don't know why.

00:13:54.900 Obviously, he has darker hair.

00:13:56.000 She took after her daddy.

00:13:56.860 She did.

00:13:57.480 She definitely did.

00:13:58.780 And so she was here.

00:14:00.960 They, you know, she's delivered.

00:14:02.900 They hand me the baby.

00:14:04.960 We were both, like, a mess.

00:14:06.600 I heard that first cry.

00:14:07.820 And that was game over.

00:14:09.300 I was bowling.

00:14:09.920 Yeah.

00:14:10.120 I was blubbing like a baby at that point.

00:14:12.080 I was trying to hold it in.

00:14:13.200 And there is a picture where every single vein in my forehead, from trying not to cry,

00:14:18.520 is just, like, throbbing.

00:14:19.780 It's like, okay, that's not cute.

00:14:20.880 It was so sweet, though.

00:14:21.660 And honestly, I could tear up thinking about it.

00:14:22.940 Because looking at him holding this baby that I had, I mean, you talk about her for nine

00:14:27.400 months, like, whatever it is, like, even, like, with pregnancy cravings, like, you kind

00:14:31.640 of make a joke of, like, well, Margo is craving this.

00:14:33.880 Like, this was the little girl we had talked about.

00:14:35.780 I had felt her hiccup inside me so many times, like, all these crazy things.

00:14:38.660 And then she's in your arms.

00:14:39.860 And it was just, like, the most beautiful, surreal moment.

00:14:43.740 And so it was really cool.

00:14:46.080 One of the things that I knew I wanted to do was a delayed clamping and cutting of the

00:14:50.360 cord, just making sure she got all of, like, the last and final dump of nutrients from

00:14:55.240 my body into her body.

00:14:56.380 And so the doctor let us sit there for probably, what, like, three or four minutes?

00:15:00.160 Yeah, I was probably, yeah, three, four minutes.

00:15:02.620 I think pretty much our only thing was just, like, from everything that we'd read and spoken

00:15:05.980 to the doctor about, wait until the cord turns white.

00:15:08.060 Once it turns white, it's, you know, done patting everything through that it needed to.

00:15:11.920 It's pretty neat.

00:15:13.180 I got to cut the cord.

00:15:14.180 That was kind of fun.

00:15:15.020 I don't know if I was necessary.

00:15:16.280 Like, I'd heard about it.

00:15:17.620 Doctor had said it once before.

00:15:18.700 I thought he was joking.

00:15:19.780 But he seriously just, like, handed me a pair of scissors.

00:15:21.900 And he was, like, he's going to be, like, cutting through a hose pipe and just go away.

00:15:26.500 Get on with it.

00:15:27.260 I was, like, okay, cool.

00:15:28.820 How was it for you?

00:15:29.940 Like, I don't know.

00:15:31.220 Like, I feel like I would have a hard time as a spouse, as a wife.

00:15:34.700 And maybe it's different as a husband.

00:15:35.900 But watching you, like, in a hospital bed go through this pretty traumatic thing.

00:15:40.360 Beautiful.

00:15:40.680 But, like, let's be real.

00:15:41.900 It is pretty traumatic.

00:15:43.080 Like, how was it for you watching that happen, like, to me, your wife?

00:15:47.700 I was surprisingly calm.

00:15:50.000 And I think I will credit that to the nurses.

00:15:53.820 Yeah.

00:15:53.980 Like, they were so, I mean, they were moving with purpose.

00:15:56.980 But, like, they kind of emitted zero stress, which was great.

00:16:01.860 So I think I was comfortable in the environment we were in, which definitely helped.

00:16:06.660 You know, I didn't know what to expect.

00:16:08.480 I didn't know what was good or bad at that point.

00:16:10.540 And so I was, you know, more so, I mean, we were just figuring it out as we went along.

00:16:15.460 So I think it was kind of a blessing in disguise being a little naive to all the ins and outs of what happens.

00:16:21.000 But I really wasn't stressed.

00:16:24.060 You know, my concern was just making sure that you were as comfortable as can be while going through all that.

00:16:29.820 I think the epidural helped.

00:16:31.580 But, yeah, I wasn't stressed.

00:16:33.320 I was anxious because, you know, our world was literally, you know, minutes away from changing forever, which you can't prepare for that.

00:16:41.160 But it is so surreal when it happens.

00:16:44.020 But, yeah, I was just almost anxious for the anticipation of that.

00:16:48.040 But I really wasn't nervous or stressed for you.

00:16:52.220 Probably, too, I feel like with hunting.

00:16:54.980 Yeah.

00:16:55.280 You've, like, gutted a deer and, you know, all this stuff.

00:16:58.580 Yeah.

00:16:58.720 But I feel like that, in terms of, like, the blood and gore of it kind of prepared you for that.

00:17:02.980 You know, there really wasn't that much blood.

00:17:06.000 You know, there was a little.

00:17:07.560 You know, when the placenta comes out and all that stuff, sure, there's a little bit of blood.

00:17:12.080 But it really, yeah, I mean, if you've ever hunted or even fished for that fact, you've seen just about as much blood as, you know, there's more involved in that than there is.

00:17:21.940 So she came, was delivered, sitting on my chest.

00:17:23.660 They took her, they weighed her, 6 pounds, 10 ounces, 20 inches long. 0.54

00:17:25.800 She was a little bitty thing, really. 0.69

00:17:26.600 It's also, like, when the baby comes out, especially if you are having, like, a vaginal delivery, kind of has, like, a cone head.

00:17:32.640 Oh, for sure.

00:17:33.380 Yeah, yeah.

00:17:34.200 One of those, like, Aztec skulls that you see in, like, history books.

00:17:37.200 Okay, she's going to listen to this and be like, dang, my parents were roasting me.

00:17:40.620 She, it, like, more, it's amazing.

00:17:42.260 This is, like, to speak to how amazing, I mean, our bodies are, especially a little bitty baby.

00:17:46.120 Like, their skull, the way that it is, like, the fissures that it has, like, it's meant to do that.

00:17:51.040 That's the only way you can, like, physically get a baby out.

00:17:53.440 If the head wasn't, like, malleable, if you will, it wouldn't, like, it wouldn't be the same process that we go through.

00:17:58.780 And so definitely came out with a little bit of a cone head. 0.92

00:18:01.300 But it was, like, within 12 hours, like, a normal human baby head.

00:18:05.080 It is kind of funny, though, because when she came out, I was like, this is the most beautiful being that has ever, you know, lived on this earth.

00:18:12.180 And then we look back even 12 hours later at pictures and we're like.

00:18:14.880 Oh, my gosh.

00:18:15.960 I think that's, like, a universal experience, though.

00:18:18.060 Yeah.

00:18:18.220 So that was that.

00:18:20.600 We found out pretty immediately.

00:18:22.080 You know, they do all the tests and things that she was Coombs positive, meaning, it sounds kind of scary.

00:18:27.700 It's really not.

00:18:28.280 Our blood types were different.

00:18:29.340 So when she was in the womb, our bloods were basically fighting each other.

00:18:33.560 Like, her blood was forming antibodies to my blood type and in the process was breaking down my red blood cells, but also breaking down her red blood cells.

00:18:42.900 You think that was an accurate summary?

00:18:44.180 Yeah.

00:18:44.520 Any, like, medical professional listening to this, like, if I got that wrong.

00:18:47.760 That's kind of how it was explained to me, at least how my mind understood it.

00:18:50.800 It didn't really mean too much in terms of what this would require, but she had high bilirubin levels, meaning she had a smidge of jaundice.

00:19:00.020 So the treatment for this was basically just exposure to blue light.

00:19:04.980 So her therapy.

00:19:05.820 Yeah.

00:19:06.260 So her first night on this planet, she slept in like this.

00:19:10.360 It was like, it looked like from the Avatar movie.

00:19:12.200 It was like this incubator, if you will.

00:19:14.440 And she was in our room the whole time with us.

00:19:15.980 This incubator, if you will, with these, like, bright blue lights and this blue blanket she was on, just, like, soaking up all the, it looked like a tanning bed.

00:19:24.420 It was like a tanning bed.

00:19:25.100 We can't forget the Frozone.

00:19:27.200 Oh, yeah.

00:19:27.700 Goggles.

00:19:28.460 She, because the light is so intense, like, they give her these little goggles.

00:19:31.880 And again, she's this little tiny little bean. 1.00

00:19:34.520 And they put these, like, goggles on her face.

00:19:37.220 We got to keep them.

00:19:37.940 And so I can't wait to show those to her when she is old enough to understand the, I guess, comedic relief, if you will, of a little bitty baby in these goggles.

00:19:48.760 But that was cleared and we were good to go.

00:19:50.740 We left the hospital.

00:19:51.280 We were only in the hospital for what?

00:19:52.880 I mean, two nights.

00:19:53.860 Maybe three nights, including the Sunday that we got there.

00:19:57.280 So it was a very easy process.

00:19:59.320 Dads.

00:20:00.000 Yeah.

00:20:00.220 So bring a pillow, bring a blanket, bring hoodies, and bring some Tylenol PM.

00:20:06.580 It is not, for the faint of heart, sleeping on that recliner.

00:20:10.180 No.

00:20:10.540 But it's worth it.

00:20:11.380 You know, you kind of embrace it.

00:20:12.500 I should include a picture of you looked like sleeping on that recliner. 0.88

00:20:16.500 There is a very violating photo that you took of me.

00:20:19.060 That's so funny.

00:20:19.980 I did not sleep.

00:20:21.600 I slept four hours and 48 hours from when we first got into the hospital.

00:20:25.060 And so when I did, I had an hour sleep one night.

00:20:28.160 I got three the next.

00:20:29.020 And so when I passed out on that second night, it was the ugliest sleep I've ever had in my life.

00:20:33.500 But it was so good.

00:20:34.320 I needed it.

00:20:35.140 One more thing that Louie did in the hospital, which was super sweet and he surprised me with,

00:20:38.540 kind of surprised me.

00:20:39.320 I'm really hard to surprise.

00:20:41.160 I like...

00:20:41.600 The worst.

00:20:42.060 Yeah, I am.

00:20:42.600 The worst.

00:20:42.840 She digs and dives and snoops and she's going to try and find everything she can.

00:20:46.300 One time when I was probably in middle school, even like my Christmas presents when I was younger,

00:20:50.860 my parents would wrap them up and put them under the tree.

00:20:52.980 That's how our family worked.

00:20:54.120 Like Santa presents weren't wrapped.

00:20:56.040 My parents' presents to us were wrapped.

00:20:57.440 And so my parents wrapped a pair of Nike tennis shoes, which now I don't wear Nike.

00:21:03.880 But I thought these tennis shoes, they were like the neon color, which was super like middle school core.

00:21:09.360 A few, I mean, think of 2012, like the neon Nike shoes.

00:21:12.520 My parents got me a pair.

00:21:13.500 And orange and blues.

00:21:14.080 I was so excited to wear them.

00:21:16.860 I opened the present, like unwrapped it, wore them to school, came back home, put them back

00:21:21.360 in the box and wrapped it back up.

00:21:22.380 So my parents never knew.

00:21:23.300 So all that to say, I'm pretty hard to surprise.

00:21:27.560 But he surprised me with what we have deemed or what has really like across the board been

00:21:33.560 deemed as a push present.

00:21:35.220 It's a scam.

00:21:36.460 Dads, husbands, it is the biggest scam.

00:21:39.600 But don't not fall for it because you're going to get in trouble now.

00:21:42.260 Yeah.

00:21:42.780 Yeah.

00:21:43.260 I feel like, and this makes sense in my mind, like I carried the baby for nine months.

00:21:47.280 That's kind of like my present to him, if you will, to both of us, but like to him.

00:21:52.080 And so a push present, the present that I get for pushing, that only makes sense.

00:21:57.740 Absolutely.

00:21:58.160 That's girl math. 1.00

00:21:58.800 That is fine.

00:21:59.280 Yeah.

00:21:59.860 And so he made this really beautiful ring.

00:22:03.460 You probably can't really see it, but it's this one.

00:22:05.380 And it's got a band of diamonds, a band of sapphires, her birthstone, and a band of diamonds.

00:22:09.920 And the idea, you want to talk about?

00:22:11.860 Yeah.

00:22:12.240 You know, I wanted to do something that we can always add on to.

00:22:16.780 So I thought about a little necklace for a while, but I was like, okay, how do you add

00:22:19.040 on to a necklace?

00:22:19.600 You add another pendant and it looks weird.

00:22:22.460 And I appreciate jewelry.

00:22:24.300 I always have.

00:22:24.820 I mean, when I was in high school, I'd buy and sell watches, shoes, bags, whatever,

00:22:28.180 you know, whatever I could do to make money, but I've always appreciated jewelry.

00:22:30.800 And so I was trying to think of something that we could always add on to and you don't

00:22:35.140 limit yourself by doing it.

00:22:36.260 And so I thought, okay, let's do it.

00:22:37.120 We could do a ring.

00:22:38.320 And so that's why we went with three.

00:22:39.780 So it's diamond, sapphire, diamond.

00:22:41.600 And then I guess when we have the next one, it'll be whatever the birthstone is.

00:22:44.620 And then another row of diamonds.

00:22:45.840 So you go three, five, seven, you can stack it.

00:22:47.940 So there's some continuation to it and each of them get their own little set.

00:22:51.300 Yeah.

00:22:51.660 And the idea is eventually when, I don't know how we want to do this, but either when,

00:22:56.440 when we pass or when the time is right, each child gets their push present.

00:23:03.500 So it's kind of like a cool family heirloom type of thing too.

00:23:06.840 So really, really sweet.

00:23:08.180 And again, like put me in tears in the moment.

00:23:10.220 And it was, it was cool because he handed me the ring as they took the baby off my chest

00:23:14.200 to go do the height and weight and all that stuff.

00:23:16.300 So it was really special and very sweet.

00:23:18.800 Don't forget that.

00:23:19.620 Yeah.

00:23:19.860 Don't forget.

00:23:20.220 Yeah.

00:23:20.580 Yeah.

00:23:20.940 And women know to ask for the push present. 1.00

00:23:23.900 Yeah.

00:23:25.960 Throw us a softball.

00:23:27.060 We need gentle reminders for this stuff.

00:23:28.900 We're not very proactive.

00:23:30.420 No, you are proactive.

00:23:32.180 You really are.

00:23:33.160 Okay.

00:23:33.660 So we've been home now for about a week and I truly believe that we created a perfect angel

00:23:40.260 baby.

00:23:41.120 We're not biased or anything though.

00:23:42.520 No, she seriously though is, is perfect.

00:23:45.120 Like she has been such a dream.

00:23:48.740 Whether it's feeding, whether it's sleeping, which is, I mean, those are basically like

00:23:52.520 the only things that she does. 0.59

00:23:54.040 She sleeps all the time.

00:23:55.560 Yeah.

00:23:55.860 Which I don't know if I was, I didn't know what to expect when we got home.

00:23:58.700 I did not expect her to sleep like 16, 17 hours a day.

00:24:02.600 Yeah.

00:24:02.900 The only time, like she does not cry.

00:24:05.100 The only time she cries is when changing her diaper and the wipe is wet and she immediately

00:24:09.860 stops crying when the new diaper is on.

00:24:11.340 So that's been like such a blessing.

00:24:14.180 I, you know, you've grown up with kids around, you know, nieces, nephews, siblings.

00:24:20.380 I've only got one younger cousin.

00:24:22.020 That's it.

00:24:22.620 And so I was, I mean, I was absolutely inexperienced when it comes to babies and kids and all that

00:24:28.160 stuff.

00:24:28.840 But it's all, what I've, I mean, what I noticed even within the first 24 hours is that there's

00:24:33.640 a checklist.

00:24:34.580 If they're crying, they're either cold, tired, hungry, or they need the diaper changed or they

00:24:39.400 want to pacify if they'll take one.

00:24:40.520 And that's it.

00:24:41.460 You kind of just go through one thing.

00:24:43.580 If that's not it, move to the next, move to the next.

00:24:45.220 And then at some point I'll stop crying.

00:24:46.720 It's been great.

00:24:47.560 Just follow the, honestly, like it is, there's kind of like a little checklist of things to,

00:24:51.740 to figure out, decipher when she's, she's upset.

00:24:55.880 Um, for sleeping, I've had to wake her up to feed. 0.92

00:25:00.080 Um, she's latched great.

00:25:02.420 Of course we have been breastfeeding her.

00:25:04.840 Uh, I have had no issues with supply.

00:25:08.000 She has had no issues with latching.

00:25:09.300 Uh, I mean, pretty immediately upon coming out again, doctor puts her on my chest. 0.57

00:25:14.060 She's like, it's amazing how like instinctual, like she's like immediately searching for her

00:25:18.360 food in the supply.

00:25:18.860 The only way that I can describe that is feral.

00:25:20.580 Yeah.

00:25:20.800 She really was like, like eyes weren't really open, but if there were, they would have been

00:25:25.440 like locked in.

00:25:26.720 Like she, she knew what she was looking for.

00:25:28.460 Yeah.

00:25:28.960 It's crazy.

00:25:29.680 So that's all been great.

00:25:30.760 Um, figured we would get to some of the questions that you guys left.

00:25:35.040 I had never changed a diaper in my life.

00:25:36.600 Oh my gosh.

00:25:38.780 Kind of terrifying.

00:25:39.780 I don't even know what story.

00:25:41.160 Kind of terrifying.

00:25:41.780 Weird because at first when the baby, like the first few days, like.

00:25:46.740 There is a picture of the first diaper change in the hospital.

00:25:49.360 Yeah.

00:25:49.380 He's like petrified.

00:25:50.160 Black tar is the only way to describe the, the first, what, three or four days.

00:25:55.680 Yeah.

00:25:56.820 Oh my.

00:25:57.500 The, it doesn't smell, which is great.

00:26:00.360 The most terrifying thing you have ever seen.

00:26:02.700 Literally black and sticky.

00:26:04.200 And it is the worst to try and clean up.

00:26:05.900 So new dads, be prepared.

00:26:09.040 It's, it's not for the faint of heart, but you'll get through it.

00:26:11.560 You'll be okay.

00:26:12.500 Now it's transformed into like, and this, this probably is so like entry level to most.

00:26:17.620 I mean, anyone watching with kids, like you're like, duh.

00:26:20.360 But again, we had no idea.

00:26:21.360 Now it's very like mustardy.

00:26:23.240 Oh, it's awful.

00:26:24.120 I can't even believe we're talking about this again.

00:26:25.900 She's going to watch me like one day and be like, I can't believe you were talking about

00:26:28.780 what my feces looked like to a, a community of people online.

00:26:34.540 No, sorry, Margo.

00:26:35.900 All right.

00:26:36.460 Questions.

00:26:37.120 Who has changed more diapers? 0.87

00:26:40.080 Honestly, I think you, I don't know.

00:26:41.580 We've probably been pretty equal because I think I'll do more during the, well, no,

00:26:45.900 I'll do both during the day and night.

00:26:48.300 Yeah.

00:26:48.560 I would say you.

00:26:49.340 I'll hop up.

00:26:49.940 I don't know.

00:26:50.540 You've been good though.

00:26:51.600 I think it's equal.

00:26:52.640 Someone asked, someone has picked up on the fact that we haven't shown her face on social

00:26:56.480 media.

00:26:57.440 So they asked, will we show Margo's face?

00:27:00.560 Not yet.

00:27:02.020 I think, you know, more so just to look at it, just to protect her.

00:27:05.560 I think respectfully, some people can be crazy.

00:27:10.340 And so I think just in terms of limiting her exposure, especially when she's so little

00:27:15.660 and so young, we'll probably hold off on, on showing her little sweet face.

00:27:20.620 This was something I didn't feel too strongly about.

00:27:22.300 Like I was fine kind of one way or the other.

00:27:25.260 This was more of like protective dad, which I value and I respect.

00:27:28.660 Um, and so not releasing that information, number one, like you said, people are crazy

00:27:33.820 as made very clear within the past few weeks.

00:27:36.180 Like people will target you.

00:27:37.500 People will, I think, especially when Margo has a mom, both are parents really, who's like 0.63

00:27:43.580 major cause and what has given me the platform that I now have is, is ultimately the trans

00:27:48.400 issue. 0.99

00:27:49.060 The people who lobby for the trans stuff are insane. 1.00

00:27:51.960 Like if they're crazy enough to believe that a man can become a woman, they're crazy enough 1.00

00:27:56.440 as indicated by the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, they're crazy enough to kill 1.00

00:28:00.540 you. 1.00

00:28:00.780 Like they're willing to risk their lives to prematurely end yours.

00:28:05.100 And again, you hate to say it makes sense, but if you're deluded enough in the mind to

00:28:09.720 think that men can become pregnant, why would we expect these people not to be deluded enough 1.00

00:28:14.080 to want to kill you?

00:28:15.760 And so that in terms of protection and there are just creeps online.

00:28:19.200 Like there are, yeah, just, yeah, I think whenever, I think it would be nice.

00:28:26.440 Naive to think that we can fully shield her from any exposure ever.

00:28:32.140 I mean, that's just not realistic, but you know, sorry, we're not just going to hand

00:28:36.500 information out about her necessarily.

00:28:38.300 So I think it's just, you know, doing what we can, being realistic to shield her from some

00:28:44.720 of the stuff.

00:28:45.180 I think, you know, let's let her be a kid and grow up. 0.99

00:28:47.960 Yeah.

00:28:48.620 Which will be hard.

00:28:49.580 I'm so proud.

00:28:50.320 Like, I'm so proud that we created this and it's so beautiful.

00:28:52.940 And like the bluest eyes, he has really blue eyes.

00:28:58.360 My eyes are blue.

00:28:58.980 Her eyes are like beautiful.

00:29:00.140 Her complexion, her hair.

00:29:01.060 Like, I'm so proud of her.

00:29:02.440 It's hard not to like want to show her off, if you will.

00:29:05.220 But I think definitely for the time being, just protecting that.

00:29:07.940 We'll definitely revisit as she grows a little bit. 0.87

00:29:10.520 And, you know, but I think for the time being, we'll, we'll keep that just for us.

00:29:15.020 Lots of people have asked if Margo is a family name.

00:29:17.060 Which Margo is not, but it was really cool because her middle name is Jean, which is my

00:29:22.640 grandma's middle name and her mom. 0.96

00:29:24.300 So my great grandma's name, Jean.

00:29:26.740 And so we named her Margo Jean.

00:29:29.760 My grandma, I didn't, I like, we knew we were going to, we decided this probably maybe like

00:29:34.600 halfway through the pregnancy, we decided her name.

00:29:36.340 And so I didn't tell my grandma, like my grandma has turned into such a sap in her old

00:29:41.340 age, as you do, right?

00:29:42.400 Like everything makes her cry.

00:29:43.740 Even today we were out eating lunch and the host came up and said, you know, thank you

00:29:48.500 for your courage.

00:29:49.160 I know who you are.

00:29:49.940 Like, and my grandma is sitting there in tears. 0.93

00:29:51.760 I'm like, oh my gosh, we call her Gammie.

00:29:53.020 I'm like, Gammie, you don't have to cry, but she's just turned into a sap.

00:29:55.960 And so anyways, we made it the whole way without telling her this.

00:29:59.100 We had this idea and like this plan of how we were going to tell her in the hospital that

00:30:01.980 we had given her middle name to Margo.

00:30:05.320 But my grandma was up in the nursery. 0.92

00:30:08.120 She has the cutest little nursery, by the way.

00:30:10.100 She was up in the nursery and there was a quilt that said Margo Jean.

00:30:13.320 And my grandma turned it over, had it hidden, folded, put away so she wouldn't see it.

00:30:16.620 And she turned it over and she just immediately was in tears.

00:30:19.000 So that was really sweet and special.

00:30:20.540 Sobbing.

00:30:20.920 Yeah.

00:30:21.540 Immediately.

00:30:22.240 Yeah.

00:30:22.540 Okay.

00:30:22.760 People have asked, um, ideal birth plan and how far it was from reality.

00:30:26.500 Again, the intention, the idea was to be as natural as possible in a hospital setting.

00:30:31.020 I knew I wanted to give birth in a hospital, like give it home birth. 1.00

00:30:33.680 That was never for me.

00:30:34.680 I think the women who do it are literally like superheroes. 1.00

00:30:38.680 Um, after going through what I did and, and kind of like experiencing that hour and a half

00:30:43.540 of intense contractions.

00:30:45.380 Um, I don't know how women do it. 1.00

00:30:47.580 Uh, but I think you're a superhero if you do.

00:30:50.060 Home birth was never for me.

00:30:51.700 Um.

00:30:51.980 My thing with home birth as well is that, you know, again, as husband, dad, I definitely

00:30:57.720 wanted us to be in a place where if something wasn't quite going right, which, you know,

00:31:02.600 for a lot of pregnancies and deliveries, things don't go quite to plan.

00:31:05.840 And, you know, God forbid you need an emergency C-section or, you know, needed any additional

00:31:12.120 care that we couldn't do at home.

00:31:13.840 I wanted us to be there where we could get it right away.

00:31:16.640 Yeah.

00:31:17.080 I didn't want to risk you or the baby.

00:31:18.580 So then one epidural, got the epidural.

00:31:20.820 I'm not like ashamed of it.

00:31:21.980 I just, it was more so again, a toughness thing.

00:31:23.880 I thought I could tough it out.

00:31:25.380 I'm not, I wasn't, I was not tough.

00:31:27.820 Um, and I think if I were to, or maybe when we eventually is the better way to say it,

00:31:32.500 eventually God willing, have more kids, uh, I imagine I will definitely get the epidural.

00:31:37.920 My take from the start on the epidural was I, again, I just want you, I wanted you to be

00:31:42.220 as comfortable as possible and I could not push out a baby after seeing that.

00:31:48.020 I don't know how women do it. 1.00

00:31:49.620 Phenomenal.

00:31:50.460 I could not.

00:31:51.020 And so I, I was, I was glad to see the almost immediate relief after you had the epidural.

00:31:57.580 Yeah.

00:31:57.880 And it was immediate relief.

00:31:58.940 Yeah.

00:31:59.200 Okay.

00:31:59.440 They've asked about vaccines and what we did there.

00:32:01.660 Okay.

00:32:02.440 First of all, highly, highly, highly recommend, um, the book that we read called the vaccine

00:32:07.440 friendly plan.

00:32:08.480 I believe is what it's called.

00:32:09.740 I forget the doctor's name who, who wrote the book, but he's awesome.

00:32:13.240 Turns out this book was written like, I think nearly 15 years ago.

00:32:16.500 He has a new book now.

00:32:17.480 And the book like was awesome because it basically just presented you with information, do with

00:32:21.820 it what you will.

00:32:22.520 I guess there was like a little, like he, there wasn't much opinion.

00:32:25.760 I think there was maybe a little guidance, like this is what's in the vaccines.

00:32:29.300 This is what the FDA recommends.

00:32:31.080 This is, you know, all the information is there.

00:32:32.940 Do with it what you will.

00:32:34.120 Um, really appreciated that.

00:32:35.260 That was 15 years ago.

00:32:35.980 He has a new book now called the Vax Facts.

00:32:38.220 I think, uh, I think, I mean, you can get it on Amazon, uh, and it's much, much more conservative.

00:32:43.080 And it goes to show you the information that I think healthcare providers and healthcare

00:32:47.580 professionals and what really we as the general public have come to understand and realize

00:32:51.800 over the past 15 years and the shift that we have seen, I think, especially from young

00:32:55.980 people, like more younger people are starting to question big pharma, uh, largely to thank

00:33:02.800 COVID.

00:33:03.760 Right.

00:33:04.040 I think a lot of that opened so many people's eyes, including my own.

00:33:07.480 Um, so.

00:33:08.940 I think as well, I was, I don't know if you're the same way, but I was almost.

00:33:13.680 I don't want to say nervous, but when, like, when you kind of check in at the hospital,

00:33:17.640 you've got to do all this paperwork and stuff.

00:33:19.860 Um, and they were asking, you know, post-birth, what do you want to do?

00:33:23.040 Do you want to do, there's the vitamin K, there's this eye ointment, there's hep B.

00:33:26.940 I think that they're all, that they all try to do day one.

00:33:29.360 And wasn't, I don't want to say ashamed, but almost interested to see the reaction from

00:33:35.880 the nurses when we said, okay, like we didn't do the hep B, you know, Riley doesn't 0.53

00:33:40.260 have hep B.

00:33:41.300 Therefore, baby wasn't going to have hep B.

00:33:42.640 You know, like, I don't want to say that we were ashamed, but there's almost like

00:33:46.120 this.

00:33:46.640 You feel guilt on them.

00:33:47.380 Like, they make you feel guilty.

00:33:48.880 Yeah.

00:33:49.220 I will say the staff at the hospital we were at were fantastic.

00:33:52.440 And like most of, I mean, virtually all the nurses came in and they were like, yeah, we're

00:33:56.220 not into all the vaccine stuff either.

00:33:57.860 And they were younger women again.

00:33:58.800 And so that was really cool.

00:34:00.120 And I think a perk of living in a place like where we do in Tennessee, which everyone was

00:34:03.960 great.

00:34:04.680 But there is, there's like guilt, especially like if you post online that your child's

00:34:08.340 not vaccinated, you have all these people who come for you saying like, you know, order

00:34:11.760 your newborn casket now.

00:34:13.040 Or I mean like really horrific things, which is just crazy.

00:34:16.160 And, you know, and we're not anti-vax, you know, period through, yeah, period.

00:34:22.180 But it's more of a, okay, we're going to wait a second.

00:34:25.860 You know, we've looked at, you know, like what would they do in England?

00:34:28.060 I don't think, I think it's six weeks before they do anything in England.

00:34:30.960 You know, so we're going to take our time, figure out what we think is important.

00:34:35.120 You know, again, we'll speak to our pediatrician and say, look, what, what, you know, what

00:34:38.840 do we need to do?

00:34:39.480 What should we stay away from?

00:34:40.520 And just get advice.

00:34:41.780 Listen, we're going to, we're going to do what we think is right for our child.

00:34:44.520 My thing when I thought about this is again, learning what's in these vaccines, like aluminum,

00:34:49.700 or as they say in England, aluminium, aluminium, learning that there's aluminum and mercury

00:34:55.180 in these vaccines was mind blowing to me because we've made this huge shift as a society to not

00:35:00.160 have like deodorant with aluminum in it, but we're going to inject little bitty babies 1.00

00:35:03.860 with like 30 times the FDA recommended amount of aluminum.

00:35:07.040 Like that didn't make sense.

00:35:07.860 And mercury, I wasn't allowed to, or what they say during pregnancy is you should be

00:35:11.760 shouldn't eat fish, right?

00:35:13.420 You can have fish.

00:35:14.480 They say some doctors may say portions or once a week or whatever it is, but you're

00:35:18.320 not, you're not supposed to ingest high amounts of, of things like salmon because of mercury.

00:35:22.740 Yeah.

00:35:22.980 We're going to give babies vaccines with mercury in it.

00:35:25.320 It just didn't make sense to me.

00:35:26.420 Yeah.

00:35:26.540 Those fishy fish.

00:35:27.740 Yeah.

00:35:28.040 They're like, yeah, you got to stay away from the real fishy fish.

00:35:30.200 So we ended up doing no happy, no eye ointment.

00:35:33.540 We did the vitamin K, but we did it preservative free, which is an option.

00:35:37.700 If that's something that you want to do, um, make sure.

00:35:40.720 I mean, I think it's standard where every hospital is supposed to have a preservative

00:35:44.780 free vitamin K and that's not a vaccine.

00:35:47.680 Um, so if that's of interest to you, make sure you request it because they won't tell

00:35:52.040 you it.

00:35:52.740 Vitamin K.

00:35:53.140 I mean, it helps with blood clotting.

00:35:54.460 Like, you know, once you cut the umbilical cord off, it doesn't bleed, but when the umbilical

00:35:58.860 cord falls off, you know, once it dries out, there's a chance that it can bleed.

00:36:02.500 And so helping out with stuff like that, she's got real sharp little nails. 1.00

00:36:06.360 Well, even like brain bleeds and stuff.

00:36:07.780 And like, if you're a boy getting circumcised or whatever it is.

00:36:10.260 So that's what we did in terms of vaccines.

00:36:12.340 Uh, someone's asked, how's recovery been?

00:36:14.580 I was up walking around like.

00:36:16.440 Within an hour.

00:36:17.180 Well, sorry.

00:36:17.760 Two.

00:36:18.020 It was about two hours.

00:36:18.960 Cause you were.

00:36:20.040 They say, yeah, you're not supposed to get up after the epidural for so long.

00:36:23.400 And you were like chomping at the bit.

00:36:24.900 And like, whatever.

00:36:25.420 I feel fine.

00:36:26.000 Like, putting IVs out and stuff.

00:36:26.760 I was like, oh boy.

00:36:27.980 She's off.

00:36:28.900 Yeah.

00:36:29.200 So I was up and out.

00:36:30.640 Um, I have felt awesome.

00:36:32.460 It tastes like.

00:36:33.840 It probably took like three days for my like uterus to kind of shrink back down. 0.99

00:36:39.780 So now I already, like I've, I've been able to put my pre-pregnancy jeans on, which feels

00:36:43.920 awesome.

00:36:44.740 Uh, that's been fantastic going on walks again.

00:36:48.260 I advise you to talk to your doctor, your OB.

00:36:51.300 Um, but my OB is super cool, super chill.

00:36:53.960 He's awesome.

00:36:54.840 Uh, I've been cleared to, you know, kind of take it slow, but I feel, I feel awesome.

00:36:59.860 I feel fantastic.

00:37:00.820 So that's been great.

00:37:02.320 Um, how has it been to watch your significant other become a mom or a dad?

00:37:06.180 And I will say it's like a different kind of love watching your husband become a dad.

00:37:15.120 Like the love that he has for her is like the most like beautiful, wholesome thing ever.

00:37:22.220 I didn't think I could love him more.

00:37:23.400 And then watching him with her, it's like a whole new kind of love.

00:37:26.120 It really is.

00:37:26.860 She's our little bean. 0.99

00:37:27.880 Yeah.

00:37:28.320 Yeah.

00:37:28.560 It's been, it's been, it's been really neat watching you.

00:37:31.020 I always knew that you'd be a good mother.

00:37:32.140 You've always had a real maternal instinct, but even, I mean, you've blown up.

00:37:36.160 Blown me away, seeing it, like actually seeing it play out.

00:37:39.520 That's been really cool.

00:37:40.640 It has been, it's been really cool.

00:37:42.120 Do you want to talk about your philosophy?

00:37:44.160 Cause we had talked about prior to her being here of like how we're going to parent and

00:37:48.040 what like parenting style we're going to use, discipline action, like all these different

00:37:51.880 things that I think moms and dads should talk about.

00:37:55.060 Um, you know, we're having those conversations.

00:37:57.480 Yeah.

00:37:57.960 I mean, it's important to be on the same page more than anything, but for us, I've always

00:38:02.760 wanted to set the example of what a relationship should look like.

00:38:08.140 Right.

00:38:08.600 And so probably going to get hate for this.

00:38:10.740 Um, but the way that I described this to Riley is that I want Margo and however many 0.96

00:38:16.160 other kids we have to look at us and be like, Oh yeah, mommy and daddy together.

00:38:20.760 And then we're all here.

00:38:22.420 We're hanging out.

00:38:23.100 You know, I want them to see that, that me and Riley are a team.

00:38:26.880 We're on the same page.

00:38:27.680 It's not mommy versus daddy.

00:38:30.100 It's mom and dad together.

00:38:31.560 We are one that, you know, in terms of, I, the one thing that I would hate more than anything

00:38:36.220 is for some, one of, you know, Margo to run to Riley and say, Hey, can I do this?

00:38:40.520 She says no.

00:38:41.140 And then she comes to me and I say, yes, that inconsistency is something that would drive

00:38:44.420 me nuts.

00:38:44.840 So the example that I gave Riley and she was like, there's no way you're going to stick to this.

00:38:48.120 And it's, it's already been hard, but I'm going to try my best is when I get home from

00:38:53.380 work or when we walk in, not sidelining Margo, but making sure that the first person that I go in

00:38:59.980 and give a hug and a kiss to is Riley and then Margo, you know, I want them to see that,

00:39:04.280 that it's mommy and daddy and we are one.

00:39:07.720 And then, you know, we still love, we still, you know, obviously love them, want them to feel

00:39:11.740 loved, but I want them to know that we are a team more than anything.

00:39:14.340 That's like, it's so hard for me to, like, not just want to, you know, walk in, but I

00:39:20.580 agree entirely.

00:39:21.560 And I think the way that he put it and saying like, mommy, daddy, Margo, um, at first you

00:39:27.820 were like, we can't do that.

00:39:29.080 Like it's mommy, daddy, Margo.

00:39:30.400 No, but it, it makes sense.

00:39:32.320 And I think to set that example is an example that kids are lacking.

00:39:35.600 Number one, like we see that and how, whether it's, it's, I mean, kids who think there are

00:39:40.660 no consequence, like we see it all the time.

00:39:42.280 Um, kids who are kind of lacking that direction or example in the home and we see it in the

00:39:46.080 world or in our culture or in society or in school or whatever it is.

00:39:49.320 So to be that for our kids, I think is really important.

00:39:51.480 Yeah.

00:39:51.600 I think it's, I mean, most important thing for us is we've got to set an example and you

00:39:56.740 know, that goes in everything that we do.

00:39:59.000 And I think it's especially important in relationships because what's the statistic now that 50% more

00:40:04.000 than 50% of marriages end up in divorce.

00:40:06.120 I would hate, you know, we're not going to be that statistic just so you know.

00:40:09.140 Um, we've kept, don't smile.

00:40:12.800 We keep saying like no generational trauma.

00:40:15.620 No generational trauma.

00:40:16.620 And so I want, she needs, I feel like it's important to have an example of what a loving

00:40:23.920 and healthy relationship looks like.

00:40:25.300 And sure.

00:40:25.740 Do we bicker about stuff?

00:40:26.660 Absolutely.

00:40:27.220 But the one thing that I got big on when we first got married is that it doesn't matter

00:40:32.540 how irritated we are with each other, whatever has happened, we're not going to be that

00:40:36.300 couple that sleep in separate rooms.

00:40:38.320 There are so many parents that do that now and the kids think it's normal.

00:40:41.500 And like, that's not a healthy relationship.

00:40:43.400 And so I think just setting that example is something that I want to be really, really

00:40:47.240 big on.

00:40:48.440 If you follow me on like Instagram or TikTok, especially that's where I post, I feel like

00:40:53.020 more of my personal life.

00:40:54.100 You know, we have dogs.

00:40:55.880 We've got three hounds, three little domestic terrorists.

00:40:59.120 Springer Spaniels. 0.98

00:41:00.080 They are like truly the best dogs though.

00:41:01.640 We have Buddy, Lady, and Dumbo.

00:41:04.320 Buddy was our first male.

00:41:06.400 He's my boy.

00:41:07.200 Lady was our girl. 0.85

00:41:08.760 Buddy and Lady got together.

00:41:10.300 They had 10 puppies.

00:41:11.820 Dumbo being one of them.

00:41:13.820 And so kept him.

00:41:15.160 So three dogs.

00:41:16.120 They are like, I mean, prior to like having Margo, they're like, I mean, they felt like

00:41:19.560 my kids, which is probably unhealthy.

00:41:20.980 And like, there's probably like a thing about that.

00:41:22.640 But there's, to me, like nothing like a dog's love.

00:41:27.040 It's unconditional.

00:41:27.680 You're the best part of their day.

00:41:28.720 Every single day, their tails are wagging.

00:41:30.100 And they're so excited to see you.

00:41:31.460 Like when we pull in the driveway, like I love that.

00:41:33.700 So they've kind of been like my kids.

00:41:35.600 It feels like.

00:41:36.980 Lots of people have asked, how have our dogs been with her?

00:41:41.240 So I'm sure, I mean, if you've seen any of her stuff on socials, Lady has been, I mean,

00:41:46.340 from the start of pregnancy, so intuitive about it.

00:41:49.580 Like infatuated.

00:41:50.200 Yeah, about pregnancy and knowing that something was different.

00:41:54.880 I think we knew from the start that she was going to be fantastic.

00:41:58.260 You know, she's, she's always been a mama's girl. 1.00

00:42:00.920 Like we knew that she was going to be okay.

00:42:02.420 The other two, it was interesting when we first got home because so Dumbo, the baby or

00:42:07.740 the puppy, not so puppy anymore, I guess.

00:42:10.580 He really didn't seem that bothered.

00:42:12.920 He was kind of just like, oh, hey, another person.

00:42:16.120 Buddy, he's definitely our alpha male.

00:42:19.040 And so I think we were, I mean, I wasn't nervous about him being around her, but you just pay

00:42:23.640 a little closer attention to, to him, you know, around babies and kids and stuff.

00:42:27.960 And so I was interested to see how he would react.

00:42:30.340 But I mean, when we opened that car door, he hopped right up, he was sniffing her hand,

00:42:35.160 his tail was wagging.

00:42:36.220 He was happy as could be.

00:42:37.460 Gentle too.

00:42:37.980 Yeah, he really was.

00:42:38.760 He almost knew to be gentle, which I didn't, I didn't think he would know.

00:42:43.400 I thought he'd still just be a bull in a china shop, but he did know to be gentle, which

00:42:46.920 was really sweet.

00:42:47.620 So they just kind of watch over her all the time.

00:42:48.980 Like when she's in the little bassinet, they're just sitting there staring at her, like, you

00:42:52.480 know, wanting her to like give them a belly rub, which one day, one day she will. 0.95

00:42:57.260 Ladies, lady was funny the other day. 1.00

00:42:59.360 We were doing tummy time where, you know, you put Margot on her belly and one of the 0.96

00:43:03.460 little, I don't know what you'd call it, play thing.

00:43:07.800 And one of the things on it squeaked and we didn't realize it squeaked.

00:43:10.980 And so I think you squeezed it together and it squeaked and Buddy is a fiend for a squeaky

00:43:16.480 toy.

00:43:16.660 But yeah, and so he sits up, his ears kind of poke up a little bit and lady, as soon

00:43:22.780 as he like sat up too fast, oh, she, she growled. 0.79

00:43:27.300 She was, she was, she was putting that boy in check.

00:43:29.900 Got between him and Margot like, okay, don't move that quick around her.

00:43:34.040 Yeah.

00:43:34.300 So it was really sweet.

00:43:35.060 Yeah.

00:43:35.140 She really, she, she's going to keep him in check.

00:43:36.660 He's like Nana from Peter Pan.

00:43:37.820 She is that.

00:43:38.680 Um, this person asks, will your content shift?

00:43:42.400 You know, honestly, I have kind of mixed, like, I think truthfully, yes.

00:43:45.680 And naturally so though, you know, I don't think shift maybe isn't a good word.

00:43:49.160 Like, of course I will still talk about the things that I've been talking about.

00:43:52.360 Obviously the trans issue of free speech, like all the cultural stuff, of course, like

00:43:55.740 to continue speaking to that and providing my input or insight or, you know, interviewing

00:44:01.240 different people on this podcast, which we do so well, like, of course we'll still continue

00:44:04.900 to do that.

00:44:05.300 But I do think there are some different lanes that I kind of want to like dive into.

00:44:10.780 Number one, learn more about like from other people, other creators, other, other, I mean,

00:44:15.140 just people, you don't have to be an influencer, if you will.

00:44:17.700 I hate that word.

00:44:18.760 Um, one of those topics kind of being motherhood.

00:44:22.000 Um, I think there's a space for it.

00:44:24.280 I think there's a niche for it, especially on the conservative side of things.

00:44:27.280 So I would love to be able to produce more like content surrounding motherhood.

00:44:33.080 Um, and I think secondly, another thing that I've always been passionate about, something

00:44:36.600 we've talked about in this podcast is fitness and like the fitness side of things.

00:44:39.700 And so one of the things that I want to do, especially coming back now from, I say from

00:44:44.860 maternity leave, she's literally a week old, which I'm so fortunate to have the studio in 1.00

00:44:48.480 her house.

00:44:48.860 She's literally sat right here.

00:44:50.440 Like I can look at her.

00:44:51.340 She's sound asleep in her little snuggle me little thing.

00:44:54.000 Um, but would love to kind of get into like the fitness side of things, which we have

00:45:00.240 awesome people on the conservative side who talk a ton about like health and wellness.

00:45:05.080 But I feel like the fitness piece has kind of been missing from conservative culture conversations.

00:45:11.980 And so that is something that I would love to do.

00:45:14.400 I feel very passionately about, and I think it could help women, especially all people,

00:45:18.180 everyone needs exercise.

00:45:19.300 Everyone needs, you know, that, that sort of drive.

00:45:21.820 I think it's a fantastic outlet to get anger, frustration, stress, anxiety out.

00:45:25.800 Like it makes everyone feel better, but I think especially for women. 0.74

00:45:29.240 Um, so I'd love to be able to contribute in those ways, I think.

00:45:32.880 And I'm sure you'll absolutely smash it.

00:45:34.800 Um, well, we appreciate you guys.

00:45:36.300 Thank you for tuning in to the Gains for Girls podcast with my co-host, Louis, the best

00:45:40.920 co-host.

00:45:41.600 Yes.

00:45:41.860 The best husband, the best dad, which is still kind of just crazy to say.

00:45:45.060 So my dad hat, I say we have many, many more.

00:45:49.360 It is cool, especially now, like, obviously with, with the passing, I mean, the murder

00:45:54.700 of Charlie Kirk and to see all these things and to recount on conversations that he and

00:45:59.840 I had had where it was, you know, have as many kids as possible.

00:46:03.340 Now having a child like that, that legacy that he left behind.

00:46:08.960 I fully understand it. 0.99

00:46:10.180 I think you are certifiably crazy. 0.98

00:46:12.640 The first thing that you said when the doctor asked how you were doing, he said, great. 0.99

00:46:17.260 I want to be pregnant again right now.

00:46:18.560 Like this was like minutes after pushing out the baby.

00:46:20.340 My y'all hit the floor and he was like, no one has ever said that to me before.

00:46:23.380 Like in this state that you're in right now. 0.97

00:46:25.700 So that, yeah, I think you are a little crazy, but we'll see. 0.96

00:46:28.260 I'm ready. 0.76

00:46:28.940 She's ready.

00:46:29.920 Help me.

00:46:31.240 Well, thank you guys.

00:46:32.020 We'll see you again next week.

Gaines for Girls with Riley Gaines - October 08, 2025

Our Baby Is Here! Riley Shares Her Birth Story & Delivery Recap

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