This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Jessica Rush: Hi everybody, welcome to this episode of Mamas Talkin' Loud.

[0:03] Cara Cooper: I'm Cara Cooper, and you're listening to our episode with new mamas, Kara Lindsay and Jennifer Rias.

[0:10] Jessica Rush: Uh oh.

[0:12] Cara Cooper: Uh uh oh.

[0:14] Jessica Rush: Uh oh, Mama's talking loud.

[0:18] Cara Cooper: Mama's talking loud, mama's talking tough, mama's talking how being good with good enough.

[0:25] Jessica Rush: Mama's talking life, mama's talking proud, mama talking trash.

[0:31] Cara Cooper: Mama's talking live.

[0:38] Jessica Rush: Hi everyone. Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of Mamas Talkin' Loud.

[0:41] Cara Cooper: I'm Cara Cooper.

[0:42] Jessica Rush: And I'm Jessica Rush. And today we've got two mamas with us that we have been trying to get in for ages.

[0:48] Cara Cooper: We are so excited. We've got Kara Lindsay with us.

[0:51] Jessica Rush: Kara originated the role of Catherine on Broadway in Disney's Newsies.

[0:56] Cara Cooper: She's also been a Glinda. She was most recently Cynthia Weil in Beautiful.

[1:01] Jessica Rush: And we have Jen Rias.

[1:04] Cara Cooper: Uh, she made her Broadway debut in Rock of Ages.

[1:06] Jessica Rush: She is a veteran of five Broadway ensembles, three of which she performed in the same season, people.

[1:13] Cara Cooper: Holy moly. Incredible.

[1:15] Jessica Rush: Um, and we are so excited to have them here. They both have little babies.

[1:21] Cara Cooper: We actually tried to get them on the show while they were pregnant. That's how long this has been in the making.

[1:25] Jessica Rush: True story. Thank you so much for being here, you guys.

[1:30] Kara Lindsay: Thank you for having us.

[1:31] Jenn Rias: This is the best.

[1:32] Cara Cooper: Yes.

[1:33] Jessica Rush: I know.

[1:34] Cara Cooper: Oh my god. Mama's Unite.

[1:35] Jessica Rush: Yes, exactly. Mamas Unite.

[1:38] Cara Cooper: Um, ladies, something we discovered when we were, well, welcome, first off, and thank you. I'm so glad you're happy to be here. Finally made this happen. But something we discovered is that your baby boys are only six days apart.

[1:51] Kara Lindsay: That's crazy.

[1:53] Jenn Rias: That is crazy.

[1:55] Kara Lindsay: That's nuts. Kara, will you um jump in and tell us about your sweet baby?

[2:00] Kara Lindsay: Sure. Um my gosh, where do I even begin? I mean, well, he was born November 12th.

[2:09] Kara Lindsay: November uh 12th, 2019. And um he was a week early. Um I could go into a whole long story. I would just keep talking. So I don't know if you want me to do that. We can come back. We can bookmark it birth stories. Probably best. And we'll bookmark it to come back to birth stories. But what is his name?

[2:25] Kara Lindsay: His name is Emerson Charles Massie. And we named him Emerson because it means brave. Um I'm actually wearing his little a necklace from another Broadway mama, um, Jessica Hirschberg now Fontana. Um, and she made this for me. This is the best. I don't know if you guys have a lot of things. I want one of those.

[2:48] Jenn Rias: I know.

[2:48] Kara Lindsay: I'll find out the company's name and I'll send it to you.

[2:51] Jenn Rias: Please do. It's real cute. His name means brave, so we like that.

[2:57] Cara Cooper: Yeah. Jen, when did your baby arrive in the world?

[3:04] Jenn Rias: November 6th.

[3:06] Cara Cooper: So just right before little Emerson, who's so cute. Are you kidding me?

[3:10] Cara Cooper: Oh my gosh. Wasn't Carson late?

[3:14] Jenn Rias: Oh, I just gave it away.

[3:16] Cara Cooper: I gave it away.

[3:17] Jenn Rias: No, he didn't give anything away. He was the most late. Like, sir, please come out. Are you kidding me? Like how long?

[3:24] Cara Cooper: 42 weeks?

[3:25] Jenn Rias: We've got to get this rolling.

[3:27] Jenn Rias: Um, almost. Almost. Yeah. I had to be induced, so thank goodness. It was I went in for a checkup and it was like heading to the hospital today. So that kind of a thing. But yeah, his due date was Halloween. It's gonna be my little pumpkin baby, but he was late.

[3:44] Jenn Rias: So really like a week late, but yeah, this felt right when you're ever it felt like actual years. Yes, it was not right.

[3:52] Cara Cooper: Both my babies were 41 weeks on the dot, and for every day I was over, it felt like a year. I was like, I've been pregnant for six years now. Yep, please get out of me.

[4:03] Jenn Rias: Yep, you've gotta go.

[4:04] Cara Cooper: That's crazy. Blessing.

[4:08] Jenn Rias: Yeah, right. I know. Elliot was early, she was a week early as well, Kara. So like really that's yeah, similar. She she was ready to come out. And I remember the week before I had her, the doctor was like, Okay, well, she's right here, she's ready to go, and she's a little big.

[4:24] Jenn Rias: So if we're back in this same spot next week, we'll talk about inducing. And I had a convo with her like on the Monday before my appointment on Wednesday, and I was like, girl, I don't want to force you out. I need you to come. Let's go. And then she came on Wednesday morning. I was supposed to be back in the office on Wednesday, right?

[4:41] Cara Cooper: She listens to directions.

[4:43] Jenn Rias: She's definitely a Virgo. She was like on it.

[4:45] Cara Cooper: I was just gonna say, I mean, we have Scorpios, and everybody was like, watch out, watch out. You're having a Scorpio baby. I was like, would you stop? Everyone says that, and everyone's like, Oh, you should have maybe had it's like excuse. I'm sorry, what are you talking about? We could choose, okay. Guess what? He's gonna be great. Okay, he's gonna be fine. We're gonna be great.

[5:09] Jenn Rias: Yes, he's gonna be great. I am a Scorpio, and my son is also a Scorpio.

[5:15] Cara Cooper: Thank you.

[5:15] Jenn Rias: See a point done.

[5:17] Cara Cooper: There you go. Story. End of story. Great, yep.

[5:20] Jenn Rias: I will say he's like super duper dramatic, so that may be in your future. So just know that, you know.

[5:26] Cara Cooper: Okay, yep. I see that. I see it.

[5:29] Cara Cooper: Um, so one of the reasons we wanted to have you ladies here with us was to discuss um what it's like to be pregnant when you're doing a Broadway show, right? I mean, like, you know, Cara Cooper did Jersey Boys and Kara Lindsay, you were in Beautiful and Rias, you were in the Cher show. But um, uh what is it like?

[5:47] Jenn Rias: How far along were you, Kara? Will you tell us your story first?

[5:50] Kara Lindsay: Yeah. Um, well, I found out that I was pregnant the morning of my first rehearsal going in to the show.

[5:56] Kara Lindsay: Oh wow. I was returning. So I had I had done the show before I'd filled in a couple times. So this was me coming back, but it was like um, yeah, it was the first rehearsal of that third time coming back to fill in.

[6:11] Kara Lindsay: And um, we just had one day and it was March, and I wore my winter coat all day long because I thought people would notice, even though he didn't thought I thought like I was gonna fire cute about all of this stuff, which obviously was not true.

[6:28] Kara Lindsay: Um once I told them, they were really, really excited for me. And um uh we've had a a long journey. Uh this is such a long story, but I had PCOS, have PCOS.

[6:41] Kara Lindsay: And I don't know if you guys have talked about that.

[6:43] Cara Cooper: No, we haven't.

[6:45] Kara Lindsay: We haven't. Polycystic ovarian syndrome. So it just um it's uh basically you don't ovulate. Um and it's a hormonal disorder, and um, so it was just gonna be a little bit harder for me.

[6:58] Kara Lindsay: Um, so this was like uh he was like our little miracle baby. Um yeah, so it was amazing and unexpected and like wonderful, and but then it came with oh my god, I'm starting this job, and oh what am I gonna do, right?

[7:13] Kara Lindsay: And she's Cynthia Weil is um she's the she's the fashionista, all of her costumes are really form fitting. I know you guys know that. I mean Jersey Boys, um, red dress, right?

[7:26] Jenn Rias: Right, that was nice, yeah.

[7:28] Kara Lindsay: But we all were bare midriffed for the opening, so yeah.

[7:32] Jenn Rias: No, absolutely not.

[7:33] Kara Lindsay: Yeah, I mean, um, so yeah, so I found out that day and freaking out, I'm really excited, also really scared and um, but mostly excited.

[7:44] Kara Lindsay: And I told the uh the the um oh my gosh, I have no words, costume supervisor um about it, um, because everything changed immediately for me.

[7:55] Kara Lindsay: I mean, like boobs.

[7:58] Jenn Rias: Oh yeah, yeah.

[7:59] Kara Lindsay: Like you're gonna have to take this out because I can't breathe. I and it was just he took things out like centimeter by centimeter because he they still wanted that silhouette of Cynthia Weil, so they were wonderful and so understanding, and it was really just a secret between us, and um and I didn't tell anybody until um I was three months pregnant, and they had already taken out my costumes like six times, um, but really, really slowly.

[8:26] Kara Lindsay: And um nobody else had known and knew nobody knew except for my co-star Ben Jacoby, uh, because there were times where morning sickness, which isn't just in the morning, you know, happened, and I was like, this is why.

[8:40] Kara Lindsay: So um, but he was so sweet and so excited for me, and um yeah, I only told him and then also Stephanie Martinetti. Um, I don't know if you guys know her.

[8:51] Jenn Rias: Yeah.

[8:51] Kara Lindsay: Was um the Cynthia Weil understudy, and she was also pregnant at the same time. It's five weeks behind me.

[9:00] Kara Lindsay: So I had actually a vacation that I had planned um before I knew I was pregnant, um, when I thought I was gonna be in the show for a year and it was only gonna be five and a half months.

[9:12] Kara Lindsay: Um so I I told her, you know, I'm not gonna be taking this vacation anymore. Um, and I just wanted to tell you, but I'm gonna be gone forever, not forever. I'm pregnant. And she was like, so am I.

[9:28] Kara Lindsay: Oh my gosh. It was crazy. It was really amazing.

[9:31] Kara Lindsay: So anyway, it's really fun. And then I left at five months pregnant, and then I swear, like I I grew exponentially.

[9:43] Jenn Rias: Yeah, same.

[9:43] Kara Lindsay: Like I was 17 weeks pregnant when I left, uh, when I finished doing the show I was doing in Chicago, I was doing Gypsy, and I was 17 weeks pregnant, and the very like we I swear to God, I was like, pop like everything.

[9:56] Kara Lindsay: My whole body subconsciously was like, you can release now. And it was just like and I know visibly pregnant.

[10:02] Jenn Rias: Yeah, exactly.

[10:03] Kara Lindsay: Exactly. So I mean, you were wearing Bob Mackey.

[10:08] Jenn Rias: I mean, I was not ready.

[10:10] Kara Lindsay: It was about it. First of all, I found out I was pregnant the day after we got married. Mike and I got married.

[10:17] Jenn Rias: Oh my gosh.

[10:18] Kara Lindsay: So we were in Bermuda. We did like, you know, just very intimate, you know, went to Bermuda and it was amazing.

[10:28] Kara Lindsay: And that the very next morning at the buffet at the hotel, it was like, you know, all the friends and family, and I was like, something's not right. But I was like, you know what? I hit that prosecco last night. So I don't know with that champagne.

[10:41] Kara Lindsay: Um, but then that night at dinner, I was freaking out, and I was like, I cannot calm down. And we're at a Mexican restaurant, and that's my jam.

[10:48] Kara Lindsay: And the fact that I'm not drinking margaritas, because I'm like in my head, I was like, uh, Mike ran to a drugstore, like blocks away and was like, we have to find out. Just went in the bathroom at the restaurant, just pretending to have like all kinds of stomach issues to explain why we were gone for so long.

[11:05] Kara Lindsay: Anyways, found out. So that was like, wait, what? So that was crazy. And then yeah, I mean, the Cher show, I was like, what? I can't remember. Were you guys running at that point? Were you already running?

[11:18] Jenn Rias: We were running.

[11:20] Kara Lindsay: Okay. We've been open a couple months.

[11:21] Jenn Rias: Yeah.

[11:22] Kara Lindsay: So um, I feel you though. It was like instantly my brain knew a little bit, and I started things to feel things changing.

[11:30] Kara Lindsay: I was like, how is this possible? Like, first day back in the show, I was like, what is this? Like the birds are huge. There's no room for any growth in these costumes.

[11:40] Jenn Rias: I mean, not in those costumes.

[11:42] Kara Lindsay: We start in a thong. I'm that was those costumes were oh my god. Nightmares, nightmares.

[11:52] Jenn Rias: It makes my heart race right now, just thinking about it.

[11:54] Kara Lindsay: Absolutely. I mean, literally, and the costumes only get smaller as the show goes on. So it's like, you know, you think you're in the clear.

[12:02] Jenn Rias: Okay, let me get that opening song out of the way.

[12:03] Kara Lindsay: No, you're not.

[12:04] Jenn Rias: No, you're not out of the way. You have so much left.

[12:07] Kara Lindsay: Um, but yeah, I I didn't tell anybody either. I told um a couple of the girls in the dressing room who I sat right next to, and one of them, uh actually had been a mom before.

[12:17] Kara Lindsay: So I was like, I need someone to, oh my gosh, what's happening? Um, so I told her, but I also told the costume super, they were so amazing, and they were like, anytime anything feels certain way, you know, like we'll take it out we want you in the show as long as possible I wanted to stay as long as possible but I mean I was really trying it I stayed until four months which was like in those costumes I mean I wish I could have stayed longer because I had so much fun in the show and I had to leave right before the Tony's which was like oh that's oh that's such a bummer yeah but um but anyways it was awesome it was so great well it's like it's so funny that you both said that about how you felt like immediately people could tell like because you you know you were like oh my god because we're so in tune to our bodies right I mean as performers especially we really we're aware of how we look you know unhealthily at times the same thing on every day you put the same costume on so it's like it's a barometer of like how you're feeling from day to day whether you're you know nothing is more at lunch yeah putting the same thing on particularly after they've gone to the dry cleaners right like or after you go on your vacation when you come back and they've cleaned all your costumes and you're like oh my god what you do that check with your dressers you're like you're like tell me that this is dry cleaning that yeah this is right this is cleaned right yeah that the matinee no and you're like oh yeah the matinee this is the evening hook oh my god the difference in the matinee of the evening is just insane it's crazy it's all very true I was convinced though we were I was in Chicago Shakespeare Gypsy Chicago shakes and I was we all shared a dressing room, all the women because there are only two dressing rooms there.

[14:04] Kara Lindsay: And I was convinced that everyone could tell. Because when I got there, I was like, uh, seven. Um, I was like, I was like two weeks pregnant, two or three, like very early on. And I remember getting there and thinking, like, I can't tell anybody because I want to do this contract, I want to get my health weeks. Yeah. I was like, so I want I need to do this. And I thought everyone can tell. Everyone can tell. And I was convinced in that dressing room, and no one knew. And I told them the last day after we closed the show. I was like, and I wasn't the only one stripping, like it was a baby. But isn't it wild? Like, we think for sure, like everyone can tell. My boobs are bigger, my waist is bigger.

Oh, yeah. I feel like Jess though, that because you came into it as somebody new, like being in our dressing room at Jersey Boys for years, all those girls knew me so well. First of all, knew what I ate normally. So when I started to eat things that I didn't normally eat, they're like, What's going on here? What is going on? So they all were keyed in. When Cara Cooper started eating a bowl from Chipotle, like a burrito bowl from Chipotle, as opposed to like an apple and peanut butter or rice cakes and things like things like this. I was like, what's happening? I was like, something's happening. But also, like I had gone on vacation and I came back, and it had only been gone a week. You go, no, two weeks.

It was to Italy. So it was two weeks. I came back, and Kara was her back was to me, and she was changing, and the slightest bit extra around like at her waist. Like the scenario. This car is also like super, she's like a gymnast fit person, like body, she's not a gymnast, but you know what I mean. Like her body is amazing. And I looked at her from behind, and I went home that night, and I was like, I mark my word to Eric to my husband. I was like, Mark my word. If Cara Cooper is not pregnant right now, she's trying to get pregnant because her body is different. And sure enough, that's awesome. Like, so clearly I couldn't hide it very well. Your body is so fierce that like any different change, you can just tell.

I am rocking a quarantine bod right now. I don't know about you guys. Oh my god. Well, moms, tell us, like, tell us about this. Cause you know, the fourth trimester is often what people call it. And I know your babies are six months, but you we've been in this now for two months in this shutdown and in this quarantine. So talk to us about what that's like to be home with a newborn in this time. Holy smokes. Okay. Well, actually, for me, because you know, my husband is in, you know, our same industry, it's actually been amazing because it was rough there for a while. It was, you know, I actually didn't realize until being on maternity leave, and then you know, home with the baby all the time when he was going to do his eight shows a week.

I was like, our schedules are insane. Like, we're so used to it that we do it. We know when we have to leave. It's like, you know, it's such a commitment. But being on the other end of it, I was like, you're leaving again already? What are you doing? Oh my god, you have to go to work. So that was crazy. So actually to have him home during this time with Carson, you know, it's been absolutely amazing. Um, but also crazy. I also have two stepchildren who are nine and twelve, and they're awesome. But you know, we have them over 50% of the week. And so that's been with Carson has been like, whoo, doing the homeschooling, doing all of that. I know you guys, mamas are feeling all of that. So that's been crazy too.

But I mean, I guess trying to look to the positive of you know, having the family time and being home during this quarantine, but it's also just been wow very different than it would have been, you know, like no visitors, no help, no family, no it's are you feeling that way, Kara?

[17:58] Kara Rias: Yeah I mean we are you in New York right now? Are you in New York City?

[18:02] Kara Lindsay: Yeah, Long Island.

[18:04] Kara Rias: Oh okay. We came upstate to uh my mom's house um we're in a one bedroom apartment and um he has like a little nook in our apartment there but our laundry is like five blocks away and I can't I can't do it.

[18:24] Kara Lindsay: So we came up here which was really so necessary and it's been nice to like take him for walks and I mean but I I told um I was talking with Kevin my husband and we were like we've been in quarantine since he was born like you know that first those firstborn you're like washing your hands all the time because you don't want them to get the flu and whatever so we've been practicing this whole quarantine thing for so long like so good at it. But I mean it started it I started to feel like with just turning on the news or when all this was happening it just kind of felt like oh my god I I you just this the mama protector I was like oh my god what can I do to make sure that you're safe like you're brand new we were like you're my little miracle what can we do um so we came right up here and um it's been really wonderful.

I'm like my we we call my mom Nani. Um so she gets to have all this time with her grandson, and um they have this beautiful relationship, which is so cute. He she taught him how to stick out his tongue. Whenever he sees anybody, he's like, You can't see because it's podcast, but just picture me sticking out my tongue and smiling. That's what he said. Like just that's his new trick, and it's so sweet. So, really, the quality time is just amazing, and really watching everything that like he's growing so much. He started here at four months in a swaddle with both arms in still, because he's just likes that. And then he went to one arm, then both arms. Now he's in a sleep sack and he's rolling over. It's like so much happens in that time in this time. It's just that's wild. Every day is something new. Yeah, and we just get to really tap it in right now. So yeah.

[20:18] Jessica Rush: I love that you guys are really able to spend that time to focus on it. And we were talking about how you know you guys were kind of in the fourth trimester, right? They say the first three months after babies born is the fourth trimester. And kind of after that is when you re-enter work in one way or another. It seems that way. I mean, some people do it sooner, some people do it a little bit later, but uh for me, that was when I like started to feel the itch again. Um, and I don't know if either of you had work planned, but it in a strange way has it been a gift to not have the pressure to go back to work, or are you wanting to be doing that?

[20:53] Kara Lindsay: I did go back um when he was nine weeks. Um but it was easy. It was easy though. It w um my husband and I do these concerts in Epcot through Disney on Broadway. So Kevin worked at doing um Tarzan on Broadway, and I did newsies. So because of that, we do these concerts in Epcot, and it's only through three to four weeks. Um and it's at most it's four hours a day. Uh and then you get like a day off every two days. It's so easy. So it was like the n uh the nicest like ease into work. And um, I mean, I was still breastfeeding and figuring that out was like crazy. Um, but my mom came down to help me. So I feel like now that I did that, I feel like I'm I'm okay, I'm ready, but now we're not exactly so.

[21:46] Kara Rias: I guess I would say kind of at that like, well, Carson was rough for a while. He was he was rough at like the four and a half, five month mark, he really like I was like, Oh, there you are. There, okay, I can like see that we'll be able to go back to some kind of a life. Like, I'll be able to wash my face maybe like I don't know, once a week at least. We'll start, you know. It was like, okay. So then I was like, oh man, yeah, I'm starting to feel I did a TV show for a day, and I was like, that was a good kind of lead-in to see like, you know, that first day away was like, oh yeah, oh my god. But it was like, oh yeah, okay, we can do this. And then yeah, I started, you know, putting out feelers, seeing what was happening, and then this kind of happened.

So yeah, I'm definitely feeling like be ready for for whatever happens if things are happening and when they happen. I mean, good golly. But yeah, I think the pressure has definitely been alleviated because of that. You know, we're not putting pressure on ourselves to be at every audition and every, you know. And you don't feel like you're missing out on anything. You know, I think part of when you're a new mom, it's that decision, like, oh, I really need to go to this audition to put myself out there, but it might not feel right for you to do that. So it's nice maybe that that pressure is taken, is lifted right now.

[23:01] Kara Lindsay: Absolutely. Because I don't feel any of that at all.

[23:05] Jessica Rush: I know, right? Thank you for actually bringing this up because yeah, we are we're lucky in that regard at the moment. I think so. You know, it's like because I remember Kara saying to me, I think when Elliot was a baby, like in an audition came in, you know, like two weeks out uh for sideshow, and it would have started like when she was a month old, and that was a dream show for me. Like I, you know, to stand by and I thought, oh my God, I really want to go. But Kara said something, you know, she said, you will never get this time back, you know. And it's so true, you know. Like she was like, go if you want, do it if you want. But that's something that I really treasure is that ultimately I was home for the first five months with Elliot, you know.

And so it is there is something to the pressure being off that you don't that you can just really enjoy it, especially like you said, Kara, your miracle baby, you know, and like yeah, you have Carson, and like since you have the kids with y'all so much of the time, the older kids, it's nice that in the times when they're with their mom, you three can just be together and Mike is there opposed to like going into the theater.

[24:08] Kara Rias: Yeah, yeah, yeah. On the weekends and all the stuff.

[24:10] Jessica Rush: So and having your husband home for bedtime with a baby is key. I remember when both with both my kids when my husband went back to work, I was like, oh god. And especially when I had the two and had bath and bedtime by myself. I mean, still there's six and three, and I still, you know, don't like doing it on my own, but I do, but not right now. And I'm very grateful for that.

[24:32] Kara Lindsay: Right? It's awesome. My gosh. I really don't know how you're doing it with two.

[24:37] Kara Rias: Like, I don't either.

[24:39] Kara Lindsay: You just do it.

[24:40] Kara Rias: You just do it, you get there.

[24:42] Jessica Rush: It's amazing. If that's something that you want.

[24:44] Kara Rias: Yeah, we're going down to care.

[24:46] Kara Lindsay: I bowed down because we Carson came out and looked, and I was like, so we're good.

[24:46] Kara Rias: We're good.

[24:56] Kara Lindsay: Well, I mean, you guys do have others. You know, you have the others too.

[25:01] Kara Rias: So just the process alone, the process of the actual situation.

[25:07] Jessica Rush: You know what I'm saying?

[25:08] Kara Rias: Um, first story.

[25:10] Jessica Rush: Yeah, what do we all think? I want to hear, I want to hear a birth story.

[25:15] Kara Lindsay: It was so brutal. It was so brutal. You know what? I shouldn't say that. People have definitely had it worse, but it was rough. So yeah, so went in for the for my appointment. My doctors only like to go to 41 weeks. I'm remembering this now. So we were like coming up on that. So I had an appointment on Monday, and then a final one on Thursday. And they were like, if you're not rolling by Thursday, then we're gonna induce. So it was the Monday, felt nothing, felt no anything right happening. So we go in and we get the um ultrasound, and you know, everything's fine. Then the the technicians taking forever afterwards, and we're like, I'm starting to think something's wrong, like freaking out. Nope.

Woman comes back in and is like, okay, yep, good, you know, go into the office. And so the doctor comes in to us and is like, so are you guys ready? And we're like, we are ready, let's go. And she's like, No, you're going to the hospital. Like, you're are you ready right now? Like, oh my god, they're like the the technician didn't tell you, no. Anyways, my my fluid was getting low, so they're like, you know what? He's totally fine right now, but let's just get you in there. Let's get it rolling. Like, let's just do it. So it was fine. Thank God. Mike had some insight. He was like, How many hours do we have? Can we have a few? Can we go home, do a meal, do a shower, you know? So we did that. And then went to the hospital.

There were a million people there. Once again, people were like, You should have had your baby yesterday. No one was here. You're like, what's wrong with you? Okay. Thank you so much. That's so helpful. So once again, Mike was like, Can we go to the mall and just walk? Because we're gonna be sitting here for hours. It was amazing. So we had like a final date. It was kind of it was really awesome. So got back there, went in. Things got rolling quick. So they came and got us. Um, and then uh yeah, I I was positive for strep, so I had to be on antibiotics like right away for like the strep B. Yeah. So so I already knew I was gonna be hooked up from the from the jump. You know what I mean? So I was hooked up.

So yeah, so we started, they're like, we're gonna put you on the, you know, we want to put you on the lowest dose of the induction medication to see. I was like, great. 12 hours go by, nothing happened. So okay, great, but I'm still feeling nothing. I'm still like the nurses would come by and they're like, Oh, you're way too happy, nothing's happening.

[27:34] Jenn Rias: I was like, Oh man, were you dilating at all?

[27:38] Kara Lindsay: Nope.

[27:38] Jenn Rias: Oh my gosh.

[27:39] Kara Lindsay: I was one, I went in at one and I was still one.

[27:42] Jenn Rias: So I was like, wow, okay.

[27:43] Kara Lindsay: So finally they put me on the Pitocin.

[27:45] Jenn Rias: They're like, okay, now we're gonna get moving.

[27:46] Kara Lindsay: And like a couple hours later, my water broke, and then that's when it started happening, and I was like, I'm not gonna do the epidural, like, you know, we're good.

[27:55] Jenn Rias: Hours and hours and hours, seven hours, eight hours dying, doing the labor Olympics, like, God bless Mike.

[28:03] Kara Lindsay: I was like, Oh my gosh, what the heck?

[28:04] Jenn Rias: Finally, I was like, Doc, you gotta get in here.

[28:06] Kara Lindsay: I need to know are we gonna be doing this 20 more hours, or are we go?

[28:09] Jenn Rias: Because this is I can't, you know.

[28:11] Kara Lindsay: So she comes back in, checks me.

[28:13] Jenn Rias: Three centimeters after all that time.

[28:17] Kara Lindsay: I was like, oh my god, so I was like, give me the epidural.

[28:23] Jenn Rias: So got the epidural, fine, slept for like an hour, hallelujah.

[28:27] Kara Lindsay: And then I woke up in more pain than ever.

[28:29] Jenn Rias: And I was like, what's happening?

[28:31] Kara Lindsay: Am I do I have no pain tolerance?

[28:33] Jenn Rias: And they were like, the doctors aren't gonna check you, there's no way.

[28:36] Kara Lindsay: It's like and I was like, oh no, I know my body, get someone in here.

[28:39] Jenn Rias: And they were like, You're nine and a half centimeters, it's go time.

[28:42] Kara Lindsay: I was like, I told you.

[28:44] Jenn Rias: Anyways, so then things got then things got rolling.

[28:49] Kara Lindsay: I mean, it's been days now at this point.

[28:52] Jenn Rias: Went in Monday, and then now it's you know, Wednesday morning.

[28:57] Kara Lindsay: Oh so slept the one hour.

[28:59] Jenn Rias: You know how it is.

[29:00] Kara Lindsay: You don't sleep.

[29:01] Jenn Rias: There's no, it's whatever.

[29:03] Kara Lindsay: So yeah, so then pushed for three and a half hours.

[29:08] Jenn Rias: It was so it was so brutal.

[29:10] Kara Lindsay: It was so brutal, you know, at that point, the epidural was like, I never even felt any relief.

[29:17] Jenn Rias: I don't know what happened.

[29:18] Kara Lindsay: They were like, we can give you more, but then things got rolling and it was like too late and it was all a mess.

[29:23] Jenn Rias: So did they not put it in the right place?

[29:25] Kara Lindsay: Like, did they miss it?

[29:27] Jenn Rias: I feel like the epidural went into like a muscle and not into your stomach.

[29:33] Kara Lindsay: Oh, I felt everything.

[29:35] Jenn Rias: That's what I was expecting.

[29:36] Kara Lindsay: Like, I was expecting to not feel anything, and I was like, I mean, they had me laboring on a bar, like you guys heard about this, like a bar that's up and over the bed, and my legs went on each one.

[29:47] Jenn Rias: Oh and so I mean, I had to use the strength of my lobes to do that.

[29:51] Kara Lindsay: So I was in a full aerobic situation.

[29:55] Jenn Rias: I was like, Can a girl get some drugs up and yeah?

[29:58] Kara Lindsay: No.

[29:59] Jenn Rias: So anyway, forever and then still had to be like vacuumed out.

[30:06] Kara Lindsay: And but my doctor was amazing.

[30:08] Jenn Rias: She's like, You're an athlete.

[30:10] Kara Lindsay: I don't want you to have surgery.

[30:11] Jenn Rias: We're gonna try every single way to get this baby out.

[30:14] Kara Lindsay: So and thankfully Carson was a rock star and his heart rate never like dropped.

[30:18] Jenn Rias: He was so good the whole time.

[30:19] Kara Lindsay: So I was able to do it.

[30:21] Jenn Rias: But I mean, it was so I bowed down to every mother everywhere, everywhere.

[30:28] Kara Lindsay: Absolutely everywhere.

[30:29] Jenn Rias: I don't understand.

[30:30] Kara Lindsay: Yeah.

[30:31] Jenn Rias: So that's when I looked up and I was like, uh, we're good, huh?

[30:34] Kara Lindsay: So that's it.

[30:34] Jenn Rias: Okay.

[30:35] Kara Lindsay: We're never doing this again.

[30:36] Jenn Rias: We're not doing this again.

[30:39] Kara Lindsay: One time.

[30:40] Jenn Rias: That was really long.

[30:41] Kara Lindsay: Okay, Kara go.

[30:42] Jenn Rias: Sorry.

[30:42] Kara Lindsay: So long.

[30:45] Jenn Rias: That's that wasn't long.

[30:46] Kara Lindsay: That's I mean, for how many days you went to the house.

[30:48] Jenn Rias: I'm burning up.

[30:50] Kara Lindsay: It's like I'm in labor again.

[30:51] Jenn Rias: I'm so hot.

[30:52] Kara Lindsay: I'm so it's PTSD.

[30:56] Jenn Rias: It really is.

[30:57] Kara Lindsay: It's still people are like, you forget, I don't forget, never forget.

[31:00] Jenn Rias: You guys are still not close enough for you guys to remember.

[31:03] Kara Lindsay: Like I remember like going over it again after and after, trying to remember it.

[31:07] Jenn Rias: And now when I think about it, like I know in my head how painful it was, but I can't feel in my body what that felt like.

[31:13] Kara Lindsay: Well, you guys can still feel it.

[31:15] Jenn Rias: I know that you can still feel it's a six month old.

[31:17] Kara Lindsay: Yes.

[31:19] Jenn Rias: Oh my god, yes.

[31:20] Kara Lindsay: Um, so uh with Emerson, um you're so hot, she had to put her hair up.

[31:27] Jenn Rias: I'm burning up, guys.

[31:28] Kara Lindsay: I'm burning up.

[31:28] Jenn Rias: I'm really back, I'm back in it.

[31:30] Kara Lindsay: Okay.

[31:31] Jenn Rias: It's a lot.

[31:32] Kara Lindsay: Just thinking about how you put up the other girl didn't work.

[31:35] Jenn Rias: Howie.

[31:36] Kara Lindsay: Um anyway, but uh so I went in for the 39 week um ultrasound and you know, that that the checkup and uh everything looked somewhat normal.

[31:47] Jenn Rias: And then um my OBGYN saw the numbers for Emerson's stomach was small, it was measuring small.

[31:54] Kara Lindsay: So she was like, That's concerning to me.

[31:56] Jenn Rias: That means that maybe your placenta isn't um working quite as well for him.

[32:01] Kara Lindsay: So I want to get him out.

[32:02] Jenn Rias: And I was like, Oh, okay.

[32:04] Kara Lindsay: And previously on all the other visits, she was like, You're gonna be late, you're gonna be late, you're not progressing at all, all this stuff.

[32:12] Jenn Rias: So I was like, I was planning to see Jagged Little Pill that week.

[32:12] Kara Lindsay: I was planning to see all these things.

[32:17] Jenn Rias: So I was like, I was like, all the time.

[32:20] Kara Lindsay: I hadn't packed a bag, I was so behind.

[32:23] Jenn Rias: So I rushed home.

[32:24] Kara Lindsay: I called my mother who was gonna fly in and like help and um and be there for it.

[32:29] Jenn Rias: So I called her and she drove in, and then I so I said to my OBGYN, I was like, Can I just have tonight?

[32:35] Kara Lindsay: Like, can I have tonight to just get my shit together?

[32:37] Jenn Rias: Because can I can you say shit on this podcast?

[32:40] Kara Lindsay: Okay.

[32:42] Jenn Rias: So I just have a second to to gather.

[32:46] Kara Lindsay: Um and she was like, absolutely, he will be fine, just come in first thing tomorrow morning.

[32:50] Jenn Rias: So I did that.

[32:51] Kara Lindsay: I gathered all my stuff, and then I came in the next morning, and she was so great.

[32:56] Jenn Rias: I just uh she was so awesome and totally available, and um so they started with um uh Servadel, uh, and that didn't really it it did a little something.

[33:07] Kara Lindsay: They had to like wait some time and um uh Emerson's heart rate started dropping with each contraction.

[33:15] Jenn Rias: Um he's a very sensitive baby.

[33:17] Kara Lindsay: So when you said your baby boy is dramatic, Kara, I'm like, oh god.

[33:21] Jenn Rias: Um grandma, just drama, but um, so he just kept any contraction, and you as I felt it, I was like, Oh, this is a big one.

[33:32] Kara Lindsay: And then the nurses would come running in, they'd flip me over to all these things to try and get his heart rate back up.

[33:38] Jenn Rias: And I was like, Oh my god, what is throwing?

[33:43] Kara Lindsay: Isn't it?

[33:43] Jenn Rias: It's awful.

[33:45] Kara Lindsay: Because also you're like you feel like a beached whale, and you're hooked up to all this stuff, and they're like, We're gonna flip you over as fast as we possibly can.

[33:51] Jenn Rias: You're like, that's not possible.

[33:53] Kara Lindsay: What do you mean you're gonna flip me over?

[33:56] Jenn Rias: And then suddenly I'm upside down.

[33:58] Kara Lindsay: So happened.

[34:00] Jenn Rias: So they did that multiple times.

[34:02] Kara Lindsay: We were actually playing phase 10 for a little while.

[34:05] Jenn Rias: Do you guys know that card game?

[34:07] Kara Lindsay: Yeah.

[34:09] Jenn Rias: So fun.

[34:10] Kara Lindsay: It became not fun very quickly though.

[34:12] Jenn Rias: Um kept dropping uh many times over like seven hours, and then finally the doctor came in and was like, I we're not doing this anymore.

[34:23] Kara Lindsay: This is not healthy for your baby, so we are gonna do a c-section.

[34:28] Jenn Rias: And I was like, not planning on that.

[34:30] Kara Lindsay: None of my family had had one, so I thought like I was immune to that, but nobody is.

[34:37] Jenn Rias: Um, so we went in for that, and um luckily I didn't get to the pitocin part, so like it, but they did give me a shot to stop the contractions, so it was like I had the all this stuff that was making me contract, and then they had to give me something that stopped them because the the contractions were making his heart rate drop.

[34:57] Kara Lindsay: So um and because of that, you're I started to shake.

[35:00] Jenn Rias: They told me that would happen, but I was like, I'm shaking right now.

[35:05] Kara Lindsay: But I like visibly shaking, and it was so crazy.

[35:09] Jenn Rias: Uh, and then my husband got in all the garb, and we went into uh the OR and like did the C section, which is crazy.

[35:18] Kara Lindsay: They did a spinal tap because I didn't get um an epidural yet.

[35:23] Jenn Rias: So they did a spinal tap, which is a little bit better.

[35:26] Kara Lindsay: And um, but what's weird and what I didn't expect.

[35:29] Jenn Rias: Did you I did you guys have a C-section?

[35:32] Kara Lindsay: Yeah, too.

[35:33] Jenn Rias: You did two emergency same.

[35:36] Kara Lindsay: So I I understand.

[35:37] Jenn Rias: And like when you were talking about the flipping over and the heart rate dropping, I was like, that is my story.

[35:42] Kara Lindsay: That is what I'm worried about.

[35:44] Jenn Rias: I well, yeah, that was I just never really wrapped my mind around a C-section, and I wish I had.

[35:52] Kara Lindsay: I just wish I had like educated myself because I wouldn't have been as afraid because in the moment I was really afraid, I was really scared.

[35:58] Jenn Rias: And oh yeah, you don't know what's gonna happen.

[36:01] Kara Lindsay: He's like, You're okay, and I was like, am I?

[36:04] Jenn Rias: Um, but it it's just it's just scary, and you can kind of you also feel it-ish.

[36:10] Kara Lindsay: Yeah, you feel the tugging, like you feel them moving things around.

[36:15] Jenn Rias: It's very bizarre, yeah.

[36:16] Kara Lindsay: I mean, it's yeah, yeah.

[36:18] Jenn Rias: No, I just I wasn't expecting that like I'm not numb.

[36:22] Kara Lindsay: You need to numb me more.

[36:23] Jenn Rias: They're like, no, you actually are what we're doing, you would be screaming.

[36:28] Kara Lindsay: I was like, what?

[36:31] Jenn Rias: Oh my god.

[36:32] Kara Lindsay: That's looking so that's supposed to help me.

[36:34] Jenn Rias: No, I'm so sorry, but but how was Kevin?

[36:40] Kara Lindsay: He well, here's what's interesting.

[36:42] Jenn Rias: He actually went to school to be a doctor, and but he's afraid of needles and faints, so he made it all the way to school to be a doctor, and then did not he was pre-med, so he didn't go to med school yet.

[36:58] Kara Lindsay: Um on his break before med school, he like moved to New York and like did all the things, and that's now the rest of his history.

[37:04] Jenn Rias: He does theater.

[37:08] Kara Lindsay: But he was, and I was so afraid the whole time, like any even normal labor that he would just faint.

[37:15] Jenn Rias: Um but he held it together so well, he was such a rock, and like just his eyeballs looking at me.

[37:20] Kara Lindsay: I was like, Thank you, God, thank you, Kevin, for being here.

[37:24] Jenn Rias: But um, and then the whole like recovery after a C-section is really interesting.

[37:32] Kara Lindsay: No, no.

[37:34] Jenn Rias: I don't know how you guys do it.

[37:35] Kara Lindsay: I don't know how you do it.

[37:38] Jenn Rias: I mean, but we're not recovering on the other end.

[37:40] Kara Lindsay: Although with my second, I I was I was pushing by the time we had to end up doing a C-section.

[37:46] Jenn Rias: So I had like a little bit of both.

[37:48] Kara Lindsay: You know what I mean?

[37:49] Jenn Rias: So that I was not fair.

[37:51] Kara Lindsay: No, but uh and a lot of women go through that.

[37:54] Jenn Rias: Um, but I think it's something that really needs to be addressed a little bit more.

[37:58] Kara Lindsay: I think it needs to be part of your education before you you give birth because it is an option.

[38:04] Jenn Rias: So many people end up with a C-section, and there's no shape to preserve the life of you and your child.

[38:11] Kara Lindsay: Right for it, truly.

[38:13] Jenn Rias: Little things I had friends who had had them, and they said just little things like if you have a shelf higher in your bathroom, put the shampoo up there instead of somewhere where you have to bend down to get it.

[38:25] Kara Lindsay: Just like silly little things that making the movement less just less on your body.

[38:31] Jenn Rias: The hardest thing for me, and I don't know if you felt this way, Carol, was not feeling like I could pick my baby up um at any moment.

[38:38] Kara Lindsay: And I had big babies, both my my girl was almost nine pounds and my son was over nine pounds.

[38:44] Jenn Rias: So like they were heavy for me.

[38:46] Kara Lindsay: I know.

[38:48] Jenn Rias: Kara's one in my family.

[38:50] Kara Lindsay: It's it just is what it is.

[38:52] Jenn Rias: But it just truthfully like my my grandmother mother was three inches shorter than me, super petite and all her babies are big.

[39:01] Kara Lindsay: It's just like whatever it is in the genes somehow.

[39:05] Jenn Rias: But but I didn't like that I couldn't just at a whim in the middle of the night when the baby was crying you know when they were newborn it was so hard to like roll over and get physically get myself into a position to pick them up and my husband was amazing.

[39:20] Kara Lindsay: He would hear them cry.

[39:21] Jenn Rias: He would get them and give them I mean they were in our room it wasn't like they were far away but he was on it.

[39:27] Kara Lindsay: But I didn't but it I didn't like feeling like I needed to depend on somebody else you know to do that.

[39:32] Jenn Rias: I know I I was thinking that like with single moms how how do single moms have a C section or even just have a hard delivery like how do you do that because the baby How do you do anything?

[39:44] Kara Lindsay: I I don't so many times oh my gosh yeah I think about yeah I just it's unreal what the the the process is and the recovery after and it's such a fog right you're in such a fog I mean I vaguely recall I don't I don't remember much of it and I can remember in the in the moment because this is another thing that Cara Cooper see you have a friend who does it first.

[40:11] Jenn Rias: Yeah they tell you all the things that you need to know or you listen to mom's talking loud and we'll tell you.

[40:17] Kara Lindsay: But like Kara told me, you know, she was like, try to take it in.

[40:21] Jenn Rias: Like really try to remember these moments, you know.

[40:25] Kara Lindsay: And I remember, I remember sitting there thinking, all right, take it in.

[40:29] Jenn Rias: Like take this in.

[40:30] Kara Lindsay: What does this feel like?

[40:31] Jenn Rias: Do I remember what it feels like?

[40:33] Kara Lindsay: Nope.

[40:34] Jenn Rias: Like I don't, I don't actually remember taking the moment.

[40:37] Kara Lindsay: I remember like taking it in.

[40:38] Jenn Rias: So I was present in that moment.

[40:40] Kara Lindsay: I do remember like consciously trying to take it in.

[40:43] Jenn Rias: But it's such a fog.

[40:45] Kara Lindsay: That recovery is not cute.

[40:47] Jenn Rias: It's not cute.

[40:48] Kara Lindsay: Oh my God.

[40:48] Jenn Rias: I don't know how y'all do.

[40:50] Kara Lindsay: Like I have the same scar.

[40:53] Jenn Rias: I had um fibroid tumors when I was in my early 20s.

[40:56] Kara Lindsay: And they did essentially a C-section in order to remove them from my uterus.

[41:01] Jenn Rias: And so I have that incision like you guys have.

[41:04] Kara Lindsay: And I remember like not, I remember being afraid to stand upright.

[41:07] Jenn Rias: Do you know what I mean?

[41:08] Kara Lindsay: Like walking around my house bent over, and I can't imagine having to have a baby with that.

[41:14] Jenn Rias: You guys are rock stars.

[41:15] Kara Rias: I don't know. That's why strong women who can handle that. That's that's where that happens. That's what being a mom is. It's like it's like inductive tire, you know. You just you just do it because you have to take care of this child.

[41:28] Jenn Rias: Yeah. Um there's there's no choice, you know. And those vaginal deliveries, thank goodness for those uh witch hazel pads that you put in the fridge, and then you put them in your underpants.

[41:40] Kara Rias: Oh, yeah. Those are a gods. What are they called again? Are they called something?

[41:47] Jenn Rias: They're holes or something, right? What ads, like when you put the pad with the witch hazel in the freezer and the fridge in the freezer, and then you put them in, they feel so nanny, and you get it a whole it's no I I had prepped for all of that. I was convinced it was gonna be vaginal, it was gonna be without medication, all those things, and all that went out the window.

[42:13] Kara Lindsay: Nothing we planned.

[42:14] Jenn Rias: Yeah, yeah. I keep thinking though like if we were if this was like the eighteen hundreds and we couldn't have a c-section or did they do that back then? I don't think so.

[42:13] Kara Lindsay: Well don't watch what's that TV show oh my god no well there's called the midwife that's in the 50s but there is a TV show where they show like the very first c-section happening in the first scene it's one of those like I don't want to say like Penny Dreadful but it's like that you know what I mean we tried to watch it and and we watched this first scene of this c-section going horribly wrong and Eric was like we won't be watching you can't I'm not we're not watching that sounds dreadful.

[42:13] Jenn Rias: Yeah, no.

[42:13] Kara Lindsay: Yeah, it might have been Penny Dreadful it was just like no so they did them at one point but they weren't very it wasn't something we wanted to we've been through enough we don't need to watch that.

[42:13] Jenn Rias: Yeah, no we don't but yes it is much easier to have a child in some regards I mean at least for the aftermath with you know the witch hazel pads and we're not in you know we're not in the desert you know in the red tent or something like that.

[43:24] Kara Lindsay: Did y'all read that book? That was a really good on your list ladies yes okay because now you have time you can read right now because your baby's nap sleep your baby's sleep if they sleep at night are they sleeping at night?

[43:25] Jenn Rias: Here and there and there what what's your baby schedule like last night he did great we put him down at eight and he woke up at six.

[43:47] Kara Lindsay: Oh, that's exactly what he that was amazing.

[43:50] Jenn Rias: But usually he waits wakes up at like two for a feeding still.

[43:54] Kara Lindsay: So working on that, but I'll tell you.

[43:59] Jenn Rias: Are you breastfeeding?

[44:01] Kara Lindsay: Pardon?

[44:02] Jenn Rias: Are you breastfeeding?

[44:04] Kara Lindsay: No.

[44:02] Jenn Rias: And I just finished pumping, like a little bit ago.

[44:05] Kara Lindsay: So did you how long were you? When did you start? Like were you exclusively pumping? Or you were you breastfeeding and then you switched over?

[44:14] Jenn Rias: I was exclusively breastfeeding until like three and a half months. And like I said, he was just such a cranky baby that every time we went to the doctor's office, they were like, he's hungry.

[44:25] Kara Lindsay: Like he is in the 95th percentile for height. He is a huge baby.

[44:28] Jenn Rias: I'm like, what do you mean he's hungry? I'm literally all I do is have him on my boob. Like there's and and you know, I've pumped before. I know I'm producing milk, like I don't know what else.

[44:41] Kara Lindsay: I would get so mad at my husband because he would say it, and then the doctor would say it, and I'd be like, Oh, I think I owe you an apology. I'm sorry.

[44:49] Jenn Rias: Um anyways, so the doctor was like, You made it through three months, like start adding in formula, see if that makes a difference.

[44:56] Kara Lindsay: I mean, like even then, different baby.

[44:58] Jenn Rias: He just could not get enough food. So we were supplementing, so then I supplemented um until like four and a half, five, five months.

[45:07] Kara Lindsay: So I was doing both, and then it was like, you know what? He is like he we started giving him sweet potato and all kinds of food, like at five months.

[45:16] Jenn Rias: So, you know, it was like good. That was the end of my journey.

[45:20] Kara Lindsay: That's that's sort of similar.

[45:23] Jenn Rias: Go ahead.

[45:24] Kara Lindsay: Sorry, I didn't mean to cut it.

[45:25] Jenn Rias: Oh sorry, no, go ahead, Kara.

[45:26] Kara Lindsay: Sorry. I was just gonna say, does that mean that your husband can take some of the if he wakes up in the middle of the night and needs to oh he oh absolutely yep, that's he right there.

[45:37] Jenn Rias: Oh yeah, he is yeah, he's awesome.

[45:40] Kara Lindsay: He instantly he was like, Let me get in there. So that was great.

[45:44] Jenn Rias: That's helpful that Mike has been through it I mean like you said before when you were getting ready to go to the hospital Mike he knew what questions he knew it would take a while he knew that you need you know and when you got there you know what I mean it's like all right let us eat something let us get our shit together and then we'll go you know because he's been down that road before I would have sat in the waiting room for 10 hours just because I would be like this is what we're supposed to do.

[46:09] Kara Lindsay: No not smart you know so just like follows the rules Rheas over here not at so not so no that's not gonna work here.

[46:21] Jenn Rias: So anyways yeah I mean I definitely was planning on breastfeeding like for so long and it just wasn't wasn't the journey so I'm so happy we got that that time though because I loved it it was awesome and that's okay that that's not the day.

[46:21] Kara Lindsay: Oh my gosh Kara have you had a similar what's your experience been like?

[46:21] Kara Lindsay: Well I feel like I feel like our babies are gonna be friends Emerson come on come over um they're like just the same temperament I mean he I like forced Emerson to nurse I just wanted that so badly for him for us and I knew it was good for his health all that stuff um but he always so cranky too he was what I didn't know what it was but I had an oversupply um so and he was born with a small stomach so it was like oh my god are you serious I know we're like having the same story here we have the same name we had the same bird story.

[47:16] Jenn Rias: This is amazing.

[47:18] Kara Lindsay: Kis Med.

[47:20] Jenn Rias: Yeah that's that's so crazy.

[47:22] Kara Lindsay: I had never even heard of oversupply, but it's basically you're like waterboarding your child with breast milk.

[47:29] Jenn Rias: Oh my god.

[47:30] Kara Lindsay: So much milk.

[47:32] Jenn Rias: And that's a blessing.

[47:34] Kara Lindsay: It was a blessing to like have milk.

[47:37] Jenn Rias: Oh like sort of a curse because it's like too much in their face and they don't know what to do with it, and then they have tummy problems.

[47:44] Kara Lindsay: But um then I started pumping a little more and like um giving him a bottle. He was much more responsive to that.

[47:50] Jenn Rias: And then I started giving uh supplementing with formula and to like start to wean, and now just as of Mother's Day, that's when I stopped completely.

[48:01] Kara Lindsay: You did the last time I nursed Elliot was on my was on Mother's Day when she was nine months.

[48:01] Jenn Rias: She was nine months, but yeah, that was I oh of course I cried. Did I cry?

[48:11] Kara Lindsay: Oh my god. Yes, but that was the last time was Mother's Day.

[48:16] Jenn Rias: Oh Carol.

[48:18] Kara Lindsay: It's so sad.

[48:19] Jenn Rias: It's so I was like, he's ready, he's so ready. I'm ready, I've been forcing it, but then you still cry.

[48:25] Kara Lindsay: Yeah, totally.

[48:26] Jenn Rias: Well, I think it's super it's super special, and it's not fed as best, obviously, like however you need to feed your baby.

[48:33] Kara Lindsay: But if you to have that experience is is something that I really it's the one thing, it's the really the only thing I miss, to be honest, like that and like feeling her move inside my body.

[48:44] Jenn Rias: Like those are the two things that I think oh to have another one, but then I say no.

[48:50] Kara Lindsay: But but what can you have another one?

[48:54] Jenn Rias: Uh yeah, Elon nursed till like she was like 13 months, and I totally cried when she's when we stopped.

[48:59] Kara Lindsay: Finn nursed 18 months, and I was like, get off of me. We are done here.

[49:04] Jenn Rias: So you have a second ones that might fix that for you.

[49:09] Kara Lindsay: It's true, you never know.

[49:11] Jenn Rias: Yeah, it's like exactly, exactly.

[49:13] Kara Lindsay: No, it's the one thing.

[49:14] Jenn Rias: It was 18 months, Cara.

[49:17] Kara Lindsay: I couldn't break him of it.

[49:18] Jenn Rias: He was so high.

[49:21] Kara Lindsay: But also, like I wasn't, I I hadn't gone back to work really, like continuously.

[49:27] Jenn Rias: So I was around and it was easiest, especially with an older child.

[49:31] Kara Lindsay: I could run everywhere, yeah, and not to worry about bringing anything with me because I had, I mean, once he was older and eating food, but like I just always had things.

[49:41] Jenn Rias: Um, you know, I I don't know.

[49:43] Kara Lindsay: It he he took me for a ride a little bit, like I said, very dramatic.

[49:47] Kara Lindsay: Um guys.

[49:54] Jenn Rias: Oh no.

[49:58] Kara Lindsay: Get ready, okay.

[50:00] Jenn Rias: Get ready to go.

[50:02] Kara Lindsay: Like the magical part right now where there are six months, and I feel like that's six to twelve months, all the things start, they start waking up to this.

[50:10] Jenn Rias: You start to really see their personality, and they start to do new tricks, like you said, the sticking out of the tongue, and they'll start winking and the babbling.

[50:18] Kara Lindsay: Like you guys are in such a magical time, and I think being able to be home for it in this pandemic, as hard as it is, it's kind of it's a gift in a lot of ways.

[50:27] Jenn Rias: Oh my god, and both your babies, both your babies look so snuggly.

[50:33] Kara Lindsay: I just have to say, those are some snugly babies.

[50:36] Jenn Rias: Elliot was not Elliot was like super lithe and like lean, and she never had any roles or anything.

[50:42] Kara Lindsay: So I'm always like, Oh, I want one of those burbies to just you just want to eat.

[50:48] Jenn Rias: Yes, yeah, those cheeks.

[50:50] Kara Lindsay: I mean, come on, I know.

[50:53] Jenn Rias: So good.

[50:54] Kara Lindsay: Oh my gosh, ladies.

[50:55] Jenn Rias: Oh man.

[50:56] Kara Lindsay: Oh, I just do this.

[50:58] Jenn Rias: How did we?

[50:59] Kara Lindsay: I mean, how did we do this?

[51:00] Jenn Rias: I don't understand.

[51:03] Kara Lindsay: Compared to the bees.

[51:05] Jenn Rias: Yeah.

[51:08] Kara Lindsay: I I remember when I first became a mom that I was so enamored with that title.

[51:15] Jenn Rias: Like that I literally was calling myself, I'm a mother.

[51:18] Kara Lindsay: Wait, what? This is I still don't believe it. I'm a mother.

[51:21] Jenn Rias: Yeah, I would have I would assume that in the state that you're in six months in, it's still it's like this thing you're trying on for size in a weird way.

[51:28] Kara Lindsay: Um, but it's something that you are now forever, and it's oh it just it would be you're their person, yeah.

[51:35] Jenn Rias: I have to push myself all the time.

[51:37] Kara Lindsay: You're the mom.

[51:38] Jenn Rias: Like when they're like, I want my mom, that's you.

[51:44] Kara Lindsay: Just Kara and I are like freaking out.

[51:46] Jenn Rias: Yeah, it's still like sinking in.

[51:48] Kara Lindsay: Oh my gosh.

[51:49] Jenn Rias: What they're doing.

[51:50] Kara Lindsay: You remember holding him for the first time and saying that to him, like, I'm your mom.

[51:50] Jenn Rias: I'm your mom.

[51:58] Kara Lindsay: Whoa.

[51:59] Jenn Rias: Oh my gosh.

[52:00] Kara Lindsay: Brain explosion, and it just keeps going, you guys.

[52:03] Jenn Rias: I mean, you know, Kara and I have our girls are you know, six and five, and oh my gosh, and it's wild.

[52:09] Kara Lindsay: It just you look at them and you're like, you're a person, you are a person with opinions and thoughts and your own agenda, and it's just wild.

[52:19] Jenn Rias: It's wild.

[52:20] Kara Lindsay: So you know, and it feels it goes by in a flash.

[52:22] Jenn Rias: I mean, it's cliche, but it's true.

[52:24] Kara Lindsay: Like, um, it goes by in a flash.

[52:28] Jenn Rias: The days are long and the years are short, right?

[52:30] Kara Lindsay: Oh my gosh.

[52:31] Jenn Rias: Yeah, I'm already feeling that.

[52:32] Kara Lindsay: It's like six months already, but like, holy smokes, how do we get through a day?

[52:37] Jenn Rias: Yeah, but you're doing it.

[52:40] Kara Lindsay: Right.

[52:40] Jenn Rias: You guys are doing it, you are, and that part doesn't go away.

[52:44] Kara Lindsay: I mean, I feel like there's plenty of days where you're like, how are we gonna get through today?

[52:48] Jenn Rias: Yeah.

[52:49] Kara Lindsay: But you do, and then you turn around and you're a child's a year older, and you're like, how do you well, you guys are rock stars, and thank you for showing us all that it can be done and we can you can do it with such grace and beauty and still be amazing Broadway stars performers and extra time.

[53:07] Jenn Rias: Yeah.

[53:08] Kara Lindsay: I mean, truly, you're organizing extracurriculars.

[53:11] Jenn Rias: I mean, what are you kidding me?

[53:14] Kara Lindsay: I can't even get a lip gloss on.

[53:15] Jenn Rias: This is ridiculous.

[53:17] Kara Lindsay: We weren't doing extracurriculars when we were where you are.

[53:21] Jenn Rias: No, no, no, no.

[53:23] Kara Lindsay: No, it will all you will by the point by the time you get to where we are, you'll be like, what else have you got?

[53:29] Jenn Rias: Yeah, oh gosh.

[53:30] Kara Lindsay: What do you want me to do?

[53:31] Jenn Rias: Yeah, but although then please don't let them be school age in a pandemic, because then you have to teach them and you have to do and then you lose all your extra time.

[53:40] Kara Lindsay: So I know happy it's Saturday and we don't have school.

[53:44] Jenn Rias: Like I don't have to be a teacher today.

[53:46] Kara Lindsay: Hallelujah.

[53:47] Jenn Rias: It's nice.

[53:48] Kara Lindsay: That's you girls, you ladies, you are rock stars, and thank you for joining us and try to just like appreciate this time and it's thank you.

[54:02] Jenn Rias: And it's it just it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

[54:05] Kara Lindsay: Like this is you guys are in that magical sweet spot, and even though it can feel really tough.

[54:10] Jenn Rias: Kara, I love looking at your face because I feel like you're I'm like feeling the same thing.

[54:15] Kara Lindsay: I just love it.

[54:16] Jenn Rias: They were in the same baby zone.

[54:18] Kara Lindsay: It's so cool.

[54:19] Jenn Rias: Yeah, that's so great.

[54:20] Kara Lindsay: I mean, we're doing it.

[54:25] Cara Cooper: Mama's talking about.

[54:30] Jessica Rush: Thanks so much for listening to this episode of Mama's Talkin' Loud. Special shout outs to Rachel Spencer Hewitt for our fabulous graphic, Kristen Anderson Lopez, Bobby Lopez, and Justin Ward Weber for our awesome theme song.

[54:42] Jessica Rush: Our producers Dori Berinstein, Alan Seales, and of course the Broadway Podcast Network for bringing us to you. If you like what you're hearing and you want to keep the conversation going, you can follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

[54:53] Jessica Rush: And of course, subscribe and review us wherever you listen to your podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in.