Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Play next
S2.Ep13 - Puppies & (heartbreaking) Plot-Twists- Felicia's Story Pt.1 image

S2.Ep13 - Puppies & (heartbreaking) Plot-Twists- Felicia's Story Pt.1

Functionally Feral
Avatar
147 Plays17 days ago

After an unexpected break, we're finally back with a life update episode—and a lot has happened.

Natalie shares a major update on her mold, Lyme, and Bartonella healing journey, including surprising improvements, new treatment protocols, and the clues that suggest these health challenges may have been present for much longer than she realized. We also talk about a relaxing adults-only trip to the Dominican Republic, why Natalie is somehow getting a fourth dog, and Kyle's newest adventure: training a mold-detection dog.

Meanwhile, Felicia recaps a beach vacation with a toddler who apparently no longer believes in sleep, a daring "coma cave" escape, and the realities of traveling with young kids.

This episode is full of the real-life moments you've come to expect from us—health updates, parenting stories, marriage wins, puppy talk, and plenty of chaos.

Please note: In the second half of this episode, we discuss pregnancy loss. If that topic is difficult for you right now, feel free to skip that portion of the conversation.

Follow along with us on Instagram: Natalie Felicia

Recommended
S2.Ep15 - Felicia's Story Pt.2 - The Missing Pieces image
S2.Ep15 - Felicia's Story Pt.2 - The Missing Pieces
Functionally Feral
01:06:25·3 days ago
S2.Ep14 - Felicia's Story Pt.2- Complications and Aftermath of Pregnancy Loss image
S2.Ep14 - Felicia's Story Pt.2- Complications and Aftermath of Pregnancy Loss
Functionally Feral
01:19:38·10 days ago
S2.Ep12 - Twins? Mold/Lyme? And a One Day Potty Training Miracle image
S2.Ep12 - Twins? Mold/Lyme? And a One Day Potty Training Miracle
Functionally Feral
00:56:08·2 months ago
S2.Ep11 - A Very +POSITIVE+ Episode image
S2.Ep11 - A Very +POSITIVE+ Episode
Functionally Feral
00:45:17·3 months ago
S2.Ep10 - We Finally Podcasted In Person! image
S2.Ep10 - We Finally Podcasted In Person!
Functionally Feral
00:19:49·3 months ago
S2.Ep9 - From Fight Night to Field-Harvested Cows image
S2.Ep9 - From Fight Night to Field-Harvested Cows
Functionally Feral
01:03:23·3 months ago
S2.Ep8 - The Female Physiology Finale image
S2.Ep8 - The Female Physiology Finale
Functionally Feral
00:50:48·4 months ago
S2.Ep7 - Reiki Told Me I'm Too Busy- But Not Too Busy for Some Skincare and Conspiracies image
S2.Ep7 - Reiki Told Me I'm Too Busy- But Not Too Busy for Some Skincare and Conspiracies
Functionally Feral
01:03:42·4 months ago
S2.Ep6 - Chit Chatting About Preparing for Pregnancy in Trimester Zero image
S2.Ep6 - Chit Chatting About Preparing for Pregnancy in Trimester Zero
Functionally Feral
01:12:24·4 months ago
S2.Ep5 - Hormone Cycle Red Flags: It's Trying To Tell You Something (and you can probably fix it) image
S2.Ep5 - Hormone Cycle Red Flags: It's Trying To Tell You Something (and you can probably fix it)
Functionally Feral
01:15:01·4 months ago
S2Ep4 -Your Cycle Isn’t Random: Periods, Fertility Windows, & Hormone Disruptors image
S2Ep4 -Your Cycle Isn’t Random: Periods, Fertility Windows, & Hormone Disruptors
Functionally Feral
00:52:12·5 months ago
S2.Ep3 - New Year, New Brain, New Habits (& conspiracies) image
S2.Ep3 - New Year, New Brain, New Habits (& conspiracies)
Functionally Feral
00:53:43·5 months ago
S2.Ep2 - Strung Out Like Christmas Lights image
S2.Ep2 - Strung Out Like Christmas Lights
Functionally Feral
01:00:01·6 months ago
S2.Ep1- How We Did Disney All Wrong (But Managed To Have the BEST Trip) image
S2.Ep1- How We Did Disney All Wrong (But Managed To Have the BEST Trip)
Functionally Feral
01:11:04·6 months ago
Ep 17 - The Hydration Episode image
Ep 17 - The Hydration Episode
Functionally Feral
00:57:30·7 months ago
Ep 16 - Steez (style+ease) Season image
Ep 16 - Steez (style+ease) Season
Functionally Feral
00:54:11·7 months ago
Ep 15 - Spooky Motherhood: A Halloween Horror Story image
Ep 15 - Spooky Motherhood: A Halloween Horror Story
Functionally Feral
00:59:05·7 months ago
The Energy Episode: Full of Trauma (Now Released) image
The Energy Episode: Full of Trauma (Now Released)
Functionally Feral
01:01:42·8 months ago
Ep 13 - WWFND?- Colds, Flu, and a sprinkle of COVID image
Ep 13 - WWFND?- Colds, Flu, and a sprinkle of COVID
Functionally Feral
00:56:34·8 months ago
Ep 12 - WWFND? (medicine cabinet edition): Pain and Fevers image
Ep 12 - WWFND? (medicine cabinet edition): Pain and Fevers
Functionally Feral
01:03:57·8 months ago
Transcript

Intro

Catch-up and Life Updates

00:00:51
Felicia Devine
Hello, welcome back to episode 13. Hi, Natalie.
00:00:53
Natalie Richards
Hello, Felicia. I feel like it has been an entire lifetime, like an entire year, I feel like has gone by.
00:01:01
Felicia Devine
Yes, no, actually, we have, I know, two months.
00:01:03
Natalie Richards
and it's only been like a month and a half, two months.
00:01:07
Felicia Devine
We've had many life events happen since the last time we were supposed to record. So it's been a while.
00:01:12
Natalie Richards
ah We have.
00:01:14
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:01:14
Natalie Richards
It has been a while. a lot of things have happened, good and bad.
00:01:17
Felicia Devine
Yes. Now I will start off by saying in this episode, we will be talking about pregnancy loss. So if that is a trigger for you, you can go ahead and skip this episode towards the end, but we'll start with something lighter, brighter.
00:01:30
Natalie Richards
Yes.
00:01:31
Felicia Devine
Well, actually, I don't even know.
00:01:33
Natalie Richards
I don't know.
00:01:33
Felicia Devine
What are we starting with? Natalie, what is your update? Do we need a trigger warning for it?
00:01:39
Natalie Richards
ah No, I don't have a trigger warning unless you're offended by mold toxicity.
00:01:39
Felicia Devine
Okay.
00:01:46
Felicia Devine
Not offended over here.
00:01:49
Natalie Richards
If you're offended by things easily, you probably shouldn't listen to us anyway.
00:01:52
Felicia Devine
I don't think you're on episode 13 at this point.
00:01:53
Natalie Richards
Okay. You're not here with us anymore.
00:01:56
Felicia Devine
Right, right.
00:01:56
Natalie Richards
um So I have a lot of updates, um not like any major things, but I'm trying to think to think back over the last couple months is very hard.
00:02:02
Felicia Devine
Okay.
00:02:07
Felicia Devine
No.
00:02:07
Natalie Richards
I'm like, what did me too?
00:02:08
Felicia Devine
ah That's why i like when we do weekly or bi-weekly because...
00:02:11
Natalie Richards
Because my brain does not work that way.
00:02:13
Felicia Devine
No, I can't even think of like anything.
00:02:14
Natalie Richards
It does not. no
00:02:16
Felicia Devine
I had to write myself a timeline before we recorded. Because I'm like, I need to remember what actually occurred on what day. Because I, like, if it didn't happen yesterday, i don't know.
00:02:25
Natalie Richards
I know I'm, it's like insane. So, um gosh, right when I'm trying to remember when we went to, to the Dominican Republic, I think that was like, well
00:02:37
Felicia Devine
Oh, I forgot you went on vacation.
00:02:40
Natalie Richards
ah you know, i think it was like April, the end of April, April 20th or something like that.
00:02:41
Felicia Devine
Wait, had to have been after we it must have been the next weekend.
00:02:50
Natalie Richards
I think it would have been the following weekend after we were supposed to record.
00:02:50
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:02:54
Natalie Richards
Um,
00:02:54
Felicia Devine
I know when it was. It was when I was in the hospital.
00:02:57
Natalie Richards
Yes. Yes.
00:02:59
Felicia Devine
Okay. So yeah, it was the weekend of the 20...
00:03:01
Natalie Richards
Foreshadowing.
00:03:01
Felicia Devine
23rd-ish. Okay.
00:03:02
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:03:03
Felicia Devine
Okay.
00:03:04
Natalie Richards
Yeah. So I think that's the weekend.

Vacation in Punta Cana

00:03:07
Natalie Richards
So Punta Cana was amazing. It was something else.
00:03:10
Felicia Devine
go Oh.
00:03:12
Natalie Richards
I'm going to drag you to our next one. I'll let you know when it is.
00:03:15
Felicia Devine
Yeah. I'm free now.
00:03:17
Natalie Richards
ah already have it booked. Okay.
00:03:18
Felicia Devine
Do you really? Okay. That'll be after the show.
00:03:24
Natalie Richards
So if you would like to join, it's going to be really fun.
00:03:26
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:03:27
Natalie Richards
Yeah,
00:03:27
Felicia Devine
What made you choose Punta... What's it called? Punta Cana?
00:03:30
Natalie Richards
yeah it's the Dominican Republic. It was really fun.
00:03:33
Felicia Devine
What made you choose that?
00:03:34
Natalie Richards
i don't, well, Kyle didn't want to go to Mexico. So when we were, we were originally supposed to go to Spain.
00:03:37
Felicia Devine
Correct.
00:03:41
Natalie Richards
I don't know if I even told you that.
00:03:42
Felicia Devine
No.
00:03:42
Natalie Richards
We were supposed to go to Spain to go to a Rufus de Sol concert in Spain, in Barcelona.
00:03:47
Felicia Devine
You did tell me that. we you Okay, I do know this story.
00:03:51
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:03:51
Felicia Devine
Okay.
00:03:51
Natalie Richards
So we were going to do that. And then it just kind of like was coming down to it. at the moment, international travel wasn't looking that enticing. And then i was just like, you know, i don't really feel like doing...
00:04:01
Felicia Devine
Mm-hmm.
00:04:05
Natalie Richards
like an active trip, he you know, where I'd have to like a walking trip where like i have to plan like all the little things that we were going to do and the hotels and the tours and the stuff.
00:04:07
Felicia Devine
Mm-hmm. Walking. cobblestones.
00:04:20
Natalie Richards
I just was like, you know what?
00:04:21
Felicia Devine
Yes.
00:04:22
Natalie Richards
I can't. And also it would have been hours
00:04:23
Felicia Devine
Mm-hmm.
00:04:26
Natalie Richards
nights in Barcelona only. like we wouldn't With the way the concert fell, it wasn't going to work to really go many other places.
00:04:28
Felicia Devine
Mm-hmm.
00:04:32
Natalie Richards
So i was like, you know what?
00:04:32
Felicia Devine
Mm-hmm.
00:04:34
Natalie Richards
That's not the Spain trip that I really want to take. I i want to like do a different one.
00:04:36
Felicia Devine
Right.
00:04:37
Natalie Richards
So we pivoted and i was like, well, why don't we go just go to an all-inclusive and just sit on
00:04:39
Felicia Devine
Mm-hmm.
00:04:45
Natalie Richards
a beach somewhere and do nothing.
00:04:46
Felicia Devine
Have you done inclusive before?
00:04:47
Natalie Richards
like When I was younger with my parents, we've done a couple of them.
00:04:49
Felicia Devine
OK.
00:04:50
Natalie Richards
I wouldn't say they're my favorite thing in the world because it's just not my type of vacation really.
00:04:53
Felicia Devine
Oh.
00:04:56
Natalie Richards
sun.
00:04:56
Felicia Devine
Oh.
00:04:57
Natalie Richards
sand son
00:05:02
Natalie Richards
water
00:05:03
Felicia Devine
They're getting better.
00:05:07
Felicia Devine
my god.
00:05:07
Natalie Richards
I always say the only thing i hate more than swimming is being hot.
00:05:09
Felicia Devine
Yes. Yes.
00:05:11
Felicia Devine
Right. And getting sunburned.
00:05:11
Natalie Richards
So like if I'm hot, maybe I'll go in the pool.
00:05:16
Felicia Devine
Oh my God. That's so funny. You're right. i I, didn't even draw the conclusion there.
00:05:18
Natalie Richards
It's not my thing.
00:05:20
Felicia Devine
You're a winter vacation girl.
00:05:21
Natalie Richards
And we, yes. And I will tie this all back in.
00:05:23
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:05:25
Natalie Richards
But when I was 10, we went to Mexico and I got like massive sun poisoning within a day, like poisoning, like sick, like throwing up, like awful.
00:05:25
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:05:31
Felicia Devine
Yeah. okay
00:05:37
Natalie Richards
It's just, it's not for me. so
00:05:39
Felicia Devine
No, and once you get sun poisoning once, you're like way more susceptible to it.
00:05:40
Natalie Richards
but Yes. So now I've kind of like trained my myself to be okay with the sun. Like I can handle it.
00:05:48
Felicia Devine
Mm-hmm.
00:05:49
Natalie Richards
I am i can tan okay. Like I don't wear sunglasses anymore for a lot for that reason.
00:05:54
Felicia Devine
Mm-hmm.
00:05:57
Natalie Richards
and So my eyes can be like aware of the UV status.
00:05:57
Felicia Devine
Right.
00:06:00
Felicia Devine
Yes. It needs to prepare for.
00:06:03
Natalie Richards
Yeah. So it actually has helped. Like in the last two years, it's helped a lot.

Health Improvements and Challenges

00:06:08
Natalie Richards
So I used to get like hives on my hands if I were to go in the sun. And now that didn't happen anymore.
00:06:13
Natalie Richards
Anyway, you know, so, but I will say the first day of this trip, we were out in, in the sun.
00:06:15
Felicia Devine
How grown up are you? Your body has matured.
00:06:23
Natalie Richards
It was nine 30 in the morning, nine 30.
00:06:25
Felicia Devine
no.
00:06:25
Natalie Richards
And I said, I'm going to give myself 10 minutes without sunscreen at nine 30.
00:06:32
Natalie Richards
horrible idea, horrible idea.
00:06:34
Felicia Devine
The first day.
00:06:35
Natalie Richards
The first day it was so dumb. So we were sitting and standing in the pool. it wasn't hot. It was like 75 degrees 30, nine 30.
00:06:42
Felicia Devine
Mm-hmm.
00:06:45
Natalie Richards
and it was nine thirty nine thirty
00:06:45
Felicia Devine
Girl, you're flirting with that equator.
00:06:48
Natalie Richards
God, I know. so it was So I got very burnt, but it wasn't like, then I did all my homeopathic stuff and I didn't really peel or anything. like It wasn't that bad, but I was very red for multiple days.
00:06:57
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:07:00
Natalie Richards
And then I said, okay, I'm done with the sun now.
00:07:03
Felicia Devine
Now I need the shade and protection.
00:07:04
Natalie Richards
Yeah. So I actually put sunscreen on after that and It was in the shade. So, but it was really fun. We had, we walked on the beach a little bit. We drank coconuts, fresh coconuts.
00:07:15
Natalie Richards
We had great dinners. Like the resort we stayed at was really nice. So, so we're now going to a different, yeah, it was actually.
00:07:19
Felicia Devine
Okay. Was it rejuvenating?
00:07:22
Natalie Richards
Had probably the best massage I've ever had in my life there.
00:07:23
Felicia Devine
Okay.
00:07:26
Felicia Devine
Wait, you had a massage?
00:07:27
Natalie Richards
Yeah, a massage and a facial.
00:07:27
Felicia Devine
Wait, did it burn your summer?
00:07:28
Natalie Richards
And Kyle. Yes, for sure. It did.
00:07:30
Felicia Devine
Oh.
00:07:31
Natalie Richards
Kyle had a massage too.
00:07:33
Felicia Devine
Did he?
00:07:33
Natalie Richards
Yeah, and he loved it.
00:07:35
Felicia Devine
Wow.
00:07:36
Natalie Richards
I know. He doesn't like being touched by people. So...
00:07:38
Felicia Devine
Yeah, yeah, I can relate. Related.
00:07:40
Natalie Richards
I, he, he's doing very well, actually. Kyle's doing very well. He's, he's going to therapy, which is amazing.
00:07:46
Felicia Devine
Oh my gosh.
00:07:47
Natalie Richards
And he actually enjoys it.
00:07:49
Felicia Devine
Good.
00:07:49
Natalie Richards
So that's like really good.
00:07:50
Felicia Devine
Oh
00:07:51
Natalie Richards
So he, he has this whole setup with the VA now and it's wonderful.
00:07:53
Felicia Devine
my gosh.
00:07:54
Natalie Richards
So he's good.
00:07:54
Felicia Devine
Good.
00:07:55
Natalie Richards
yeah He's doing great.
00:07:56
Felicia Devine
We love a a healthy man. Good.
00:07:58
Natalie Richards
We love a healthy man. No kidding. So i think like that trip and all of that, like he was feeling really good after all of that.
00:08:06
Felicia Devine
Good.
00:08:06
Natalie Richards
So we had a fun time. um Came back to reality, you know, I think did I now I can't remember if I went to my Lyme doctor.
00:08:20
Natalie Richards
Did I go before that? Yeah, I went in March. So I I was still oh, yeah, because I was taking all my stuff when I was in Punta Cana.
00:08:23
Felicia Devine
Did you?
00:08:28
Natalie Richards
I did not miss a dose.
00:08:28
Felicia Devine
OK.
00:08:29
Natalie Richards
Can you believe it? I did not miss a single time of taking my things.
00:08:31
Felicia Devine
Good for you.
00:08:35
Felicia Devine
All your things and your million ounces of
00:08:36
Natalie Richards
I think in two months of doing everything, i'm i i think I missed like two total doses of things.
00:08:43
Felicia Devine
my gosh, good.
00:08:43
Natalie Richards
Isn't that crazy?
00:08:45
Felicia Devine
Now what's your like status?
00:08:46
Natalie Richards
So my status now, so I just went back last week. Yeah.
00:08:51
Felicia Devine
Oh, good.
00:08:52
Natalie Richards
Last week. Yeah.
00:08:52
Felicia Devine
Oh, we have an update.
00:08:53
Natalie Richards
Yes. We have an update update.
00:08:55
Felicia Devine
Oh.
00:08:56
Natalie Richards
Um, pretty much everything was like cut in half, which is amazing.
00:08:59
Felicia Devine
Oh.
00:09:00
Natalie Richards
So like every number and he actually looked at me, he goes, I'm very surprised that all of these, like, especially the mold went down in the way that it did.
00:09:01
Felicia Devine
That's incredible.
00:09:09
Natalie Richards
So I was like, Oh, perfect.
00:09:09
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:09:10
Natalie Richards
I'm the perfect little student.
00:09:11
Felicia Devine
Yes, you're like, I don't miss.
00:09:11
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:09:14
Felicia Devine
Oh,
00:09:14
Natalie Richards
So my mold went from like eight to a three and a half, which is amazing. My biotoxin, same thing, went from eight to like four, I think.
00:09:20
Felicia Devine
good.
00:09:23
Felicia Devine
Mm-hmm.
00:09:23
Natalie Richards
And then um now like that that has gone down, now the Lyme and Bartonella are kind of like coming up as being a little more of like what we have to treat this time, which is great.
00:09:30
Felicia Devine
Um,
00:09:35
Natalie Richards
So I started, i think I got all my stuff yesterday. So I started it last night and I definitely felt it today where I was like, oh yeah, I'm feeling more of like the Bartonella symptoms because it's making it a little angered.
00:09:43
Felicia Devine
with detoxing?
00:09:48
Natalie Richards
So I woke up and my feet were like burning, like really painful on the bottom. And that's like a classic, that's a classic Bartonella symptom.
00:09:53
Felicia Devine
What? Is it? Yeah.
00:09:57
Natalie Richards
Where I have had it mildly in the past, I would never have been like, oh my God, my feet hurt so bad. I can't handle it, which is what most people feel like with Bartonella where they wake up in the morning and it's just like the horrible pain in their feet or all throughout the day.
00:10:06
Felicia Devine
Wow.
00:10:13
Natalie Richards
so foot pain is like, like foot fascia pain is like a classic symptom of Bartonella.
00:10:14
Felicia Devine
Oh my gosh. I had no idea.
00:10:20
Felicia Devine
Is it bilateral or unilateral?
00:10:22
Natalie Richards
Usually by almost always bilateral.
00:10:24
Felicia Devine
That's why you know it's a systemic thing and not just like your fasciitis.
00:10:26
Natalie Richards
Yep. If it's unilateral, sure, it's probably plantar fasciitis because hardly ever do you have plantar fasciitis that's happening on both sides at the exact same time when it's like true plantar fasciitis.
00:10:30
Felicia Devine
Right.
00:10:33
Felicia Devine
both. Flaring. Yeah.
00:10:38
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:10:43
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Right.
00:10:50
Natalie Richards
I definitely felt like I was flaring up from the Bartonella today. That's a good thing in my mind.
00:10:56
Felicia Devine
Yeah, yeah, because you're stirring it.
00:10:57
Natalie Richards
So I think that's where where people like have a little bit of a disconnect when you're going through active treatment of something.
00:11:04
Felicia Devine
Healing.
00:11:04
Natalie Richards
You are going to feel a resurgence of it a little bit. like It's going to have times where it feels good. It's going to have times where it doesn't. And that's good. like I actually want the symptoms to come back a little bit.
00:11:14
Felicia Devine
Right.
00:11:17
Natalie Richards
So I know it's coming into my system and I can kill it with the things that I'm taking.
00:11:17
Felicia Devine
and
00:11:21
Felicia Devine
Right.
00:11:22
Natalie Richards
So I'm now taking...
00:11:22
Felicia Devine
Right.
00:11:26
Natalie Richards
a couple different like herbal blends of like a bunch of different things. And then I'm doing like a tincture, which is Bartonella.
00:11:30
Felicia Devine
Okay.
00:11:33
Natalie Richards
It's like a specific Bartonella lime tincture. So it's, it's really good.
00:11:36
Felicia Devine
Cool.
00:11:38
Natalie Richards
So, and still doing, ah no, it's probably more now because I actually, I'm taking like the killing things twice a day.
00:11:38
Felicia Devine
So is it less steps? No.
00:11:45
Natalie Richards
And then I have to do the charcoal binders still at night, like right before bed.
00:11:46
Felicia Devine
Okay.
00:11:49
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Oh,
00:11:51
Natalie Richards
And that has helped. Like if I don't do that right before bed, I feel not good in the morning.
00:11:57
Felicia Devine
no.
00:11:58
Natalie Richards
So it's good overall.
00:12:00
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:12:00
Natalie Richards
Everything is getting better. I'm actually able to treat some of these these things.
00:12:02
Felicia Devine
Go ahead.
00:12:04
Natalie Richards
But what my, I don't know if I told you this
00:12:04
Felicia Devine
Go ahead.
00:12:08
Natalie Richards
I can't remember what we talked about in the last episode, but my mom, she goes, oh yeah, you you got bit by a tick when you were eight. I go, oh, okay.
00:12:16
Felicia Devine
Okay, Anita.
00:12:18
Natalie Richards
And then I was like, oh, I do remember that. I had it on the back of my knee.
00:12:22
Felicia Devine
Did you really?
00:12:22
Natalie Richards
Yeah. So then after that is when I started having just kind of like vague, like GI problems. Like I had all kinds of weird, just like very vague things.
00:12:31
Felicia Devine
Mm-hmm.
00:12:35
Natalie Richards
um And that's when my sun sensitivity started after that as well.
00:12:40
Felicia Devine
Oh my goodness. That's why it came full circle. Yeah.
00:12:43
Natalie Richards
Right. So i just, I've kind of been like putting a lot of like things together where I probably have had these like vague symptoms for a long time.
00:12:48
Felicia Devine
yeah
00:12:53
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:12:54
Natalie Richards
But now it just got revamped entirely when I had like my mold exposure in my apartment before I had Jean.
00:12:58
Felicia Devine
Okay.
00:13:02
Natalie Richards
Like it just was all these things.
00:13:03
Felicia Devine
Great.
00:13:04
Natalie Richards
And then like breastfeeding hormones and pregnancy and blah, blah, blah, whatever. And stress. Yeah. So I think all of that brought it all out again. But I think I've had that for a long time.
00:13:15
Felicia Devine
Wow.
00:13:16
Natalie Richards
Mm hmm.
00:13:17
Felicia Devine
That's crazy.
00:13:18
Natalie Richards
So there we are. So that's that update.
00:13:21
Felicia Devine
So here we are.
00:13:21
Natalie Richards
So much better. um Probably, i mean, i think i I think it's happening faster than he expected.
00:13:23
Felicia Devine
time
00:13:28
Felicia Devine
here
00:13:28
Natalie Richards
so And my mom my mom was like, oh, this is going to be years. You're going to be doing this for so long. I'm like, no, you have been doing it for years. Not I.
00:13:38
Felicia Devine
No, you're like, I am putting pedal to the metal.
00:13:39
Natalie Richards
No, no, no, no. no I am going to get better.
00:13:42
Felicia Devine
any Yeah. Yeah.
00:13:44
Natalie Richards
i am going

Family and Parenting Stories

00:13:46
Natalie Richards
to. so So I've been doing all my other stuff, my vibration plate and my red light and my saunas and my ridiculous things.
00:13:46
Felicia Devine
and Now was going to say, Yeah. All your things.
00:13:54
Natalie Richards
And he's like, yeah, that's probably why you're getting better so fast.
00:13:59
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:13:59
Natalie Richards
He's like, people don't really do that stuff, even if I tell them to.
00:14:01
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:14:02
Natalie Richards
So he doesn't, I don't even think he recommends that stuff to people.
00:14:02
Felicia Devine
Because
00:14:05
Natalie Richards
He just kind of does his testing and he just, he does his thing.
00:14:06
Felicia Devine
I won't do it. Ooh.
00:14:09
Natalie Richards
But So I'm like, yeah, I'm doing all my stuff. I got two new massive air purifiers.
00:14:15
Felicia Devine
What did get?
00:14:16
Natalie Richards
So I have three industrial size air purifiers. I have one Jasper in our bedroom.
00:14:22
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:14:22
Natalie Richards
And then I have two of like the new, the brand new air doctors that I got when they had a sale.
00:14:27
Felicia Devine
Oh, cool.
00:14:29
Natalie Richards
So, so now we have three insane sized air purifiers in our house.
00:14:29
Felicia Devine
Nice.
00:14:32
Felicia Devine
Good. Right,
00:14:35
Natalie Richards
And that helps. I think that's, if there's anything actively in the house, it's going to help not get re-infected.
00:14:36
Felicia Devine
thank
00:14:42
Natalie Richards
So.
00:14:42
Felicia Devine
great right. Yeah.
00:14:44
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:14:46
Felicia Devine
That's excellent.
00:14:46
Natalie Richards
I'd say that's about it. Yeah. And then like the potty training thing with Gene, it's so funny. Like he is fully, fully, fully potty trained. And then naturally he just stopped peeing overnight.
00:14:57
Natalie Richards
Like before he would wake up and he would wake up with a full diaper.
00:14:58
Felicia Devine
So, he wear a diaper or not? Okay.
00:15:02
Natalie Richards
And then all of a sudden it's just, he can go 12 hours without peeing.
00:15:06
Felicia Devine
Now, does he wear a diaper or no?
00:15:08
Natalie Richards
I still put one on because it freaks me out.
00:15:09
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:15:10
Natalie Richards
It makes me very nervous.
00:15:10
Felicia Devine
Right. Right.
00:15:12
Natalie Richards
Like I don't, he like he wakes up totally, totally dry with it.
00:15:12
Felicia Devine
But he's dry.
00:15:17
Felicia Devine
Wow, wonder what the difference is.
00:15:17
Natalie Richards
It's insane. I have no idea. I think it's just as like, no, no.
00:15:20
Felicia Devine
Are you treating him for anything right now? No.
00:15:25
Natalie Richards
but But it probably would have been parasites at the time because I was, I was treating him for that.
00:15:29
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Yeah. Right. Right.
00:15:32
Natalie Richards
He doesn't really have the symptoms of that anymore.
00:15:35
Felicia Devine
Wow.
00:15:36
Natalie Richards
so
00:15:37
Felicia Devine
i need to I need to figure out what do. I think I want to work on a parasite thing with the sepi.
00:15:42
Natalie Richards
Did I send you, did I tell you the BioRay stuff?
00:15:42
Felicia Devine
don't.
00:15:45
Felicia Devine
I've heard of the bi-ray and then i've heard of the earthly bundle where it's like immune modulating too.
00:15:46
Natalie Richards
Uh-huh.
00:15:49
Natalie Richards
Yeah. Yeah. You could probably try one or the other. The BioRay, the BioRay will help bind heavy metals too.
00:15:53
Felicia Devine
yeah
00:15:57
Natalie Richards
Cause Gene had lead like long ago. Like when he was, I forget when they tested it.
00:16:03
Felicia Devine
I think it's at your, visit, two-year visit.
00:16:04
Natalie Richards
and It must've been when he was two year, year and a half. I don't know. But he, he tested like just, I think it's 18 months.
00:16:10
Felicia Devine
Oh, maybe it's the 18-month visit.
00:16:13
Natalie Richards
He tested just like barely high or or like barely into the moderate range.
00:16:18
Felicia Devine
How does that happen?
00:16:19
Natalie Richards
And I was like, that's weird.
00:16:20
Felicia Devine
he eating lead paint?
00:16:22
Natalie Richards
It's in everything. It's in every, especially like health foods. It's in a lot of like healthy snacks and stuff and cassava cassava is like huge for lead.
00:16:33
Felicia Devine
Well, don't use that for cooking or baking.
00:16:36
Natalie Richards
Right. But like, what was he eating at the time? o he was eating a lot of like the siete chips. He loved those at the time that are cassava. And then he was eating um the lesser evil little puff things, just like when we would go somewhere.
00:16:52
Felicia Devine
Oh, yeah.
00:16:53
Natalie Richards
And those are cassava. So at the time he was eating a lot of cassava.
00:16:56
Felicia Devine
Oh, you know what? He does eat cassava because he eats the serenity puffs or has.
00:17:01
Natalie Richards
Yes. the
00:17:02
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:17:02
Natalie Richards
Those two. Yes. So it's like, it's one of those things.
00:17:04
Felicia Devine
Oh.
00:17:06
Natalie Richards
It's like, whatever, you can bind it out and be fine.
00:17:09
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:17:09
Natalie Richards
It's not the end of the world, but it definitely contains it.
00:17:10
Felicia Devine
Right.
00:17:12
Natalie Richards
That's for sure. So I think I've like bound out most of his, his heavy metals at this point.
00:17:14
Felicia Devine
Geez.
00:17:18
Felicia Devine
Now, when you do the bio-ray, you just do the bio-ray by itself. You don't have to do anything else with it.
00:17:22
Natalie Richards
He, yeah, no, you don't have to do anything.
00:17:24
Felicia Devine
Oh, because the earthly is like a three-step
00:17:25
Natalie Richards
You could do, you could do a binder.
00:17:29
Felicia Devine
on top of that.
00:17:29
Natalie Richards
I don't feel like he, yeah, I don't feel like he ever needed it, but you could do like zeolite or something. Zeolite drops with it.
00:17:35
Felicia Devine
Steppy loves liquid charcoal.
00:17:38
Natalie Richards
ah Does he really? Oh, perfect.
00:17:39
Felicia Devine
Addicted.
00:17:39
Natalie Richards
So you would just do that. And he might be fine on the metal side, but he may not be, he may still have, have some parasites for other reasons.
00:17:42
Felicia Devine
We put it in a syringe and he's like, blah. Right. Yeah.
00:17:49
Natalie Richards
Who knows?
00:17:50
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Yeah.
00:17:51
Natalie Richards
Who knows? How is he sleeping?
00:17:54
Felicia Devine
Better, so much better.
00:17:55
Natalie Richards
Knock on wood.
00:17:55
Felicia Devine
Well, I digress about him being better.
00:17:56
Natalie Richards
Yeah. Yeah.
00:17:59
Felicia Devine
No, no. So overall at home, so much better.
00:18:06
Natalie Richards
Okay.
00:18:06
Felicia Devine
And like, we haven't traveled in a ah long time, but we we went to the beach last weekend.
00:18:08
Natalie Richards
Which helps. Yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Oh my God. And it was a disaster.
00:18:14
Felicia Devine
No, it was so bad, Natalie.
00:18:15
Natalie Richards
ah
00:18:15
Felicia Devine
So I was like, okay, well, we both worked all day. So it was like a Thursday. We worked all day, got home.
00:18:21
Natalie Richards
Yep.
00:18:22
Felicia Devine
And we were going to leave at like 7, 730.
00:18:25
Felicia Devine
so that he had time to unwind in the car and then would fall asleep by his eight o'clock bedtime.
00:18:29
Natalie Richards
sure Mm-hmm.
00:18:32
Felicia Devine
So we get him in his pajamas. He has a bath. Like we're ready. All right.
00:18:36
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:18:37
Felicia Devine
Start driving. My parents are in the back seat with him. So my mom's in the middle. My dad's on the window seat and they're like reading books and like, you know, zero screen time.
00:18:43
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:18:45
Felicia Devine
We don't do screen time.
00:18:46
Natalie Richards
<unk>
00:18:46
Felicia Devine
Okay. So he's chatting up storm. It's getting dark.
00:18:51
Natalie Richards
ahha
00:18:51
Felicia Devine
I'm like, okay, it's a little past eight. That's okay.
00:18:54
Natalie Richards
yeah
00:18:54
Felicia Devine
My mom starts to kind of like wean herself from like interacting with him. So she's like doing some like looking out the window. Then my mom starts closing her eyes in the car, like just resting her head back.
00:19:05
Natalie Richards
oh
00:19:05
Felicia Devine
Giuseppe is leaning over his car seat going, wake
00:19:09
Natalie Richards
Oh my God.
00:19:09
Felicia Devine
Wake up, Baba! Wake up!
00:19:12
Natalie Richards
Well, it's so exciting having her in the car with him.
00:19:14
Felicia Devine
Yeah. He was like, ain't no one sleeping in this car. Not on on my watch. And we're just like giggling because like, you know, it's exciting. We're going on a vacation. We pack the car.
00:19:23
Natalie Richards
Yeah,
00:19:23
Felicia Devine
The dog's in the backseat. Like everyone's excited.
00:19:25
Natalie Richards
it is what it is. Mm-hmm.
00:19:27
Felicia Devine
So I'm like not stressed because, you know, it it whatever. You don't fall asleep in the car. Who cares? It's only a two hour drive. Like it wasn't that long. It wasn't like, you know, the end of the world. So we get to the beach um house at like almost 10.
00:19:45
Felicia Devine
Natalie, this kid this kid didn't go to sleep till 1245
00:19:45
Natalie Richards
He was still awake.
00:19:49
Natalie Richards
Hi, you here you go
00:19:52
Felicia Devine
We ended up putting on Trash Truck from Netflix because Dan and I were literally, I mean, we worked full days of patience.
00:19:55
Natalie Richards
Yes.
00:19:58
Natalie Richards
We're dead. You were dead. Mm-hmm.
00:20:00
Felicia Devine
Dan had to drive to the beach. i I had to do all the packing. Like I was like exhausted.
00:20:03
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:20:05
Felicia Devine
My parents are peacefully sleeping in the other room.
00:20:07
Natalie Richards
Oh, my God.
00:20:07
Felicia Devine
Well, I don't know how peaceful because Seth was crying a lot because I tried to put him to bed a lot.
00:20:09
Natalie Richards
yeah because he was. my God.
00:20:15
Felicia Devine
And he was sleeping in the other room. So there was a three, it was a three bedroom house. So he was in his own room, but his room had bunk beds in it. Oh my God, give a kid a bunk bed, he'll never sleep.
00:20:24
Natalie Richards
Oh my. And they go crazy. Yeah.
00:20:27
Felicia Devine
And he wasn't even sleeping in the bunk bed.
00:20:29
Natalie Richards
And it's new and it's just like so exciting.
00:20:32
Felicia Devine
He couldn't believe it. And he had a pack and play with a, I call it a coma cave.
00:20:34
Natalie Richards
oh my God.
00:20:37
Felicia Devine
It's that black cover.
00:20:38
Natalie Richards
Yes. The whatever.
00:20:39
Felicia Devine
We call it the coma cave because when he naps in it, you have to wake him up.
00:20:40
Natalie Richards
Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's out.
00:20:44
Felicia Devine
He's out like a light.
00:20:45
Natalie Richards
Okay.
00:20:45
Felicia Devine
So usually the coma cave like trumps all excitement because it's a blackout cave.
00:20:45
Natalie Richards
Okay.
00:20:51
Felicia Devine
So I'm like putting him in the coma cave and you can see on the monitor, he's standing up like a little, like mountainous mole.
00:20:56
Natalie Richards
Oh my God.
00:20:57
Felicia Devine
And yeah, he defied all odds and he was resilient to the sleep.
00:21:01
Natalie Richards
Oh my gosh.
00:21:03
Felicia Devine
And so then eventually we put on trash truck at like, I don't know, midnight. And then, so I tried for two hours to get him down.
00:21:08
Natalie Richards
Yeah. Yeah.
00:21:11
Felicia Devine
Crazy.
00:21:11
Natalie Richards
Oh my God. And that's, oh my God.
00:21:13
Felicia Devine
Literally exhausting.
00:21:14
Natalie Richards
That's ridiculous.
00:21:16
Felicia Devine
anyway, so I tried to put him down for two hours. We ended up putting on trash truck in our bedroom and letting him sit there. And this kid is like, like not even fading.
00:21:25
Felicia Devine
And eventually at 1245, was like, okay, I'm just going to like put you back in your bed and we're just going to see what happens again.
00:21:25
Natalie Richards
Oh my word.
00:21:31
Felicia Devine
So I eventually just laid him in his bed and he cried for like two seconds, but he was exhausted.
00:21:32
Natalie Richards
Yep.
00:21:36
Natalie Richards
Of course.
00:21:37
Felicia Devine
So then he only slept till 6.15, which is crazy behavior because he usually sleeps till eight.
00:21:39
Natalie Richards
ah huh. Uh huh.
00:21:42
Felicia Devine
And I'm like, whoa, here we go.
00:21:43
Natalie Richards
Uh huh.
00:21:44
Felicia Devine
So we had three lives before most people wake up on vacation.
00:21:48
Natalie Richards
Uh huh.
00:21:49
Felicia Devine
And we did so many fun things. And it was the best weekend ever.
00:21:52
Felicia Devine
And he slept like trash. And I didn't even care because we had so much fun.
00:21:52
Natalie Richards
It's so cute.
00:21:55
Natalie Richards
No, it doesn't matter. You just kind of deal with it.
00:21:56
Felicia Devine
Yeah. And honestly, he was like getting us out of the house. Like he was like, I'm awake and I didn't want to wake our parents up, my parents up.
00:22:00
Natalie Richards
Yeah. Let's go.
00:22:03
Felicia Devine
So i was like, we're leaving.
00:22:03
Natalie Richards
Right.
00:22:05
Felicia Devine
um we went to the dog beach.
00:22:05
Natalie Richards
Bye.
00:22:06
Felicia Devine
We went out to coffee.
00:22:07
Natalie Richards
Oh, my gosh.
00:22:07
Felicia Devine
We like walked around. Yeah.
00:22:10
Natalie Richards
That's so cute. I love it.
00:22:11
Felicia Devine
It was so fun. um
00:22:12
Natalie Richards
That's so good.
00:22:13
Felicia Devine
But then, but then he went down for a nap at the house.
00:22:19
Natalie Richards
no.
00:22:20
Felicia Devine
I put him down for a nap in the coma cave and I sleep.
00:22:22
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:22:23
Felicia Devine
And I go downstairs and I am taking a beat. I mean, I am like, we have had, we have been in, in the thick of it, right? Like nonstop, nonstop.
00:22:31
Natalie Richards
Yes.
00:22:32
Felicia Devine
So Dan and I are like looking through, Dan brought his like nice camera. So we're looking through photos and then I pulled up my phone and we're looking at videos from the day.
00:22:37
Natalie Richards
Right.
00:22:41
Felicia Devine
And I had been hooked up to the Bluetooth speaker earlier at the beach and
00:22:46
Natalie Richards
Uh-huh.
00:22:46
Felicia Devine
And so we're looking at a video of him like doing something. And I'm like, oh my gosh, it's playing on the Bluetooth speaker. Like it was so loud. I was like, oh my gosh, turn it off, turn it off. And then my dad comes, cause we're in like the sunroom, the sunroom of the house.
00:22:58
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:22:59
Felicia Devine
My dad comes and he's like, do hear that? I'm like, yeah, I think it was my phone. And my dad turns around and looks up the stairs. Giuseppe was standing at the top of the stairs.
00:23:09
Natalie Richards
No.
00:23:10
Felicia Devine
He got out of his sleep sack.
00:23:11
Natalie Richards
he had. What?
00:23:13
Felicia Devine
He unzipped the coma cave.
00:23:15
Natalie Richards
What?
00:23:17
Felicia Devine
climbed out of the pack and plate, re-zipped the coma cave, and found his way to the stairs. That's not, I mean, it was like the scariest staircase with like no baby proofing.
00:23:24
Natalie Richards
Really?
00:23:26
Felicia Devine
And it was so steep.
00:23:26
Natalie Richards
Really?
00:23:27
Felicia Devine
Like, I was like, and he's, he's like confident on the stairs, but like, I was like, what happened?
00:23:28
Natalie Richards
go potty in that one, honey.
00:23:32
Natalie Richards
Oh, my gosh. That's so crazy.
00:23:35
Felicia Devine
And then he went in the room and he goes, seppy-doo, seppy-doo.
00:23:36
Natalie Richards
honey.
00:23:37
Felicia Devine
And he was showing me how he, oh, you're good.
00:23:37
Natalie Richards
go honey Oh my God. I can't. This is ridiculous.
00:23:41
Felicia Devine
Okay.
00:23:42
Natalie Richards
Gene.
00:23:43
Felicia Devine
So he literally escaped. And then we went back in the room because I was like, oh, maybe my mom's awake because my mom was napping too.
00:23:50
Natalie Richards
Yeah. To help him get out.
00:23:52
Felicia Devine
Yeah. And he literally goes, Seppi, do. And he's showing me how he unzipped the coma cave and escaped. And I'm like, Seppi, don't do. Seppi, don't do.
00:24:01
Natalie Richards
Oh man.
00:24:02
Felicia Devine
So then we had to move him into our room because I couldn't trust that because he could climb the bunk bed, but he couldn't get down himself.
00:24:10
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:24:10
Felicia Devine
And I couldn't trust that in the middle of the night, he wasn't going to get a burst of energy and start climbing.
00:24:14
Natalie Richards
No kidding.
00:24:15
Felicia Devine
And so I had to lock him in my room with me. And then the dog in the morning, the final day woke him up because she shook her ears and he's like, mommy.
00:24:18
Natalie Richards
Oh my God.
00:24:24
Felicia Devine
And I'm like, just thaty
00:24:24
Natalie Richards
and That's all it took. Oh.
00:24:27
Felicia Devine
oh I know. So the sleeping was like absolute garbagio, but it is what it is.
00:24:30
Natalie Richards
It just was. Yep.
00:24:33
Felicia Devine
And vacation was so fun.
00:24:33
Natalie Richards
Oh my God.
00:24:35
Felicia Devine
And it was our first beach trip as a family.
00:24:37
Natalie Richards
That's so fun.
00:24:37
Felicia Devine
And i would do it again and again. I realized why people like the beach.
00:24:41
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:24:42
Felicia Devine
I didn't like the beach until this weekend.
00:24:44
Natalie Richards
Well, when you have a kid who enjoys it, then yeah, it makes it really fun.
00:24:46
Felicia Devine
Yeah. It was lovely.
00:24:48
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:24:49
Felicia Devine
And we so happened to stumble upon...
00:24:50
Natalie Richards
And it is kind of like real, it's relaxing. Like it's for the most part.
00:24:53
Felicia Devine
Yeah. No, it was. Cause like my kid doesn't eat sand. My kid doesn't run away.
00:24:57
Natalie Richards
Right.
00:24:57
Felicia Devine
He's not an eloper.
00:24:59
Natalie Richards
Right.
00:24:59
Felicia Devine
He listens to direction. I was like playing the sand in the shade.
00:25:03
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:25:04
Felicia Devine
Like it was, we're at the age where like I can have like a conversation with him and he can get the concepts.
00:25:10
Natalie Richards
Totally.
00:25:10
Felicia Devine
So I was like, and the water was way too cold for him to want to be in it. So like he wasn't eloping to the ocean.
00:25:14
Natalie Richards
Perfect. Perfect.
00:25:17
Felicia Devine
it was lovely. And I honestly, 10 out 10 would go back this weekend. So we went the weekend after Memorial Day, but the weekend before everyone graduates on this side of the world.
00:25:23
Natalie Richards
Yes. Yes.
00:25:27
Felicia Devine
So it was crime.
00:25:27
Natalie Richards
Yes. That's what we did for the lake too. And it's perfect. The weather is beautiful. It hasn't gotten humid yet.
00:25:32
Felicia Devine
Not too hot. Mm-hmm.
00:25:35
Natalie Richards
Nobody's there. It's great.
00:25:36
Felicia Devine
Yep. Yeah.
00:25:37
Natalie Richards
It's amazing.
00:25:37
Felicia Devine
So I'm going rebook for that, that vacation next year.
00:25:40
Natalie Richards
orderly Totally.
00:25:41
Felicia Devine
it was lovely.
00:25:41
Natalie Richards
Totally.
00:25:42
Felicia Devine
So we do it again. um i don't know.
00:25:45
Natalie Richards
Awesome.
00:25:45
Felicia Devine
I don't know how you get your kid to sleep on vacation. Like my kid's just like not flexible in sleeping.
00:25:50
Natalie Richards
I think it's just, it truly, it does, it's just how it is.
00:25:52
Felicia Devine
He's just not.
00:25:54
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:25:54
Natalie Richards
Gene is or was for the most part, just because we did it all the time.
00:25:59
Natalie Richards
Like we went to the lake a lot with him.
00:26:01
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:26:01
Natalie Richards
So we were, but for a long time, it was horrible and I would sleep terribly up there, and but it was worth it because it was like the other parts of it were great, but
00:26:05
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. yeah No, I know. And what's crazy is like, he's had so much exposure to traveling.
00:26:15
Felicia Devine
We go to Vermont, we go to Arizona, we go to Florida.
00:26:16
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm. He has. you go You go a lot of places.
00:26:18
Felicia Devine
We got like,
00:26:20
Natalie Richards
It just for a long time, it just was trash.
00:26:22
Felicia Devine
yeah, yeah. But beyond that fabulous beach vacation, not sleeping, he actually is sleeping pretty well. He had been sleeping consistently through the night up until my incident.
00:26:29
Natalie Richards
That's good.
00:26:34
Felicia Devine
Um,
00:26:34
Natalie Richards
Right.
00:26:35
Felicia Devine
And he woke up in the middle of the night that night when my brother was at the house screaming for me.
00:26:38
Natalie Richards
Oh, really? ah see if no Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:26:41
Felicia Devine
and he hadn't been waking up. ah he And my brother was panicked because he was like, you know something I don't.
00:26:44
Natalie Richards
Yeah. Oh my God. For real. Oh my God.
00:26:48
Felicia Devine
And so I told my brother, I was like, he sleeps through night, but if he wakes up and you can't get him back to sleep, because i truly am the only one that can get him back to sleep.
00:26:55
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:26:55
Felicia Devine
I was like, just turn on PAW Patrol and just ride it out because today is not about saving anything.
00:26:58
Natalie Richards
And just, yep.
00:27:03
Natalie Richards
No, no, no, no, it's okay.
00:27:04
Felicia Devine
It's not about consistent sleep patterns. I was like, don't be a hero. So he he and my brother sat in my bed and they binge watched PAW Patrol in the middle of the night.
00:27:09
Natalie Richards
Okay.
00:27:16
Natalie Richards
Oh my God.
00:27:17
Felicia Devine
And it is what it is. um
00:27:18
Natalie Richards
It is.
00:27:19
Felicia Devine
you know And you know he's not a broken child.
00:27:20
Natalie Richards
It is. No, he's fine.
00:27:22
Felicia Devine
He's just, he's slept a night of sleep.
00:27:24
Natalie Richards
Yep. It's okay.
00:27:27
Felicia Devine
But yeah, so sleep has been pretty good.
00:27:28
Natalie Richards
Oh my God.
00:27:28
Felicia Devine
And then we've slowly gotten back on track since then. But I would say maybe three times a week he's up.
00:27:32
Natalie Richards
Good. Okay. Good.
00:27:34
Felicia Devine
Like last night he slept through, but the night before he was up at midnight. So it is what it is.
00:27:37
Natalie Richards
It just, it, it kind of still just happens.
00:27:40
Felicia Devine
Yeah, and like he has so many great qualities.
00:27:41
Natalie Richards
It just happens.
00:27:42
Felicia Devine
ah Middle of the night sleep is okay.
00:27:43
Natalie Richards
It's all good. It's okay.
00:27:46
Felicia Devine
It's okay.
00:27:47
Natalie Richards
And it really is not forever.
00:27:50
Felicia Devine
Right.
00:27:51
Natalie Richards
I had those moments where I was like, oh my God, it feels like this is going to be forever.
00:27:51
Felicia Devine
Right.
00:27:54
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:27:57
Natalie Richards
But it's not.
00:27:58
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:27:58
Natalie Richards
It it does get better.
00:27:59
Felicia Devine
Yeah. And like, honestly, I'm so adapted to the middle of the night wakings that like my, I still get like almost 90 on my sleep score because my body is like, we're awake and then we're deep sleeping.
00:28:09
Natalie Richards
Totally. You just get used to it.
00:28:13
Felicia Devine
And then like, you know, like it is so, know,
00:28:13
Natalie Richards
Yep. Yep. you still get enough deep sleep. Yeah.
00:28:18
Felicia Devine
Yeah. So I'm like still crushing it on my sleep scores.
00:28:18
Natalie Richards
I think that's the case for most, yeah. For most like breastfeeding moms.
00:28:23
Felicia Devine
Restfeeding.
00:28:25
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:28:25
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:28:25
Natalie Richards
I think that's just how it is.
00:28:25
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:28:27
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:28:27
Natalie Richards
um Oh, I forgot to mention something.
00:28:31
Natalie Richards
Then we'll get more into you.
00:28:33
Felicia Devine
Okay.
00:28:33
Natalie Richards
um I am, well, okay. Kyle, I kind of told you this already, but I have not told the podcast this already.
00:28:41
Felicia Devine
Oh.
00:28:42
Natalie Richards
Kyle, a couple weeks ago, few weeks ago, he was he was ah yeah yeah he was at my office and he was talking to Chelsea and I was like seeing a patient and I like kind of heard him chatting a little bit.
00:28:45
Felicia Devine
I have no details though. This is my first time hearing it.
00:28:55
Natalie Richards
And he was like, i think you know maybe I'd get like a mold dog or something. And I go, what? What are we talking about?
00:29:05
Felicia Devine
um again
00:29:06
Natalie Richards
And he goes, would hey mama, would you be okay if I like got a mold, if i trained a mold dog? And I was like, honestly, yeah.
00:29:14
Felicia Devine
I would love that.
00:29:14
Natalie Richards
Yeah, I would. i would. That'd be great.
00:29:18
Felicia Devine
Take them everywhere with us.
00:29:19
Natalie Richards
Because I've been like wanting him to find something that he wants to do that involves dogs, that is something that maybe could be a profession or maybe doesn't have to be a full profession, you know, just like something that can, yeah something that he can do with dogs that is meaningful, right?
00:29:32
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Like a side gig.
00:29:38
Felicia Devine
Mm-hmm.
00:29:39
Natalie Richards
So the second he said that, I was like, yeah, that would be perfect. That's amazing. And it like blends our two worlds together.
00:29:44
Felicia Devine
Mm-hmm.
00:29:46
Natalie Richards
So he is going to be training a dog to...
00:29:46
Felicia Devine
I know. It does.
00:29:52
Natalie Richards
to detect mold in buildings, like in houses. And these dogs are like, they're like 97% accurate in finding mold in houses, which if you do like a ah general mold inspection and you do air testing and dust testing, there's still a really high chance that it could be there and the test doesn't pick up on it.
00:30:01
Felicia Devine
Wow.
00:30:05
Felicia Devine
Mm-hmm.
00:30:12
Felicia Devine
It's missed.
00:30:12
Natalie Richards
Yeah. So, and you pay like thousands and thousands of dollars to do these tests.
00:30:14
Felicia Devine
Because if it's behind. Yeah.
00:30:17
Natalie Richards
Exactly.
00:30:17
Felicia Devine
If it's behind a wall and the the the test isn't picking it up.
00:30:19
Natalie Richards
Exactly. Exactly.
00:30:21
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:30:21
Natalie Richards
The dog could come in and go to a wall that looks completely inconspicuous and could say the mold is from here to here. And you know exactly like where to to rip out the wall or whatever.
00:30:33
Felicia Devine
I would pay for that.
00:30:35
Natalie Richards
It's insane. So like people should, because otherwise you're just spending thousands of dollars to maybe know it's there, but not know where.
00:30:41
Felicia Devine
Guessing.
00:30:44
Natalie Richards
So that's kind of cool. So I was like, okay, cool, Kyle. This is good. This is great. um And then I'm like, oh, we have to get a puppy.
00:30:54
Felicia Devine
That means we need a puppy to train.
00:30:56
Natalie Richards
And he had already been talking to,
00:30:57
Felicia Devine
Because let's say Duke isn't doing that.
00:30:59
Natalie Richards
no no and So it has to be like from the ground up, like you got to imprint these puppies on, on the scent and all of that.
00:31:05
Felicia Devine
Mm-hmm.
00:31:06
Natalie Richards
yeah, We have to get a puppy and it's conveniently going to be the same kind of puppy that Felicia has. She has peas.
00:31:12
Felicia Devine
Yay, it's GSP family. oh and you are getting a brown one.
00:31:16
Natalie Richards
So we're getting a brown one. She has a little tiny white little speckled paw. It's so cute. But for the most part, yes, yes.
00:31:22
Felicia Devine
The brown ones are the craziest.
00:31:26
Natalie Richards
I really wanted, i' really wanted like the spotted with like the like brown spots with the white ticked fur.
00:31:34
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Well, let's just say they do change over time.
00:31:36
Natalie Richards
But the Yes.
00:31:38
Felicia Devine
Because I was convinced that Josephine was fully ticked.
00:31:43
Natalie Richards
Oh my gosh.
00:31:44
Felicia Devine
Her baby photos, Natalie, she's like majority white.
00:31:48
Natalie Richards
What?
00:31:49
Felicia Devine
Yes. And then I was like, oh my God, did they spray paint her? Because her baby photo versus her now, like I even asked the vet at one point, I said, did her spots come back?
00:31:53
Natalie Richards
What?
00:31:58
Felicia Devine
And they're like, what? And like, she lost.
00:32:00
Natalie Richards
in What?
00:32:02
Felicia Devine
I should say lost, but her ticking changed.
00:32:05
Natalie Richards
That's so weird.
00:32:05
Felicia Devine
So it might change. You might notice, yeah, as she grows, you might notice like a shift in her patterns, but it was crazy.
00:32:06
Natalie Richards
It could change. It totally could change. Yeah. It totally could.
00:32:13
Felicia Devine
i was like, she, well, and then as she was a puppy, people would be like, oh, is that a lab?
00:32:13
Natalie Richards
That's crazy.
00:32:18
Felicia Devine
And I'm like, what?
00:32:19
Natalie Richards
Right. Because people, Yeah.
00:32:19
Felicia Devine
Cause she was like all chocolate.
00:32:21
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:32:22
Felicia Devine
And now that she's getting older, you can see more of her delineations, but oh my gosh, it's crazy.
00:32:25
Natalie Richards
Yeah. That's so funny.
00:32:27
Felicia Devine
I
00:32:27
Natalie Richards
that

Planning for a New Puppy

00:32:27
Felicia Devine
literally was like, oh, I've been tricked.
00:32:27
Natalie Richards
I don't know what the hell is going to happen.
00:32:29
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:32:30
Natalie Richards
Seriously.
00:32:31
Felicia Devine
I picked the white one.
00:32:33
Natalie Richards
That's funny. yeah
00:32:34
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:32:34
Natalie Richards
So like Kyle's friend, Kyle's friend, our friends here, they have three of them.
00:32:34
Felicia Devine
So it might change.
00:32:38
Natalie Richards
And this is like the breeder that they, that they use.
00:32:38
Felicia Devine
OK.
00:32:41
Natalie Richards
So it kind of was just like, it worked out that this was going to be the type of dog that we were going get in like three weeks.
00:32:42
Felicia Devine
OK.
00:32:45
Felicia Devine
Yeah. When do you get to pick her up?
00:32:49
Natalie Richards
No, two weeks.
00:32:49
Felicia Devine
Oh.
00:32:50
Natalie Richards
Oh God. God.
00:32:52
Felicia Devine
Natalie, i remember ah remember crying because Josephine would like attack me.
00:32:52
Natalie Richards
Wait, what day is it today? Hmm. two weeks.
00:32:57
Felicia Devine
And like attack me in the sense of like she was like a little puppy and she was just like seeing red.
00:32:57
Natalie Richards
Yeah. I remember I was.
00:33:02
Felicia Devine
And it wasn't vicious attackment.
00:33:03
Natalie Richards
h
00:33:04
Felicia Devine
It was just like it was just like she was just like a psycho.
00:33:05
Natalie Richards
no no, this is my playmate.
00:33:07
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:33:07
Natalie Richards
m
00:33:08
Felicia Devine
At one point, I found her on my kitchen table.
00:33:09
Natalie Richards
I remember, I remember I was there.
00:33:10
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:33:11
Natalie Richards
Remember i babysat her when she was like 10 weeks old.
00:33:11
Felicia Devine
yes
00:33:14
Felicia Devine
Natalie, Natalie flew out to Pennsylvania to babysit her so I could go to a wedding. And she was a psychopath. She was like crazy.
00:33:24
Natalie Richards
whom
00:33:25
Felicia Devine
Yeah, no, she literally was like a little tiny couple week old puppy.
00:33:29
Natalie Richards
she was.
00:33:30
Felicia Devine
Anyway.
00:33:31
Natalie Richards
so I know what I'm getting into.
00:33:31
Felicia Devine
They're the best dogs.
00:33:32
Felicia Devine
Yeah, they're the best.
00:33:32
Natalie Richards
They are great.
00:33:35
Natalie Richards
And you know what?
00:33:35
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:33:35
Natalie Richards
It's not my deal.
00:33:37
Felicia Devine
Oh, you should tell Kyle to get puppy insurance though.
00:33:38
Natalie Richards
Jean, Jean was my deal. know, he for sure.
00:33:40
Felicia Devine
Yeah, right.
00:33:41
Natalie Richards
Well, Jean was my deal. I woke up in the middle of the night, every single waking, this puppy is not my deal.
00:33:43
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:33:48
Felicia Devine
No, this is Kyle's passion project.
00:33:48
Natalie Richards
It's not my deal. Yeah, this is his child. And...
00:33:52
Felicia Devine
i I remember when we were crate training her, we would have to rock her to sleep in our arms.
00:33:58
Natalie Richards
Holy moly.
00:33:58
Felicia Devine
In the middle of the night after she went potty, we'd rock her to sleep. And when she fell asleep, we'd put her in her kennel like you would do for a baby in a crib.
00:34:05
Natalie Richards
Oh, my God. i don't i don't I don't know if I have this in me, truthfully, but it's a lot.
00:34:07
Felicia Devine
Crazy.
00:34:11
Felicia Devine
um Yeah, it was a lot. But honestly, the joy that a GSP can emit, like, it's just like, I don't know.
00:34:14
Natalie Richards
I know.
00:34:17
Natalie Richards
I know.
00:34:20
Natalie Richards
They're so sweet. They're so just like wiggly.
00:34:21
Felicia Devine
And they have so much personality and they're so goofy.
00:34:24
Natalie Richards
And yeah, they are.
00:34:24
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:34:25
Natalie Richards
They're so cute.
00:34:26
Felicia Devine
Yeah. So I'm very excited for you.
00:34:26
Natalie Richards
They're so cute. It's going to be great.
00:34:28
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:34:29
Natalie Richards
um And it just gives him, yeah, like he needs more to do, but it gives him something to do.
00:34:31
Felicia Devine
Yeah. No, but it's good for his mental capacity to pour into a project that's solely his and not into a project that's run by the government.
00:34:36
Natalie Richards
It is. It is. Yes.
00:34:41
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:34:42
Natalie Richards
Correct. Correct.
00:34:43
Felicia Devine
don't Don't cancel us, please.
00:34:46
Natalie Richards
Correct. It's going to be really nice.
00:34:49
Felicia Devine
Yeah, it's a personal project, not a government project.
00:34:50
Natalie Richards
he He can do his own.
00:34:52
Felicia Devine
We've done enough of those.
00:34:53
Natalie Richards
he can do his own thing. Yes.
00:34:55
Felicia Devine
no Yeah, yeah.
00:34:56
Natalie Richards
Yeah. he has He has been part of enough government run projects.
00:35:02
Felicia Devine
Yeah, yeah. So this is great.
00:35:03
Natalie Richards
um So yes, it's going to be great.
00:35:05
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:35:05
Natalie Richards
so ah that's pretty much, I think that's my last update. I'm getting a puppy, a fourth dog in case anybody wasn't paying attention.
00:35:13
Felicia Devine
Yeah. And all these dogs have different needs.
00:35:17
Natalie Richards
They do.
00:35:17
Felicia Devine
okay
00:35:18
Natalie Richards
They do.
00:35:18
Felicia Devine
Yeah. You're going to be, wow. And Natalie, when I knew Natalie as like our roommate, she was like, I'm never having a dog ever.
00:35:26
Natalie Richards
No. No.
00:35:28
Felicia Devine
and now you have
00:35:28
Natalie Richards
Why would I want that? Yep. Yep. I like dogs.
00:35:30
Felicia Devine
Love this for you.
00:35:31
Natalie Richards
I am.
00:35:31
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:35:32
Natalie Richards
I like dogs.
00:35:32
Felicia Devine
But you don't want them in your living environment and look at where you are. And you have two of the, well, three of the craziest hairy dogs.
00:35:40
Natalie Richards
The most insane hair.
00:35:42
Felicia Devine
Thank God you're not adding more hair.
00:35:43
Natalie Richards
i know.
00:35:44
Felicia Devine
if
00:35:44
Natalie Richards
i know. So at least it's not like a golden retriever or a husky.
00:35:48
Felicia Devine
Yeah, for a husky.
00:35:50
Natalie Richards
Like I'm not sure that they, I don't know if they do.
00:35:51
Felicia Devine
I don't even know if huskies have the capacity to do mold, but I don't know. I've never seen a working husky in

Pregnancy Loss: Initial Concerns and Steps

00:35:57
Felicia Devine
the mold department.
00:36:00
Natalie Richards
no
00:36:00
Felicia Devine
They're really good at endurance activities. i don't know they're good at mold.
00:36:05
Natalie Richards
no
00:36:06
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:36:07
Natalie Richards
So we shall see. I'm going to have to like give her, give her like biotoxin binders too.
00:36:09
Felicia Devine
I'm excited for those future updates.
00:36:14
Felicia Devine
Yeah, ah right, because she's going be sniffing malt.
00:36:14
Natalie Richards
Poor thing. She's like in moldy environments all the time.
00:36:17
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Yeah. Oh, geez.
00:36:19
Natalie Richards
I'll keep her healthy.
00:36:20
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Okay, should I start my updates?
00:36:24
Natalie Richards
Yeah, I think we shall.
00:36:25
Felicia Devine
Okay, so this is this is the trigger warning department.
00:36:29
Natalie Richards
h
00:36:31
Felicia Devine
We are entering the territory.
00:36:31
Natalie Richards
Wasn't on my end.
00:36:32
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Renting the territory of triggers. um okay so we'll rewind to the day. Let's rewind to the day that you and I were supposed to film this episode, April 12th.
00:36:43
Natalie Richards
Yeah. Right.
00:36:45
Felicia Devine
So for those of you listening actively, it is June 7th.
00:36:50
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:36:51
Felicia Devine
This episode was supposed to be recorded April 12th. So I remember that morning my family went out, i don't know, like 40 minutes away to watch my brother do 10 K trail run.
00:37:05
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:37:06
Felicia Devine
And it was like a chillier, sunny day, very windy. Um, I was like a little over eight weeks pregnant.
00:37:11
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:37:14
Felicia Devine
Um, and it was just like an exhausting morning. I remember just like getting back in the car, we were coming home so that we could put step down for his nap. And then Nat and I were going to record the podcast.
00:37:25
Felicia Devine
Um, And I remember getting back in the car and oh she's like I think that wind just took every ounce of energy I had. Like, I was just like, oh I'm just feeling super drained.
00:37:34
Natalie Richards
As it does, wind like does do that.
00:37:36
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Like wind
00:37:39
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:37:39
Felicia Devine
I was overstimulated. was slightly cold. was mothering.
00:37:42
Natalie Richards
yeah Right.
00:37:43
Felicia Devine
was like, I'm just, I was pregnant. I was like, I'm just a little over the mold or not mold.
00:37:47
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:37:47
Felicia Devine
I'm over the wind.
00:37:48
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:37:49
Felicia Devine
So we get in the car. I text Natalie. I said, how, I remember this text. I go, how committed to recording are you today? And she goes, you read my mind. not committed at all.
00:38:00
Felicia Devine
And I go fabulous because we're driving home right now. I'm deadbeat tired. And I just like, I don't know if I have it in me to like shower, get ready, record. Like it was just going to be like another like lump I had to get over.
00:38:13
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:38:13
Felicia Devine
And I think it it was a Sunday. So I was like, oh, and then we work tomorrow.
00:38:15
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:38:17
Felicia Devine
Like it just felt very overwhelming.
00:38:19
Natalie Richards
Like it wasn't supposed to happen. And I did too.
00:38:20
Felicia Devine
yeah And like, yeah.
00:38:21
Natalie Richards
i was, I forget what was happening that day.
00:38:22
Felicia Devine
And that was like, i no, you were like dead tired too.
00:38:25
Natalie Richards
Yeah. I was like, I can't, I'm, I'm, I am not able to do this right now, which is kind of funny actually.
00:38:26
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Yeah.
00:38:29
Felicia Devine
So I was like, oh, thank God. Because then I was like, I don't want to feel bad for like canceling because like Nat, you know, like I didn't want it to be just because of me. So Natalie was like, yeah, I'm also in the same boat, like feeling really run down.
00:38:42
Felicia Devine
So we were like, let's push it off. So we we get home from this event, this trail run. And i go to the bathroom and I'm spotting like very lightly, but I was like, well, that's weird.
00:38:56
Felicia Devine
was like, oh, I don't like that. So I texted my midwife or like called my midwife. And did I tell you right away? I can't remember remember if I, I think we were on the phone at some point.
00:39:04
Natalie Richards
Yeah, you you I'm pretty sure. i think we talked on the phone, i think before you even talked to your midwife. i can't Or no, maybe you talked to her first and then, i don't know.
00:39:13
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Yeah. Cause I think I called you that afternoon.
00:39:16
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:39:17
Felicia Devine
So my midwife was like, we have a couple options because I wasn't due for my first prenatal visit with her for like a couple more weeks. I think I was scheduled to go at 11 weeks.
00:39:24
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:39:27
Felicia Devine
um
00:39:27
Natalie Richards
That sounds right.
00:39:28
Felicia Devine
Yeah. So she was like, we can send you for blood work. We can send you for an ultrasound or we can um wait and see.
00:39:38
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:39:38
Felicia Devine
I was like, okay. I was like, it's honestly, it was like the smallest hint of a spot.
00:39:43
Natalie Richards
Uh huh.
00:39:43
Felicia Devine
I was like, okay, let's just like wait and see. So it Sunday. I woke up Monday. it was like fine. Like I wasn't spotting anymore. It had like kind of subsided, went to work, whatever. Tuesday rolls around.
00:39:55
Felicia Devine
Now I don't work Tuesdays. um And I woke up and it was spotting again. And I was like, I just like really don't like this feeling. Like it was just like an ominous feeling of like unknown.
00:40:06
Natalie Richards
Yep. Yep.
00:40:07
Felicia Devine
Cause I had no bearings to go off of. Like I had nothing nothing to like point my direction at that point.
00:40:14
Natalie Richards
Right.
00:40:14
Felicia Devine
So i texted my midwife again and I was like, hey, i started spotting again and I'm very uncomfortable. And she was like, okay, what do you want to do? And I was like, I really think I need an ultrasound. And she was like, okay. so we kind of like weighed our options of what to do.
00:40:27
Felicia Devine
But I was like, I have a dermatology appointment today, like a big dermatology appointment.
00:40:31
Natalie Richards
Oh, yeah. That's right. all the at The whole list of things that you were dealing with.
00:40:37
Felicia Devine
No, it literally was crazy. So Dan took a half day because he had to drive me to set appointment. So Jane gets off work and we go to my dermatology appointment and I'm just like, no, I didn't.
00:40:48
Natalie Richards
Did you explain what this was for? The dermatology.
00:40:51
Felicia Devine
yeah
00:40:52
Natalie Richards
Okay.
00:40:53
Felicia Devine
So I had a mole that was like a little smaller than a quarter on my hairline, like right here.
00:41:00
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:41:00
Felicia Devine
Okay. It was like forehead hairline.
00:41:02
Natalie Richards
It was decent size, like definitely like nickel size.
00:41:04
Felicia Devine
It was big. Yeah.
00:41:05
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:41:06
Felicia Devine
And it was like changing with time. It was like abnormal borders. It had abnormal color. It was textured.
00:41:18
Felicia Devine
Occasionally it would bleed. Like it had every sign of being like a bad news bear.
00:41:20
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:41:23
Felicia Devine
And i was like, okay, so weeks and weeks prior to even getting pregnant, I scheduled the surgery.
00:41:30
Natalie Richards
Right.
00:41:31
Felicia Devine
I was like, ah!
00:41:31
Natalie Richards
Right. You were going to have major surgery.
00:41:32
Felicia Devine
So I scheduled the surgery. Yeah. So I got the surgery to have this mole removed on my face um well before I was even pregnant. So it comes to the day that I'm supposed to get this mole removed and I'm just like, oh, bad timing.
00:41:47
Felicia Devine
So Dan drives me to this appointment. They lay me back. They inject me with numbing stuff, which was fine. But the an actual like removal of this mole was just like horrible sounding.
00:42:01
Felicia Devine
So it was just like back, I was wide awake, right? Like I was just like laying on table and they stitched me up and they're like, okay, well, since you're pregnant, you like can't do anything about this.
00:42:04
Natalie Richards
Oh, yeah.
00:42:09
Felicia Devine
You just have to like wait it out. And I'm like, okay. Like as far as like pain management goes, oh my God, Natalie, the amount of pain I was in, it was like horrifying.
00:42:13
Natalie Richards
Right. Right. Good luck.
00:42:20
Natalie Richards
For real.
00:42:21
Felicia Devine
No, I was unprepared because a your scalp is not stretchy.
00:42:26
Natalie Richards
oh that's so true.
00:42:26
Felicia Devine
the pre-op they were even like if we get in there and we realize we can't even stitch it together because it's so tight like you'll have to go for like general anesthesia like in an or so I was like okay like fingers crossed I got stretchy skin like let's go after this well it turns out it's like there's nowhere for stuff to swell because you have no meat ah and you have no stretch so he stitched this thing together with like six stitches
00:42:33
Natalie Richards
Oh, oh my God.
00:42:42
Natalie Richards
Please, yeah.
00:42:48
Natalie Richards
Right, right.
00:42:54
Felicia Devine
And it, my eyebrow was like half above my, like it was, I looked like I got a facelift. was like, well, we're going have to do the other side. It was so tight. I had a raging headache, like raging headache.
00:43:06
Natalie Richards
I'm sure.
00:43:08
Felicia Devine
I had blueberries on my face, like driving home. I mean, it was...
00:43:11
Natalie Richards
yeah
00:43:13
Felicia Devine
It was so bad. I was like not ready for, I thought it was going to be like, oh yeah, like you had, like, I don't even know.
00:43:19
Natalie Richards
Just.
00:43:20
Felicia Devine
I don't get minor procedures ever.
00:43:21
Natalie Richards
No, no, i no.
00:43:22
Felicia Devine
Like I've, nothing in my life has ever been minor.
00:43:24
Natalie Richards
Minor. Well, exactly.
00:43:25
Felicia Devine
It's like either nothing or major.
00:43:28
Natalie Richards
I was saying that to somebody.
00:43:29
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:43:33
Natalie Richards
Felicia kind of has like major things that happened to her.
00:43:35
Felicia Devine
It's either nothing or it's everything. So like, i would consider this like a minor procedure, but like, I couldn't take anything palliative.
00:43:37
Natalie Richards
Oh my God. Right.
00:43:43
Natalie Richards
Right.
00:43:43
Felicia Devine
I was like struggling. So i'm like laying in bed that day. like we got home, dan's like, are you hungry? And I was like, no, I'm in so much pain. Like I need to go lay down. Like I can't even like use my head.
00:43:54
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:43:55
Felicia Devine
So I'm laying down. And at this point I'm having time to reflect. So between Sunday and Tuesday, i'm like, I lost all my pregnancy symptoms.
00:44:00
Natalie Richards
Yeah. Yeah.
00:44:06
Felicia Devine
I lost every single one of them. And I was like, Dan, unfortunately, I feel like a normal person right now. And I don't like that idea.
00:44:12
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:44:13
Felicia Devine
Like just felt really sickening.
00:44:16
Natalie Richards
Yep.
00:44:16
Felicia Devine
So I'm laying in bed like with peas or blueberries on my head.
00:44:21
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:44:21
Felicia Devine
And I'm like, I think we need to go get an ultrasound. And he's like, okay, you say that you say the word and we'll like do whatever we need to do.
00:44:27
Natalie Richards
Right, right.
00:44:28
Felicia Devine
so his parents came over. like I had the mole removed at four. We were like driving to hospital at 6.30.
00:44:35
Natalie Richards
You went the same day.
00:44:37
Felicia Devine
Yes.
00:44:37
Natalie Richards
I did not know that. oh my gosh.
00:44:39
Felicia Devine
Yes. So i drew we, Danny drove me to the hospital. I'm like stitched up bloody, like, cause you can't like clean it.
00:44:42
Natalie Richards
Oh, God.
00:44:44
Felicia Devine
Like, and they couldn't put a bandaid on it. I looked ridiculous. Um, and we get to the hospital, we go to OB triage and they're like, okay, what's going on?
00:44:54
Felicia Devine
And I'm like, oh, I'm, um, almost. So I was a day shy of nine weeks. So i was like, I'm nine weeks pregnant. Um, um i'm starting to spot i lost all my pregnancy symptoms i haven't had any imaging can you do an ultrasound because at that point you're gonna have to do a transvaginal and they're like you're not 14 weeks we can't take you and i dan and i were standing there like i'm sorry come again they're like yeah you have to be yeah they're like you have to go to a private clinic if you need imaging i'm like no no like there's a problem i'm at the hospital
00:45:08
Natalie Richards
Right. Yeah.
00:45:15
Natalie Richards
What?
00:45:19
Natalie Richards
So where do you go?
00:45:24
Natalie Richards
what
00:45:27
Natalie Richards
Right. Yeah. This isn't just for me to come get an ultrasound.
00:45:29
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:45:30
Natalie Richards
I think something that has happened.
00:45:30
Felicia Devine
I was like, no, no, like something's going on. And they're like, unfortunately, we just can't take you as a patient. They wouldn't even see me, Natalie.
00:45:38
Natalie Richards
ah This whole thing is just so ridiculous.
00:45:40
Felicia Devine
They're like, yeah, unfortunately. like so had I gone in there and probably lied about my gestational age, then they may ah might have taken me.
00:45:45
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:45:49
Natalie Richards
What?
00:45:49
Felicia Devine
I don't know. They turned me away.
00:45:51
Natalie Richards
Okay.
00:45:52
Felicia Devine
So Dan and I had to walk back to our car in the parking garage.
00:45:52
Natalie Richards
That's crazy. That's crazy.
00:45:55
Felicia Devine
And I was just devastated because I was like, you show up at a hospital thinking they're going help you. And they literally are like, yeah, based on admins, like new rules, we can't take you until you're 14 weeks.
00:46:06
Natalie Richards
Wow. Wow.
00:46:07
Felicia Devine
OK, so you're not going to take the woman that's in like the highest risk for a miscarriage in that window.
00:46:12
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Interesting.
00:46:15
Felicia Devine
Interesting.
00:46:16
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:46:16
Felicia Devine
So we went home. just kind of like, I was just like, i don't feel good. Like I was just like, this is not fun.
00:46:24
Natalie Richards
Yeah. Yeah.
00:46:26
Felicia Devine
I'm in a bad space mentally. My head hurts so bad.
00:46:27
Natalie Richards
Yeah. yeah Wow.
00:46:30
Felicia Devine
I was like, oh, so we wake up Wednesday and Dan's like, let's start calling clinics because she was like, you have to go to a private clinic if you want imaging.
00:46:38
Natalie Richards
Wow.
00:46:39
Felicia Devine
And I'm like, okay, like at what capacity am I going to get in early for a ultrasound?
00:46:44
Natalie Richards
No kidding.
00:46:45
Felicia Devine
So I start calling places and I called um a ah maternal fetal medicine imaging center.
00:46:53
Natalie Richards
Sure.
00:46:54
Felicia Devine
And I'm talking to the lady and she's so kind. And I'm like, hey, this is the the issue. i went to the hospital. They turned me away, yada, yada. She's like, well, unfortunately, i don't have anything until Monday.
00:47:04
Felicia Devine
and I was like, okay. I mean, it's Wednesday.
00:47:06
Natalie Richards
Whatever. Yeah.
00:47:07
Felicia Devine
I'll take, like, I thought, i thought that was quick.
00:47:09
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:47:10
Felicia Devine
I was like, okay, Monday it is.
00:47:10
Natalie Richards
but
00:47:13
Felicia Devine
At this point, my midwife moved up my prenatal appointment till Monday. So I'm like, okay, I'll get my ultrasound and then I'll go right to my midwife and like, we'll like, plan everything.
00:47:17
Natalie Richards
Okay.
00:47:20
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:47:22
Felicia Devine
So i work a half day Wednesday afternoon. So I'm at home with Giuseppe. I had made those calls. We're out playing at the water table. And the lady from the the imaging center calls me back. She's like, hey, Felicia, I actually just had a cancellation. Can you make it here within an hour?
00:47:38
Natalie Richards
Oh, man.
00:47:38
Felicia Devine
Because we had a cancellation. and I was like, oh my gosh, yeah.
00:47:42
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:47:42
Felicia Devine
Like, let me call my mother-in-law. Let me get ready for work. Like, I think I can make that work. It's only a 10 minute drive.
00:47:48
Natalie Richards
Right.
00:47:49
Felicia Devine
so I was like, yeah. So I called my mother-in-law. She's like, I can meet you with the parking lot. We met the parking lot. And I went into this clinic all by myself.
00:47:57
Natalie Richards
Oh God.
00:47:58
Felicia Devine
Oh, it was so terrible. So I go to the appointment man and they take my vitals. They look gorgeous. um They take me back into the room. They're like, what's going on? And I was like, you know, I've had some like light spotting. Like when I say light, I mean like barely, it wasn't like I was like even wearing a panty liner.
00:48:17
Natalie Richards
Yeah, it was just, yeah, you you could see it.
00:48:17
Felicia Devine
It was like when I wiped. Like barely spotting. Yeah. So they're like, okay, well, like we're going to start with like a over the belly ultrasound, but most likely based on like you being nine weeks today, um, we're going to need to do a transvaginal.
00:48:30
Felicia Devine
And i was like, okay, well, like, let's just like start with a belly. And if we have to, cause it's like more expensive, um, cash.
00:48:35
Natalie Richards
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:48:37
Felicia Devine
Um,
00:48:38
Natalie Richards
yeah
00:48:38
Felicia Devine
So like, let's start there. So she's doing a belly one. She's like, oh, that's your ovary. Oh, that's this. Okay. Well, we can't see anything. So we're going to go in. And I'm like, okay. But I was almost like prepared for that. Cause she kind of prepped me up.
00:48:49
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:48:49
Felicia Devine
Like we might not see anything.
00:48:50
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:48:51
Felicia Devine
Well, we didn't see anything.
00:48:52
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:48:55
Felicia Devine
So she was like, okay, so we're doing like the wand.
00:48:59
Natalie Richards
Yep.
00:48:59
Felicia Devine
And she's like, I'm going to start with everything else. I'm like, girl, get to the point.
00:49:03
Natalie Richards
Oh, great.
00:49:05
Felicia Devine
She's like, here's this ovary.
00:49:06
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:49:07
Felicia Devine
Here's this ovary. Here's this cavity. Here's that. I'm like, okay. And then she gets to my uterus and she was like, yeah, there's no baby.
00:49:18
Felicia Devine
I'm like, what?
00:49:18
Natalie Richards
Oh, wait, what?
00:49:19
Felicia Devine
And she was like, yeah, here's your, yeah. She's like, here's your fecal sac. Here's your placenta.
00:49:24
Felicia Devine
Like I had everything there, but like the baby, the fetal hole was like missing.
00:49:24
Natalie Richards
Oh.
00:49:27
Natalie Richards
Oh.
00:49:31
Natalie Richards
Oh.
00:49:32
Natalie Richards
Oh, how interesting.
00:49:34
Felicia Devine
So that was like devastating because she's like, yeah, there's no, there's no heartbeat.
00:49:39
Natalie Richards
that's so sad.
00:49:41
Felicia Devine
And I was like, I like immediately like burst into tears. Right. Like I was just like, my God.
00:49:46
Natalie Richards
Right. well because you like had felt like it was going to be that way
00:49:51
Felicia Devine
Yeah. For a while.
00:49:53
Natalie Richards
But yeah, but to like know it is very hard.
00:49:54
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Oh, right. i like needed the information, but I didn't want the information.
00:49:57
Natalie Richards
Yeah. No, no, I know.
00:50:00
Felicia Devine
It was devastating. So I'm like, hysterical and she's like, finish the exam.
00:50:05
Natalie Richards
I know.
00:50:07
Felicia Devine
And she, I was like, apologize to her.
00:50:08
Natalie Richards
Oh.
00:50:09
Felicia Devine
I'm like, I'm sorry you have to give bad, like, this must be the worst part of your job.
00:50:12
Natalie Richards
I know. Literally has to be terrible, but.
00:50:15
Felicia Devine
Cause she probably has like a great part of her job being like, Oh my God, here's your baby.
00:50:18
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:50:18
Felicia Devine
And then like this part of the job, which is like devastating.
00:50:19
Natalie Richards
Yeah. Is horrible. Hold on one second. Yes, Jean.
00:50:25
Felicia Devine
Okay, so she had to finish her exam and I'm like, I'm so sorry. she was like, don't apologize to me. I'm like, yeah, but I like also don't know what to say.
00:50:32
Natalie Richards
Yeah, but still. Right.
00:50:35
Felicia Devine
i'm like, I'm running out of words. Yeah.
00:50:37
Natalie Richards
God. And that's the thing in those situations. I have not gone through that situation, so I don't really know what that feels like.
00:50:39
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:50:43
Natalie Richards
But I can't imagine. I've been on the other end of like hearing about it. Right.
00:50:49
Felicia Devine
yeah
00:50:49
Natalie Richards
And you really don't know. No, not either party doesn't know what to say.
00:50:54
Felicia Devine
No, literally, but I was like trying to fill space because I'm like, it's so awkward.
00:50:56
Natalie Richards
Right.
00:50:57
Felicia Devine
I'm just like hysterically crying.
00:50:58
Natalie Richards
Right. Right.
00:51:00
Felicia Devine
And I was like, nah, I don't know what to say.
00:51:01
Natalie Richards
Right.
00:51:02
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:51:02
Natalie Richards
And like, I think like, I don't want to speak for you or speak for anybody who has had a miscarriage, but like, I feel like every single person needs something different in that moment. Right. And like her being the ultrasound tech, she doesn't know what that is.
00:51:16
Natalie Richards
so She probably just like, doesn't.
00:51:18
Felicia Devine
was like, ah yeah.
00:51:20
Natalie Richards
Oh, that's so sad.
00:51:21
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Yeah. So she was very sad for me.
00:51:22
Natalie Richards
That's so sad. oh
00:51:25
Felicia Devine
And then she's like, okay, well, I'm going to like step out so the doctor can come in. I'm like, okay. So she's like, you can like get dressed. And i was like, okay. So I get dressed.
00:51:36
Natalie Richards
My God, and you're by yourself.
00:51:37
Felicia Devine
I'm by myself.
00:51:38
Natalie Richards
That's so sad.
00:51:38
Felicia Devine
The worst part about this. Well, there's multiple worst parts.
00:51:42
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:51:43
Felicia Devine
So well I get dressed and I'm sitting on the table and I'm like so upset, but you're in this tiny exam room waiting for a doctor to come in.
00:51:52
Felicia Devine
You don't have a window until like when they're coming.
00:51:52
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.

Processing the Loss and Seeking Support

00:51:54
Natalie Richards
No.
00:51:55
Felicia Devine
I'm like, she could come in one second. She could come in in two minutes. Like I was assuming because it's kind of like, they want to get me out of there. Like why don't keep me waiting.
00:52:03
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:52:05
Felicia Devine
so I was like, okay, I'm not even going to like touch my phone and like call Dan, call my mom.
00:52:09
Natalie Richards
And tell anybody and whatever.
00:52:10
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
00:52:11
Natalie Richards
Yeah. Yeah.
00:52:12
Felicia Devine
So I just sat there. The other thing is they have this gigantic TV, 72 inch TV. And she left all the images up. It was like blocks of...
00:52:25
Felicia Devine
i Natalie, I was in there for 20 minutes by myself.
00:52:26
Natalie Richards
What?
00:52:29
Natalie Richards
What? Oh, my gosh. You're just like sitting marinating in.
00:52:33
Felicia Devine
It was crazy. And then I would go through periods where I was just like sitting in silence and like doing nothing.
00:52:36
Natalie Richards
Yeah. yeah
00:52:38
Felicia Devine
And then I'd go through periods of like being hysterical.
00:52:39
Natalie Richards
yeah Crying. Yeah.
00:52:42
Felicia Devine
Yeah. So finally this doctor comes in and she's like, oh, I'm like, so sorry.
00:52:43
Natalie Richards
Oh my gosh.
00:52:47
Felicia Devine
And I was like, yeah. And then she had to go through this whole spiel. And honestly, i get it.
00:52:52
Natalie Richards
They do.
00:52:52
Felicia Devine
i get it. Because like, you don't know what mental state people are in but like, I am very emotionally tuned.
00:52:53
Natalie Richards
huh
00:52:57
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:53:00
Felicia Devine
I'm very like, um, practical, I should say realistic.
00:53:00
Natalie Richards
Yes.
00:53:04
Natalie Richards
Realistic. Right. Yeah.
00:53:06
Felicia Devine
I'm very like science is science.
00:53:07
Natalie Richards
Yes. Matter of fact. Yeah.
00:53:09
Felicia Devine
Yeah. So she's like, i just want you to know you didn't do anything wrong.
00:53:09
Natalie Richards
Mm hmm. Mm hmm.
00:53:14
Felicia Devine
I'm like, girl, we know.
00:53:15
Natalie Richards
Yep.
00:53:16
Felicia Devine
I did it all.
00:53:16
Natalie Richards
Yep.
00:53:17
Felicia Devine
I didn't do anything.
00:53:18
Natalie Richards
Yep. Trust me.
00:53:18
Felicia Devine
Like, I was like, yeah, I'm fine.
00:53:19
Natalie Richards
to
00:53:21
Felicia Devine
So she's like, you didn't do anything wrong and there's nothing you could have done to prevent this. And I'm like, move it along. Like I want, matter of fact, I don't want the squishy, gushy, you didn't do anything wrong conversation.
00:53:28
Natalie Richards
yeah For real. Nope.
00:53:34
Felicia Devine
So then she's talking to me all about like Giuseppe and my first pregnancy. And I'm like, uh, this could be relevant, but like, it's not like, I'm like, he's perfect.
00:53:41
Natalie Richards
Sure.
00:53:44
Felicia Devine
have the best kid ever.
00:53:44
Natalie Richards
Everything's great. Everything's great.
00:53:46
Felicia Devine
um And then she's like, okay, so moving forward, you have three options. and I was like, okay. She was like, you can do nothing and wait for this to pass naturally.
00:53:57
Felicia Devine
So that would be like a natural miscarriage.
00:53:59
Natalie Richards
who
00:53:59
Felicia Devine
We could take a pill, um which is what they would do to like help move things along.
00:54:03
Natalie Richards
Right. misoprostol or whatever it is that they do.
00:54:05
Felicia Devine
um Yeah. Yeah.
00:54:07
Felicia Devine
I think it was like Cervidil or something.
00:54:07
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:54:08
Natalie Richards
sort Yeah. Same.
00:54:09
Felicia Devine
or the third option is a DNC elective. And I shouldn't say elective because nobody's elected do that.
00:54:14
Natalie Richards
Right. It's just the immediate, like right then.
00:54:17
Felicia Devine
It's just like, yeah, the next step. Yeah.
00:54:19
Natalie Richards
Right.
00:54:20
Felicia Devine
so you could go natural, medical medical or medicalized or surgical.
00:54:25
Natalie Richards
Right.
00:54:26
Felicia Devine
And I was like, well, I need to talk to like all parties involved. Obviously, I wasn't going to do anything in the office that day. She was just giving me my options.
00:54:31
Natalie Richards
Right, right, right, right.
00:54:31
Felicia Devine
And I was like, okay, I need to talk to my midwife. I need to talk to my family. I need to talk to my acting doula, Natalie. I need to talk to like... all my people. Okay. And I also like need to process this.
00:54:43
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:54:44
Felicia Devine
Um, so I like, I, yeah.
00:54:45
Natalie Richards
Definitely. More than your 20 minutes sitting in a room looking at your, yeah, that's crazy.
00:54:48
Felicia Devine
ah In privacy by myself. Yeah.
00:54:51
Natalie Richards
Which maybe was okay to like sit there in it and be done with it, but it's horrible.
00:54:52
Felicia Devine
Um,
00:54:57
Felicia Devine
Like, okay, when I left, I was the only person in this darn office. so I'm like, what was I waiting on?
00:55:02
Natalie Richards
Oh, no kidding.
00:55:02
Felicia Devine
So so I go to checkout.
00:55:03
Natalie Richards
Okay.
00:55:04
Felicia Devine
I'm like, I'm cash paying. So in the documents you sign, when you show up, they're like, you pay at the end of the service and like you have to pay the outstanding balance.
00:55:09
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:55:11
Felicia Devine
So I go to pay and the lady's like, I can just like email you a bill. And I was like, no, I just want to like pay and be done with the process.
00:55:19
Natalie Richards
Be done. Thank you.
00:55:20
Felicia Devine
Like, I just like, don't want to think about this one more minute. So she's like, okay, like, let's just check you out.
00:55:24
Natalie Richards
Oh.
00:55:25
Felicia Devine
And I was like, all right. So I give her my card and she's like, di- didoooo-doo and she swipes it. She's like, oh, this declined.
00:55:33
Felicia Devine
What? Come again? ah That doesn't ever decline. Like that's our like main card.
00:55:39
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:55:40
Felicia Devine
And I'm like, okay, my Natalie, it's like over $700.
00:55:45
Natalie Richards
Oh my gosh.
00:55:47
Felicia Devine
And I'm like, yeah, for the ultrasound, to find nothing.
00:55:48
Natalie Richards
For the cash pay.
00:55:52
Natalie Richards
oh my God. To find, right.
00:55:54
Felicia Devine
i was like, i was like, do I get a discount? Cause there was no baby. So, no okay.
00:55:58
Natalie Richards
over Oh my God. That is kind of just like the nail in the coffin.
00:56:01
Felicia Devine
I only have a sense of humor because yeah, I like, I am regulated and I can have a sense of humor about this stuff.
00:56:06
Natalie Richards
Yes. Yes.
00:56:07
Felicia Devine
So, okay. So she's like, oh, it declined. And I'm like, okay, well here I hand her my business credit card. I'm like, what an accounting nightmare this will be when they go back to my books.
00:56:18
Natalie Richards
No kidding.
00:56:19
Felicia Devine
And they're like, what's this?
00:56:21
Natalie Richards
What's this charge?
00:56:23
Felicia Devine
So she like takes my business credit card and she's like fidgeting on the computer again. and like, I'm standing here just like a disaster. Like I'm literally, I look like I was like run over by a school bus.
00:56:34
Felicia Devine
And she's like, oh, wait, I think it worked. And I'm like, what worked? And she's like, well, i think the first transaction worked. I'm like, oh, okay. So like the card didn't decline, but ba right.
00:56:43
Natalie Richards
Also, they never do this stuff because everybody goes in They never have to run a credit card.
00:56:47
Felicia Devine
No one ever pays, right? Then you're up during the card.
00:56:49
Natalie Richards
No.
00:56:49
Felicia Devine
So it ended up that it did work on our regular card. I didn't have to use my business card.
00:56:53
Natalie Richards
Okay.
00:56:54
Felicia Devine
Thank God.
00:56:54
Natalie Richards
Okay.
00:56:54
Felicia Devine
Cause I was like, I don't want to have to revisit this.
00:56:56
Natalie Richards
No kidding.
00:56:57
Felicia Devine
I don't want to have to come back to point, point this out.
00:56:59
Natalie Richards
No kidding.
00:57:00
Felicia Devine
So I like collect my cards and the lady looks at me. She's like, I'm so sorry you had to go through this alone. Do you want a hug? I look at her. I go, i think I'm good.
00:57:12
Felicia Devine
I declined her hug, which is so, like, I'm the type of person that, like, in order to prevent other people from feeling uncomfortable, i will do things that make me uncomfortable.
00:57:20
Natalie Richards
You will do. Yes, absolutely.
00:57:24
Natalie Richards
Yes.
00:57:26
Felicia Devine
I don't think a hug is going to like help me. Like i didn't need a hug.
00:57:29
Natalie Richards
No, that's not, no.
00:57:30
Felicia Devine
Right. I was like, I need, i need next steps. So I go to my car and the first person I call is my midwife and I tell her and she's like, okay, What I want you to do today is nothing.
00:57:40
Felicia Devine
Like ah in the sense of like game plans.
00:57:43
Natalie Richards
Just, yeah, you don't have to.
00:57:43
Felicia Devine
She's like, honestly, we don't have to decide a single thing right this minute.
00:57:44
Natalie Richards
No.
00:57:47
Felicia Devine
So she's like, go about your day, do what you need to do to survive today. And we'll like reconvene. and I was like, okay, great. I adore my midwife beyond belief. Like she has been honestly the most helpful person in this entire process medically.
00:58:00
Natalie Richards
Amazing.
00:58:01
Felicia Devine
Um, so she was like, okay, let's just like continue our day. So i had to leave that appointment emily and go straight to seeing patients. I had an entire afternoon of patients and everyone's like, just cancel your day.
00:58:16
Felicia Devine
and I was like, no, because I know in the future, however many days from now I'm going to have to cancel my day.
00:58:23
Natalie Richards
When you really need to. Yes.
00:58:26
Felicia Devine
And I was like, what is the point of me going home to sit by myself
00:58:29
Natalie Richards
No kidding.
00:58:30
Felicia Devine
And do nothing for no reason.
00:58:31
Natalie Richards
Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
00:58:33
Felicia Devine
so was like, I'm going to go to work. I'm going to see the patients. I'm going to put on a ah smiley face.
00:58:36
Natalie Richards
Because it's just what we do.
00:58:38
Felicia Devine
And like, obviously everyone knows I'm pregnant. So like everyone's coming in and being like, oh my God, you're glowing.
00:58:40
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:58:42
Felicia Devine
Or like, oh, tell me about this.
00:58:44
Natalie Richards
Oh, my God.
00:58:45
Felicia Devine
Like the amount of people that like unknowingly, and it's not against them. They just like, we're asking so many questions. Like I had this one girl, she was so excited for me.
00:58:52
Natalie Richards
And, of course, it was that day. Mm-hmm.
00:58:53
Felicia Devine
Yeah. And she was like, my God, tell me about your home birth. Tell me about like your midwife, where she worked, like a
00:59:00
Felicia Devine
Girl, I'm lying through my teeth. i was like, oh yeah, we're doing that.
00:59:03
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:59:04
Felicia Devine
Like I didn't have the heart to tell anyone. I told my staff because obviously like, yeah.
00:59:05
Natalie Richards
Mm-mm. I wouldn't have either. No, I wouldn't have. I would have acted like everything was fine.
00:59:11
Felicia Devine
But I like, I told my girls and I was like, this is like a hard moment for me, but we have to prevail.
00:59:12
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:59:15
Felicia Devine
And if at any moment I get up and leave during a shift, you are to cancel my day and not ask questions.
00:59:16
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
00:59:19
Natalie Richards
You know why. Yes.
00:59:21
Felicia Devine
Um, and they were like, so supportive and they're like, whatever you need, take time.
00:59:21
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
00:59:24
Felicia Devine
And I was like, I don't want to take time until I have to take time.
00:59:25
Natalie Richards
Yes.
00:59:27
Felicia Devine
Um, so I went about that day and I didn't do anything.
00:59:27
Natalie Richards
Yes.
00:59:30
Felicia Devine
And then I started like making the phone calls. I was like talking to my parents. I was obviously talking to Dan, um,
00:59:36
Natalie Richards
I can't remember when we talked. Did we talk before you went into work or I feel like it was after for some reason.
00:59:41
Felicia Devine
It might've been after, but then I, we talked for over an hour Friday morning, um, on the phone because I remember I was like in the playroom. So that had to have been a day off, which was basically Friday.
00:59:51
Natalie Richards
Yeah, I think it was probably that. Yeah.
00:59:54
Felicia Devine
And we went through options and we were just like, what does this look like? What is the risk here? What is the reward here? Like what, like mentally do I
01:00:00
Natalie Richards
right. Right.

Reflections and Encouragement to Share

01:00:02
Felicia Devine
keep waiting?
01:00:02
Natalie Richards
Right.
01:00:03
Felicia Devine
Um, so yeah, it was a lot of conversations that we continue to have in and the next few days. Why? Like, cause I also had to work a full day Thursday. So I was like, I can't really make a decision until I get to the weekend and we like fully digest this.
01:00:11
Natalie Richards
Right.
01:00:16
Felicia Devine
Um, and so that's what we did. We kind of like, right.
01:00:19
Natalie Richards
And again, you don't have to.
01:00:22
Felicia Devine
Like at that point.
01:00:22
Natalie Richards
and like i mean, you weren't having like active, active symptoms at that point.
01:00:25
Felicia Devine
Yeah. Yeah. At that point it was like, I had choices.
01:00:26
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
01:00:29
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
01:00:30
Felicia Devine
And i chose to like wait till the weekend to like process things, um which was really comforting knowing that like I had so many people in my corner, which honestly, even though I went through like the worst moments of my life, had I had to do that alone because no one knew I was pregnant.
01:00:33
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
01:00:47
Felicia Devine
Crazy.
01:00:48
Natalie Richards
Exactly.
01:00:48
Felicia Devine
Crazy. i would do it over again. i would tell everyone the moment I'm pregnant again.
01:00:53
Natalie Richards
Absolutely.
01:00:54
Felicia Devine
I don't think I would change a darn thing about telling people I'm pregnant. Cause I know people are like, oh my God, you shouldn't told people so early.
01:00:57
Natalie Richards
Yep.
01:01:00
Felicia Devine
And go through that alone?
01:01:01
Natalie Richards
Exactly. Completely alone? Yeah. No.
01:01:03
Felicia Devine
Crazy.
01:01:04
Natalie Richards
No. Mm-hmm.
01:01:04
Felicia Devine
I couldn't imagine. So I would do it all over again. I would tell people when I told people. I would share my excitement when I was excited. Like there was not a moment in me that I was like, oh, this is embarrassing.
01:01:16
Natalie Richards
Exactly. oh No, no.
01:01:17
Felicia Devine
Nothing's embarrassing. And based on the statistics, how many people actually go through a miscarriage.
01:01:19
Natalie Richards
It's real life.
01:01:22
Felicia Devine
And then to think the statistics show that people don't tell people until they're 12 weeks. Crazy.
01:01:27
Natalie Richards
Yep.
01:01:28
Felicia Devine
I had such a team behind me. I had my whole staff. I had all my friends. I had my family. i had my midwife.
01:01:34
Natalie Richards
Yep.
01:01:35
Felicia Devine
I had everyone I could ever have and needed, imagined, like all that stuff.
01:01:39
Natalie Richards
Yep.
01:01:40
Felicia Devine
And honestly, i needed every single ounce of that because what transpired later on and what was to come in that next week was wild and insane.
01:01:40
Natalie Richards
It was.
01:01:43
Natalie Richards
I think that was great.
01:01:47
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
01:01:50
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm. And...
01:01:52
Felicia Devine
Literally the worst week, no, worst day. I don't even know how you put it. the worst event of my entire life. So I needed everything.
01:02:03
Natalie Richards
Yes.
01:02:04
Felicia Devine
And if I did it alone or like be like, oh, sorry, not coming to work. I have a fever.
01:02:08
Natalie Richards
Right.
01:02:09
Felicia Devine
Oh,
01:02:09
Natalie Richards
Right? Oh, I just have the stomach flu.
01:02:12
Felicia Devine
o I sprained my low back.
01:02:13
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
01:02:14
Felicia Devine
No girl, you had a very scary experience.
01:02:16
Natalie Richards
Mm-hmm.
01:02:18
Felicia Devine
So yeah.
01:02:18
Natalie Richards
No, no.
01:02:19
Felicia Devine
And then like there on out, like I've been very honest with patients of like what happened and like,
01:02:23
Natalie Richards
Yep.
01:02:25
Felicia Devine
I mean, I've been insulted a couple times, which is fine.
01:02:29
Natalie Richards
Oh, God.
01:02:30
Felicia Devine
And that's for another day. bye
01:02:32
Natalie Richards
Oh, no.
01:02:33
Felicia Devine
But like, honestly, I don't, I would not change. I will stand on that hill. I would not change a single thing.
01:02:38
Natalie Richards
I think that's a great place to be.
01:02:40
Felicia Devine
Yeah. So that's that's the next episode.
01:02:40
Natalie Richards
And we're going to get into the next things.
01:02:43
Felicia Devine
We'll share what transpired, but that was enough devastation for one day.
01:02:45
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
01:02:48
Natalie Richards
Right. It was a sad, sad experience for you to have to go through, but it is life and it is good to talk about it.
01:02:49
Felicia Devine
yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
01:02:56
Natalie Richards
And I'm glad you are because it's
01:02:57
Felicia Devine
Yeah. I mean, honestly, i have like no shame in sharing all this stuff because it's like the amount of people that actually go through a miscarriage and then they go through it by themselves.
01:03:01
Natalie Richards
right.
01:03:06
Felicia Devine
I'm like, well, at least somebody can gain insight to like what it felt like to have people in the know.
01:03:13
Natalie Richards
Yep.
01:03:13
Felicia Devine
And maybe it'll help people share their experiences earlier so that if this does happen to them, they have a support system.
01:03:20
Natalie Richards
Yep.
01:03:20
Felicia Devine
But yeah, I don't know.
01:03:20
Natalie Richards
Yep. And it is something that happens so commonly.
01:03:22
Felicia Devine
Right.
01:03:24
Natalie Richards
Like it's not something to be ashamed of or or think that like your body's broken or whatever.
01:03:27
Felicia Devine
Right.
01:03:30
Felicia Devine
I'll be that doctor that sits down and says, you did nothing wrong.
01:03:32
Natalie Richards
you did nothing wrong. It wasn't you.
01:03:34
Felicia Devine
Nothing you could have done would have prevented this.
01:03:35
Natalie Richards
Yeah.
01:03:36
Felicia Devine
but
01:03:38
Natalie Richards
sa
01:03:39
Felicia Devine
So you're telling me if I took two more liver pills, this could have been prevented.
01:03:42
Natalie Richards
ah right
01:03:45
Felicia Devine
But no.
01:03:47
Natalie Richards
Oh, no, no.
01:03:47
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
01:03:48
Natalie Richards
And that like, and that is the case in most cases.
01:03:48
Felicia Devine
It's interesting.
01:03:52
Natalie Richards
Like, yeah, you can't really do much about it. Like it's going to happen and it happens for whatever reason, whatever, whatever the reason is, it happens.
01:03:55
Felicia Devine
No. Yeah.
01:03:59
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
01:04:02
Felicia Devine
Yeah.
01:04:02
Natalie Richards
Um,
01:04:02
Felicia Devine
And like the reason that it ends up coming out to be, which like I will share all the hindsight information is like so shocking and so wild.
01:04:15
Natalie Richards
who
01:04:16
Felicia Devine
And let's just say, no, let's just say, trust your intuition because your intuition is not wrong.
01:04:16
Natalie Richards
and I don't think I know this yet.
01:04:23
Natalie Richards
There we go.
01:04:27
Natalie Richards
It is not wrong.
01:04:29
Felicia Devine
No. Yeah.
01:04:30
Felicia Devine
so let this be a lesson.
01:04:30
Natalie Richards
It is not wrong.
01:04:31
Natalie Richards
Oh, I cannot wait.
01:04:33
Felicia Devine
I know. So anyway, that will be for the next episode right now.
01:04:34
Natalie Richards
Cannot wait. Can we record another? or Can we record right now?
01:04:39
Felicia Devine
So we will talk next episode and share more about that. And then we'll get more of Natalie's updates. All right.
01:04:47
Natalie Richards
Bye.
01:04:48
Felicia Devine
Bye.

Outro