Becoming Parents Parenting Entrepreneurs, and Birthwork

- 2016 Jessica discover's v-steaming; she and Andrew set out to develop the world's best home electronic v-steam seat

- 2017 Married in an beautiful outdoor ceremony in Warwick, NY; fire in September that year forces us to move out...

How hard could it be? That's what Gabriele thought when she became a first-time parent. As a pediatric speech therapist, she thought she had the skills to make motherhood easy. Little did she know...

--I was a single mom after a divorce and raised my daughter Kate on my own.

--We moved every few years as I was recruited in the corporate resort business. I wanted to provide the best life possible for Kate so lots of soul searching to define a move as the next best thing for Kate and myself. 

--I recently wrote a book called "The Joy of Servant Motherhood. One mom's journey...

-First pregnancy in 2014, ended in miscarriage, no heartbeat at 9 weeks.

-Second pregnancy in 2015, at 12 weeks was sent to a specialist - baby had a rare chromosomal defect called Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (1:50,000 chance of happening) and we decided to terminate at 15 weeks.

-Third pregnancy again in 2015, this time a healthy baby girl, now age 7.

-Began trying again in 2018...no luck for 2-3 years...

1. How to reignite fulfilling communication after years of only talking about kids and the to-do list.

2. How to reconnect as a couple when parenting leaves you depleted and exhausted.

3. How to restart sexy time that doesn't require the bedroom.

4. Post-baby changes that every couple should know are healthy and will pass.

5. Reconnecting as a couple post-parenting...

~Tough time getting pregnant due to an undiagnosed thyroid condition, Hashimotos. 

~Birth trauma (My daughter wasn't breathing when she was born so she was taken to the NICU immediately with my husband and I broke my tailbone during delivery, so recovering was unique/challenging in many ways) 

~Self-care after birth was non-existent and that's the way I thought it should be. Give everything to your child, nothing remains yours, that's what motherhood is...

- I am a mom of two kids, ages 7 and 3 at the time of the podcast 

- For me, one of the hardest parenting transitions was maintaining a sense of self as a working parent, and finding time for the things important to me.  Travel was always a big one. 

- Before kids, travel was how I stayed grounded and inspired and connected to my dreams and life goals. It was how I reduced stress, and cleared my head...

After several miscarriages, we took the in vitro route. 

Even before Gabriel was born, he was saddled with multiple disabilities (physical, mental, genetic), so I like to discuss the problems for parents in similar situations when navigating their attempts to secure assistance, services, or equipment for children in need. 

It's my hope that our journey in this maze will help others as they begin their own...

Here are some tips to dispel the myths of the miserable divorce, how to talk to children and promote a good divorce, which is one in which the children come first:

● Show your success and happiness with your head held high. Attend your children’s events and school meetings with your ex, gracefully acknowledge your children’s time spent with your ex as an important time for development for your children, and focus on self-care for yourself...