The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - A Postpartum Check-up with Jess Higgins

Episode Date: March 24, 2025

Jess joins Ben and Ashley for a check in one month after becoming a mom.   She opens up about the anxiety and strong emotions she’s felt since giving birth, and Ben reveals the one detail that surprised him the most about parenthood.   Plus, Jess shares her workout routine right up until Winnie arrived!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced. He said, you are a number, a New York State number, and we own you. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast. Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast with IHartRadio. Hello, everyone. Welcome to The Almost Famous Podcast. Today, guess what? I am joined by Ben Higgins, surprise, and his beautiful wife, Jessica Clark Higgins. We wanted to do a little catch-up about parenthood about one month in.

So hello, guys. Ben, welcome to your podcast. It's been a long time since I've been here. Thanks for the invite. So first of, Jess, how are you feeling emotionally, physically, about a month after giving birth? Physically, I feel honestly pretty much 100%. I definitely get tired faster than I did before I was pregnant or had a baby. But I'm all healed for the most part. I'm not in diapers anymore. I can walk for like, an hour at a time, which is really great and amazing for my mental health, because the mental health piece of postpartum has been a lot harder for me. I've had a lot more anxiety than I thought

I would, a lot more emotional than I normally am. Why did you look at me when you said that? Because I've been more emotional. Because you can vouch for her? Yeah. Yeah. I'll support her and say yes. Is he looking at you thinking, you haven't been more emotional? Or is he, been like it's up to you to answer this both okay i don't know what i expected i expected that postpartum to be hard emotionally i thought it'd be harder physically like just as was walking a week later and like we go we just got back from a family walk and like we can walk pretty far she could walk for as long as she wants i feel like at this point um yeah i mean the emotions are are all over the place.

I think she thinks they're worse than they are. I think she carries this like feeling that she's been a monster. She has it. I'm such a head case, which like, I normally am not at all.

And I think that a lot of that does have to do with the postpartum emotions. And I am exclusively breastfeeding. And everyone has told me that like with your milk and it changes every day. So your hormones, and emotions change every day. And I've definitely felt that.

Like, some days I'll be totally normal and fine and chill. And some days I'm, like, so controlling or, like, I don't want to leave Winnie or I just get, like, nervous about little things. And there's, I have no idea how I'm going to wake up every morning, honestly. Well, yeah. So breastfeeding isn't something that I did. So I never, I never got to experience the emotions that. go with it i do think that it's um it affects you a lot um that is such a job that you are doing and you're providing for sweet winnie so you're just just know that like every day you're doing so

much and like yeah i i think that like it's just going to take a toll on your body emotionally physically all of it. So don't ever feel, you know, that, I mean, you, you know that you're doing an amazing job. So even if you're feeling down, just know that like you're killing it. But I do think that that probably does make it a pro-partum more of an emotional experience. I've heard that it does. I mean, obviously, I don't know either because I haven't not breastfed yet, but I think that no matter what you do when you have a baby, you just change emotionally. for a while um but every day gets better yeah i mean i i think it's i mean i've seen moments where it definitely feels like it's uh it's unhealthy like there's been very few but a few moments where i'm like

she's not in a healthy place something like she's not processing things well that those are very few um there's there's another side of it i think that i've seen where this, like, concern, and she's not overly concerned. I'm definitely, though, like, less concerned than she is, which was a shock to both of us. Yeah. We asked you that question on the pre-parent podcast episode, and we thought that you would be the nervous one.

No, very much, like, not as nervous. But there's this cool thing. So my point was, I think what Jess is going through as a mom is actually, like, really beautiful because she's more nervous, because she's alert, because she thinks about Winnie. Like, I don't expect that to continue in the way that it is right now forever, but what I think it's, I think it's a really cool way that, like, our bodies or her body is, like, bringing out this, like, motherly, like, instinct and love and care.

And, like, yeah, at first, when you start to feel these things and worry, you're going to feel crazy because it's all so new. but as you get like in a rhythm and it becomes more of a second nature to you I think what what we're experiencing is like Jessica's body like building up this like mom instinct and I think it's cool um but not always easy like yeah you're gonna wake up with the middle night freaking out like thinking something bad is happening to winnie when she's just snoozing um but yeah I mean I've seen a lot of just change and just like for the better just becoming a mom. Yeah. I was going to say, do you feel like moments where you're like, I am experiencing postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, or do you think it's baby blues somewhere maybe in the middle?

The first two weeks, I was like, this is postpartum anxiety. I, like, had the shakes, I couldn't eat. I was, like, sobbing at everything. Like, when he turned seven days old and I, like, lost it. I was like, there's no way she can be a week old. That's one of the moments that I was thinking of when I was like, this is unhealthy. She's not well. I like went to the post office for literally 15 minutes and like had separation anxiety.

Like I was anxious and my body was responding in an anxious way. But after those first like two or three weeks, I haven't had as much of that like I am feeling anxious all the time. I have moments where I get nervous or I get anxious. but um i don't think i have like postpartum depression um i don't even think i have the baby blues as much as i just i never worried about anything probably to a fault before i had a where like honestly i i i just let ben worry about everything and i was like if he's not worried i'm not worried and now it's kind of flipped a little bit oh that's hilarious okay so i would say that i probably had the baby blues with dawson but it wasn't really

blues because I wasn't sad. It was just everything I was overcome by emotion like you with for everything. A lot of it was everything is perfect. I have a perfect little baby and my family around me who's supporting me and living with us right now is happy, healthy, safe like life can get better than this. So when is the shoe going to drop? Like that was my constant anxiety. That is so real. Every time something bad happens to her or not even bad every time she spits up i'm like she has a stomach bug like she has to because nothing bad has happened yet so like something has to go wrong um yeah i totally relate to that yeah um and then i mean good for you on healing so quickly i was a little bit more of the opposite like i felt pretty mentally good like right off the bat it's because i hated

being pregnant so like it was sweet relief and then but my body like i couldn't i don't i don't know what happened. You were more torn than me. TMI, but like, I couldn't stand for more than five minutes for like three weeks. Like, I'd be washing bottles, like, just moving every little direction being like, I'm so uncomfortable right now. I started to do pelvic floor physical therapy before I had her. And I think it helped me so much with just, like, getting my muscles back. Okay. Like the standing muscles and like even going to the bathroom and stuff like that. I feel like that was so helpful. Yeah.

Yeah. What, yeah. I mean, I think Jess wouldn't say it. But like you got we got to give her a lot of credit. Like she was doing not intense workouts, but she was working out up until like the day of like childbirth. And then she like really prepped her body. to recover physically in a really good way without overdoing it. Like it wasn't like this crazy amount of like hour long exercises,

but it was like just doing something throughout the day up until when he was born and then even after I think has been not only impressive, but it would probably be something like in the little amount of advice I have for anybody, you know, that's entering into the stage. Like it would be advice I would give is if you're up for it, like try your best to get like physically, healthy before so that you bounce back afterwards, you know, quickly. Well, and here's what happened is everyone prepared me for the physical piece of postpartum.

They were like, you're going to tear, like you're going to have a hard time standing and walking. So in my brain, I spent my whole pregnancy, like, preparing my body for it. And I totally neglected my mind, like what would happen when I mentally became a mom. And so I think that, yeah, my body has been good, which thank God, because my mind's been a disaster. But next time I would definitely maybe start, like, some talk therapy sooner. Aw. Something. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious.

Oh, wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Now, hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That sounds totally inappropriate.

Well, according to this person, this is her boyfriend's former professor, and they're the same age. And it's even more likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them. I mean, do you believe him? Well, he's certainly trying to get this person to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So, do we find out if this person's boyfriend really cheated with his professor or not?

To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Hello, it's Daniel Fischel. Writer Strong. And Will Friedel from PodMeets World. And we're bringing you Viva Las Content. That's right. We are back in Las Vegas, the city of sin, and giving the people what they want.

A full week of Y2K content. Wait, we're back in Vegas? Tell me, Y. Well, for the Backstreet Boys residency at Sphere, of course. We sat down with Kevin Richardson and A.J. McLean just minutes before they took the stage, and our very own Wilfredel basically became the newest member of the band. Boy band, please. Plus, the man who has the longest running comedy show on the strip joins us and gets his props.

It's carrot top, baby. And finally, we all L-O-V-E-Hur, Ashley Simpson-Ross, joins us to talk about her upcoming sold-out Vegas residency. It's a full week of nostalgic interviews you don't want to miss. Listen to PodMeets World on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. you get your podcasts. Imagine that you're on an airplane and all of a sudden you hear this. Attention passengers. The pilot is having an emergency and we need someone, anyone, to land this plane.

Think you could do it? It turns out that nearly 50% of men think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control. And they're saying like, okay, pull this, do this, pull that, turn this. It's just, I can do it my eyes close. I'm Mani. I'm Noah. This is definitely.

And on our new show, No Such Thing, we get to the bottom of questions like these. Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence. Those who lack expertise lack the expertise they need to recognize that they lack expertise. And then, as we try the whole thing out for real. Wait, what? Oh, that's the run right. I'm looking at this thing. Listen to No Such Thing on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hey, sis, what if I could promise you you never had to listen to a condescending finance, bro, tell you how to manage your money again. Welcome to Brown Ambition. This is the hard part when you pay down those credit cards. If you haven't gotten to the bottom of why you were racking up credit or turning to credit cards, you may just recreate the same problem a year from now. When you do feel like you are bleeding from these high interest rates, I would start shopping for a debt consolidation loan, starting with your local credit union, shopping around online, looking for some online lenders because they tend to have fewer fees and be more affordable. Listen, I am not here to judge. It is so expensive in these streets. I 100% can see how in just a few months you can have this much credit card debt when it weighs on you. It's really easy to just like stick your head in the sand. It's nice and dark in the sand. Even if it's scary, it's not going to go away just because you're avoiding it. And in fact, it may get even worse. For more judgment-free money advice, listen to Brown Ambition on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth?

Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced. He said, you are a number, a New York state number, and we own you. Shock incarceration, also known as boot camps, are short-term, highly regimented correctional programs that mimic military basic training. These programs aimed to provide a shock of prison life, emphasizing strict discipline, physical training, hard labor, and rehabilitation programs. Mark had one chance to complete this program and had no idea of the hell awaiting him the next six months. The first night was so overwhelming, and you don't know who's next to you. And we didn't know what to expect in the morning.

Nobody tells you anything. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get to. your podcast. Are you pregnant or are you completely overwhelmed by the millions of products out there for pregnancy and postpartum? Well, when I was pregnant with Dawson, I did a ton of research to figure out what I really needed. And I'm so glad that I found the washable leakproof undies from the brand proof. After you give birth, the hospital usually sends you home with some of these disposable diapers, these huge pads. But after a few days of barely any sleep in the pads, because they are chunky. I was ready to start feeling a little bit more myself. And this is where proof undies come in.

So proof undies are made of super soft, real fabric. And they have a high-rise fit. So they're incredibly comfy to wear. I'm actually wearing them right now, even though I don't have my period. And I didn't just have a baby. They are designed with proof's absorbent leak lock layer technology. So they protect up to 12 hours worth of flow. The best part is at the end of the end of the the day, you just give them a quick rinse, and then you throw them in the washer, in the dryer, and you can use them again the next day. I've been a long-time fan of proof. It's before, you know, Dawson was born, and it's been over three years. So I am beyond excited that they have come out with this new postpartum style. Proof postpartum is available to buy now at Target retail stores

and on target.com. So be sure to add those to your baby registry, your wish list, give them to your mom friends like I did with Jess. Every mom deserves to feel amazing. So slip on these proof undies and enjoy those extra snuggles with your little one without feeling a big diaper on your own body. Ben brings up the point of if you feel like you can be physically active. I'll say that pretty much both my products. I didn't really feel like I could. It's particularly with Dawson. with Hayden, it was summertime when I was in my third trimester. So swimming was really, really great. And it's almost like, I don't want to say everybody can go swim, but like, you'll feel really great afterward. If you think that working out's not for you being

pregnant, try swimming. It really makes you feel awesome. Yeah. Okay. So what about peeing your pants? Have you been doing that? Like, how long did you need to be in diapers for? Because I had to wear a pad for like three months post Dawson because I would leak at like the sound of a faucet like somebody could fill up a bathtub and I would be like I have a full stream coming out I had no control over that area for a while and then I did M sculpt which really helped with those muscles and then I started to get better and and with Hayden the recovery of those muscles was even faster which I was surprised I thought it would be the opposite yeah I, well, first of all, I want to talk to you about M-Sculpt because I am interested in that

post-partum. But I also, I haven't had any leaking, actually. I was in diapers because I bled for like three and a half weeks. Yeah, that's typical. I said three and a half weeks is probably the average. Okay, that makes me feel good because I was like, this is going on forever. But I haven't had any leakage yet. But I feel like I haven't really like sneezed or anything.

So I'm sure it's coming. No, your pelvic. floor therapy that you were doing on your own was obviously very effective. I think it helped me a ton and I do it every night now still. And I'll start going in person when I, after six weeks. Oh, okay. So I've never done it in person because I was like, I don't need anybody else looking at my cha-cha.

I'm over this. I know, but I, you know, I like to run. Yeah. And I don't want to, maybe one day I want to run again right now. I feel like I really don't, but maybe one day I will. and I don't want to keep my pants the whole time I run. Yeah, because if I go on a trampoline with Dawson, it's like, Hi, I am peeing.

Everyone around me. Hi, I am peeing. Yeah, oh, still on a trampoline, yeah, I'll dribble. And, like, on the dance floor at Tanya's wedding, there was like a song where you all like, jump, jump, jump. Yeah, I was like, yeah, I'm dribbling on the dance floor. So, I mean, I should probably have someone else look at my cha-cha and actually go to pelvic floor therapy. But M-Sculpt has been very helpful for both times. And M-Sculpt actually has

another device. I'm forgetting what it's called now. But Amanda Stanton used it and you actually sit on the device. It's non-invasive. It doesn't go up your body. And you sit on it and it really does those muscles rather than the ab, which has the secondary effect on the pelvic floor muscles. That's interesting. I'm all about the passive. That's kind of nice. Oh, yeah, same. Totally. So maybe it just doesn't affect me on a daily. I'm telling you, trampolines, dancing, jumping on a dance floor. Those are like the only two things. So it doesn't really affect my life. Yeah. No chah-cha slide for Ashley. What has been surprising to you guys as new parents? Anything that people didn't prep you for. Do you want to go first on this? I need to go first. Okay. I think, I think a lot of what I expected with a baby. I think people make, I mean, Winnie has been an incredible baby.

Like, she is a queen in this house. She is so sweet. She fusses when she, like, look at this. Hello, she's like, she's got a great face. Like, this is not me being your friend. I, she's got like, and she's becoming, like, awake, an alert. And, like, you can see her face. It's not just an out of the uterus face.

She stared at me last night and I stared back for like a long time. And it was just like heavenly, which is wild to talk about. But so I know that we have been lucky when it comes to our daughter and her ability to sleep, her ability to communicate, like, that she's hungry or she's cold. And that's really the only time she, like, fusses. You guys, you trigger me. Yeah, I know. You trigger me deeply.

No, we trigger all parents. Yeah. I say that with a caveat. Like, we've been lucky in that. that like we didn't do anything to like have this happen it just happened yeah yeah so i think a little bit of it was the fear of how hard this was going to be yeah it's been less difficult than i mentally was preparing myself for i think is one thing i i've been surprised by i think uh the the side of that the other side of that is um i don't think people prepared us correctly in the sense of like she needs

pretty much like 24-7 care like somebody needs to be watching winnie she needs to be like somebody needs to be making sure that she's like you know not laying on her pacifier in her eye um like those types of things and i didn't expect that uh but i i do think jessica and i both read enough listened enough to advice from others um to be well prepared i at least me personally i've been less worried about her like it's crazy but like i i see her doing things um that like you know she's fussing like i could sit with her crying on me for an hour if that was healthy without like overreacting and i thought i'd be like a nervous wreck and i'm just not like i know she's going to be okay um so that's been surprising for me in a response that's been surprising for me that he how

chill he's been about literally everything and how unchill I've been. Because I thought I really knew babies. The mother response to crying is totally different than the father's response. I don't know if you've felt this. Definitely. Like a body response when she cried. I can't handle it. Like absolutely no way. I think maybe we talked about this when you guys came on for your like one week recap. But like Jared can think like

oh he'll be fine. He's crying in the crib. five minutes. We're only doing it for five minutes. And I'm like, I have to leave. There's a frenzy going on in my body. Yes, your body responds differently. I think when you're the mom. And I, yeah, I've just been surprised by that because I'm, I'm normally a pretty chill person, but I just have no chill when it comes to her. Jessica's getting more sleep than me right now, which is crazy. She gives me five and a half hours and then she'll go back to sleep for four more hours. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious.

Well, wait a minute, Sam, maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now, he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Now, hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That sounds totally inappropriate.

Well, according to this person, this is her boyfriend's former professor and they're the same age. And it's even more likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them. I mean, do you believe him? Well, he's certainly trying to get this person to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So, do we find out if this person's boyfriend really cheated with his professor or not? To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hello, it's Daniel Fischel

Writer Strong and Wilfredel from PodMeets World and we're bringing you Viva Las Content That's right, we are back in Las Vegas The City of Sin And giving the people what they want A full week of Y2K content Wait, we're back in Vegas

Tell me why Well, for the Backstreet Boys residency It's Fear of course We sat down with Kevin Richardson And A.J. McLean Just minutes before they took the stage and our very own Wilfredel basically became the newest member of the band. Boy band, please.

Plus, the man who has the longest running comedy show on the strip joins us and gets his props. It's carrot top, baby. And finally, we all L-O-V-E-Hur, Ashley Simpson-Ross, joins us to talk about her upcoming sold-out Vegas residency. It's a full week of nostalgic interviews you don't want to miss. Listen to PodMeets World on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine that you're on an airplane and all of a sudden you hear this. Attention passengers, the pilot is having an emergency and we need someone, anyone to land this plane. Think you could do it?

It turns out that nearly 50% of men think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control. And they're saying like, okay, pull this, do this, pull that, turn this. It's just, I can do it my eyes close. I'm Manny. I'm Noah. This is Devon. And on our new show, No Such Thing, we get to the bottom of questions like these. Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence.

Those who lack expertise lack the expertise they need to recognize that they lack expertise. And then, as we try the whole thing out for real. Wait, what? Oh, that's the runway. I'm looking at this thing. Listen to No Such Thing on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My name is Ed. Everyone say, hello, Ed.

I'm from a very rural background myself. My dad is a farmer and my mom is a cousin. So, like, it's not like... What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine years ago. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different.

On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to hear. Well, 22nd of July 2015, a 23-year-old man had killed his family. And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, couple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

A foot washed up a shoe with some bones in it. They had no idea who it was. Most everything was burned up pretty good from the fire that not a whole lot was salvageable. These are the coldest of cold cases, but everything is about to change. Every case that is a cold case that has DNA right now in a backlog will be identified in our lifetime. A small lab in Texas is cracking the code on DNA. Using new scientific tools, they're finding clues in evidence so tiny, you might just miss it. He never thought he was going to get caught, and I just looked at my computer screen.

I was just like, ah, gotcha. On America's Crime Lab, we'll learn about victims and survivors, and you'll meet the team behind the scenes at Othrum, the Houston Lab that takes on the most hopeless cases, to finally solve the unsolvable. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey there, folks, it's T.J. Holmes. And Amy Robach, don't miss Morning Run every weekday morning, Monday through Friday. Yeah, we'll be covering the biggest stories, everything you need to know, breaking news, politics, pop culture on our daily podcast, Morning Run. And of course, it has a little bit of our own personal flair to it.

Yeah, that's right. Make sure to subscribe now. So every day when you wake up, you've got the morning run waiting for you. Listen to morning run wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Casual Chaos, where I'm telling my story, unfiltered, unedited, and unapologetic. From moments you didn't see on camera to secrets nobody's dare to spill. I'm bringing you behind the scenes like never before. I'm talking love, life, because let's be real here, it's been a journey.

Wellness and the truth behind the headlines. And of course, I've got the receipts. Plus, I'll be sitting down with some of the biggest names in pop culture for casually chaotic conversations you won't hear anywhere else. So pour yourself an espresso martini and get ready. Because once you start listening, you'll be waking up in the morning thinking about so many things. Listen to Casual Chaos, starting on March 24th on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You met Michelle Lally in the hit Bravo show, The Valley. You met me literally during the most difficult chapter in my life.

Now it's time for you to meet the real me, Michelle Senei. Yes, I changed my name, and I want you to follow me on my journey to the pursuit of sassiness. So much has happened to me before, during, and after the show. Before you can really understand the eight weeks that you saw on TV, I think you have to know what was going on from the very beginning. From being raised by two immigrant parents, paying my own way through college and working at Hooters, to starting my own real estate empire, getting married,

having a baby during COVID, to that very same marriage falling apart on national TV, to losing my mom, to eventually finding love again. There is so much to unpack and share. I'm on the pursuit of happiness, and most importantly, I'm on the pursuit of sassiness. Listen to Pursuit of Sassiness starting on March 17th on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, so, like, this is what triggers me.

And I, like, say it with humor because, like, I think the word trigger is kind of, like, funny and, like, absolutely overuse and ridiculous. But, like, you guys, I have an eight-month-old, and he gives me, well, on average, two hours. in a row. And then on a good night, like last night was a good night, and he went from 2 to 5.30. Yeah, 3 and a half hours. And it was like, oh, my gosh, is he alive? Yeah. Dawson was better at this age, but then when the like five month regression happens, he regressed for like 10 months. Love that. Yeah. He was better like he would sleep for like maybe four or five hour stretches at this point at the point that you're at now. But, like, my kids just don't sleep.

Like, they're just not good sleepers. Hayden's particularly an awful sleeper. Every kid and every pregnancy and every delivery is different. And that is what I'm learning. Yeah. We didn't do any, like, we're lucky. Yeah. No, yeah.

You didn't, like, sleep train. It's not like that. She just happens to sleep for five hours. No. Yeah. And I'm happy for you guys. That's very nice. I'm truly happy for you.

Jessica is doing some training, though. Like, she is on a plan and a pretty tight schedule. Yeah, we're on a tight schedule. And I think that's been helpful with her just kind of being chill. She knows when to expect that she's getting things. Okay. So she knows when to expect to feed. And like, when did you start getting on that schedule?

Two weeks. Like, she knows when she's going to be playing. Like, when she needs to stay awake, she knows, like, 15 minutes before feeding time. Like, she starts to get fussy. It's wild. Like, she really, like, she knows what she's supposed to be doing at every moment of the day. Do you have the most highly intellectual child ever? Yes.

Wow. She's so advanced. Wow. She can't keep her passing in her mouth. Don't you love that age that the pacifier is just gigantic on their face? It's the cutest thing. It's so funny. So sweet.

All right. Well, we are happy to hear that you guys, you know, that you are recovering so well physically that, you know, you might need some more time to get there emotionally and mentally. But we are here for you and you have the best husband who is there for you as well. I do. You do. He's been the best. He's been so supportive.

He makes me feel normal when I am having a hard time feeling normal. He's loved me insanely well. when I probably don't deserve it. He's such a good dad, too. Watching Ben be a dad is, like, the coolest thing in the whole world. Yeah. Yeah, she, uh, I, I just like, I get like a, I mean, I obviously my role right now is very limited, but, um, today I had a really busy day.

Jess, I was like, I want to hold Winnie. And so Jess brought her in. I was holding her. And all of a sudden, I was like, I haven't done anything in 20 minutes. Like, I just, like, it's wild how peace, it is just to stare at her. Yeah, and it's been a very peaceful season for me. So I think in closing here, because I know we're going to close up, like, there,

I think we talked about it at the one week, like, kind of follow up. But I didn't reckon, I don't think I could put words to it then. But, like, for many reasons, Jessica and I started to get, we had a good lot. We had a good thing going here, right? With a dog and a good house. And we loved our walks and our dinner. and I got really worried towards the end of justice pregnancy that that was all going to change in a drastic way. And I didn't realize how stressed I was about that.

But honestly, for the last five weeks, like, things have changed, but only for the better. Like, our dog loves winning. I know. So great. Like, when I saw them together, obviously, I broke down for the first time. Like, I think I just was feeling so much stress that I didn't realize that, like, once I see life being so beautiful. beautiful now. I'm like in a really cool season of like peace and joy and like every day I wake up just feeling this like enormous amount of like gratitude. And so that's been cool for me.

And I didn't realize how stressed I was until like a couple weeks ago when I told Jess, I was like, I haven't felt this kind of peace in so long. And I'm just loving this. Like so yeah, I mean, I don't know. Even with the hard stuff, it's like, but we're still doing it together and life's better and I'm happy and we're going to make this thing work. Let's normalize dad pre-labor stress because, like, guys have so much stress leading up to it. And I don't think they're very vocal about it because they feel guilty about it. They're like, she's carried the child for nine months. Why do I have to complain?

It's going to come out of her body, right? Yeah. But Jared had the exact same thing before Hayden. He was so stressed about it. And then he, you know, the baby's there. and you're like, oh, I can relax. But guys, you know, like... It's a real thing.

It is. Like, and what you just said is exactly right. Like, you don't want to start bringing it up because you're like, this is, this is unnecessary. Like, this is crazy. And then it's just been five weeks of not like all easy, but it's been peace and excitement and joy. And, um, and I'm really grateful for that because I was, I think I was carrying it for a long

time. Mm-hmm. Oh, okay. Well, I'm so glad we did this. this and I'm so happy for you guys and I truly am happy for your sleep it's really really great especially if you're having anxiety like I want you to have the mental rest thank you yeah I'm I'm very grateful for it we have we have some big wins with little winnie over here yeah she's so cute let's say goodbye as we close bye winnie oh you're so cute you're she's seriously so cute

hold her up one more time she's the best family picture winnie let me get let me not choke you why I do this there you go so cute oh the eyes are going to be really good I know this all right well guys thank you until next time I've been Ashley and I've been Ben I've been Jess and this is Winnie bye follow the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcasts on iHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Hi, my name is Enya Umanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom.

If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now.

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