Welcoming Leila
From the first flutter to the first hello—our journey to meeting Leila Victoria.
Waiting for LeilaOur pregnancy journey
You're probably wondering...
◉ When are you due?
Christmas Day! 🎄
◉ What's the baby's gender?
We're not going to find out til it's born. In the meantime, we're calling it Baby Jesús!
◉ So how are you decorating the baby's room?!
Neutral pastel colors -- think yellows, blues, greens!
◉ Do you have names picked out?
Sure do, but we won't be sharing them until baby's born. And yes, we have both a boy name and a girl name at the ready!
◉ Has Snaggle 🐕 figured out there's a baby in there?
Nope! (As of Sept 19, 2025)
Still has no friggin clue. (As of Oct 14, 2025)
Not even a little bit (As of Nov 28, 2025)
◉ Have you had any (weird) cravings?
No cravings in sight. John continues to eat enough pickles for the both of us.
◉ How has the pregnancy been?
Had 3-4 weeks of nausea and exhaustion in the first trimester, but it's been smooth sailing since ...for now!
◉ Are you still pole dancing?
Unfortunately not because of a shoulder injury pre-pregnancy. But don't you worry, this baby will be a doubles partner (or triples, Remi?!) when they're out! 👯♀️
◉ What's your birth plan like?
For starters, we're not giving birth in a hospital! Because we're a low-risk pregnancy, and if all goes to plan during labor, we'll be delivering at Lifecycle Wellness in Bryn Mawr. If we experience any complications, don't worry, there's a hospital across the street!
Our Birth PlanPreparing for her arrival
Birth Plan
Here are the highlights of what we hoped would happen:
* laboring at home as much as possible, which will mean a lot of fun distractions, such as watching Lord of the Rings (extended editions, of course), playing with Snaggie, and baking baby's first birthday cake for when we're back home!
* no induction (unless medically necessary)
* no pain medication
* a Wawa snack at some point
* delayed cord clamping
* open to a water birth, but not necessarily committed to that position
* John catching this baby like Devonta Smith (unlike Agholor--I'd like to put that out there)
* immediate skin to skin
* my doula will be my advocate, especially if we end up at the hospital if things go left...
Leila's Birth StoryHow we welcomed Leila Victoria
Read the story of Leila’s arrival, told from a few different perspectives—including Snaggle’s!