I recently asked new mama Amber for some background on her birth story, and it’s all too good not to share. So here it is! Meet Josie Pearl. <3

Is there a great story about baby’s birth?
Josie’s birth was a pretty textbook birth. Her conception however, was pretty unconventional… I turned 40 in 2017, and had always wanted a family of my own… The traditional path to creating a family just never happened for me. So I decided with time no longer on my side (being 40 and all), that I would go the non-traditional path and use a donor and a procedure called Interuterine Insemination (IUI) to conceive. I wasn’t sure it would happen, and the odds were long that it would be successful. But after 5 attempts, I found out just after the new year in 2018 that I was in fact pregnant!

How did baby get her name?
Josie Pearl is named after her great grandmother, Barbara Jo, and her great-great grandmother, Mary Pearl. Both women were extremely important and special to me and helped shape who I am today, and I was close to them both before they passed. I know if they were here today, they would help shape Josie Pearl into a strong, independent and caring person. Her name is a quiet nod to these incredible women.

So how did you tell friends and family you were expecting?
My mom’s birthday was a few weeks after I found out I was expecting and so I created a poem for her to read and wrapped it up with a few small baby items. I hadn’t told my family I had gone in for that 5th procedure, and in fact, they thought I had given up on trying to get pregnant. So when my mom read the poem and realized I was pregnant, she was overwhelmed with emotion. It’s by far one of the best memories of this journey. I even got it on video to show Josie one day.

What did you crave during your pregnancy?
I didn’t have a ton of weird cravings at all, which was odd because I had heard of women having very distinct cravings throughout pregnancy. I’ve always LOVED ice cream and during my pregnancy, I had a bowl of Braum’s ice cream (usually vanilla), almost every night. #noregrets

What is the best thing about being a parent so far?
When Josie was born, I didn’t have that overwhelming “Oh my god, this love is so strong” feeling that I had read about and heard others describe. It sort of scared me that I didn’t have that reaction because I thought that is how I was supposed to react. But after being pretty open about this with other women, I’ve found that I’m not alone in how I reacted. My love for Josie grows stronger each day, and what I love most about being a parent is watching her attempt new things and experience new things. Watching her explore the world and how tiny simple things bring her such joy is such a powerful lesson for me to stop sweating the small stuff.

Everyone who sees Josie says she is my mini. And if you compare baby pictures, that is absolutely true. I can see so many people in her. My mom, my dad, my sisters and my Great-Grandma Gillum. I’m certain she has features of the donor as well, but so far, I couldn’t deny her if I tried. 🙂

Is there any other fun story about pregnancy, birth or baby you want to share?
I’m pretty sure that even though I technically had a scheduled an induction, what really started my labor was chasing my Boston Terrier around my neighborhood the morning I was supposed to check in for that scheduled induction. As we were packing up the car that morning, my pup got out and my mom, my sister and I chased her for over an hour until she finally gave up and allowed me to pick her up and take her home. I missed my scheduled induction time because I refused to leave for the hospital until we caught her, but I’m pretty sure all that running and adrenaline helped kick start my labor and get Josie here faster.

Thanks for sharing your newborn and IUI story with us Amber! She is destined for big things in this world!