Katie Lowes & Adam Shapiro Talk Pregnancy In A Pandemic

On this episode of Katie’s Crib, Katie Lowes sits down with her husband Adam Shapiro and her doula Rebecca Benenati, “two of the greatest loves of my life,” to talk about their daughter Vera’s birth story and her anxiety about being pregnant in a pandemic. Katie is all about demystifying pregnancy and childbirth for her listeners, and she’s not afraid to get graphic about the realities, from hormonal imbalances to the variety of drugs to the changes in your body to the fluids ....so many fluids. But this story has the added stress of a raging pandemic. Katie and Adam discovered they were pregnant with Vera, their second child, only a week before the country locked down; Covid cases were raging in L.A. and because the virus was so new, there was a lot her doctors didn’t know: How Covid affected pregnant women or the fetus, what drugs you could safely take if you got it, if the baby was safe in the womb. “And there was a little election going on, too,” Adam reminds her, and Katie groans, “It was f**king high stress!”

Rebecca gives a lot of love to Adam for how he acted while Katie was pregnant, calling him “the rock” through the whole process. He took care of their toddler Albie, cooking with him and making little movies with him to give Katie time to rest; when Katie was spiraling out with anxiety, he would call Rebecca to ask for help and get coached through reiki massages to relax her; he even lit candles and played music in the garage so he could take Katie “out” on a date safely. “This podcast is making me want a date night right now!” Katie exclaims. “Meet me in the bedroom in ten minutes!” They share some words of comfort to any other mothers-to-be who might be feeling anxious or depressed while pregnant, saying, “If you cry throughout your entire pregnancy, you’re not alone,” but also, “I wish I had gotten help sooner….talk to your OB or your doula….I don’t think I had to struggle like that.” 

Fortunately, though the pregnancy was so stressful, the birth itself was a breeze. Adam reveals that Katie had “a list of s**tshows we had to get through” before the baby got there, including things like getting the epidural, getting up to ten centimeters effaced, and pushing, and “we were flying through them.” Katie is laughingly “mortified” about her list, but Rebecca says she should be proud to share it. “Women shouldn’t only think that they’re supposed to feel glorious and happy and maternal and all in their divine feminine during pregnancy and childbirth,” she points out. “It can be a s**tshow!” Plus, the magic of the “throne” position during labor, the beautiful moments that happen inside the s**tshows, and what’s so special about castor oil and balsamic vinegar? Hear this candid and refreshing look at birth on this episode of Katie’s Crib.

If you want to be sure you're listening to the podcasts everyone else is checking out, iHeartRadio has you covered. Every Monday, iHeartRadio releases a chart showing the most popular podcasts of the week. Stay up to date on what's trending by checking out the chart here. There's even a chart just for radio podcasts here, featuring all your favorite iHeartRadio personalities like Bobby Bones, Elvis Duran, Steve Harvey and dozens of others.

Photo: Getty Images


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content