The Longest Shortest Time
EPISODE #227: Ashley Parker on Raising Girls While Covering the White House
Ashley Parker has covered some of the biggest political events of our time — but for years she’s been obsessed with a very different type of story: birth stories. Even before she had kids.
Ashley was 4 months pregnant (on purpose!) at her wedding to Michael Bender, also a political reporter
Ashley covering the Mitt Romney campaign (pre-kids) at the New York Times
Ashley and her youngest daughter
Tune in to hear Ashley open up about her own childbirth experiences and her own girlhood — including a remarkable story about an “inadvisable decision” she made as a teenager involving cameras and boobs.
Notes Ashley’s stepdaughter took when the lactation consultant stopped by the hospital room after her little sister was born
Ashley found these notes in her backpack when she was returning to work after maternity leave
Recommendations from the archive
• #51 Real Teens, Fake Babies
Resources:
• Ashley’s Miscarriage Article – gift link, expires May 12, 2025
• Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support
• March of Dimes
• The Miscarriage Association
Top photo: Taken when Ashley was working at the Washington Post.
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