The Birth of Rome - July 1st, 2013

6:00pm: I was having dinner at my parents’ house because Joe was working late getting more time in in case the baby came later that week.  We had salmon and salad for dinner and I think I had 3 helpings.  After dinner my stomach wasn’t very happy and I figured I ate too much salad. 

6:45pm: I had been having Braxton hicks contractions for months and always just in the abdomen.  My stomach issues “turned into” contractions in my abdomen and in my lower back.  That was exactly how labor started with Logan and Amelia.  The contractions were noticeably different, enough to make me start timing, every 3-5 minutes.
7:00pm: I called Joe and texted Stephanie, Tatiana (my doula) and Amy (the kids’ “doula”) to let them all know “this is it!” Based on Amelia’s quick birth, I wasn’t messing around.  I started packing up to head home. 

One last belly picture when I got home

I got home and immediately started nesting.  My parents were with me and the kids while I tidied up and put things away all while contractions were pretty regular.  I felt great but I still knew this was it.  I talked and laughed through the contractions and was just having a good time. 

8:00pm: My birth team arrived, shortly after Joe got home.  I tried to make sure Joe ate dinner while my parents were still there.  The birth team headed upstairs to set up while I stayed downstairs and decided the living room rug needed to be vacuumed right then.  Amy arrived to watch the kids and my parents left.  Amy and Tatiana and I were just hanging out downstairs while I vacuumed and labored away.  After I finished vacuuming and the downstairs was all picked up and put away I headed upstairs.  When I get upstairs I decided that I needed to fold all of the 6 baskets of clean laundry that were in my bedroom.  My team sat on the floor, talking and gabbing while helping me fold laundry.  

Before I started folding laundry

My beautiful midwife Stephanie

Student midwife, Brynn

At one point I sat down on the floor to fold and my body told me that was a bad idea as my contractions got worse so I stood while folding laundry on the bed.  Joe was upstairs getting things ready while Amy was downstairs watching the kids.   As things were pretty calm and we were girl talking upstairs, Amy and Joe switched places so he was with the kids and Amy joined the girls upstairs.  Contractions started to get stronger and I had to take a few breaks while folding clothes.  I was able to continue talking throughout all of this and just kind of swayed here and there through some contractions.  

Birth affirmation, the candles from my blessingway, my Lego warrior woman,
my frame from my Bellies ceremony and my stones from Amelia's Bellies ceremony

Almost finished with the laundry, still smiling!

Towards the end of the laundry mountain I started to slow down and everyone kept asking me if I wanted to get in the birth tub or stop but I didn’t want to stop until I finished all of the laundry. 

10:00pm: I put the last pile of clothes away and I was finally finished laundry and ready to get in the birth tub.  Contractions were still getting stronger and I had to stop to breathe through them at this point.  I got in the birth tub and it felt amazing.  The contractions melted away and I felt nothing.  I worried that the tub was slowing my contractions and I would have to get out but Stephanie reminded me that the water takes away the build up and let down of contractions so all I feel is the middle.  This labor is so different from Amelia’s.  During her labor, each contraction was so intense I couldn’t even talk during my whole labor.  Her contractions were so fast and on top of each other that there was never a break.  Also during Amelia’s labor, I wanted constant counter pressure from Joe.  The only time I spoke during Amelia’s active labor was when I yelled at Joe to not stop when he took his hands off me for a moment.  This labor was already very different.  My contractions were each a separate occasion.  They happened and I focused on one, then it was over and I got a break between.  I wanted counter pressure this time but only during the contractions not between.  I was able to talk this time and I made it a point to keep talking and point out how I was able to talk this time.  It was nice that this was not as intense as Amelia’s labor.  This was easy and actually fun with my husband, kids and friends surrounding me in my home.  At one point, Amelia came upstairs and asked to share my herbal tea with me.  We took turns sipping from the straw while I was in the birth tub. 

Stopping for a contraction

Logan was too busy downstairs to care about what was going on upstairs.  It was a special treat for him, staying up late, eating snacks and watching lots of tv.  I was spending most of my time in a quadruped position (hands and knees) and Joe was behind me applying counter pressure during contractions.  As labor was getting more intense I thought and said out loud “this is hard” and “this is uncomfortable.” 

At one point I felt moved to turn around and kiss Joe but I felt embarrassed doing so in front of my birth team.  This thought and urge to kiss Joe didn’t go away though and I finally just gave in and turned around to kiss him.  

Thankfully my doula captured this sweet moment

Since I was on hands and knees, I kept lowering my face into the water during contractions.  I ended up doing my “horse-lips” vocalizations and making bubbles in the water.  We joked that I needed a snorkle in my birth kit.  I thought to myself how silly that was but my body was in charge and I kept doing it.  I also had my knees together while in the birth tub and thought to myself “you know you can’t have a baby with your knees together, you should really spread your knees apart”.  Other thoughts in my mind included being upset that this was taking so long and that this baby would be born on July 2^nd (even though I didn’t care when the baby was born, not sure why I was thinking about that). 

When they turn down the lights you know it's getting close

10:56pm: I started pushing, less than an hour after getting in the birth tub.  I started to get nauseous and felt like I was going to throw up and I got excited because I knew that it meant transition and therefore it was almost over. 

11:12pm: During one push, I pushed so hard that I shot out of the water.  I have no idea why I did that but something startled me with that push and it turns out that was my water breaking.  It felt like a rocket just like with Amelia’s birth. I felt the ring of fire, something that I never felt with my first two babies. 

11:17pm: Baby was born.  I was in hands and knees position and so Stephanie caught the baby.  I was relieved it was over but I could also tell that Stephanie had her “midwife hat” on because she was a little different.  It turns out there was meconium in my water.  It was difficult to see in the water because I shot out of the birth tub when my water broke, but Stephanie did her job and baby was fine.    

Baby also had a true knot in its cord.  It was cool to see how baby pinked up since the cord was left attached to the placenta.  

Stephanie explained about the amazing job of the cord and wharton’s jelly and more about the knot in the cord but I don’t remember all of that just that it was no danger to him in the womb.  I honestly don’t remember when we discovered that the baby was a boy because of all the “excitement” but I think it was at this point when Logan and Amelia came in to see the baby. I wish they were there for the birth of the baby but they came in about 3-4 minutes after he was born.  

Checking to see boy or girl

Telling Logan and Amelia it's a boy!

Logan was disappointed because he wanted a baby sister.  Baby latched on a few minutes after he was born.  No one warned me about the after pains and I was grimacing in most of the pictures after he was born until my doula told me to stop making awful faces.

Laughing when Tatiana told me to stop grimacing

I birthed the placenta at 11:35pm. Logan wanted to cut the cord, so Tatiana (who cut Logan’s and Amelia’s cords) helped Logan cut the cord. 

I got out of the tub and into my bed around midnight and we then named him Rome Gabriel Petrucci.  He had his newborn check and he was my smallest baby at 8lbs 4oz and he felt so tiny to me.  

I kept saying how small he was.  Stephanie and Tatiana kept laughing at me and saying “he’s over 8lbs!” Rome’s labor was 4.5 hours total which is 1 hour longer than Amelia’s but I only had to work during the last hour of his labor.  I can honestly say it was an easy and fun labor.  I am so grateful to my birth team for such an amazing experience.

Toasting the night with champagne!