This little girl. She is such a sweetheart. We are all just over the moon about her. And she is as good as gold! Eating and sleeping just like she ought to, occasionally pausing to look particularly adorable. (We refer to her as “the Angel Baby.”)
Would you like to hear how she made her entrance? It was a little more dramatic than we expected, though not, in the end, in a bad way. She is an Angel Baby, after all.
I never made much of Pippo’s “birth story,” because it wasn’t that much of a story (12 or so hours of relatively easy early labor, followed by 15 or so hours of hard work active labor, followed by 3 or so hours of horribly hard work, a few pushes, and Pippo! It was long, but not at all dramatic. We did crossword puzzles between contractions in the hospital, which makes it pretty much the definition of a not-good birth story.)
I was expecting things to go maybe a little faster the second time around, but of course you never know. Every baby is different, etc., etc.
41 weeks. Even my shadow is pregnant! |
We had several generous family members volunteer to come stay with us around New Baby Time to help with Pippo, which was such a big help and brought me such peace of mind. My mother-in-law took the first watch, arriving several days before my due date, just in case this little girl decided to come a few days early (as Pippo himself had).
She left a few days after my due date: still no sign of baby.
Sukie arrived just a few hours later that same day (Captain Pepper* had, months before, insisted on this. “If we have three weeks of visitors, and there’s a six-hour gap in between two of them, you know darn well that’s absolutely when this baby will come!”)
(We’re not superstitious. But we are a little ‘stitious.)
On Thursday, August 15, the last full day Sukie was here (note that she was supposed to leave at around 10 am the next morning, and my mom was due to arrive at about 10 pm that night. Twelve-hour gap in the middle of weeks of visiting family. Of course, I choose this moment to go into labor), I was putting Pippo down for his nap around 2 pm, when I finally had a contraction.
A real one.
And then, eight or ten minutes later, another.
And then another.
I stopped being worried about having to be induced. (Something I wanted to avoid if at all possible, and had been getting quite anxious about. My midwife had been fine with waiting when I saw her at my appointment the day before, but at 41 weeks, I knew that it was only a matter of days before I’d start getting some serious pressure to induce from the rest of the practice.)
{*Updated official blog nickname, at last, courtesy of my mother: Captain Pepper, in honor of the Marine Corps and of his deep and abiding love for Dr. Pepper.}
Inadvertent Marine Baby shot. |
Sukie and I decided the best way to make sure this was the real thing was to begin a multi-step project that having a baby could derail. I started mixing up Captain Pepper’s favorite cake, and she decided to make some lavender-honey ice cream.
(Just a little ‘stitious.)
I texted Capt. Pepper to let him know things seemed like they were getting started. I didn’t need him to rush back, but figured it was better not to surprise him by being in labor when he got home from a long day’s work.
When he did get home, I picked at dinner a little bit, then decided it wasn’t comfortable to be sitting at the table anymore, and went to lie down. At this point it was about 6 or 7 pm, and things were just getting serious enough so that I had to concentrate on the contractions.
Capt. Pepper and Sukie got on the phone and switched her to a later flight.
Quoth she: “It's one thing to just miss the baby, but I'm not going to miss her by five hours!” Sukie, by the way, was so clutch. She always is. (Did I ever tell you about the time when I got mono right before my wedding, so she just took care of everything for me? I'm telling you: clutch.)
I tried a few different things over the next few hours: lying down, watching tv, sitting on my exercise ball. The contractions were regular, but only about 20-30 seconds long. I was doing pretty well with them, but was a little worried by how intense they already were.
I was not looking forward to what promised to be a very long, hard night of labor as they got longer and more productive.
(My goal was to labor at home as long as possible before going to the hospital. Last time, I was at 7 cm when I arrived at Labor and Delivery after many many hours of laboring at home. And it was another eight hours before Pippo arrived! At this point, based on my experience the first time around, I was thinking the baby would probably come during business hours on Friday. Which, other than the part about laboring all night, was just what I’d been hoping for, since I knew my midwife would be on duty then!)
Key Learning #1:
Contrary to what you may read in your birthing books, it is possible for contractions to be productive even if they are not longer than 45 seconds.
Finally, at around 11:30, I decided that I wanted to try laboring in the tub. (Our master bathroom has a great big bathtub, which my mother-in-law had very helpfully scrubbed out for me.) Capt. Pepper drew me a bath and helped me in.
Key Learning #2:
Laboring in the bathtub is amazing.
I spent over an hour in there, relaxing like a champ. Capt. Pepper helped me at first, and then we agreed he should go lie down and try to get some rest while I had things under control (our bed is five steps away from the tub, so he was right there if I needed him).
So there I was, relaxing like a boss, so much so that I was practically asleep in between contractions. And then the intensity ratcheted up again, and there were a few that I really had trouble with. They were getting in front of me.
They were still short, and not super-close together (I’m not exactly sure of the timing at this point, since I had been using my phone to time them, and phone+labor+bathtub didn’t seem like a good mix), but I decided they were going to be worse when I got out of the tub, which meant it was time to get out and start thinking about making my way to the hospital.
I called over to wake Capt. Pepper up and have him help me out of the tub, and it took me only about one more contraction to tell him that I needed to go to the hospital, NOW. A few minutes later, he had the bags in the truck and I was heading out there myself while he let Sukie know we were leaving.
I stood there in the dark, with one foot on the ground and the other in the truck, trying to decide if I could last the 15-minute drive, before sucking it up and hauling myself in. (At this point, a midwife-assisted home birth was sounding pretty appealing to me!)
All I could think was that I didn’t want to be that woman who had the baby on the side of the road just because she was too out-of-it to get to the hospital on time.
And that my husband really didn’t want to have to deliver the baby himself.
And what a mess it would make in his truck.
Key learning #3:
If you think there’s a chance you won’t make it to the hospital, maybe toss a clean towel into the car.
Or something.
Anything.
It was a long fifteen minutes, with my one consolation being that my water hadn’t broken yet, so I knew the baby wouldn’t come out without at least a little more warning. Other than that, though, I was afraid she’d pop out with each contraction!
The worst part was when we pulled up to the gate to get on base (in view of the hospital!), only to find it closed. Captain Pepper later said that the only thing he remembered me saying on that ride was, at this moment, “Crap!”
Key learning #4:
Next time, say the prayers out loud and the vulgarities under your breath.
Think of posterity.
(For the record, I distinctly remember speaking at least two other times: once to tell him he was doing a good job driving (it seemed like an appropriately encouraging thing to say at the time) and once when he (in helpful birth-coach mode) tried to encourage me to relax, and I told him that my being tense was holding the baby in. I stand by this statement.)
Luckily, the next gate wasn't far, and we finally were there. Capt. Pepper started to turn into the parking lot, but I insisted that he pull up and park under the awning at the main entrance and leave everything there, despite the no-parking zone. (Remember: 1 am. Imminent baby. We're not near the emergency entrance — no one cares about the truck!)
Up the elevator to the third floor, down the long hallway to Labor and Delivery. I figure at this point I'm ok. At least the doctors are close by, so if I need to have the baby in the hallway it won't be so bad.
I sent him ahead of me to let them know I was coming, so there were two nurses waiting for me at the door. I successfully convinced them we didn't have time to stop at triage, so they steered me straight into a delivery room instead.
It didn't take them long to confirm I was right when I told them, “I need to push — her head is right there!”
The doctor on call wasn’t in the building, so the (excellent) nurses delivered her themselves. I had a few moments between contractions to look around and take a deep breath, quickly catch the nurses up on what was left of our “birth plan,” and for Capt. Pepper to say some encouraging things to get me ready. (Have I mentioned lately how great he is? I am a lucky girl.)
In just one push my water broke, and in a few more I had a beautiful, pink, screaming baby girl in my arms!
It had been less than ten minutes since we’d walked through the doors of the hospital.
(Our discharge papers pin it at nine minutes — in fact, they claim that my entire labor lasted only nine minutes, which is maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but certainly sounds impressive.)
Of course, everyone there thought the whole thing was just great. We were the talk of the maternity ward! When the doctor showed up about ten minutes later, he told me, “I hear you got here just in time! Well, that sure is the way to do it!” My midwife said the same thing when she checked on me in the morning. Honestly, I don’t think they’re wrong!
Were it not for the slightly dramatic car ride and the slightly extended hospital stay (I’d tested positive for Group B Strep during pregnancy, and of course I didn’t get there in time for antibiotics during labor. Though she was protected by the amniotic sac up until just a few seconds before she was delivered, hospital protocol meant Mary had to be there under observation for 48 hours in case of infection) I couldn’t be happier with how things went. My goal was to have an intervention-free birth, and I most certainly had that — they didn’t even have time to strap a fetal monitor to my belly! (Though one of the nurses did quickly hold one there for a moment to make sure baby was ok before I started pushing.)
True, next time I might try to arrange it so the tub and the place where I deliver are maybe a little bit closer together.
We'll call that Key Learning #5.
I’ve bounced back physically from this delivery so much better than the first one, too. I think this is partially a function of this being baby #2 (take heart, other first-time moms with rough postpartum recoveries!) and partially because I was able to relax so well (did I mention I loved that bath?) and let my body do the work it needed to do. I'm so thankful for a healthy delivery, and for this beautiful, darling little girl!
Her name, you may recall, is Mary Antonia — that's Ann-toe-KNEE-a. (Just so we're all on the same page.) We've also been calling her Molly.
Fuzzy says
Could you be any more beautiful?!? What an amazing birth story. You look absolutely stunning, and I am super jealous!
Melody says
Wowie wow! What a great story! Congrats on your adorable addition!
Barbara says
Great story. I hope little Mary is always so obliging.
Deanne says
Beautiful mamma, beautiful baby, beautiful family, beautiful story. Congratulations! Welcome to the world baby Molly!
@_etteloc says
Molly!
(Great name. Was going to guess Annie, based off Antonia. But Molly's one better.)
Annie says
well i don't know about that…
Mary Ellen Barrett says
Oh my goodness she is so lovely! I love her name. This is a wonderful birth story, thanks so much for sharing!
Tia@ClanMcKenna says
Kudos to you and your beautiful new baby girl. Loved the birth story and the pictures. So glad everything turned out well and you are off to counting your blessings!
Lorraine says
This made me laugh so hard. Also, I love Molly!
Rachel~ At the Butterfly Ball says
Thanks for sharing your story! I really enjoyed reading about her dramatic entrance to the world!
kimberlee says
What a wonderful birth story (I had my fifth in the car, so I was quite in suspense wondering with just how much drama it would turn out)! Such endearing little exchanges you had and will remember forever. You all make one beautiful looking family! Congratulations again, and thanks for sharing your story. Everybody loves a good birth story. 🙂
Lara says
Jealous! Never had an intervention-free labor, but 2 healthy kids. She looks JUST like Pippo! Congratulations!
Joy in Alabama says
Jealous! Never had an intervention-free labor, but 2 healthy kids. She looks JUST like Pippo! Congratulations!
Mary says
Beautiful story and a beautiful baby girl. Welcome Molly!! You are so loved little one. I truly love happy endings.
Juliana says
What a great story! Thanks for sharing–I'm such a birth story junkie. 🙂
Joanie says
Congratulations on the birthday of your beautiful baby! Such a pretty name! I had almost the identical birth experience in June with my third baby, a boy (there was a pic of him and I on the post of the DC meetup).. 14 minutes at the hospital before he was born. I didn't want to get out of the tub and didn't realize I was that far along. My doc told me a few more days that morning even though I'd been having short regular (every 5-10 minutes) so I convinced myself it probably wasn't really labor… it was. 🙂 anyway. Beautiful baby and a beautiful family!
Mary says
Love it! Such a beautiful name too! (tI admit, I am biased. But, still, I haven't 'met' a baby named Mary in far too long!). Congratulations, Rosie and family!
AnnieR says
Loved the story and everyone looks so happy and content with new baby sister! I had a water birth with #3 and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had. That labor was only 1 hour, 20 minutes and we almost didn't get the tub filled in time. Thanks so much for sharing!
athenamiles says
Wow! Thank you for sharing! (I love birth stories.) So glad she's here and doing so well!
Ashley says
What an exciting story! You had me on the edge of my seat. So glad you made it there safely, and congratulations on your beautiful little one. I just love the name Molly!
Mary says
LOVE the story! She is gorgeous. And yes, one of the best reasons for home birth is the whole no getting in a car while in transition thing! For us, after our second was born after a 1 1/2 hour labor, it seemed way safer to me to stay at home than to risk a side of the highway birth!
Juanita says
Congratulations! Glad you made it to the hospital on time. Sounds right like my 3rd with the short contractions and not realizing how far along I actually was. The difference is I was having him at home. We had finally called the midwife and then I told my husband I felt like I had to push. My husband was frantically on the phone with the midwife, who was on the way, asking how to deliver this baby because we knew the cord was wrapped around his neck, while I delivered the baby myself! The midwife arrived 10 min. later but it was my easiest birth out of all my five.
Robin says
Third time must really be the charm! We also had our third at home as planned, but without the planned midwife in attendance! Although luckily my husband was not on the phone with the midwife at that exact moment, so he was able to do the catching for me. An amazing experience, once we were sure everything was OK!
Thanks, Rosie, I can never read too many birth stories! 🙂
Sara says
Great story! I love the happy ending (and the short labor at the hospital). A bath is pretty amazing. For one of mine, I got in the tub for an hour to stop the contractions (or bring them on) and he was born less than 10 minutes after I got out! So having tub and delivery site close together is a good idea.
She's so beautiful!
Rebekah says
TUBS. They are the best!
Carol Kennedy says
Great story! And I love the name! It made me think of one of our favorite little Saints-to-be we “met” in Rome Servant of God Antonietta Meo (called Nennolina). She lived in the 1930's and is a shining example of child-like love of Jesus. She would be a great patron for your little Molly. 🙂
Sue says
Awww! I love birth stories! That last photo is absolutely beautiful – truly stunning!
Kathy says
I really loved reading your birth story! Congratulations, she is just beautiful!
Anna says
You have such a beautiful little baby! Thanks for sharing the story.
Molly I. says
How exciting! Your story reminds me so much of my 2nd baby Anne, who is almost 10 months old. She was in a big hurry, once she decided to show up (she was about a week overdue). I had been bracing myself for a long labor, so it was quite a surprise!
Also, as another Mary called Molly, I love her name!
Betsy M says
What a great story and your pictures are great. She is beautiful.
I found out the wonder of showers with my first baby when I went from 4 cm to 10cm in about 5 minutes (at the hospital). My husband would not allow me to go into the shower with my later babies if my contractions were close – while at home. It brings on the baby every time for me.
Susan (DE) says
Thank you soooooo much for sharing! I LOVE birth stories, and I LOVE yours. 🙂 I had some dramatic endings, too — not fast labors, but the part at the end was. Fun…in an unnerving sort of way.
Thanks also for sharing the pronunciation of her second name: I had been wondering. And my late rmother-in-law was a Mary-called-Molly. Lovely.
Monica says
I love birth stories! Thanks for sharing yours. It sounds like our second — we were in the hospital for 7 minutes before our baby was born, after laboring at home because I didn't want to be in the hospital for 40 hours like I had with baby #1, who had to be induced. And the bath. I LOVE the bath during labor. It's not called “the midwife's epidural” for nothing! Of course, I didn't get there in time with #2 to get in the bath…
Your pictures are fantastic, too! What a beautiful family! Many blessings!
Jenny says
“All I could think was that I didn’t want to be that woman who had the baby on the side of the road just because she was too out-of-it to get to the hospital on time.”
I'm glad you made it to the hospital. This is the exact reason I chose to have a homebirth this last time around. I live an hour from the hospital and my previous labors have been precipitous. I so didn't want to be that lady on the news.
Emily says
Congratulations! I absolutely love reading birth stories. Thanks for taking the time to write yours out! I've had 3 home births and highly recommend it!
Stephanie says
Rosie! My second was born 25 mins from walking through the hospital door too! My daughter hasn't slowed down since, she has quite the energetic personality. Praise God for good nurses and bath tubs, sisters and closed gates and humor..maybe camp close to the hospital for the next birth 🙂 You're amazing! God bless!
Sheryl in WA State says
Dear Rosie,
Love the story. So happy for you all. Also, let me say, just for the record, I have read this entire blog, including comments, (love all the great useful info and happy feelings just from reading). I don't recall anyone ever commenting that a post is too long. At any rate, never too long for me. Thank you all for continuing to take the time to write, take pictures and to post them all. Such a blessing in so many ways for so many people. Blessings right back to you. Auntie Leila's Captain Pepper nickname is inspired! Sheryl
Margo says
oh, thank you for all the details! So fun. I love your wry humor. I also had a hard labor with #1 and used the tub/shower in the birth room a lot – in fact, I cried in every shower I took for weeks after she was born! Then #2 was similar to yours and they were trying to get me to sign papers while I was bent over with contractions and couldn't see straight!
Margo says
I meant to say: I love her name and her little nickname. so sweet.
Catherine says
Great story! Thanks for sharing. She is beautiful! I am more than a little curious about that lavender-honey icecream….
Molly R says
Rosie, what a great birth story! I had to laugh because it's strangely similar to the birth of my little one. She was born the day before your Mary, very fast. Except we called an ambulance, since I was not at all confident I'd make it to the hospital in time. I am seriously impressed that you were still on your feet that close to delivery! Congratulations! She is absolutely beautiful.
Amanda says
Aww, I love your birth story! Mary Antonia is a beautiful name for a beautiful baby girl. Is it just me or are baby girls decidedly more *pink* than boys? They just look so pink from the start, lol!
All three of my labors have been much the same in being very quick and barely having doctors/nurses there to assist in the birth. My last I decided to just go ahead and plan a homebirth and it's a good thing I did since labor was less than 3 hours long from start to finish, lol! I don't like the super fast labors but I will say arriving at the hospital/birth center at the last minute really is the way to do it, it's easier to stay comfortable and relaxed that way.
Anastasia says
What a great birth story! Those second babies, they like to come into the world full speed ahead. I had those short but effective contractions too 🙂 Thanks for sharing. And I just want to say, I love her name! Congratulations to you and your wonderful family.
Nicolette says
Congratulations! Key learning #3 is definitely correct, I did have my baby in the car! Yes the idea of home birthing sounds great to me now!
ayearinskirts says
How lovely! This was so fun to read. I'm always amazed at what a powerful “eject reflex” we have. Birth is always hard in a way, but it sounds like it was hard in all of the good ways 🙂 Congratulations!
Mrs. Pickles says
What a great birth story!! Isn't it amazing how well labor and warm water go together? 🙂
God bless your growing family!
Ellie says
Lovely story. So glad it was better second time round and that you feel the recovery is easier. I'm expecting my second and last time was a very medicalised intervention and I'm really hoping that this time can be more relaxed and easier but I too have worries about the 20 minute drive to the hospital! Blessings on you all.
carrien says
Thank you for the story. 🙂
The bathtub is a wonderful magical place to labor. I'm glad you discovered it.
Next time maybe you'll be able to plan for a nice quiet home birth. I think you've earned it. Also, then you don't need to leave the tub until it's over. Well done, all of you.
ps. Captain Pepper, excellent new nickname.
Aimee says
What a great birth story! And what a beautiful family – congratulations!
Also, we have always called my eldest daughter Mollie but her name is Mary Catherine. I know I'm biased, but Mollie is a pretty perfect nickname.
Enjoy your babies. 🙂
Jamlet says
Beautiful story! Quick warning from another mom who had a long #1 and freakishly fast #2… Keep something in the car to protect the seat for the inevitable car birth (#5).