The Story of Baby Luca

I would describe Luca's arrival into the world as both agonizingly slow and suddenly very fast. About a week before his due date I started having prodromal labor. Every night I would wake up in the middle of the night with contractions that would become pretty regular but never were very intense. Sometimes I could fall back to sleep, but usually, either because of discomfort or anticipation, I would get up and move around thinking, "this might be it!" Several times I went for a walk outside around 3 am, and every time the contractions would die down and I would go about my day still pregnant.    

The day before my due date I started having contractions that evening and they lasted ALL NIGHT. Still not very intense but I started getting excited that this was different and maybe Luca was ready to make his arrival! We called the midwife and she told us to head down to the birth center. We took our time gathering our things, making arrangements for Gideon, and driving down to Nashville. This leisurely drive was completely different from Gideon's labor day...

Gideon was born a little over a week before his due date. I wasn't expecting him that early so when my water broke that morning I was actually unsure of what was happening. I wasn't having contractions so I took a shower and went for a walk around the neighborhood. That's when the contractions started and I knew this was it! They were manageable and coming regularly so we called the midwife and let her know. She gave us a plan to come down when they were happening more regularly for about an hour. We thought we had lots of time to get everything together and wrap up last minute things. The contractions started to get more intense and then...I threw up. I looked at Luke and told him, "I can't do this." We thought we were still early on in labor, but I actually was going through transition and getting ready to push. I told Luke we needed to go to the hospital, NOW.

We drove the hour to Nashville and because they were doing construction at Vanderbilt we had to park what felt like miles away, but probably wasn't as far as it felt at the time. We walked from the parking garage to labor and delivery and I stopped every so often to lean against the wall and get through a contraction. We arrived at the Labor and Delivery front desk and the nurse called the midwife. She said, "Your patient is here, and she looks very uncomfortable." The midwife asked if I was ready to push...I was trying not to push in the car, so yes, I was ready!

The support I received from Luke, the midwife, the nurse...they were all fantastic. Gideon came into the world quietly, which apparently is not a great thing. They placed him on my belly and I remember just soaking in his sweet little body while they vigorously rubbed him with a blanket trying to get him to cry. He was breathing, but they wanted him to yell and get those lungs open. The beauty of being at Vanderbilt was how quickly the NICU team was able to arrive and take care of him. I don't know if someone pinched him or what, but eventually he was hollering and they left the room. Gideon has been a happy kid, even from birth.

Luca, however, tested my patience in drawing out labor night after night, so when the midwife suggested they break my water, I was more than ready. I was progressing but my contractions just kept starting and stopping. It was maddening. I was so ready for him to arrive and so ready to not be pregnant any more!! Luke and I had spent the day walking West End in Nashville, getting food from a local coffee shop, taking a nap back at the birth center, doing the "Miles Circuit" to try to speed labor along. All of this during the COVID pandemic. It was actually quite a pleasant day spending time together just the two of us, but that afternoon I was ready for things to move along. They broke my water at 6:00pm and Luca was in my arms at 8:50pm.

Our Baby + Co Suite

Taking a nap before Luca arrives

Baby+Co has beautiful birth suites with queen size beds, large showers, and birthing tubs. I did not want to have a water birth but was able to labor in the tub which made a huge difference when the contractions got more intense. When I told the midwife I was about to throw up, she said I better go ahead and get out of the tub unless I changed my mind about having a water birth. I think I pushed for about 20 minutes and right when I thought I was almost done, I heard the midwife make a call and she was talking to 911. She was coaching me though pushing, my nurse was encouraging me, and Luke was right there holding my hand and cheering me on, but something in the room changed and the calm encouragement took on an urgency to push the baby out right now! 

Luca had shoulder dystocia and he was stuck behind my pubic bone. His head was out which was why I felt the finish line was so close, but he wasn't coming the rest of the way. It all happened very quickly and hearing the midwife talk to the 911 operator was terrifying. Later, Luke and I said we both thought we lost Luca. The midwife and nurse took action and had me get onto my hands and knees and then flip back over. This is called the Gaskin maneuver, named for Ina May Gaskin, an amazing midwife who lives/works right here in Middle Tennessee. The nurse pushed on my belly while I pushed as hard as I possibly could and I'm pretty sure the midwife reached in and pulled him out! He was screaming his head off. No worries about his lungs! We are so very thankful that everything turned out fine. Luca was a bit bruised but otherwise he was perfect. We were able to send the paramedics packing-we didn't need them at all.

Our midwife knew exactly what to do and I am very thankful she was there to take care of us. We brought Luca home the next morning. Gideon was absolutely thrilled and it was very sweet to watch them meet one another. 

 
I am so happy to be done being pregnant. Not just because I have my sweet baby. I'm happy to be able to walk and not waddle, to sleep in any position I want, to pick up Gideon and hold him on my lap. 

I gained A LOT of weight with Luca, but I'm very slowly getting back into shape by walking a ton, doing simple and safe exercises, and eating good food! I'm also trying to get as much sleep as possible, but discussions about sleep are fighting words in our house right now. We are obsessed with sleep. It is one of the most important things for our health and brain function, yet so hard to get enough when you have a newborn and toddler in the house. It's just mean to talk to a new mom about sleep, yet people always want to ask how your baby is sleeping. Just stop asking this, ok? Put it on the list along with asking people when/if they'll have another baby. Just shush people. 

I definitely feel like I'm starting over again with marathon training. I saw a physical therapist for a few sessions and have some great exercises to work on getting my body ready to run. This website has a great article and checklist to determine if you are ready to run postpartum: Ready to Run?  

I also have to share a couple of resources from my fave, FemFusion Fitness:

Here is a great podcast for new moms about prolapse.

And this is Kegel Camp! A YouTube series to learn to gradually strengthen your pelvic floor.

I remember with Gideon I felt this same contradiction of feeling like my body was fat, sore, tired, weak...but at the same time feeling like I was super mom-I pushed giant babies out of me-I can do anything! It’s going to be baby steps, but I’ll get back to running eventually. Right now I’m building a strong foundation and I’m trying not to give myself a timeline but just keep one foot in front of the other and when given the opportunity, take a nap!