The last month has flown by with Corinna and I can’t believe I’m just now sharing her birth story with you all! Her birth was super memorable for multiple reasons, and it was also incredibly quick. I couldn’t believe how quick! I was somewhat prepared for a fast labor because of my experience with Augustine, but I basically could have had a car baby! Wait until you hear about it! Here is our sweet Corinna’s birth story. It’s a day I’ll remember for the rest of my life!
Our Baby Girl’s Birth Story
During my last month of pregnancy, I was preparing for our baby girl to arrive early. Even though Augustine was born on time, I had read that sometimes second babies come earlier {and quicker!}. I had a huge list of things I wanted to do before she arrived, and I actually got most of it done right beforehand. The day before I went into labor I checked off the final task: getting Augustine a haircut! So maybe my body just knew?
There were a few interesting things surrounding going into labor. For one, the day before was a tougher than usual day with Augustine. He fought his nap to the point where I was like, ok we’re going to get you a haircut! He fell asleep in the car on the way back and, when he woke up about 30 minutes later, I took him out of his car seat and he fell asleep in my arms on the couch. Maybe you saw the photo on InstaStories? Anyways, it was so sweet but abnormal for him. I soaked in the cuddle time though!
Then, my mom offered to come and spend the night. We always love seeing her so never say no to our time together, so of course, we said yes come on over! This was a week before my due date, though, so even though I was thinking maybe I would have the baby early, I still felt like I had some time to get things done. Now I think my mom just had that motherhood instinct! We are so happy she was here which I’ll get to later on!
So back to the day before. Augustine had an off nap, was cuddlier than usual, my mom came over after work, and then Augustine fought bedtime. We actually put him down and then about 30 minutes later we heard him crying. This never happens! Since we transitioned him to his big boy bed, Augustine hasn’t had one night where he’s gotten out of bed, or even cried to the point where we’ve needed to come in. This night was an exception! Matthew went up to read him another story and then he went back to sleep. I told my mom and Matthew, “Maybe Augustine knows something is going on?” I’m sure most people think their children have special abilities, and that’s definitely what I was thinking. Matthew said, “No, I think he’s just being a toddler.”
I woke up twice that night, around 1am and 3am to go to the bathroom. This was all normal since during pregnancy I was needing to go to the bathroom frequently. After the 3am wakeup, I couldn’t go back to sleep {also normal} so I laid in bed and responded to some Direct Messages on Instagram. Around 3:50am I was noticing I was having some Braxton Hicks contractions {also normal}. I decided to time them though, just to see if there was any pattern. I really didn’t think I was in labor. I noticed they were happening every 10 minutes and lasting about 40 seconds to a minute. They weren’t painful at all though so I just kept responding to Direct Messages. Then I decided to get up and wash my face and do my hair. I didn’t have many options while everyone in the house was sleeping. However, around 4:45am Augustine woke up. This wasn’t too strange because he sometimes has 5/5:30am wakeups, but it doesn’t happen that often. I told Matthew I might be in labor since the Braxton Hicks contractions were continuing. But again, they weren’t that intense. I went downstairs around 5am and decided to page my midwife just to give her a heads up. Since things happened quickly with Augustine, I wanted them to be prepared just in case. I went in to wake my mom up and tell her and then the midwife called me back. She asked when my contractions started. I said around 4am, and she asked if we should just play it by ear and keep her posted. As she said that I got a contraction that was intense enough for me to say, “No I think I should go in especially because of my experience with Augustine.” It was 5:15am and she said the soonest she could be at the birthing center was 5:45. I said that worked perfectly!
As soon as I got off the phone with the midwife, I started to feel the contractions more intensely. I told Matthew to get my bag into the car and my mom started getting ready. Matthew called his mom so that she could drive up from San Diego. The plan was that Matthew would stay with Augustine at home until his mom arrived and my mom and I would go to the birthing center. I didn’t want it to be too traumatic for Matthew and I to both leave Augustine, especially not knowing for sure what was going on, so we thought that would be the best plan.
As my mom and I were driving to the birthing center I was feeling more contractions and also a lot of back labor. It was all pretty manageable but it was definitely more intense than it had been prior, which led me to believe this was all happening. I remember feeling so hot while we were driving, even though it was in the 40s outside, and I had to roll down the windows.
We got to the birthing center and the midwife greeted us outside. I remember it was still dark outside and felt very much like night time even though it was 6am. We went in together and they started to get everything together. When they checked me, the midwife said, “9. 100. 0.” I was like, “What??” And she said, “You’re 9cm dilated, 100% effaced, and the baby’s head is at 0 station. We’re ready to have a baby!” I just about started to cry because I couldn’t believe it. Knowing I was going to meet my daughter so soon made me so excited and happy. My mom called Matthew and told him he better come ASAP!
The midwife asked if I wanted to get in the birthing tub and I said sure. I wasn’t planning on having a water birth because I know sometimes bodies don’t respond to it. But maybe it would be relaxing and help ease some of the pains. They started drawing the bath and I got in. My midwife said I could basically start pushing at any time but I wanted to wait for Matthew. He arrived at 6:30 and my mom switched places with him so that she could be in the lobby with Augustine. At 6:43 Corinna was born! I’m not sure how many times I pushed, maybe 5 or 6, but I was just easing into it because I didn’t want to tear. Note: I did tear a little, which is normal, and it was basically a re-tear from my one with Augustine.
Corinna was born in the water, which is fitting since she’s a Pisces, and I remember grabbing her and bringing her to me immediately. She didn’t really cry but she did make a few noises. That moment of holding her felt like heaven. It’s just the purest and most extreme happiness to hold your child for the first time. The pain just vanished. They got me out of the water, which Matthew said looked like a crime scene, and onto the bed. She was over a pound smaller than Augustine, which surprised me in a way because I thought they’d be around the same size. Augustine was 8 pounds 9 ounces and Corinna was 7 pounds 5 ounces. I was a big baby too with the same weight as Augustine so I was definitely expecting an 8 pounder. She was so sweet and small though and holding her felt surreal.
All in all my labor was less than 2 hours and 45 minutes. Can you believe that? And if Matthew had arrived sooner I probably could have started pushing earlier. I’m just so thankful to have had such a beautiful and safe birth experience. God blessed us with this sweet little girl and I am so happy to be her mama!! I can’t wait for all the fun adventures we had ahead as mother and daughter, and also as a family of four!
If you’re curious about Augustine’s birth story, you can read it here! Also, here’s a postpartum update with how things have been going lately.
xox
photos by Jen Gagliardi
