Welcome Baby Luna

Last Week of Pregnancy

Last Wednesday, at 39 weeks and 5 days, I had my appointment where I was 1 cm dilated. My OB-GYN performed a membrane sweep, and she was optimistic about the results since she was able to go quite high and deep. Afterward, I went home, did some house cleaning, and then went to CrossFit. Following the training, I took two hours to rest and read Harry Potter. I started to feel some lower back pain and thought labor might be starting, but it wasn’t.

The next day, I continued my routine with another CrossFit workout in the morning, followed by a pool visit with friends. I managed to fit in five CrossFit workouts during my last week of pregnancy. On Friday, despite modifying some exercises (let’s do not forget that I torn an ACL early in my pregnancy), I was able to complete the workout biking and steps over with 10lb a arm.

That day, I took a moment to celebrate my strength and wellness throughout my pregnancy despite the injury. I felt so strong and confident in my body at the end of the pregnancy and was grateful to have been able to modify my routines, respecting the changes in my body while consistently supporting my mental health.

We then went to the pool for 40 minutes because a big storm came, and we stayed at home for the afternoon, getting bored for the first time in ages.

Labor Story

On Friday evening, while at a pool BBQ with friends, I felt something unusual “coming out”. Although I initially decided to wait until after dinner to say anything, I checked and found some grey, stinky fluid. Unsure of what it was, the doctor suggested me to head to the hospital after enjoying some ice cream with my family.

At the hospital, despite no broken water, I had contractions every 4 minutes and was 1 cm dilated. The baby was in slight distress, so the doctors started me on sublingual pills to soften my cervix and later inserted a balloon. I was in a mild pain for around 8 hours with contractions every 2 minutes. By Saturday noon, my cervix was 50% softer, and I was 3 cm dilated, ready for Pitocin.

Interestingly, I felt no pain despite strong contractions. I was walking, bouncing on a stability ball, and feeling great. My previous labors had shown that an epidural helped me fully dilate, so when things stalled even if I was not in pain, the nurses and obgyn suggested me to take one so at 4 PM I did it. The OB-GYN broke my water, and we waited.

Ale gave me a massage (he has been practicing for the last month following the Mountain Mama Massage - partner massage course, which is highly recommended). We were receiving so many messages from all over the world with the full moons from Shanghai, Italy, New York, and more. For different reasons (the man landed on the moon on July 20th, I was born on the 20th, and Leo and Ale on the 23rd), I was really hoping to have this baby on the 20th. But it was 6 PM, and the clock was running out of time. The day nurse came in and said that she was not going to put a urinary catheter in yet (to lower the risk of infection), but she would tell the night nurse to do it if I did not have the baby by 8 PM (3 hours after the epidural and about 3 hours since I last went to the bathroom).

Around 7 PM (shift change for the nurses), I started to think that I go to the bathroom every hour and drink a lot of water, and 3 hours seemed like a big stretch for my body, but I trusted them. At 7:50 PM, the new night nurse came into the room to put the catheter in, and I started to feel unwell. I was sweating cold and felt ready to throw up. She felt my full bladder and rushed to put the catheter in. My thoughts went dark, and at the same time, a huge storm arrived, with hail as big as golf balls. We were not able to see outside the windows or talk to each other as loud as the storm was. As soon as she put the catheter in, I lost a liter and a half of pee, and they lost the baby’s heartbeat. Four more nurses came into the room and made me get in the donkey pose. They gave me oxygen and stopped the Pitocin. The baby in that position felt better again, and I went from 3 cm to 10 cm in 15 minutes. It was time to push.

Wow, pushing with an epidural is magic—painful, yes, but doable. Ten minutes of pushing with no stitches (big Leo, at 9 lbs, made the way for his sisters), and baby Luna was here, and the storm passed. Wow, it was all quiet and calm for 24 hours, followed by a big one-hour storm.

Five Days as a Family of Five

Here I am in bed, pumping, waiting for Luna to wake up, and I still can't believe it's real. Life asked me to prove everything before giving me this baby, and here I am with her in my arms. Leo made me a mom, Lily taught me how to do it better, and Luna is already teaching me that motherhood is not a battle—it's actually quite enjoyable if you can embrace it.

When Leo and Lily arrived, we were alone and lost in the world, but now, every five minutes, there are friends at the door bringing food and love. In my early days postpartum, I was walking around for hours, unable to stay still; taking time to breastfeed or rest was not an option. This time, I can rest, and that's a privilege. I can feel the heaviness in my pelvic floor that tells me to sit down. I am not ashamed of my still-bumpy stomach, and I am eating whatever feels good.

Luna is adorable; she is just so chill and calm. Leo is still in disbelief and unable to process his emotions. Lily is so proud of being a big sister while still bossing around because of the power of being the little sister. Ale is just the best. I am so happy to have him by my side and to have had the strength to do it again together.

I know that this immense love our house is full of will also bring new challenges, but I also know that now I can live every moment. To Luna, who came into the world in a gentle but memorable way, and to my new, even crazier family—I can't wait to run with Leo while Lily is biking and pushing the stroller.