Birth of Marcellinus

If I could relive this day, I would over and over. Even though it was one of my most intense births and I wanted to give up multiple times, the love I felt from the people around me and the way my body worked to bring my baby was unexplainable. With this being baby number 5, part of me felt worried that I couldn’t possibly love and bond with another baby like I did with my others. But of course, God works his ways and I am more in love with this baby than I think I’ve ever been with any baby. Somehow my heart expanded. Marcelino fits right into our family and his siblings love caring for and being with him. It is the best thing to experience as a parent. Seeing the love of siblings.

Wednesday the 15th I woke up to a text from my sister asking how I was feeling. Inside I was so ready, I told her that I was feeling good but didn’t think baby was coming for a while. For two weeks, every single night I was having prodromal labor. This baby was playing games with my mind. Around lunchtime I had my prenatal visit while the kids played in the pool, chatting and laughing with my midwives. Once they left I got to baking blueberry muffins through some more crampy contractions. Lewis got home and I started cleaning everywhere just in case. Vacuuming, sweeping, cleaning. The crampy contractions were super far apart but they were stronger. I still thought it was just prodromal labor but just in case I wanted everything clean. We had dinner which I didn’t really want to eat.


Afterwards I called my sister to come over for a movie night. Lewis had plans of working the next day. My contractions (very far apart) weren’t going away. (Just like every night for the past two weeks) I didn’t want to be alone while he was at work so she came over with my other sister who would also be at the birth. Before my sisters arrived, Lewis got to deep cleaning and helped me finish the bathrooms and floors. We watched count of Monte Cristo while I bounced on my ball through some more serious contractions (still very far apart) Once the movie was over I told Veronica to go back home and keep her ringer on just in case. It could be in the middle of the night or it could be another night of prodromal labor.


I got into my bed at midnight and knew that even though the contractions were coming, I should sleep. I got about an hour or two of sleep with minor contractions and then the more intense ones started. Lewis was the best and would rub my back through them and make them bearable. My body started to clear out and I was on the toilet for a while with stronger contractions. I would slip back into bed and wake up to contractions and instantly get on all fours to get through them. Every single contraction, Lewis would wake up and rub my back through them. Around 5 am I vomited which for me is a sign that things are serious. I called the midwife and let her know that I hadn’t really been timing them closely but they were getting intense and more frequent (I despise timing contractions 😝) she let me know she would be on her way soon.

I woke up Erica, my sister who was sleeping downstairs and told her to call Veronica my other sister. Part of me thought it could be soon but another part of me thought it could be a while. Everyone arrived around 5:45. We turned the office on and I walked around my room through contractions. Laughing and talking in between them. After a little while I got in the shower and noticed that my contractions were stalling. At that point I really wanted to just sleep but also wanted to know how dilated I was out of curiosity. Are we super close or could I attempt napping….I had my midwife check me and I was 4cm. Which in my mind was totally fine. Things were happening but at the same time I could take a nap.


It was about 8am and the midwives left. They were only 15 minutes away and would be back when we needed them. We closed the blinds, and Lewis and I laid down. I got some good stretches of sleep in between some INTENSE contractions and vomiting 😖. About an hour into my nap my contractions were super close together and I started to lose it. I started saying I don’t want to do this anymore. “These are really bad contractions and I can’t handle them” Lewis kept encouraging me and being the support I needed. He called me a rockstar even though I felt like a wimp and a baby. I said I just want this to be over.


Right when I was about to say let’s go to the hospital and get an epidural 😜, my water broke. It was 10am, I felt so much relief. I said okay I can do this. This is way better. Lewis called the midwives, cleaned up all the chucks pads and I asked him to turn the shower on. I figured I had about 3 hours left and the shower sounded right. After he turned the shower on, I asked Lewis to hug me. He hugged me and I had a really intense contraction while standing up. I could feel baby moving down. I got back down on all fours next to my bed and Lewis said “I can see things opening up” While on all fours I asked him to call my sisters back in to keep photographing. Thank goodness we did! I had a REALLY intense contraction and I knelt next to the bed with my hands on my mattress, my body took over and FER kicked in. My body started to push him out and his head came out at 10:21 as my sister walked in. The midwives walked in at 10:23 or so and his shoulders came out. My midwife asked me if i wanted to catch the baby or if she should. I said “I don’t know how to answer that right now” 😂 I was frozen. I switched to all fours and he slid right out into my midwife’s hands at 10:25. The whole time being very vocal and guttural. I am not a quiet birther 🤣 she passed him through my legs to my front and Lewis and I both got a glimpse at his boy parts 🤪 so the gender reveal was not as revealy as I thought it would be. We both whispered it’s a boy! He gave a good few cries and then went on my chest and looked around. Staring at me, taking in this new world. The relief I felt. We waited so long for this sweet boy and he was here. I told myself I would do that over and over if I had to.


We got right into bed and Charlotte poked her head in. She got right onto the bed and fell in love. She was so gentle and so happy. We told her to get everyone and she ran to the top of the stairs and screamed “guys! A Gaga (she calls babies gaga) guys! A Gaga!” The boys ran up and we asked them what they thought the baby was, Lewie and Iggy said girl and Sebastian said boy. I lifted the blanket off of him and Sebastian started cheering boy. Everyone was happy except Iggy who was just silent and still 😂 After a little while the cord was white and Lewie was called in to cut the cord. He was so excited and had been telling people for weeks that he was going to do it. After the cord was cut we snuggled in bed all together and just admired our new baby.


My midwives cleaned us up, cleaned up the mess and tucked me into bed. We napped for about two hours and snuggled with Lewis. That night family came to visit and brought dinner. It went so perfectly and everything was so relaxed. Since then, everyone has taken care of me, brought meals, and loved on our family so much.


This birth was probably my most intense birth. And I think because of the two weeks of prodromal labor, I was mentally exhausted. The contractions were the hardest part and those were PAINFUL 😆when it came time to crowning it was so much relief. I didn’t have the ring of fire. It was intense but I wouldn’t say painful. I didn’t tear at all and my bleeding was minimal. I would totally do it again and probably will as long as God blesses our family with another…….just like not right Away k? Thank youuuuu 😝

Curly Hair styling tips | Curly girl method | Bring back your curls

Curly hair can be tricky. As a teenager my curls were bouncy and happy with little to no effort. As I got older, my curls were subjected to heat too often with no zero heat protectant. They lost their bounce and shine.

I hated my curls. They were frizzy and goofy and never held their shape. I would use globs and globs of garner mousse and John Frieda anti frizz oil. Nothing worked.

After switching to my vegan products, I saw an immediate difference. My problem was that I had to relearn how to style my curls and care for them.

Over the last three years I’ve perfected my routine and helped others do the same.

Your first step is testing the porosity of your hair. Knowing if your hair is low, medium or high porosity will determine if you need products with protein or not. The products I use are not one size fits all. One change or tweak can completely make or break your outcome.

Once I found the perfect combo of products for my hair type, I had to perfect how I would apply my products. My hair LOVES leave in conditioner, curl cream and gel. For video tutorials click here and here

Wanna know a secret?….. I never brush my hair…hahahaha Okay okay so I do brush my hair but only in the shower and only with a wide tooth comb. please please please don’t brush dry curls, unless you’re ready to wash them right after. It will just be a ball of frizz.

When applying product, use a scrunching up motion. You can also use prayer hands over your curls.

Always apply products to wet hair. This will help prevent frizz.

Apply your prooducts with your head upside down.

Twist curls in the shower to train and encourage your curl pattern.

Once you apply your products DO NOT TOUCH them until the are dry.

For more curly girl tips hit that subscribe button

Martucci Birth of Enslee | Spring Hill Brooksville Land O lakes Tampa | Birth Photography

Birth is my ultimate passion. Maybe that’s weird but I truly thing that birth is beautiful. Capturing birth is magical. Being present in the moment that a baby enters the world always brings a tear. Birth high is real and I will always go towards it


Mama was so strong and went from 0-100 real fast. I arrived after speaking with her on the phone 15 minutes prior. Baby was born 15 minutes later. Sweet Enslee was born on 1-7-2020 and weighed in at 7lbs, 7oz! 😳



Dowling Family Session | Field Family Session | Tampa Brooksville Spring Hill Land O Lakes

This Session tugged at my heart strings. I photographed Maverick as a newborn and have been able to watch him grow. He is such a spunky happy boy. And his parents are pretty cool too

I will be offering Mini sessions for Mother’s day on the 24th and 25th of April. Go to the main page and click Book my session to grab your spot. We will have Hair and Makeup options as well!

Birth of Isaac | Tampa Home Birth | Birth Photographer | Alex and Co. Photography | Tampa | Land O Lakes | Dade City | Spring Hill | Brooksville | Trinity | Odessa | Central Florida

Birth high is a real thing y'all! I was on one for days after this birth. Birth is so so beautiful and to have the ability to birth at home is so amazing to witness. Isaac's birth started off on Saint Patrick's day. Kelly called me, letting me know that the midwives were heading over and that if I wanted to, I could too. It was a perfect scenario because Lewis was off anyways. I packed up my stuff, kissed all my boys goodbye and drove off. When I arrived Kelly was doing her thing. Her past births were super crazy and fast so the whole team was ready to go. Midwives, Doula, grandma, dad, kids and I. We laughed, played some music and ate pizza. As the day went on, Kelly was progressing nicely. As night drew near everything seemed to slow down. Kelly was tired and we all figured she needed to rest. The whole team went home with our ringers on high and ready to go back at any moment. 

 

After a good nights sleep I got the call at about 5:45AM and rushed back to Kelly's house. When I arrived, there was a different feeling in the air. We could all tell, Baby was coming soon. All the while mama laughed and talked and joked with us the whole time. As the sun rose contractions got stronger. Kelly was in the tub, her children surrounding her and her birth team supporting her. The world was still asleep, everything was still and quiet as Issac made his entrance. 

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Family sessions make my heart so happy. Erin, Corey, Grady and Graham were such fun to be with. This sounds weird but they blend together really well as a family. They know how each other  tick and how to make each other laugh. It is hard to find that sometimes. We laughed, joked, tickled and cuddled. It was perfect

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This Mommy and ME session went soooo well. Alana, Her mom CC and her girls were so stinking cute. I want to put them in my pocket and keep them forever. Aren't their outfits adorable??? I am having a hard time not posting EVERY picture from their session. SOOO many good ones!

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What is this?? Blogging three days in a row?? That never EVER happens but I'm trying to make sure all the sessions get blogged for now on. Gotta catch up before all the newborn boys are born this next month. Thus year has been full of boys. It is craziness. Levi was so sweet! He took a little while to get into sleepy mode but once he did, he was golden. Finally got to use the teal knitted sleepy cap that I made. 

Taylour and Chris Maternity Session | Land O lakes Family and Maternity Photographer | Wesley Chapel | Brooksville | Spring Hill | Dade City | Ocala | Inverness

Taylour and Chris were so fun to be with. They both love fishing and each other so very much. Can't wait to meet their little guy....any day now!!!

Caroline Newborn Session | Newborn and Family Photographer | Tampa | Brooksville | Wesley Chapel | Lutz | Land O Lakes | Dade City | Central Florida

Caroline broke my boy streak so I brought out alll the girly things. Finally got to use some sets that had been sitting for a while. Vintage yellow and white doilies, a Mint set and a quilt that I'd been dying to use from Oh Love props. Caroline's big sisters were so sweet and loved their new little sister so much. They watched my every move and told me all about her. Can't wait to see them grow up together. 

 

 

Noah Newborn Session | Family Session | Spring Hill FL Newborn Photographer | Brooksville | Inverness | Wesley Chapel | Land O Lakes | Trinity

Noah was the 6th boy in my newborn boy streak. Oh my goodness he was so cuddly and squishy. In every pose, his cheeks over flowed into his hands or arms. Now the question is will he be the end of my boy streak?

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This Newborn session was a little different from my norm. I went out to Sir Isaac's home and we did a mix of my normal newborn and then a more relaxed lifestyle version in the comfort of mom and dad's bedroom. I was present during this little guys birth (which will be posted soon ) so it was so nice to be back in and get some newborn snuggles.

Baby Noah | Five week newborn session | Tampa Bay Area | Brooksville | Spring Hill Photographer |

Noah did so amazing for his session! Even though he was out of the normal "newborn" stage we got some awesome shots! 

Boy mom Family session | Mommy and me session | Tampa Area Photographer

We had a freaking blast during this session. The boys didn't want to go home! This mama has a special place in my heart. She assisted in my healing amazing birth of my Iggy. Although I did the work to being my Iggy earthside, knowing that I had a team of people who were on my side was everything that I needed.  I am so glad I was able to capture her with her boys. 

Violet Newborn Session | Tampa Newborn Photographer | Spring hill | Brooksville | Dade City | Inverness | Land o Lakes | Lutz | New Tampa

McAdams Family Session | 1920's Florida Cracker House | Brooksville | Tampa | Inverness | Spring Hill Photographer

Guys, this house! Dad is a mushroom forager and little guy loves his
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Family Session | Brooksville Family Photographer | Spring Hill | Tampa | Field | Large Family

Have I said how much I love my job lately? Because I really do! This family is so close to my heart. They have been there for us in so many ways and I will forever be thankful. Mama had her baby during Hurricane Irma and I am editing her newborn pictures now but I really wanted to get these up on here before posting the newborn session. 

Blake's newborn session | Tampa Newborn Photographer | Brooksville FL

Guys....I have done a lot of newborn sessions and I've worked with tons of babies. That being said, I think Blake is the most handsome baby boy I've ever photographed (other than my own boys but Blake is almost just as handsome) While editing I tried to cull a reasonable amount of images but I ended up editing 200+! I couldn't choose! There were so many good ones!

Finley One Year Cake Smash Photo Session | Tampa Children Photographer | Brooksville Area | Tampa Area | Alex and Co. Photography

Some of my favorites from Finley's one year session <3 During his cake smash he really let us know how he felt about the whole thing ;)