Lucia's Birth

When Felix was four years old, I was blessed by the gods with another child-- a girl! I was so excited to have a daughter. I'd loved raising Felix, and of course, in our society, having a son is beneficial for several reasons. But I couldn't wait to raise a virtuous, modest, loyal, and beautiful young woman.

We went about the same pre-birth customs that we had done with Felix, only this time, I required less help from my midwives because I knew more of what I was getting into. I was able to prepare some of my own herbal remedies and make a nursery space in our home for the new baby. When Lucia arrived, she was seen to have no health complications, and after she was placed on the ground, Cornelius lifted her up immediately, symbolizing how he accepted her into our family. On the eighth day after birth, we held her naming ceremony, choosing to call her Lucia. This was an easy decision because of Roman standard naming conventions. Since Cornelius's praenomen is Lucius, it was only natural to name our daughter Lucia. We presented her with her lunula, a moon-shaped amulet to protect her from evils until marriage. We swaddled Lucia, just like we had done for Felix when he was a baby, and I remember Felix being so excited to be an older brother. Having a younger sibling helped him reach another level of maturity; he began to recognize his own responsibility and duty to look out for his sister. If you are a parent who is having their second child, I highly recommend keeping your first child's nurse to help take care of the new baby. We kept Phoebe, Felix's nurse, with our family after Lucia was born, which gave me more time to devote to instructing Felix in his household education rather than nursing Lucia.

Having another child is exciting, terrifying, and a whole new adventure as you figure out how to raise a second Roman. But trust me, you're going to do great, and I'm here to help provide tips and tricks from my own experiences to help you along the way.

vale, et animum sume,

Octavia