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marianadecarlos · 1 day ago

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The Birth of Charles II of Spain

Supposed portrait of Charles II as a newborn. Stirling Maxwell Collection (Pollock House, Glasgow), attributed to Martínez del Mazo.

Carlos José, Charles II of Spain, was born on Sunday, November 6, 1661. The news spread quickly throughout the Royal Palace in Madrid, releasing enormous tension barely contained until then. Joy filled all the rooms, as Queen Mariana's pregnancy had come to a happy conclusion. Given the challenges of the previous days and months, this was a significant relief. Just five days earlier, on November 1, 1661, the Feast of All Saints, the crown prince of the monarchy, the beloved and cherished Philip Próspero, had tragically died. His death was a profound loss for Philip IV and his wife, who was in an advanced stage of pregnancy at the time. With the passing of the young prince, the Catholic Monarchy once again faced a lack of direct male heirs, instilling a sense of pessimism and fatalism throughout the Palace and across the cities and kingdoms of the realm. The death of Don Felipe Próspero, who was only four years old, struck the heart of the aged King like a dagger, leading him to believe, with certainty, that God had abandoned him.

Queen Mariana was deeply distressed. She understood her royal husband's feelings well. From her earliest childhood, she had been educated about the reasons for the state and was aware of what dynastic inheritance meant, so she empathized with her husband's dual pain—both providential and political. Additionally, as a mother who had already lost several children, she felt overwhelmed by the painful fate that the Almighty had in store for her, a fate that undoubtedly shaped her harsh and rigid character. The death of Philip Prospero, who was taken from life too soon, was just the latest tragedy in a long series of losses. Indeed, Mariana had endured a profoundly tragic maternal experience.

For all the above reasons, in the days following the death of Philip Prospero, the Queen's pregnancy, which was nearing its end, became a matter of first importance. The future of the Monarchy depended on this event. On Sunday, November 6, everything seemed to be ready. The doctors and physicians were on alert; the Queen's confessor was near her, and the Chief Steward of her Household was carefully reviewing the arrangement of the items in the birth chamber. To guarantee the success of the event, all the holy relics that were in the Palace and others brought from El Escorial and other places had been arranged in order.

There was the staff of Saint Dominic of Silos that the Order of Saint Dominic had brought, the ribbon of Saint John Ortega, from the Order of the Hieronymites; the incorrupt bodies of Saint Isidore and Saint Diego de Alcalá; the image of the Virgin of Solitude and the one so venerated by the royal family, Our Lady of Atocha. It is difficult to find a space so holy and sacred. Everything, then, was ready, the things of the earth arranged in order to implore God's pleasure.

At noon, after a frugal lunch, Philip IV retired to his chambers. At the same time, the Queen felt discomfort and went to her room. The midwife, Doña Inés de Ayala, and the chief physician of the Royal Chamber, Don Andr��s Ordóñez, both witnesses of the birth of Doña Mariana in Vienna in 1634, were now assisting her in her sixth birth, the most anticipated of all. Mariana of Austria was then 27 years old. The chronicles say that there was no setback. It was one o'clock in the afternoon on that Sunday, the day of San Leonardo, when, according to the Gazette, “

a very handsome prince with large features, a large head, black hair, and somewhat swollen flesh saw the light of this world .” It was, of course, a very favorable comment, but soon rumors to the contrary spread through the gossip columns of the Villa and Court. That birth was received with joy. At three in the afternoon, when the news had already spread to all corners of the Monarchy and Europe, a sober and elegantly dressed Philip IV in black velvet, left his chamber and, “

accompanied by the Nuncio, the Grand Masters and the Ambassadors ”, headed towards the Palace Chapel in full courtly etiquette. There, the royal procession, presided over by the monarch, sang a solemn Te Deum, thus beginning the festivities that, in honor of the future Charles II, occupied the entire month of November 1661.

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99liv3s · 8 months ago

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A Birthing Show

(Wrote in collaboration with @ashmallow)

The two girls waddled onto the small stage, applauded by the 10 members of the audience: 7 men and 3 women. These 10 had paid a considerable amount of money for exclusive access to what the girls were offering: the chance to witness and control both their labors. Monica was a short, pale, black haired girl with brown eyes, thin except for her noticable pregnant belly, her hair in a low ponytail that hung over her right shoulder. She was wearing a gray maternity gown that seemed to enhance her pregnancy features. The other girl, Ash, had shoulder length brown hair, a bit darker skin, and her eyes were brown as well. She was a bit taller than Monica, but not by much, and though she was a bit less skinny than Monica, Ash's bump looked considerably bigger. Ash was wearing a small shirt and a skirt, which protruded outward over her large belly.

The girls took their place in front of the waiting audience, showing off their protruding bellies, as the ten audience members settled in their seats. "Welcome," Monica said to them, smiling. "In a few moments, the pills the two of us ingested will put us into labor, and the show can begin!" "As the ad stated, you will all be here to witness us labor and give birth simultaneously, and as an added bonus," she pointed toward two tablets lying on a table in front of the audience, "Those pads there will control how our labors play out, giving all of you complete control of this experience!" "My name is Monica, and my fellow partner in birth is named Ash!" "We hope you all enjoy the experience, and thank you in advance for your generous payments!" On the stage were two chairs, which the girls both sat in, as well as two beds. The two of them rubbed their bellies absentmindedly as they smiled at the crowd. “I’m so nervous” Ash whispered to Monica, looking down at her big 34 week belly, wondering what the audience would do. "Me too." Monica whispered back, smiling at Ash as they waited for labor to begin, while the audience chatting with each other. One woman spoke up: "So, how does this even work?? How can we actually control your labors?" Monica smiled at her, rubbing her belly slightly. "The pills we took contain little microscopic machines that will settle into our lower bodies," Monica answered. "They're connected to the pads, and can do all kinds of stuff once they jumpstart labor!" The woman, beaming, nodded and thanked Monica for her answer. A minute later, Ash felt a twinge in her lower abdomin, and a sharp intake of breath indicated that Monica was feeling the same thing.

“Oh oh oh! I can feel contractions starting!” Ash gasped out, panting, though they were not very strong because it was still the early stage of labor. However, Ash could tell her cervix was trying to open, and she felt a lot of pressure building up on her lower back, radiating out towards her crotch and legs. "Oooh, I can too!" Monica panted out softly, clutching her belly as she felt the pressure start to build in her pelvis. The small crowd watched with smiles of wonder and entertainment on their faces. "Can you two touch each other's bellies?" Asked one guy in the back. In response, Monica and Ash started rubbing each other's bellies all over and bumping them gently together, giggling a bit. Then, they could all see Ash's belly visibly squeezing and relaxing. “Ahh… ahh… the contractions are getting harder!” she cried. Monica grimaced as she felt a contraction hit her as well. "Ooohh," she moaned out, as several people of the audience leaned forward, two in front grabbing the pads. "Yeah, mine are too!" “I think they’re making the baby more active!” Ash whispered as she felt her belly twist and turn with movements, as if the baby was turning upside down over and over, spinning inside her. Monica looked over at the watchers, seeing them tapping commands into both pads, and then a sudden surge of pressure hit her pelvis. "Uugghh!!" She cried out, clutching her bump, as Ash moaned from the pain of the active baby. "Uugh, let's... sway together," Monica suggested.

Ash held the sides of Monica's hips while Monica held Ash's, and they slowly swayed together to ease through the pain. Seeing the girls trying to relax, the audience was not satisfied. Suddenly, Ash's 2 cm dilated cervix became 5 cm dilated. “Ahhhhh I can feel the head trying to go through!!!” Ash moaned out. "B..breathe Ash... breathe through... aaggghhh!!" Monica began, but cried out as her pressure worsened, and she involuntarily spread her legs. "N..no... we mustn't push...yet... oooohh..." she groaned, clutching her belly as she felt herself opening quickly as well. The audience smiled at the girls' discomfort, and tapped more commands, causing both girls' water to break all over the stage. Panting, the two of them slowly scrambled to the nearby beds, and lowered themselves onto them. “Ahhhhh I can feel the head going into my birth canal!” Ash screamed out, holding her big belly in pain. “Ahhh… ahhh…” Her belly was contracting intensely, but one of the audience pressed a button, and her contractions grew even harder. “Ughhhhhhhh…” Lying on the other bed, Monica spread her legs and moaned loudly, squirming in pain. "Oooohh god, this hurts!!" She moaned. "The... p... pressure..." "Ash, it hurts!!" The two girls looked into each other's eyes, both locked in the pain of their labors and their moaning.

“I want you girls to strip naked.” An audience member said after they reached a calm point between contractions. The girls nodded, then they both stood up and reluctantly took off their clothes, revealing their big contracting bellies and swollen breasts, as well as their dilating vaginas. Ash's tits were milky, and as another contraction took her, more milk squirted from them. Still moaning and mewling, both girls laid back onto the beds completely naked. They knew it would have come to this sooner or later. As audience members played around with the tablets, Monica let out a loud, drawn out moan, clutching her belly as a huge amount of pressure hit her pelvis. Meanwhile, Ash felt her dilation increase rapidly, and the pressure on her hips increased as the baby's head painfully pressed against her cervix, which barely opened. Becoming quite aroused by Ash's milk squirts, the audience made her boobs start lactating more. Streams of milk ran down her breasts and onto the bed as she moaned loudly in pain from the dilation and contractions. "Can... we come and help suck that up?" A woman in the audience asked. Ash nodded, and half the watchers scrambled onto the stage, trying to drink up Ash's milk.

"Aaaahhh, it hurts so bad!!!" "OW OW OW AAHH I CAN'T AAAGHH!!" Monica yelled out, clutching her belly as she felt the pressure and pain ram her cervix hard. After a few high loud moans, she screamed out, "OOH, I GOTTA PUSH!" Ash felt her cervix dilate rapidly as well, and the heaviness of the head started to fill her vagina. The audience murmured in satisfaction to the girls' suffering. “Ahhhh I can feel the hair!” Ash screamed out, reaching down and feeling a sliver of the baby’s head trying to stretch her lips wide. “The pressure!!" "Ahhhhh… it burns… ahhhhhhh!” The burning was agony, but someone tapped a control, and Ash felt the head slip back in. Meanwhile, Monica thrashed around on her bed, moaning and crying, the pressure feeling like it would tear her apart. "IT'S GETTING WORSE!! AAAAHHH!" She screamed, her legs spread and trembling in pain. Monica involuntarily pushed, and she felt her pussy bulge outward. "OH GOD OH GOD AAAAHHH!" As the audience watched, they started to see just how big the head of Monica's baby seemed to be. With more loud howls of pain, Monica seemed to stretch more and more with each push. Ash cried out again as she once again felt her baby's head start to crown, but the audience kept making the head go back in every time she relaxed, prolonging her suffering. "OWW PLEASE LET IT OUT!" Ash begged, as the burning hit her over and over.

By now, those audience members that were trying to suck up Ash's milk had had their fill, and settled back into their seats to enjoy the show. Both girls' vaginas were on full display as they shouted and yelped in pain. Ash's baby had peeked out and gone back in another four times. Meanwhile, Monica was clearly struggling, a huge head still lodged in her opening. Ash suddenly screamed as the already overwhelming pressure hit her even harder, and her baby's head immediately shot out. As it hung out of her vagina, Ash moaned loudly, as it seemed her body had had enough of the baby playing peekaboo. The audience murmured in amazement, but at this point, the girls were in so much pain and agony of labor, they no longer cared what was happening around them. "Monica push!" Ash said over Monica's cries. "OOOOHH I'M TRYING..." Monica wailed out, and indeed, she had been pushing, but the head seemed to be stuck. With loud grunts and groans of effort, Monica tried to bear down again, but there was still no movement. "Maybe... change... positiaaaahhh" Ash began, but was distracted by her own baby's emergence. Ash pushed, and with a gush of fluid, her baby was fully born. The audience applauded and cheered as Ash reached for her newborn. It was a girl!

With some difficulty, Monica repositioned herself on the bed, finally getting onto her hands and knees, with her belly sitting on the soft bedsheets, which tickled her popped out navel. Her vagina now hanging in the air, everyone could now see just how big the baby's head was, but the change in position seemed to do the trick. Monica let out another wail as she pushed and the head eased out slowly. Ash watched along with the audience, as she waited for the contractions that would deliver her placenta. The audience tapped some commands that increased the intensity of Monica's contractions and she shrieked as her belly visibly pulsed. With a squishy pop, the head finally ejected from Monica's pussy and hung out of her in the air. "You did it Monica!" Ash cheered, as the audience murmured. She felt contractions and prepared to push out her placenta. However, as she listened to Monica pant, she started to feel pressure again. Monica, still on her hands and knees, looked over at Ash, who was grimacing in pain. "That was... rough... hey are you ok??" Monica asked. Ash shook her head, her eyes closed. "Placenta hurts that much?" Ash moaned softly, as the audience's murmured increased; They had definitely figured out that things were not going according to plan.

A few minutes later, the pressure increased, and Ash cried out, "OH GOD IT'S ANOTHER BABY!" Members of the audience gasped, as Monica began to wail again, her big baby deciding it was ready to finish coming out. Monica yelled and moaned as she pushed. Ash breathed heavily, feeling the strong contraction that would push the twin out of her. Ash bore down, already feeling the head hit her already sore vagina. The audience watched intently, so engrossed in the show before them, they seemed to had forgotten the pads. Monica's loud screams echoed throughout the room as the huge baby finally slid out of her and gently onto the bed. It was a big baby boy. Ash smiled, still panting, as she saw Monica finish giving birth, slumping onto the bed in exhaustion. Then, she felt the familiar burning, and screamed out as she felt her second baby crown. "OW OW AH AH AH AHHHH!!" With one more very painful push, the entire baby fell onto the bed beside her sister, and the twins cried loudly.

As the two girls panted exhaustedly, the 10 watchers got to their feet, clapping and cheering. Monica, who had turned back over and was lying on her back, holding her newborn in her arms, smiled softly. Ash continued to lay on the bed, her eyes closed as her twins, their cords still attached, both hanging out of Ash, squirmed and cried. "You both did amazing," one watcher said. "Yes, it was incredible!!" Another said. Clearly satisfied, the watchers filed out, chatting to each other about what they had witnessed, leaving the two girls alone on stage in the beds with their babies. Ash had scooped up her daughters and was now breastfeeding them. She smiled over at Monica, who was rocking her newborn to sleep. "Well, that was fun!" Ash said, holding her daughters on her breasts. "And we made lots of money too!" Monica smiled back at her, nodding. As much as it had hurt, she had to admit to herself that she also enjoyed the experience. "You know what, let's do it again soon!" She proposed. Ash giggled and nodded.

End

#birth #giving birth #pregnancy #childbirth

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