Grandma, Lola and Grandpas

out and about

dramatic wake-up

we get most of our sleep in the early a.m.

Learning how to breastfeed together!

Daddy Brothers

a few days later...at Descanso Gardens

Under a crabapple tree.

Letitia's labor + Petra' delivery

It all began on a Wednesday evening, about a month before Petra Maple’s due date. My father picked me up from the Gold Line’s Mission Station and his car wouldn’t start. Both stubbornly independent, we made no call for help. We walked home in the dank night. I think that the forty-five minutes of fast-paced hiking agitated a dormant virus, leading to an intense cold that still lingers today. A vigorous cough followed and, I believe, triggered the slow amniotic fluid leak that I discovered on Friday evening. On Saturday evening I was encouraged by Dr. Dwight to check-in at the hospital. My mom, Edward and I casually went in (we haphazardly packed a bag though were hopeful that we would be sent home). When I checked into a room, I was somewhat startled when they strapped the baby heartbeat and contraction monitors onto my belly. All of a sudden, I was a patient with a robe and medical gear attached – for the first time in my life. (Though one might count my wisdom teeth extraction as a legit, dramatic medical experience). The nurse’s exam was inconclusive. Her guess was that I had a high leak, but that I should just go home and continue to monitor. My mom (an OBGYN RN for 30+ years) thought this was BS and that the nurse hadn’t even used sterile gloves or the right examination technique, but she held her breath.

The next morning, after Ed and I spent our first night in my mom and dad’s living room (which we determined would be a more pleasant baby environment), I felt my first contractions. They came every ten minutes for about 45 seconds over the course of the first half of Sunday. I hadn’t felt much in the way of Braxton-Hicks contractions during the course of my third trimester so this menstral-cramp type of uterine tugging was a new sensation. It was surprisingly tolerable, I just had to pause, acknowledge it and breathe before going about my normal business: breakfast, checking email, reading the paper, chatting with my sis…and going into work. I had a feeling that morning that this might be it. Though I was still reckoning with the prospect of delivering three weeks early (the possibility having officially set in the night before while gowned and plugged in), I felt so much more mentally prepared than the night before when the thought of induction made me anxious.

After about 3 hours of last minute wrap-up work at the office with Ed by my side tracking my contractions, I called Dr. Dwight to report contractions and the continued leak. He confidently called me into the hospital saying, “let’s have this baby today!” Having already packed our bags (thoroughly this time) Ed and I traveled just two blocks west of my office to Good Sam knowing that this was it. I was ready and at ease knowing that my work was left as wrapped up as it could be given the unexpected early labor.

We checked into an awesomely large labor and delivery room at about 3 p.m. We were assigned a young, demure, kind nurse who struggled with English. I asked her at one point whether she had had children and was disappointed when she said no. I was also discouraged when her examination determined that I was only 1 cm dilated. I spoke with Dr. Dwight on the phone and he was concerned about the threat of infection due to the 3 daylong amniotic fluid leak. To get things moving and avoid an emergency C-section, he wanted to induce labor with pitocin. According to my birth plan, I did not want any unnatural interventions including pitocin and an epidural. I knew that being administered pitocin might lead to a need for an epidural (pitocin induced contractions are apparently much more intense than natural contractions), however, the last thing I wanted was a distressed baby and a C-section, so Ed and I decided to go for it.

As the pitocin set in over the first hour, I began to feel the contractions intensify three-fold. Soon, I was unable to concentrate on my vacation spots (mental visualization was our strongest tool) and I also could not breathe well since still had serious cold congestion – the child birthing class learned breathing technique went out the window. But, I was able to groan and squeeze Edward’s hand and the hospital bed bar as the waves of contractions peaked. I’m surprised to recount that time seemed to go by really quickly. Perhaps it was because I didn’t have the energy to focus on the clock. After 5 hours of the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life, I went from 1 cm to 5 cm to 9 cm. During the last hour I that insane pressure on my rectum (I was at station +1 from the beginning!) and had to really stave off the sensation to push. My fabulous nurse at the time, Amy, emphasize that I not push as she did NOT want to deliver this baby. Dr. Dwight swooped in right as I felt like I couldn’t hold on anymore and he said that we were ready to push! I thought that it would be easier to push – it wasn’t. I had to use all of the energy left inside of me and really WORK. No one had told me about the technique of pushing so I just went with the doctor’s coaching. Not that it was super complex, but I could have used some pointers about holding your legs and clenching your teeth. The “Ring of Fire” (when the baby’s head was crowning) was the most painful part of labor, I closed my eyes the whole time and I was SO lucky that it was only 15 minutes worth of pushing. To motivate the final pushes, Dr Dwight had me reach down and feel my baby's head. Ed agreed to cut the cord (he said it was pretty weird and it took a couple snips). My placenta was delivered right away, and Dr. Dwight gave me one stitch.

Petra was placed on my chest at 8:29 p.m. on March 8th without a whimper. I was elated. My mom and dad got to the hospital 10 minutes post and my mom helped me breastfeed her right away. Ed says that I was surprisingly calm after the birth. Maybe I was just still processing the fast labor and the fact that she came 3 weeks early.

Petra is doing wonderfully now. Sure, she may look like an old man with some of the freaky newborn characteristics like peeling skin and a slightly swollen head, but Ed and I think she’s gorgeous & glorious. She so mild-mannered (a Stevens for sure) and content.

Thank you everyone for visiting and sending me your love through email and phone. Petra is one lucky lil Pea (really, she looks like a pea in a pod….and a gnome, and a fig, and a….the inanimate objects are endless!). We can’t for you to meet her!

P.S. Mom feels fabulous! Dad is totally glowing. We are both smitten.