Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Pam and Carter talk architecture...
Georgia and Alexis and Carter...
JoAnne and Mom and the Christmas Elf...
Carter and Uncle Clark...
Carter and Aunt Darla...
Carter and his Cousin Hannah...
Carter and Isabel
Carter and Aunt Mary Martha and Aunt Joan...
Mom and Carter sing carols together...
Carter admired Lindy's cool red leather santa coat...
Keith always knows how to make the elf smile...
Mom, Alexis and Carter in profile...
...Jingle all the way!!
Carter and family made their first trip to Wichita for Christmas this year. Carter was the cutest elf in the sleigh
Friday, December 22, 2006
Carter meets his Aunt JoAnne and Uncle Craig out at his favorite brew pub...
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Look at these baby blues...
What is that smell?!?...
So cute!
Merry Christmas!!
Stefanie, our fabulous Doula, visits with Carter...
Linda and David visit Alexis and George...
Vamping for the camera...
Dad has been working on his baby calming skills...
Mom and Carter catch a well-deserved mid-day nap after a long night
Georgia and Carter playing
Sweep the leg, Johnny!
Linda's Birth Story for Carter L. Stevens
David and I had just returned from a party when my labor started at about 11pm on Friday, November 18. I rested for a while, but got up because I was feeling a little crampy and uncomfortable. I was not sure if this was the “real thing” so I left David to sleep while I spent some time on the birth ball and walked around the house. I had a few bouts of nausea and started to suspect this might be real labor, but felt tired enough to lie down in bed at 4 a.m. and still wondered if the feeling would pass. A few moments after getting into bed I felt sick enough to rush to the bathroom and knew it was time to wake David up. I suggested that we time my contractions to see if we should call our doula Stefanie. David got out of bed and was pretty excited. He was quick to time the contractions and at that point they were 3-5 minutes apart and about 45 seconds long. We waited until about 5 a.m. before we called our doula, Stefanie, when the contractions were about 60 seconds long. Stefanie, who lives in our neighborhood, arrived surprisingly quickly and we discussed how labor had gone so far and when we would leave for the hospital. David had a quick breakfast, knowing we would leave soon. I was really excited that this was really it.
The drive to Overland Park Regional Medical Center was better than I expected. I brought some warm compresses and felt fairly comfortable as long as I kept my eyes closed. David told me all about the beautiful sunrise and how much he was looking forward to the birth of our baby. He was also really encouraging of my breathing and suggested I rest as much as possible. Once we arrived at the hospital, a little after 7a.m. on November 19, the staff was ready for us and had a labor room with a whirlpool tub waiting (as requested). My initial exam revealed that I was 2 cm dilated and 75% effaced. I was a little disappointed as I hoped I would be farther along, but Stefanie reminded me that the early part of labor takes the longest.
The birth ball worked well at home so I requested a ball at the hospital. Stefanie was kind enough to rub my back during contractions which helped me a lot. I was feeling pressure in my back with some of my contractions. After three hours at the hospital I had dilated to 3 cm and was 100% effaced. Progress!
At that point I decided to get into the tub. The warm water felt great and helped me deal with the pressure of the contractions. David sat and talked with me while I was in the tub. When I had to breathe through contractions he offered words of encouragement and made sure I had a full glass of water or Sprite at all times. I got out every hour or so the nurse could monitor the baby’s heart rate. I was really lucky because the baby was easy to locate, so I never had to lay or sit on the bed for monitoring. Instead, I got to use active positions like squatting or leaning on the bed which helped me manage labor. Our doula suggested a variety of positions that were intended to help labor progress. Having David and Stefanie in the room helped me stay calm and focused.
By 1 p.m., I was pretty sure that I was in a more active stage of labor. At 3 p.m. I was 5 cm dilated. I really had to stay focused to deal with the contractions. The tub continued to help and the encouraging words and physical support of my doula were critical. Stefanie reminded me that things can move really quickly after 5 cm and I needed to know that this would all be over soon. She always seemed to know when I needed substantial encouragement.
At 5:30 p.m. I was 7-8 cm dilated and Carter was lower. I shed some happy tears when I got that news. I was so excited to have progressed this far and to have done so without the aid of any pain medication. It was like running a marathon and reading a mile mark indicating the finish line was close. I was pretty vocal during contractions at this point and tried to keep the sounds deep and my face relaxed. The reality of pregnancy ending and a baby being born started to feel tangible. I felt confident that I could make it through the rest of labor and delivery. My second wind arrived.
At 7:30 p.m. I accepted my midwife’s offer to break my water. This meant no more time in the tub and I was a little sad about that, but after nearly 20 hours of labor I was motivated to get the baby born. Breaking my water made the contractions even more intense. I was really grateful when Stefanie negotiated with the nurse to let me rest in the shower because the warm water helped me relax and cope with the intense contractions. When I got out of the shower at 10 p.m. my exam revealed I was 9 cm and I was thrilled. I knew I would get to push soon. Contractions were so steady at this point that there was little pause between them. I had to work really hard to stay inside the contraction and I realized that I was getting pretty tired. I started to wonder if I was going to have enough energy left to push. However, I started to feel the urge to push and my midwife gave the ok. The contractions were so intense that I was a little scared. I kept asking the doula and midwife if the intensity was normal. They were all reassuring and said yes.
After some effort I was able to lay down for an examination and was disappointed to learn that I was still at 9 cm and my cervix started to swell. I was going to have to stop pushing and wait until the swelling went down before I could push again. When an epidural was offered I quickly accepted the offer, but was really grateful that hospital staff respected my wishes to hold off on offering me pain medication until that point. Once the epidural took effect I was amazed at the pain relief and thanked the anesthesiologist multiple times. The goal was to rest until I could push, but at 11:30 my blood pressure started to drop and the baby’s heart rate was decelerating periodically in a way that was concerning. A doctor was summoned and after quickly observing the charts she offered us two options: a C-section now or a C-section later. I decided now was the time, and I was glad that David and I stayed pretty calm and positive during these moments.
Cater was really active right before the surgery, as though he knew he was about to be set free. I was lying down and could see him making some big movements. Cater emerged at 12:47 a.m. on November 20 and I have never heard a more beautiful cry. It signaled the beginning of a beautiful life and much relief for his mom and dad. David and Stefanie took lots of pictures and showed them to me as I was getting put back together on the operating table. It was wonderful. One short video showed Cater trying to do an army crawl out of the clear plastic bassinet. I think he was looking for his mom. I was able to feed him in the recovery room and our bonding was off to a great start.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
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