"You sure can," she said. "If you're like most first-time mothers, your labor will be long and slow. Could be twenty-four to thirty-six hours from now if your labor progresses normally. If your contractions start to get closer together and really hurt, you may go faster than that."
We thanked her and went down to the cafeteria, picking the meat loaf and mashed potatoes for dinner.
As we sat down at an empty table, I glanced around at all the hospital staff surrounding us, glad to be at the hospital for Alexa's labor.
"We better call everyone, now that we know you're probably in labor."
Alexa nodded. "You'll have to use your cell since mine is gone."
So, while we ate our meatloaf, we called family and friends and announced that Alexa was in fact in labor.
Both Alexa's mom and Candace insisted on coming to the hospital to be with her during labor.
"I hope you take long enough so I can get there. I see there's a plane leaving tomorrow morning that I could catch. I'd be there by noon."
"I don't have any say in this," Alexa said with a laugh. "Come as soon as you can. I want you to be here for as long as you feel like staying."
With that settled, we finished up our meal and headed back to the maternity unit and what I hoped would turn out to be a stress-free and easy labor and delivery.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Alexa
When my labor started - when it really started - I was shocked at how rapidly it progressed, but then I remembered my mom's sister delivered her first baby in only forty-five minutes from start to finish. It was called a precipitous labor and was rare, but that's what I had.
Precipitous was an understatement.
Vanessa told us that only nine percent of women having their first babies have fast labors, which is categorized as under three hours from the start of real labor. I felt my first real contraction at seven at night, and Leif was born at nine thirty-five.
I’d barely had time to call my mother and father and let them know.
“You’re going to be just like Laura,” my mom said. “I’ll get on the next plane and I’ll be there tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” I said, glad to have my mom with me, even if she couldn’t be with me when I delivered.
Vanessa delivered him, because the doctor on call was in the OR doing a C-section, but in truth, I was happy it was Vanessa. She had such a calming influence on me and on Luke.
We realized my labor was going to be fast when my contractions started to come less than two minutes apart right away. Usually, they start farther apart, like five minutes and get progressively closer so that at the end, they are less than one minute apart.
I couldn't imagine that.
"That's her third contraction less than two minutes apart," Luke said to Vanessa, who had gone to the nursing station, assuming we were in for a long night.
She frowned and came around the nursing station, back to where I was seated on a recliner in our room for the night.
"I better check you out, just in case."
"She pulled the drapes around me and examined me, then shook her head.
"You're going to be fast," she said. "You're already almost fully dilated."
"How can that be? My contractions only just started."
She smiled. "You're what's called nulliparous precipitous. A woman with no previous deliveries who is going to deliver in under three hours. I'd say you'll deliver in the next hour or two if you keep this up."
I glanced at Luke to see his response.
He shrugged. "Better get it over with, right?"