Ernesto Levi Menjivar Baumann
Born at UC San Francisco on October 21, 2020 at 5:09pm.
“Little Birdy with the Funny Dreams”
A short video capturing the journey of Ernesto’s birth and the joy of watching him grow up in his first eight weeks.
Jen’s Birth Experience
Jen had long planned to have an unmedicated birth. However, the first lesson we have learned in parenthood is that nothing goes according to plan! Upon checking in at the hospital, long and intense contractions caused baby Ernesto’s heart rate to drop, leading to an emergency trip to the operating room. Medical interventions were used to relax Jen’s contractions, which stabilized the baby’s heart rate and a c-section was avoided. After twenty-four hours of labor, including four hours of pushing, Ernesto entered the world at 5:09pm on October 21, 2020.
Ernesto’s birth story in Jen’s words:
On October 20, 2020, I was 3 days past my due date and anxiously awaiting our baby’s arrival. I had planned on baking some pumpkin bread to pass the time; the California weather had finally cooled after an early Fall heatwave, and I thought it would be a nice snack to take to the hospital if I went into labor. I kept putting it off, but finally finished making it in the late afternoon. An hour after the bread was done baking, at 4:45pm, my water broke. We were finally going to meet our baby!
We called our doula, Clara, and made plans to labor at home until my contractions indicated it was time to head to the hospital, most likely the following morning. We had dinner, and watched Game 1 of the World Series-- the Dodgers were competing for the championship for the third time in four years. Things escalated quickly after that as my contractions grew stronger. Karl was timing them, and some of them were up to five minutes in length (could that be right? contractions usually don’t last longer than a minute...)! I decided it was time to go to the hospital.
We arrived at the hospital at around midnight, and were sent to triage. The pain from the contractions was much harder to manage than I had anticipated, and I requested an epidural. Suddenly, several people rushed into the triage room in a panic, told me they didn’t have time to explain what was happening but that they needed to take me to the operating room, and Karl was not allowed to go with me. Eventually, an amazing doctor explained that my contractions were unusually long and strong, and had caused the baby’s heart rate to drop. They administered terbutaline (medication #1) to relax my uterus with the hope of stabilizing the baby’s heart rate. It worked, and we avoided the c-section! Karl was allowed to join me again, and I was given fentanyl to manage the pain (medication #2) while we waited for the epidural (medication #3).
After this scare, we were checked into a real room, and I continued to labor. We watched the sun rise from the hospital windows. By mid-morning, my contractions had slowed down, and I wasn’t progressing, so I was given Pitocin (medication #4) to speed things up. Finally at around 1pm, I was ready to push.
After pushing for several hours, a midwife and doctor entered the room and told us that it had been too long since my water had broken and they were concerned about the baby’s heart rate. We were going to have to use forceps to assist with the delivery (medical intervention #5).
In one contraction and a few pushes, we met our baby: a boy, Karl announced. At 5:09pm Ernesto Levi Menjivar Baumann entered our life, weighing 7lbs and 13oz, measuring 21 inches in length. One day shy from being a Scorpio like his father. One minute into Game 2 of the World Series.
On October 20, 2021, we will eat pumpkin bread in honor of the most important 24 hours of our lives.
Fun Facts:
Jen’s water broke right before the 2020 World Series Game 1. Ernesto was born exactly at 5:09 - exactly one minute into Game 2. The Dodgers went on to win the World Series!
Though we live 0.9 miles (3 min drive) from the hospital, we discovered we had a flat tire when we were about to head there! Luckily, our doula, Clara, drove us.
On the eve of Ernesto’s birth, every labor and delivery room in every hospital in San Francisco was full. After checking in to UCSF at 12:30am, we weren’t moved to an actual labor and delivery room until nine hours later. Guess it was a busy season for baby making!
Ernesto is named after Jen’s father: Julio Ernesto Menjivar. The name has additional layers of meaning for Jen and Karl, including allusions to utopian German philosopher Ernst Bloch, TV show character Earnest “Earn” Marks (Atlanta), and Argentine revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
Ernesto’s Journey
It has been a wonderful experience watching little Ernesto grow. In the early weeks, he spent his days sleeping, chirping like a little bird, and breastfeeding often. As time passes, we see his personality emerge as he develops his skills: laughing, smiling, and “talking” to us. Sometimes he talks for minutes straight, telling of comical tales through gurgles and coos. We are so grateful for his easy temperament and happy disposition. We can’t wait to see who he grows up to be!
Baby Adventures
We are truly thankful for all of the gifts that we’ve received from family and loved ones! They have made our journey in parenthood a little easier, and proved crucial for juggling the tasks of caring for our “little birdy” as we aim to provide a stimulating life full of fresh air, reading stories, and bath time. Ernesto loves to go on adventures with his parents, either in a stroller or in a baby carrier. The short sojourns in the neighborhood or in greater Northern California have helped to keep us all happy in these crazy times.
Kitties and Babies
Initially confused and sometimes jealous, our two cats Tux and Einstein have adjusted well to living with our “little birdy.” Tux has come to terms with not being the baby of the house, while Einstein allows her new human brother to take over the prime cuddling space of Karl’s chest.
