Dear BabyJ,
Happy Birthday!
You’re fifteen today, but when you and Little Man were little kids, you used to ask me to tell you stories of when you were babies. I thought this year for your birthday, I’d write the story of the day you were born.
The story of the day you were born starts on the day before you were born.
Once upon a time, I was at work and my phone rang. It was your mother and she said it was time to go to the hospital. So, I came home and we went to the hospital. The nurses asked a bunch of questions and then the doctor came in and did some checking and then she told us to go home.
Once upon the next day, I was at work. Around 3 o’clock my phone rang. It was your mother and she said this time it was really time to go the hospital, but no huge rush. She told me she was going to take a shower.
So, I went home, in a big rush.
Everything was very calm when I made it into our bedroom at home. Your mother was all clean and sweet smelling. Her things, which had been packed for weeks, were on the bed. She had her boombox all ready and a little carry bag full of music and a couple of snacks.
We loaded up and headed to Saint Francis. Your mother was having periodic contractions the whole way. I don’t remember the interval, but that was definitely going to be the day.
Your mother had figured that they weren’t going to let her eat at the hospital and she was hungry, so dang it, Tots!! We stopped at the Sonic near Saint Francis. I can’t remember if your mommy ate many (or any) of the Tots. I can’t remember if it really was Tots or if I had Tots or what…
I dropped your mother off at the new mommy depot outside of the hospital. They have a loading dock there. You hop out of your car and rush inside and yell incoherently and they assume your wife is outside and they come out with a wheelchair and then you offload your woman and miracle baby into the wheelchair and they tell you to park carefully and return, your woman and miracle baby will meet you inside, and then, I assume, they make fun of you while you park your car quickly and sprint into the hospital.
Your mother had wanted the big delivery room, but it wasn’t available, but that was okay because she was hurting bad, every so often, and any room would do, so any room did and you were born.
Story over.
Kidding!!
Your mommy got out of her clothes and into an easy-exit gown and she paced around and she was checked and checked and then they hooked her up to a thing that checked when she was having contractions and the computer thing spit out paper continuously so the doctor and nurses could keep an eye on the contractions.
And then it was time for that medicine to be poked into her back. So they did that.
Every once in a while she got checked and they would call out numbers, like 8 centimeters!!! (I don’t remember the numbers… is 10 centimeters a lot? I don’t have a cervix, so I wouldn’t know. It seems like a lot to me…)
Family started arriving that evening.
The labor room had been transformed into a warm and soothing environment with a table lamp the only light and music playing. And then it was time so your mother sent everyone away. With luck, I got to stay. 🙂
Actually, I had endured sticking my hand into a bucket of salty ice water so I knew just how to breath… and that experience helped immensely to keep me from fainting during the whole, painful ordeal.
As you might imagine, there was breathing and there was pushing and there was a little trouble…
They had a monitor hooked to your little head that showed the doctor and nurses your heart rate, I think, because they needed to know through the contractions and the regular external monitor was inaccurate during contractions, or something like that, so they hooked it into your head… There was a little screw!!! THEY SCREWED IT INTO YOUR HEAD!!! EWWW.
Well, your heart rate went down during contractions, or something like that. The doctor did some digging (LITERALLY) and found that the cord was probably wrapped around your neck, so there was going to be some turning and rushing to get you out.
And you came out!
ANYWAY, you were okay. You were a little blue, but the doctor and nurses weren’t worried one bit. They cleaned out your little mouth with a squeezy-sucker and you started crying and you pinked up quickly.
And the doctor woman MADE me cut the cord. I was saying, no thanks, didn’t want to come between you and your mother, but she MADE me do it. Oh yeh, I remember it. I remember the freaky doctor scissors. I remember the snip sound.
They cleaned you off and then left you with me and your mother.
I don’t remember crying (yet), but your mother and I were mesmerized by you. That first hour flew by.
And then it was time for me to go out and officially tell everyone that you had come (they already knew, of course, but the staff wasn’t allowed to tell them if you were a boy or girl)… But your mother was allowing visitors and, of course, my mother was going to be first, so I went out to get her.
As I was coming down the hall, my mother was already coming out of the waiting room, throwing down her purse, and was entering the hall, and I said we had a baby girl and then I started crying, in front of everyone (smooth move), and hugging her.
When we got into the room, your grandma threw down her jacket and said, “Give me that baby!” and she held you and held you and talked to you.
Anyway, many people came in to see you before you went to your bath and checkup. I went with you. And then they all came around to watch you get your bath and checkup (there’s a window)…
The nurse gave you a bath and then performed your little New Baby Inspection and Checkup while you warmed up with a heater pointed at you. (They have these baby checkup stations that have heaters.)
They made sure you had ten fingers and two feet, and orifices, and a heart beat.
You were perfect!!!
So, they put a little tiny diaper on you. You were little, just over 6 lbs, so they had to use the tiniest of their diapers.
I took you back into the room with your mom. She had been checked out by then. Everyone said good night and your mother and I slept in the room with you in a little baby carrier cart.
I changed your first diapers, of course. And, every time, I re-wrapped you into your baby papoose (burrito) wrapper cloth thing.
We were so happy to finally meet you.
You were named after the little neighbor girl that your mother babysat, with a different, mommy-approved spelling. I usually came over during the baby sitting. Your middle name, of course, was your mother’s mother’s name.
I love you.
Please tell your brother I love him, too.
🙂
Last Year: http://abighairyspider.blogspot.com/2010/11/happy-birthday-baby-j.html
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