The Birth
Posted on October 26, 2006 - Filed Under General
Now that we are home and things have calmed down a bit I wanted to post something about the actual birth on Monday.
We arrived at the hospital at 1:00pm were shuffled into a room on the 14th floor. Toni was hooked to a machine so the nurse could monitor the heart rate of the baby while I sat around and waited. The monitoring takes about 30 minutes and once completed we moved on to the paperwork phase. Once the paperwork phase is complete it was time to prep Toni.
The nurse finally turned to me and told me to make sure I had something to eat before we go into the delivery room because once there the adrenaline will kick in and coming down from it can make you light headed. She said that eating will help avoid this.
I figured I could tough it out and I didn’t feel like eating anyway. This was a mistake but I didn’t realize it at the time. I thought I could handle it because I am a MAN. Men invented fire and skyscrapers and submarines and lunar landers and all sorts of cool things and I am sure many of the men involved probably skipped a meal or two during the process. I would soon join the ranks of a manhood by watching my sons birth and being next to my wife when it happened.
At 3pm Toni was pulled into the delivery room for her spinal (yuck!!) and I was told to put on the hospital scrubs and that a nurse would come and get me when they were ready.
3:15 comes around and my nerves are starting to jump a bit because I am excited and anxious to get this done. I have the video camera charged and ready, I’m in my scrubs doing my best doctor impression and I am ready to do this! The nurse finally comes to get me and we are ready to deliver!
I entered the delivery room and Toni was on her back surrounded by nurses and the doctor. I sat on a stool next to her head and held her hand while the doctor started the procedure. That’s when I realized I was in such a hurry to get here that I forgot the video camera.
There is a huge screen setup so we can’t see what the doctor is doing. I assume this is to prevent people from getting grossed out at the sight of their wife being cut open during a c-section. I’m the curious type so of course I am going to watch them perform the delivery, and honestly that sort of thing does not bother me at all. The only thing I can’t stand are needles.
The doctor makes a small incision and they get ready to remove the baby. There is a small pool of blood and stuff near the hole but nothing like I imagined it would be. The doctor tells everyone he is ready to go and then POP!! The head of the baby is sticking out of the hole in her abdomen, and the baby is SCREAMING like a madman.
I am amazed. While his head is sticking out of Toni they start to suction his lungs with a small blue suction bulb. I can feel the adrenaline pumping through my body and feel slight relief when I hear the baby crying.
The doctor tells everyone he is ready and puts his hand inside of the hole and slides the baby out quickly. You don’t want to blink during this part, it happens so fast! Once the baby was out, a nurse grabs him and takes him to a table where they perform more suction, give him a shot and start giving him the Apgar test.
Alexander was still screaming his lungs out while the nurse performed the test and this was the first chance we had to get a good look at him. He was bright pink with dark hair, and he was covered in what I like to call “pregnancy sauce” which is the white cheese -like stuff that covers the baby. It’s actually called Vernix but I prefer “pregnancy sauce”.
Remember when I was told to eat something before the c-section? Remember how I told you I was a MAN and that I could handle anything that happens during childbirth? I want to just say it now… I made a mistake.
Once I knew that Alexander and Toni were going to be okay all of that wonderful adrenaline that was flowing through my body decided to go away. When that happens quickly, you start to get really hot and light headed because you’ve just lost the rush. It’s like a junkie coming off heroin.
I first noticed it when I started to get hot and I was sweating to the point that it was beading up on my face. I was wearing a mask and it felt like I was breathing hot air, and I started to feel really uncomfortable.
I pulled my hand away from Toni so I could pull my mask down to get some fresh air but she clamped back onto my hand so I had to tough it out, plus she was doing all of the hard work, I was just an observer. That’s when I started to feel a little dizzy.
I told the nurse I wanted to get some fresh air and the next thing I knew they had me outside of the room on a chair while they yelled at me to put my head between my legs. I was okay, but they thought I was going to faint. I sat there for a second, drank a small cup of water and walked back to our room to get myself back in order while they stitched Toni up.
They brought the baby back to me and I brought him out to see the family in the waiting room. When I arrived they all laughed because I was pale like a ghost and I found out that they had been taking bets on if I would pass out or not. Nice!
Toni finally came back to the room and it was recovery time for us. I spent the first night in the hospital with her and the baby, and we were released a few days later. We are home now and relaxing.
If there is one bit of advise I can pass along to any expecting fathers out there it is this:
If the nurse tells you to eat something before you go in for delivery, listen to her!
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