Baby Brother, Born 1/1/2005

As you may or may not know by now, our little boy was born at 2:52 am on January 1st, 2005. He was the first baby born in Cache Valley in 2005. We were pretty stoked thinking of all the cool stuff we would get, then they handed us a handful of diapers, some onesies, and a breast pump. I think they may have heard the bubble burst in Pocatello.

We really didn’t think he would be born today when we sat down to watch a movie last night. At about 9:30 pm Jamie was really getting uncomfortable. Not contractions, but back pain. She almost decided to stay home, but I talked her into going to the hospital. So, called mom, then left when she came over with her pillow and a book (did I mention anywhere how really, really great it is to have mom and dad for neighbors?).

Thing were moving pretty slow at the hospital, despite several laps of the second floor corridor. After our doc (really my next door neighbor in disguise) got back from his New Year’s Eve celebrations (thank GOODNESS he doesn’t drink!) at around 1 am, he broke Jamie’s water. Again, more laps, and no significant progress.

It wasn’t until Jamie decided to get the epidural (?) that things started to move. She went from a 3.5 cm dilation to a 5 cm. That’s good. However, the nurse checked her after the anesthesia doc did his bit and found that the umbilical cord was between the baby’s head and the cervix. Meaning he was positioned on the umbilical cord like a tightrope walker standing on his head. The immediate fear was that the cord would get pinched causing severe trauma to the baby, or even death. So, the nurse crawled into bed with Jamie and supported the baby’s head away from the cord, and started giving the orders.

The anesthesiologist was still in the building, and Brett, I mean, Doctor Horsley, was on his way back. Things started to happen very quickly. The operating room was scheduled and they unplugged Jamie from her tubes and wires. The bed was wheeled down the hall and she was put into place as the support crew began to pour into the room. I was left in the hall; aware of only the moans and cries of my wife through the oxygen mask they had placed over her mouth and nose.

Jamie and I were VERY scared. Jamie was crying. The last thing she said before losing her senses in the operating room was to tell Brett that she couldn’t loose another baby. I was in serious distress. I found a shadowy corner of an unused desk area and knelt in prayer. I felt powerless and very dependent upon the skill of my friend and the will of God. I’m not sure what the people moving along the hallway thought of me as I knelt there, but surely I wasn’t the first to be seen in that kind of circumstance.

Within 20 minutes (it seemed like much longer as I started at the partly closed door that had swung against a piece of equipment) I heard the first sounds of my son. I cannot describe the relief I felt as my fear had been focused on the survival of my fifth child. However, my concern began to shift to Jamie as I realized how much danger she could be in. I suppose there is always a danger when surgeries are done in such haste, assuring the life of the child. However, a few minutes to get into scrubs and I was admitted to the OR to spend a moment with my wife.

I have never been in an operating room before, at least not consciously. My view was attracted to the green bundle on the table with an open and bloody wound in the middle. I began to shrink from what I saw, thinking it must be very serious, indeed. I was shepherded past Brett and his assistant to the head of the table where my wife was laying, with her arms spread wide as if in imitation of a crucifix.

I was assured that she was not anesthetized, but rather she had been given a sedative to help dull her senses long enough for the epidural block to become fully effective. However, as I held her hand and tried to speak to her, she showed no reaction. No evidence that she was conscious at all.

After that, things started to calm down. I went to the neonatal ICU and spent time with my son. Then, I went to Jamie’s room to await her return. That took about an hour and a half. I know it was that long because I had just finished watching the second episode of Cheers, which I watched after seeing the end of Foul Play with Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn.

We finally were able to sleep a little at about 6 am this morning. Jamie is, of course, wiped out. They bring the baby in for feeding every two to three hours.

What a blessing it is to have mom and dad here. We are very fortunate. As for a name for the little guy, well, I guess I’ll post on that later. Jamie still hasn’t picked one out.

Here is the Herald Journal Article about our New Year’s Baby

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