A Day in April
I couldn't sleep much last night. I had a paper due for my macro-economics course, and I finished it around 11pm. I then stayed up a bit to watch some TV, then joined Paulette in bed. I couldn't sleep, so about 1am I got up and read some more, then came back to bed around 3:30am.
About 5:30 am Paulette and I are talking abit, and she's telling me about her contractions. We start timing them, and they'er about 8-10 minutes apart and not too strong. We start listening to Sara & Vinnie while I pack a bag for us, in case the moment arrives. Paulette is telling me to find her socks without holes in them, and directing me thru her closet and the baby clothes, while I also prepare my portable office and image capture equipment.
6am I eat a bowl of cereal, then go back to sleep. Paulette is now waking me up, telling me about her contractions again. I'm trying to keep track, with my watch dial, and they appear to be getting shorter. She's also racing to the bathroom every few minutes to urinate, and she feels like she's losing bladder control. After a while, she gets up to shower and I snooze a bit more.
8:30am Now she's out of the shower, and her discomfort is growing rapidly. She can't sit and she can't stand, and the contractions appear to be getting stronger. The contractions are now 3 minutes apart, down from 8... whoops. whatever happened to 5 minutes, like everyone taught us? :-)
9:45am I call the doctor's office, he calls back and tells us to go to the hospital. I quickly shower, get dressed, and she's definitely feeling the pain now. In between, she wants me to get her shampoo, not just any shampoo, but the one she bought yesterday. I'm trying to get her dressed and moving forward. Now she wants her makeup! Oh lordy! Then she wants me to put on her socks and shoes, but make sure the "socks don't have holes", but after a minute or two, i can't get the socks on and she's crying out in pain. I throw her shoes on, and guide her down the stairs.
10:10am Everything is getting hectic now, she's losing her patience, and I'm feeling the pressure too. I drive the jeep onto the sidwalk so that she can get in easily. As we're driving to the hospital, she's having contractions just a few minutes apart, and I can tell she's really feeling the pain. We get to the hospital, but she can't get out of the car! Finally, the latest contraction subsides, she's out of the car, and people are helping us get to the elevator and up to the maternity ward.
10:25am A nurse greets us casually and shows us to an examination room. She asks Paulette to change into a gown and to put on a tight skirt, apparently to monitor the baby. Paulette and I go into the bathroom and try to put this stuff on, but now Paulette is screaming in pain, and finally the nurse says that she's concerned (!), and she asks here to lay down on the table.
Then the nurse hands the tight skirt to me and tells me to put it on Paulette... i see the futility of this, and ask her to do it herself. Paulette isn't having any of this, because it hurts too much to bring her legs together, and the skirt appears far too small!
Suddenly, three other people are swarming around us, fingers prodding, yes the head is there, we should move her to a delivery room stat. Gosh, she really wants a epidural, someone call downstairs?
here we go, paulette on the gurney, rithing (sp?) in pain, into the delivery room, slide on over, that's good, where's the doctor, where's the doctor, here comes another contraction, ok we can monitor the baby with these straps, here comes another contraction...
10:50am Paulette is in full labor now. there's no time for the epidural, and she's quite hazy. the contractions hit her like waves, and the nurses and I are holding her legs, encouraging her to push. Dr. Tabas starts guiding her pushes, and I can see the head... it's got hair! I can see hair on the top of it's head!
10:54am keep pushing Paulette, keep pushing! Here it comes, keep pushing!
10:56am Jackson _____ Cooley is born to the world, weighing 6lbs 8oz, measuring 19.5 inches. (He have a choice of middle names, but we're taking our time on that :-) I cut the umbilical cord in a fog, more focused on Paulette and the baby, dang we didn't get the cord blood bank kit in time, oh well. It's over, Paulette is GLOWING, Jackson starts to cry a bit, and the frenetic activity around us starts to simmer down.
Finally, we're alone with our new baby boy. He's looking right at us, quite content to be in Paulette's arms. We have a son.
Pictures forthcoming...
6:15:55 PM 
|
|
