March 18th started off as a pretty normal Spring Sunday. We went to the zoo, played outside and had enjoyed the unusually warm sunny day. I think i was about to start making some pizza or something and Katie told me that she thought she might be having contractions. Even thought she didn’t think they were strong enough or close enough together to be “real” yet, I put making supper on pause just in case. Even though I was getting pretty hungry. She jumped in the shower to wash off and when she got out the contractions were getting closer and closer together so we decided we’d better leave. As efficiently as possible, we packed our bags, dropped Drake off at the neighbors and made our way to the Hospital.
Once we got to Mercy Hospital we checked in and went down to our room. The nurse came in and checked Katie over and assured us she was not about to have a baby. She said no those weren’t contractions Katie was having, it was just mild cramps and that she must be dehydrated. That sounded legitimate since we’d been outside all day so the nurse gave her a gigantic mug to drink from, which Katie had me refill about 5 times in a half hour. She told us they’d keep the monitors on for about an hour then we’d be free to go, Thank God because I was getting hungry!
While we were deciding where we’d go eat the beeping of the monitor stopped. We thought that was weird and that the baby must have just changed positions. So I went back to trying to figure out what was for supper. Meanwhile the Nurse came in and started fidgeting with the little patches on Katie’s stomach trying to find a heartbeat. She was so calm I didn’t think anything of it until Katie shot me that look that I better get off my phone and get over to the bed.
I think they told us it was 5 minutes before they could find a heartbeat. I wasn’t hungry anymore. In what seemed like 30 seconds the doctor came in, ordered an ultrasound, we got that done and the doctor came back in and told us everything looked fine, but one way or another that baby was coming out tonight. Also, if we lost the heartbeat again we’d be going straight in for a C Section.
In the meantime Katie had started to dilate and the nurses finally believed that she was in labor. Things also had settle down so Katie told me to go get something to eat. Mc Donald’s seemed like the best bet so I set off for a chicken strip meal. I had a feeling Katie wouldn’t like watching me eat up in the room so i ate the french fries and some of the chicken on the way back up to the room... good thing because within a minute of being back she made me throw it out. She couldn’t stand the smell.
Next, the anesthesiologist came in and put in the epidural while watching TV and acting like he gave roughly two shits about what was going on. By the time he left Katie was dilated a lot more and things were about to get crazy.
I don’t remember exactly how it happened, but I remember them breaking the water and saying there was a lot of m in it and that they’d have to get the baby our quickly. Luckily Katie is the best damn baby birther on the planet and pushed about 3 times, with the help of a vacuum, and out came a baby! But that was when things slowed down.
Every one in the room was very calm but I could tell something was wrong. There was no baby crying and the NICU people grabbed Charlie before I knew what was going on. They put him under the lights and started sucking stuff out of his mouth. It seemed like forever before I heard him cry, but when I did I knew the God had been listening to my prayers through the entire thing.
I learned later that Charlie, on top of being covered in, had his cord wrapped around his neck and got his shoulder stuck on his way out. As soon as things were stabilized they put a tiny oxygen mask on him and brought him over to Katie then rushed him down to the room where the newborns go. Katie was doing great so I went down with Charlie. Down there they sucked out another two little things of meconium from his stomach, fed him a little and put him under the warming lights. I looked him in his big blue eyes and told him I’d be there for him for the rest of my life.
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