Today our baby boy Felix Andrew was born into the world. He was a little early (he certainly doesn't get that from me) since he was supposed to be born on the 9th. I guess he couldn't wait to meet us.
Things were going well last night, I made dinner and after we finished eating Brooke felt baby moving around a bit more than usual. After a bit she thought her water might have broken and we called the nurse on duty just to be safe and she told us to come on in to the hospital. We arrived around 9:15pm and a couple of tests confirmed that the membranes were ruptured and we were here for the real deal. Labor progressed naturally and pretty steadily throughout the night as contractions got closer and more intense. The nurse was an absolute rockstar and was very helpful and encouraging of a natural birth. She helped to rub Brooke's back and was helpful at every turn. Brooke asked about an epidural late into the labor but the nurse and I knew she was close and pretty much talked her out of it.
Around 2:30 I could tell that the birth was getting close because the level of activity around the room was increasing. Then everything fell to shit and was a blur of movement and emotion.
Now, if I may digress for a moment... I hate to make a fishing analogy here but it is the only life experience I have that has some parallel, if not emotionally at least physically. You head out on a boat on a nice day and head to deep water for a couple of hours. Soon you start seeing the birds, then the baitfish they are fishing for then a pod of dolphins starts doing barrel rolls and then the tuna and amber jack start schooling and darting around the water and the sea starts to bubble with activity and then 'rrrzzzz' a line hits; the guides spring into action yelling in a language you don't understand and everything is a blur of motion and you sit around basically powerless to help .
So.. The doctor walks into the office and is concerned by the babies erratic and sometimes very low heartbeat. I blink and somehow 20 people are in the room ready to go. The baby is in danger and needs to get out now. Things seem all too real now and the air is tense, one nurse is even standing there with her hands in the prayer position, which does not fill me with confidence. The doctor was calm but direct and stated that Brooke needs to forget everything she learned in class about giving birth and grit her teeth and push. The main nurse and I pin Brooke's legs back and the doc tells her to push with all her might because the baby has to be out in the next 10 minutes. Brooke is pushing like a champ and starting to really be in pain. She screams a bit but is doing as best as she can. I am a bit nervous now but trying not to show it because I don't want to scare Brooke who is doing so well. Then a local anhestetic is applied because forceps are going to be used. Things are even more tense now. For the next couple of contractions the doctor is trying to pull the baby out with the forceps. The forceps are a positveley medeievel looking instrument and they are kind of scary. Baby isn't low enough yet and the forceps don't work so they rush Brooke off to an emergency C-section.
Everyone clears the room except for one nurse who's job it is to babysit me. She gets me into some gear so that I can enter the surgery section of the hospital. I am pretty much a blubbering mess by this point. My wife has left the room with only a pool of blood on the floor and the fate of my unborn child uncertain. Since Brooke didn't have an epidural and there is no time for her to get one, they have to put her under general anesthesia. Because she is knocked out, I can't be in the operating room with her. They put me in the same area but around a corner. Now this corner is filled with prayers that may be comforting to some, but they send my mind to a bad place. They are all something like 'pray for the life of my child'. Now this upsets me even more because now I wonder if baby is going to live or if maybe the oxygen to his brain is getting cut off. The same babysitter nurse keeps me up to date with what is going on. I am pretty stressed out, but it really isn't long to wait. After a few minutes I hear a little cry and I get all choked up. I ask somebody if that is my baby and they say yes. It sounds like a boy, but I can't be sure. After a minute they bring him around the corner and I hold my baby boy for the first time.
Since Brooke is still knocked out, Felix and I go to the nursery to get him cleaned up and ready to meet mama. I film his bath so mama can see and am just amazed at how much I love this little guy. I am still kindof in shock after the emotional roller coaster ride I have been on. A few minutes before I didn't know what the hell was going to happen and now I have a beautiful little baby boy that I just adore.
Little 'Lix is clean so we go to see mama. Brooke has just woken up and I bring her little baby boy to her for the first time. She is just blown away by him and after all her work her little reward is finally here and our little family is finally all together.
We stay in the recovery room for an hour or so and then move off to our room where we will be for the next few days. The adventure has begun.
