Monday night, March 24, 1997, started out like an average day for us. I went to work, Kelz stayed home and slept. I came home and we ate. The Academy Awards were going to be on that night and I was looking forward to watching it. Kelz didn't really care.
While I watched, Kelz did something I'd never seen her do before: She started cleaning the apartment. Usually, I did all the cleaning because Kelz simply would not do housework. But there she was, sweeping, mopping and wiping the counters. She did this all during the show, stopping only to watch Jim Carrey present an award.
The next morning, I went to work. Around 9am, Kelz called me and told me that she was feeling pain in her stomach area. However, it didn't feel like contractions. I told my boss at work I needed to leave. I would only be gone a couple of hours while I took her to see her OB/GYN. Her doctor actually practiced in two locations: The one by where I worked and the other at an office in La Mesa. When I called to make an urgent appointment, I was told he was in La Mesa that day. I picked her up and we drove to the office, which was next to the hospital where Kelz was supposed to give birth. We didn't say anything on the ride over.
We checked in at the office. She was taken back. A few minutes later, she came out and she was smiling. I asked her what was going on. "The doctor says I'm having the baby! We have to walk over to the hospital." I was surprised. This did happen to be the day after her second projected due date, but I thought there would be more time. We walked across the parking lot and across the street to the hospital.
She hadn't really been given instructions on where to go once we got there, so we went into the emergency room. They told us we needed to go to maternity, but they offered to have a nurse bring a wheelchair to transport Kelz over there. We checked in at the front desk and she was wheeled into a hospital room. I was with her the whole time. I called work and let them know she was having the baby and it was going to take more than a couple of hours before I could return.
Something that I hadn't mentioned on this blog before is that I've seen "The Film." In my Marriage and Family class at ENMU, we were shown a first aid film from the 1960's that demonstrated how to assist in the delivery of a baby if you're weren't at a hospital or had no doctor around. The film featured an actual birth. The most stirring aspect of the film was the amount of blood and amniotic fluid that was gushing out of the woman's vagina. This was what I was expecting in the delivery room and I had to brace myself for it.
So I was surprised when the doctor inserted a catheter and drained the blood and fluid out. There would be no gushing liquids shooting across the room. However, there was something I didn't expect to see. Fecal matter came out. That meant that the baby had a bowel movement in the womb and they were going to have to use a suction device to remove it out of the baby's lungs before she took her first breath.
Then they applied the epidural. This was painful to watch as they inserted it into her spine. At this point, I recalled all the movies and TV shows that featured women giving birth. Every single thing I had watched before was suddenly happening right now: The screaming, the crying, the cursing, the waving of arms, the vomiting. IT WAS ALL TRUE!
In the middle of all this, I REALLY needed to go to the bathroom. I was afraid that if I left, the baby would pop out and I would have missed it. But I got to the point I could no longer wait, so I took my chance. Fortunately, there was an adjoining bathroom. I went in and tried to force the urine out as quickly as possible. I speedily washed my hands and went back out. Kelz was screaming. Nothing had changed. WHEW!
I held Kelz' hand the rest of the time. During the delivery, the doctor asked the nurse if she had seen the Academy Awards the night before. He talked how "The English Patient" had won, but he didn't think much of that movie. I thought it was an odd conversation to have with staff in the middle of all this.
I saw the top of the baby's head crowning. I whispered to Kelz, "It's got hair!" Then I saw the baby's face emerge. She had developed skin pigment. I whispered to Kelz, "It's Brod's." One of the doctors used the suction device and was able to remove all the fecal material. They were then able to complete the delivery.
It only took 90 minutes for the baby to be born after we had checked into maternity. I was glad it didn't take that long. I've heard horror stories about women being in labor for 24 hours or more before the baby was born.
Next, the doctor removed the placenta. I did not want to touch it. The nurse quickly gave the baby a bath and asked, "Does the daddy want to cut the umbilical cord?" My first reaction was, "Can they not tell I'm not the father?" I told her I wasn't the daddy. "Okay. Do you still want to cut the cord?" "Yeah, I'll cut it." I quickly snipped it. "Great job!"
Then, the nurse brought the baby over to Kelz so she could hold her. Kelz lightly kissed the baby. I put my arms around the two of them. It felt like we were a family. Kelz said to the baby, "Oh, you're already spoiled."
Then she asked, "What am I going to name you?" She thought for a moment. "I'll name you 'Sasd.'" She just as quickly came up with a middle name to go along with it. This surprised me, because we hadn't even discussed names during the last seven months. I didn't really have a stake in it, so I never brought up the subject.
Kelz told me about some of her experience during the delivery. For starters, she said the epidural wore off right before the baby crowned and she could feel everything! But she knew they wouldn't be able to insert another one. Also, she didn't remember me whispering that the baby had hair, but she did remember me telling her that it was Brod's.
The nurse told me that the hospital kitchen would prepare a congratulatory meal for the father and handed me a menu. I didn't hesitate this time. I was not about to turn down a free steak dinner.
At this point, I looked down and realized that my fly had been unzipped during the entire delivery after I got out of the bathroom. I guess no one noticed with everything else going on.
More to come tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment