Can we get an oil change with this? - 5/8/08 midday

We get to the birthing center just before 1pm. Quick exam later and find out she is only 4cm dilated which is disappointing given that she was already 8cm when we got to the hospital for Layne. Sounds like it will still take some time then, so we decide that when I get a chance, I will call the grandmas and tell them to hold off a little longer. We make our way to the birthing room and get the bath started. I make the phone call to my mother and they are almost there already, so I don’t bother telling them anything about waiting longer. This turns out to be a good thing.

So Sarah is in the bathtub and feeling a bit more relaxed; in between contractions at least. The grandmas show up, everyone exchanges pleasantries and they get their cameras ready. We have 2 people taking pictures on 3 cameras: our camera, NiNi’s camera & Grams’ camera. Not sure why, in this age of easily transferable digital pictures, but now is probably not the best time for a technology discussion with the grandmas. Contractions start to really pick up in intensity and frequency at this point. I am doing my best to help during, but really have no idea what to do. I rub her back and maybe utter some reassuring words. No idea if it is helping, but I haven’t been told to stop so guess I am not hurting.

So our midwife Kathy and some nurses finally come back in the room for another check, and it is getting close to “go” time. Sarah is still in the bathtub, I am sitting by her head, Kathy is to my right and then a nurse by Sarah’s feet. Labor pain is now on 11 judging by what wifey is saying during the contractions. Very frustrating as her husband as I hate to see her in pain, but I have no real concept of what she is going through and can therefore be of little help in suggesting ways for her to be more comfortable. I’m reduced to saying “good job”, “keep pushing”, “you’re doing great, honey”, etc, etc. Kathy has her try a few different positions to ease the pain, but they don’t appear to be helping all that much. She is definitely in pain, more so than I remember her being in with Layne. One of the nurses says she can see the head, but when I try to take a look a few minutes later I don’t see anything. I figure she is just saying that, you know, mildly exaggerating to calm Sarah.

I guess she wasn’t lying because it seems like just a few minutes later, after a handful more contractions, out pops a baby! I was totally caught off guard, for both Marshall and Layne I could see the head and knew it was coming; she seemed to come out of nowhere (much like the pregnancy itself). But the best part was seeing the dramatic swing in Sarah’s attitude. Here was a woman in extreme pain and, for lack of a better word, agony just a few minutes ago, and now she was expressing sheer joy and amazement at the new little one in her arms. Guess that is part of the whole "miracle of childbirth" people are talking so much about. It also hit me harder than our other two, I guess because it was such a surprise to see Susannah so suddenly that I was very overcome with emotion. Well, as much “overcome” as someone who is without emotion (as wifey calls me) can show.

After cutting the cord they give me the baby, and I go admire her and then pose for pictures with the grandmas while Kathy and the nurses tend to Sarah. Next few hours are really a blur. Little Susie has her first feeding, lots of pictures, a bath, weighed, while we just hold her in awe. I suppose it is not much to talk about, but it is a lot to take in. We have a new baby. A third child. Holy. Crap. We have three kids now. But what a beautiful baby she is. And how amazing is my wife?

So sometime after 5:00 we are ready to go. Seriously, how fast was that? We got to the birth center just before 1pm, Susie is born at 2:32, and we are headed home before 5:30! What a concept, gee, both baby and mother are fine, no complications, let them go home and be comfortable as opposed to keeping them in cramped hospital space for 2 days so we can milk them for more money. Talk about quick service!

(Ed. Note: h/t to Kirk for inspiring the name of this post.)