March 12, 2009

On Thursday, March 12, Barry and I went off to work as usual. I had my 38-week appointment that afternoon, and I was excited because I was going to find out if I had progressed at all. I left school a little early to make it to my appointment on time. Dr. Nicholls was on call that day, and they had squeezed me into his schedule so that I could be seen that week. I told Dr. Nicholls that I had felt some contractions but that I wasn't in any pain. After checking me, he asked if I had had any contractions that day, which of course I had, but again, none that were painful. He explained that I was 4 cm. dilated and about 80% effaced. In other words, I was in labor. Dr. Nicholls told me that if I wanted to, I could go home and wait it out, or I could be induced. "Induce" is a scary word to me, but I let him monitor my contractions just to see how much longer he thought I had. As it turns out, he didn't let me go home. My contractions were fairly close together, and I wouldn't make it through the night. He told me to get Barry, then head up to Labor & Delivery to get ready to have a baby!

I walked to Barry's office only to find that he was in a meeting. I stood around talking to JoJo and Dominique (the Administrative Assistants) trying to hide the fact that I was in labor at that very moment. Barry soon came back, and when he asked how I was doing, I told him that we needed to go upstairs to have a baby. His response: "You're lying." (Ironically, this is exactly what he said when I told him I was pregnant.) I explained the events of my doctor's appointment, and while everyone else in the office discussed how amazing this all was, Barry somehow made his way to the wall and watched the excitement from a distance. He couldn't stop grinning. We finally made it upstairs where I got prepped for delivery, and Barry went home to change and get our bags. We had plenty of friends that came to visit. They brought Barry some sushi from our favorite restaurant, Kyoto. This, of course, frustrated me because I was starving but only allowed to eat ice chips. Even after stuffing himself with sushi, Barry saved the leftovers not for me, but for Dr. Nicholls for after the delivery. I understand Dr. Nicholls enjoyed it immensely!

Labor and delivery was about as easy as I could have ever imagined. I felt two or three very painful contractions before getting my epidural. I didn't feel a thing for the next five hours. The only scare was the fact that my blood pressure dropped for awhile, and the baby's heartrate fell for just a few seconds. That was all taken care of in no time, and soon Canon was ready to come out.

Before I begin this next segment, it is important to know here that for the last eight months, Barry had been preparing me for the fact that he would, under no circumstances, be present in the Delivery Room. He thought it unfair that a nurse would have to take care of both me and himself. It is also important to mention here that for the last eight months, Barry had been expressing his excitement that his son would be born during the coveted month of March. A month set aside for the sole purpose of showcasing college basketball's finest. A month filled with so much sadness, frustration, joy, and excitement that it deserves no other name but Madness. Yes, I am referring to March Madness, when college basketball teams across the country compete for that National Championship trophy. Barry lives for this month, and I must say, that I have never been so thankful for it as I was in this particular moment as Dr. Nicholls said that it was time to start pushing. I looked over at Barry (who, since our friends left, had not moved from a recliner in the corner) and asked what he wanted to do. There was a college basketball game playing on the TV at that very moment - Syracuse v. Connecticut. I can't be sure, but if memory serves me well, we were in the last seconds of the game and, if the score wasn't tied, it would be soon. Without taking his eyes off the screen, Barry said that he would stay, but I knew he wasn't moving from that chair.

And so began the process of getting this baby out into the world. Because I was the only patient Dr. Nicholls had that night, he spent the entire time in my room helping me push, monitoring my vitals, and let's be honest . . . watching the basketball game. After every push, I turned to Barry to ask how he was doing, to which he responded, "Just watching the game." I have always believed that there is a God, but he made himself well-known in our room that night as Syracuse and Connecticut went into six overtimes, giving me just enough time to give birth to our first son before Barry realized what was happening. Barry did manage to stand up to get a couple of pictures while the nurse was cleaning Canon. At one point, Barry yelled out "OOOOHHHH!" I asked excitedly what the baby was doing, and he replied, "I can't believe he missed that shot!"

Some women may be frustrated by this behavior. In fact, our nurses had a shift change in the middle of my delivery, and the new nurse was appalled to see Barry watching TV instead of standing at my head and coaching this baby out. I, on the other hand, see this situation as the only way possible to have this particular man present for the birth of his son. Only a basketball game can get Barry to sit still for an extended period of time, and only a basketball game can get him to sit through something as disgusting as a birth. So what some call insensitive and apathetic, I call a miracle. Besides, our friends told me later that he was texting them all the details of what was going on, so I know he was at least a little distracted from the game.

Not long after Canon arrived, our small family was left alone to get acquainted. I asked Barry how he was doing, to which he responded, "I'm exhausted!" and fell asleep!

The details of Canon on his birthday are:

Time of Birth: March 12, 2009 at 11:12 p.m. - the birthday of his Great-Great-Grandmother Canon and just 48 minutes before MyGoo's birthday.

Weight: 7 pounds 9 ounces

Length: 21 inches

Appearance: He was a long, skinny baby - just like his Dad. Though his face was a little swollen, we could tell immediately that he had big eyes. They were a dark grey-blue, and I'm still hoping they don't change too much. His hair was medium-brown but would soon change to a shade of strawberry-blonde. He had long, skinny fingers and toes, which Barry is still hoping won't change into the stubby toes I inherited from Doc. All-in-all, he's perfect!