I was surprised that I couldn't feel anything. I thought at least there would be something - a tickle, some pressure but there was nothing!
Minutes passed as I tried to stay calm. Looking from Ethan to the sheet and trying not to think about what they were doing down there. We could here the OB talking about where to make the incision on my uterus since Phoenix's feet were wiggling and kicking so much. I felt some pressure and heard a pop, like a cork from a wine bottle, as Phoenix's shoulders were pulled out.
"You ready Dad, here he comes!" Our DR. said at 8:03a. That's when I lost it. I was laughing and crying at the same time (I'm sure I sounded hysterical) as Phoenix's gooey face was shown to us over the blue drape. He looked like a grumpy old man. His eyes were open and I could see his full head of dark hair. He was bluish and had white gunk and blood on him but he was perfect. Our son was born.
On Thursday, September 8th , 2005 Ethan and I knew that our lives would never be the same again. We took this picture that night knowing it was our last night as “just a couple.” In just a few hours we would be parents.
Both of us slept horribly, tossing and turning all night. Then at 6 a.m., September 9th, a nurse came into our hospital room (number 2340) to prep us for our c-section. An IV was started and paper work was signed. Then our OB came in to ask if we were ready. I took off my angel necklace and handed it to Ethan, he put it in his pocket so Janell
could be with us when her baby brother was born. Ethan put on his Phoenix, Arizona shirt and then we were on our way.
We were filled with emotion as we made that walk from our room to the OR. "Next time we come back this way we'll have a son," I thought. A son... I couldn't believe we are really having this baby. We had waited so long, been though so much and then it was time.
Ethan got all dressed in his scrubs and we both had a good laugh at how funny he looked. The nurse then took us into the c-section room and my spinal block was put in. That was honestly the worst part of it. I was shaking from nerves as I waited. The last final minutes... there is no word to describe how nervous, scared and excited I was.
My OB put up the blue paper drape in front of my face, and after a little bit he popped his head over and said, "I'm pinching you really hard." I couldn't feel a thing! A few minutes later I heard my OB's voice from behind the drape, "We've started, just letting you know."
Ethan tried hard to take video of the birth but he was also so overcome with emotion that it took second to our new baby.
They brought him over to the exam table (which he promptly peed on) and gave him some oxygen to get some color in him. Hearing him cry for the first time was a dream.
His Apgar scores were: 8/10 after 1 minute and 9/10 after 5 minutes. We wanted this baby more than anything in the world and here he was, whole and perfect.
After several minutes, the nurses then swaddled him and handed him to Ethan. There we sat, a family, finally complete.
The rest of the procedure was uneventful and I could have cared less what they did to me frankly. Ethan and I were in our own little world, elated as we admired our new son. He was sticking his tongue out the whole time!
They placed him in my arms as we were wheeled back to our hospital room. My parents and best friend were waiting for us and I started to cry again thinking about how overwhelming it would be when we entered the room. And it was. We all cried and laughed. I swear there has never been a place in history where there was more love than that room, right at that moment.
The NICU nurse came in to do all the usual newborn stuff:
She weighed him - 5 lbs. 14.2 oz
Measured him - 17 1/4 inches
They also took some blood to measure his glucose level; it was just a tiny bit low so we wanted him to eat.
He did pretty well but being born a bit early was pretty hard on the little guy - he had problems eating, breathing, and keeping temperature all at the same time. My dad asked the NICU nurse if Phoenix was supposed to be that blue. It kind of scared us all for a minute but after some oxygen and some time under the warmer he was fine.
They also gave him some special high calorie formula to bring his glucose level up since it had dropped even lower. After all that, he was doing great. The nurse took his footprints and gave him his first bath.
A while later, everyone left and Ethan and I were left alone with our son. We were still in shock about this little life we created.
We are a family now. We love our son very much. I am proud to have two children - one who is watching us from heaven and one with us here on earth. I think we are extremely lucky for what we have. Phoenix is worth every single second of what we have been though.
Our Birth Story
Hospital Photos
September 9th to
September 11th, 2005
coming soon