Baby Announcement and Progress

Read the Funny Announcement of Alex's birth that I posted on Rec.Juggling.
-BIRTH DIARY-
4/27/95 Thursday:
The baby is due in 2 weeks and Jenn was in a car crash! She was out shopping, stopped in a line of traffic, and some teenagers were waving at their friends and crashed into her from behind. Completely totalled the car (yeah the NEW one!) and she got away with only a "whiplash" (lucky I'm a chiropractor eh?).

She went into labor and was taken to the hospital (we call this labor AUTO-induction). She was released from the hospital at midnight and told to go home and wait for him to show up.

4/28/95 Friday:
Jenn had the best sleep in weeks (go figure!) and this morning the contractions have lessened. It is probably a "traumatic false labor" but we still can't dismiss the possibility of him deciding that it's time. So I'm staying home from work and waiting with her.
4/29/95 Saturday:
We went to the shopping market this morning for groceries and Jenn started have me time the "new and improved" contractions. During the shopping they varied from 12 minute to 4 minute intervals. On the trip home they eased off. So who knows?

Jenn's whiplash has been very mild. It pays to be treated within hours of the accident and have your own resident doctor.

4/30/95 Sunday:
Afternoon:
Jesus Christ! I didn't think this would go on for so long. Today is just like yesterday, contractions throughout the day without any indication of Alex getting serious about it. I told Jenn today that I wasn't having any anticipation/ patience problems. But since Thursday night at the hospital, I'm now officially impatient. We've been talking to her stomach, "here Al, here boy, come on buddy, Daddy's waiting...".

Evening:
7:30pm - contractions have started getting regular. Jenn thinks this feels "different".

5/1/95 Monday:
4:00am - Jenn wakes me up and says "start timing these contractions". They are solidly 4 or 5 minutes apart for 1.5 hours, so we call the OB. He says "see 'ya at the hospital guys!". Within an hour of arrival, the contractions back off.

10:30am - The doctor does a balloon induction.

5:00pm - Doctor says there has been no change to the cervix and he gives her an epidural. Jenn says "Aaaaaahhhhhhh. I can't feel a thing - go ahead and stick a fork in me... I'm done!".

I've left out tons of icky stuff, suffice it to say that they used every toy they have and there are tubes and wires coming out of every orifice in my wife's body.

10:30pm - Jenn spikes a 101.7 fever. Doctor says "You have two choices: (1) I can do a C-section right now or (2) I can do a C-section later...!". At 11:00pm she is wheeled to the operating room and by 11:36 Alex has taken his first breath.

Because the doctor knew me so well, he allowed me watch the whole surgery. He knew I wouldn't faint. I'll admit that I didn't watch the actual first incision, but I saw the rest... Ick!

I was really disappointed that I couldn't perform the delivery, but it was far more important that the baby not have to endure any more stress.

About little Alex: Within 1 minute of his birth he opened his eyes. He did not scream or cry, he just took two great big gulps of air, squawked twice and then became very calm. He is eerily calm. He just laid there looking around the room and cooing to himself.

I spent about five minutes with him while they checked his APGAR scores (which were 9 and 9) and cleaned him up. Then I gave him to Jenn who gave him his first kiss as he drooled in her mouth. She said "he gets that from *my* side of the family". I followed him to the nursery while they crocheted Jenn's belly.

In the nursery he continued his eerie calm. The two babies on either side of him were wailing away, arms and legs quaking with the exertion, and Alex literally just looked at them and continued cooing.

Then the nurse said "OK daddy, now don't be alarmed, I'm going to take Baby's temperature and give him his vitamin-K shot. He's going to scream but that's normal." Of course you aren't going to believe me because fathers always exaggerate how great their kids are but the fact is that when they gave him the shot he squawked once, not too loudly, and when they stuck the thermometer up his butt he didn't even wince! I have it on video!

The next day he was the same way. Just laid there looking around, wide awake, and only getting irritated if we changed his position. I asked the nurse if it was my imagination or was he very quiet? She said "this is a *very* calm baby. You sure are lucky". Whoopee!

Now I can just sit back and wait for the other shoe to drop! Let's see if he stays that way (not too much chance of that eh?). Absolutely everybody from the nurses to the maintenance guys say that Alex looks exactly like me. I can't see it, but I have apologized to him for it just in case ;->

That reminded me of a cartoon I once saw:
There's a woman holding a newborn. A guy is standing next to the bed looking worried. He asks "But how do I know it's mine?". She responds "Easy! You both have the same size penis!".

Jenn and Alex are very healthy. They both weathered the storm incredibly well. Jenn is up and walking around while Alex has learned to suck at the breast (I could have taught him *that*!). He has also learned how to make his opinions known... Squawk!
More harrowing news. Three weeks after the birth, Jenn was rushed to the hospital to get an emergency appendectomy. Jeez, if it weren't for bad luck, we'd have no luck at all! The baby has become real. He's doing most of the 'normal' baby stuff now. Ah normality.
Thanks for coming in and checking out the story of my new family. I hope yours is well too.

See 'ya in Vegas!

Steve.

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