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Delivery Story

At the doctor's office, Jen found out that the uncomfortable feeling was contractions. Patrick was not quite ready to join us, but we were getting close.

Jen woke me at about one in the morning to tell me that her contractions had changed. I asked how far apart they were and was told about forty minutes. What I didn't realize at the time was that she had not cleared the data out on her iPad from the previous day's contractions.

She woke me again about five in the morning to let me know that the contractions were about ten minutes apart and it was time to head to the hospital. Excited and a bit fearful, I got everything together and we got on the road.

Once we arrived at the hospital, we made our way to the delivery ward. Once in a temporary delivery room, the doctor arrived and we found out Jen was much further along than we expected. The nurse was surprised Jen even managed to walk into the hospital.

They quickly moved Jen into a regular delivery room where things proceeded smoothly. We worked together ... toward an amazing goal, that morning. I remember the took of trust in her eyes ... something I have never seen before and can only hope to obtain again someday.

We did switch the music from the soothing jungle tones Jen had selected to some of her workout music ... nurses were stopping in to listen throughout the day.

Several hours later, the decision was made to perform a cesarean-section ... Patrick has his head twisted slightly and would drop down, then back up again after Jen pushed.

I got garbed up as Jen was prepared for the procedure. I'll never forget the waiting area (it seemed like forever) and a young doctor stepping out of a break room across the hall. He was on his phone talking about the procedure (c-section) he was getting ready to do (he indicated he had never done it before) ... the excitement was clear. I was tempted to say something, but knew that our doctor would be there and in control of the situation.

I was led into the operating room to find Jen laid out ... she looked nervous, but was comforted as soon as she saw me. The doctors and nurses kept us up to date as the surgery moved forward.

Then, we heard it ... Patrick's first cry. I was again led ... across the room to where Patrick was being cleaned up. They placed him in my arms (what a terrifying and exciting experience). I took him over so that his mother could see him for the first time.

Once the surgery was complete, Jen was taken to a recovery room and I followed Patrick to the nursery where he promptly peed on me (another story) ... later, we were all together as a family again.

I hope I never forget a moment of that day.
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