Well, I figured that I would take the time to talk about the birth of our Finley from my point of view. We went to the hospital Wednesday, September 2nd. We got there early because that's Katie's style. The night nurse was alright and Katie got some gel thingy to help her have the baby. Some kind of tampon thing I think? Katie and I then tried to get some some sleep. It seemed like Katie was able to get a little more sleep than me at first. My nerves were just going crazy. I couldn't stop thinking! In total, I probably got about 3 hours of sleep because the baby's heart monitor kept me up and Katie kept getting up every hour or so to pee.
Around 4:00 am or so, Katie started getting really bad contractions. She just breathed through them and I felt so bad for her. My heart broke because I honestly could not do anything to help her. That's the interesting thing about life. We signed up for the joys and sorrows of having a physical body. God be thanked for it.
We got a new nurse around 7:00 am. Her name was Vicky. I remembered seeing her when we took the hospital tour. She has been a labor and delivery nurse for about 38 years. She made me feel a lot better because she was a very friendly, personable nurse. She made us both feel a lot more at ease. At 7:30 am, Vicky checked Katie and she was dilated to a three. Then at 8:00 am Dr. Rodriguez came in and checked her again. She was now dilated to a four. It was time for Katie to start the pitocin and get her epidural.
I was much happier after Katie got the epidural because I didn't have to see her in as much pain anymore. After the epidural, she had to have a catheter put in and I didn't particularly want to see that happen so I went to the cafeteria to get some breakfast while they were getting that done. I got a cheese omelet and a big 'ole chocolate milk (comfort food). As I sat down, I saw Katie's parents walking by. I flagged them down and they sat with me while I ate. Katie called her mom while we were there and told her she wanted them to come see her in her room. So after I finished, we all went back to her.
Her parents hung around for a while and then went back to the waiting room so Katie could get some much needed sleep. I was way too wired to sleep at this point, so I started paying bills and doing other things online. My in-laws came back about 11:00 am so that Katie's dad could say goodbye because he had to get back to Houston later that afternoon. Every time he saw Katie he always gave her the sweetest kiss on the forehead. Katie would say later that day she had never been kissed on the forehead so much haha.
Katie's mom stayed in the room with us from that point on. Dr. Rodriguez was supposed to come back to check on her anywhere from 11:00 to noon and finally she came back at noon. When she checked her, we were all surprised to find she was at a ten, plus one. It was time to start pushing. That was like a ton of bricks for me. In my mind I was prepared for her to be dilated to a six or something so I would have more time to prepare myself if that were at all possible.
Before I go on, earlier I had asked Vicky if she had ever seen any dads pass out before and what happens if they do. I asked this because I knew I had a weak stomach. She said yes, that happens all the time to dads and she said that it would mean a trip to the ER for the dad. That was the last thing I wanted to hear, especially because both Katie and I went to the ER last year and it was expensive as crap.
So back to the delivery, the doctor left and Vicky started to get Katie ready for the pushing. I was to be on her right side and help hold her leg up during the whole process. On my way over, I made a mistake and looked at the bloody mess that is child birth. I immediately felt nauseous and I called Katie's mom over to take my place at Katie's side. About an hour prior to this I had had a diet cola (for the caffeine). After my mother-in-law took over for me, I immediately went to the bathroom and started dry heaving. I knew I was going to see that cola again. But thankfully, I never actually vomited. I remember having a cold sweat and I was very woozy and lightheaded. I just sat on the bathroom floor and, meanwhile, I could hear everything going on outside.
I was totally kicking myself for being too much of a pansy to be out there helping my wife. I got up at several points and looked at myself in the mirror, trying to pull it together. I was pretty white faced. Katie's mom kept knocking on the door, checking up on me. I could hear them all saying how well Katie was doing. That was a little like rubbing salt in the wound for me. I was asked when it came time if I would like to cut the cord. I said yes because that's supposedly a special thing for the dad.
After a while of pushing, they said that Finley was crowning and they were going to get the doctor for the delivery. Katie's mom came and finally got me out of the bathroom. I just sat down on the couch looking down and listening. The doctor told me to look up and when I did I saw her come out and she was born. I can't remember if I started crying before or after the birth, all I know is that I had tears streaming down both my cheeks.
Finley came out pretty calm and wide eyed. They asked me if I still wanted to cut the cord, but the cord was extremely short. Both the doctor and the nurses thought this was bizarre and it seemed like it would be difficult to cut the cord, so I decided to just let the doctor do it. They placed her on Katie for a little while and then took her away to clean her up a bit. They kept trying to turn on the heat lamp, but she didn't like it all haha. They weighed and measured her and she was 5 lbs. 15 oz. and 19 inches long. I remember that I got queasy again for some reason around this point. I had to leave and get a sip of water. The nurses kept making fun of me haha.
Later on, after doing some testing on Finley, we found out that she had failed her glucose test, meaning she had low blood sugar. They started her on formula and she had to spend a lot of time in the nursery. I was able to spend a lot of time with her there. It was really nice. After several hours of feeding her and more testing, she finally passed her glucose test on the third try.
This whole experience was very spiritual for me. It was one of the best experiences of my whole life. I have never felt so much love and so close to my Heavenly Father. I have so much more empathy for Him. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a father to Finley. I am a better man now because of her.
Finley came out pretty calm and wide eyed. They asked me if I still wanted to cut the cord, but the cord was extremely short. Both the doctor and the nurses thought this was bizarre and it seemed like it would be difficult to cut the cord, so I decided to just let the doctor do it. They placed her on Katie for a little while and then took her away to clean her up a bit. They kept trying to turn on the heat lamp, but she didn't like it all haha. They weighed and measured her and she was 5 lbs. 15 oz. and 19 inches long. I remember that I got queasy again for some reason around this point. I had to leave and get a sip of water. The nurses kept making fun of me haha.
Later on, after doing some testing on Finley, we found out that she had failed her glucose test, meaning she had low blood sugar. They started her on formula and she had to spend a lot of time in the nursery. I was able to spend a lot of time with her there. It was really nice. After several hours of feeding her and more testing, she finally passed her glucose test on the third try.
This whole experience was very spiritual for me. It was one of the best experiences of my whole life. I have never felt so much love and so close to my Heavenly Father. I have so much more empathy for Him. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a father to Finley. I am a better man now because of her.
click HERE to read the birth story from Katie's perspective
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