Friday, December 28, 2007

She's Here!


Traci called me at work with the news. It was 2:30 in the afternoon and her water had broken while she was at home. I said my goodbyes to my co-workers as I raced out the door. By the time I arrived home Traci's contractions were pretty painful and were only about three minutes apart. YIKES!

We loaded up the car and immediately headed to the hospital. We had heard that the wife feels every pothole on the way to the hospital, and Traci confirmed that it was true. On the way we said a prayer asking God to grant Traci a quick and relatively easy labor, and apparently he was listening. We entered the delivery room at 3:45 p.m. and Hailey arrived at 5:59 p.m. I'm not sure if that is a record, but you have to admit its pretty impressive. They say that subsequent children arrive even faster. Ever see that scene in Big Fish where the baby shoots out of the birth canal and slides down the hospital hallway as doctors and nurses jump out of the way? That's how I picture the birth of our second child.

Even more impressive was the fact that Traci succeeded in a completely natural childbirth. There was no epidural, C-section or drugs of any kind. Way to go, Traci! She is my new hero (Sorry, Green Lantern.)

Since it all happened so fast, we didn't really get to use a lot of the techniques suggested by the Bradley Method folks. We had basically skipped right past first stage labor and were quickly entering the transition phase when we arrived at the hospital. Traci's cervix went from 3 to 9 centimeters in roughly an hour. As Traci pushed and grunted, I couldn't help but think of Pink's song, "I'm coming out."

"I'm coming out, so ya better get this party started...."

By the way, that will be the last time I mention Pink in my blog. My apologies to anyone with an ounce of taste.

The doctor we had chosen for the delivery wasn't on-call that day, but the back-up, Dr. Butler, did a great job. He and the nurse were wonderful cheerleaders, enthusiastically encouraging Traci to push when the time came. I was supposed to be the coach, but my voice was drowned out by theirs. Not that I am complaining. They were doing great and have a lot more experience at birthing babies than I.

There was some meconium in Traci's uterus, which the doctors were concerned about. For those of you that don't know, meconium is the baby's first poop, and it can happen while still inside the mother. When this happens, it can lead to problems -- one of the rare times I don't find poop funny -- but the baby later checked out fine.

Even though I hate blood, needles and hospitals in general, I have to admit that it was a magical experience. When Hailey came out, covered in gunk, she was still incredibly beautiful.

Our new baby weighed six pounds, 14 ounces and was 20 inches long. She passed all of her tests at the hospital (already an honor student!) and we finally came home this afternoon. Traci mentioned that it all seemed surreal, and she was right. We were actually driving home with a baby -- not a fidgety Australian Shepherd -- in the back seat. Life will never be the same again.


More images are available here.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

As of this writing, our little girl is ten days late. She was due December 16, but apparently she wasn't interested in arriving before Christmas. Which reminds me - if anyone would like a good deal on some newborn "Christmas" clothes, send me an email! Being the frugal one of the house, I suggested we turn them into bibs - or possibly a cape - once the baby arrives, but my wife, Traci, didn't seem to like that suggestion.

Despite her tardiness, all signs are pointing to a healthy baby. The heart rate, activity, fluid levels, etc. all look positive. My wife and I are going to use The Bradley Method of natural childbirth. so we want to avoid induction for as long as possible. In a nutshell, The Bradley Method teaches nutrition, exercises and stretching in order to minimize the pain of childbirth. The ultimate goal is to have a drug-free birthing process. We took a 12-week course to prepare ourselves for the big day.

Since we were going the natural route, we wanted to avoid an induction. However, when my wife was more than a week overdue, we took the doctor's advice and scheduled an induction for this Friday, December 28. With any luck the baby will come on her own before then.

Both Traci and I are anxious for the baby to arrive. the nursery is finished, the closet is well-stocked with toys and clothes, the books have been read, the videos have been watched, the showers have been held...at this point we are as ready as we will ever be. As Tom Petty once said, the waiting is the hardest part.

I am asking all of our friends and family to pray for Traci to have quick and uneventful child birth. You can also pray for me, if you like, since I will soon be outnumbered by females in the house 3-1. Yes, I am counting the dog.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Inaugural Post

Welcome to "From Here to Paternity." I created this site to:

a) keep friends and family informed about our new baby girl,
b) share (and receive) tidbits of baby wisdom with other first-time parents, and
c) practice my writing skills, which have become more than a little rusty over the last few years.

This is my first blog, so comments and suggestions are welcome. Also, the banner at the top is pretty craptastic, but hopefully one of my graphic designer friends can help with that. You can send any suggestions to heretopaternity@gmail.com.