First Memories
Joan: 5:30 pm. I rushed to the maternity ward at Washington General Hospital because when I got home there was just a note from your mother that you were on the way. I arrive and they tell me that I can't go to the labor room because your mother has already started her meds. I go anyway and talk and then leave to pace the waiting room as is the traditional role of expectant fathers. At 6:10 the Doctor comes into the waiting room with a long face and takes me aside for the bad news - you have a girl but both mother and daughter are well and healthy. I rush to see you in the baby pen and the nurse brings you over and I am happy to see you. The doctor could not have been more wrong when he said that having a daughter was in any way bad news.
Joe: After months of preparation we head to the hospital in the evening. The doctor arrives and in keeping with our desire to have a natural birth and not use a general anesthetic, he does a "caudal block" which means he injects a novacaine type drug into the spinal column. It doesn't work. It by-passes the cervical area proceeds up the spinal column and proceeds to paralize your mother's diaphram. She can't breathe and is making motions to me to do something. I am the comforting coach as directed and I mop her forhead and nod understandingly and offer positive comments until she starts grabbing for the call button for the nurse and I finally get the picture and push the button. All hell breaks loose when the nurse arrives takes the blood pressure and determines that all is not well. I am shoved out of the way told to proceed to the waiting room and your mother is rushed to delivery. Later I see you with a noticable red mark in the middle of your forehead where the forceps were used, you have an oxygen mask in place and you are breathing well and look okay. I rush by because I am not sure how your mother was. As with Joan it was the next day before I got to hold you. Ah, according to the old german proverb I was two thirds of the way to a successful life because I had fathered a son(????).
Kate: As with Joe, we did a long preparation, determined this time to have as little
medical intervention as possible. We do the natural childbirth classes again and when the time comes we are ready. It was a wonderful experience seeing you red wrinkled and screaming as you are delivered and then sponged off and then we get to hold you and shortly thereafter we go to a quiet room where there are warm blankets for mother and daughter and a place where I can hold you and rock you which is probably why you always wanted to be carried around and rocked for the first three years of your life.
Love
Dad
Joe: After months of preparation we head to the hospital in the evening. The doctor arrives and in keeping with our desire to have a natural birth and not use a general anesthetic, he does a "caudal block" which means he injects a novacaine type drug into the spinal column. It doesn't work. It by-passes the cervical area proceeds up the spinal column and proceeds to paralize your mother's diaphram. She can't breathe and is making motions to me to do something. I am the comforting coach as directed and I mop her forhead and nod understandingly and offer positive comments until she starts grabbing for the call button for the nurse and I finally get the picture and push the button. All hell breaks loose when the nurse arrives takes the blood pressure and determines that all is not well. I am shoved out of the way told to proceed to the waiting room and your mother is rushed to delivery. Later I see you with a noticable red mark in the middle of your forehead where the forceps were used, you have an oxygen mask in place and you are breathing well and look okay. I rush by because I am not sure how your mother was. As with Joan it was the next day before I got to hold you. Ah, according to the old german proverb I was two thirds of the way to a successful life because I had fathered a son(????).
Kate: As with Joe, we did a long preparation, determined this time to have as little
medical intervention as possible. We do the natural childbirth classes again and when the time comes we are ready. It was a wonderful experience seeing you red wrinkled and screaming as you are delivered and then sponged off and then we get to hold you and shortly thereafter we go to a quiet room where there are warm blankets for mother and daughter and a place where I can hold you and rock you which is probably why you always wanted to be carried around and rocked for the first three years of your life.
Love
Dad
posted by Oldguy | 4:03 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home