8lb Update!

Evelyn Lucile Patton was born via C-section on Friday, May 7, 2010 at 7:49pm, weighing 8lbs 7oz and 20” in length. Because of the surgical procedure, Kimberly and baby were kept at Women’s Hospital of Texas until the following Monday afternoon. The entire family is doing well.

That’s the basic update. If you want more info on the whats, whys and wherefores, then here is what Paul Harvey might call, “… the rest of the story.”

Part 1 of 2…

Even though we still had a scheduled C-section set for Monday, May 10, we also still had a previously scheduled doctor’s appointment on the previous Friday, May 7 at 2:50pm. Prior to leaving for the appointment, we thought to bring the hospital bags, but instead chose not to. The reason for this was simple reverse psychology… sort of. Kimberly had previously stated her concern that she didn’t want to share our anniversary date, May 10, with the birth of our first baby. We figured that if we brought the bag, then we wouldn’t need it, but if we didn’t bring the bag, then we might need it.

So, in we go to the doctor’s office and while the nurse is doing their standard checks (heart rate, blood pressure, urine test, etc.), they note that Kimberly’s blood pressure is slightly elevated – though not dangerous. About 10 minutes later, the nurse checks her BP again and it was still elevated. A few minutes later, the doctor comes in and begins her standard check of things, during which Kimberly tells her about some awkward headaches that she has been getting off and on for a few days. When the doctor checks her BP again, it was still elevated. Although the description of headaches did not seem to be indicative of those found with preeclampsia, the doctor wanted to put Kimberly under observation for a couple hours so they could monitor her BP before making a decision about what to do.

We meandered over to the Hospital to the Labor & Delivery Testing area and checked in. Kimberly was put into a room where they hooked up a couple monitors that track the baby’s heart rate and a BP monitor for Kimberly. Over the next couple of hours, Kimberly’s blood pressure continued to steadily climb. After discussing options with the doctor, we all thought that it would be better to do the C-section that evening, rather than waiting until Monday and chancing any possible complications from her rising blood pressure.

While they guided Kimberly to prep for the surgery, I made the informative phone calls to family and then headed up to the C-Section Father’s Waiting room. After donning the scrubs and pacing around a 10’x10’ room for what seemed like hours, a nurse came in and led me to the operating room. I walk into a large square sterile-white room where 2 doctors are leaning over Kimberly’s abdomen – covered from our view by a sheet, along with an anesthesiologist near Kimberly’s head and two nurses standing ‘at the ready.’

I sat down next to Kimberly and did my best to calm and encourage her. They already had her on local anesthesia, so she was awake and aware while they were performing the surgical procedure. She was feeling some of the side effects of the medicine and kept shivering off and on. After only a few short minutes, the anesthetist asked me if I was ready to be a Daddy, to which I could only respond with a look that was somewhat similar to a ‘deer in the headlights’ look. He smiled and told me to grab my camera because, “… in about 30 seconds you’re gonna be a Daddy.”

Sure enough, about 30 seconds later, we heard the first cry of our baby. They lowered the shade enough so I could get a quick picture right before they cut the umbilical cord. The doctor made the comment, “No wonder you couldn’t get her to turn in the womb… there was no room!” Kimberly and I shared a smile as they brought me over to the ‘warming table’ where one of the nurses started doing all the cleaning, foot-printing, etc. I couldn’t keep from taking a lot of photos, grinning ear to ear, and praising God.

It’s one thing to hear stories from other people about the birth of their children, or to look at Kimberly 8-9 months pregnant knowing our child is growing inside her, or to look on the screen at a sonogram and actually seeing a computerized, graphical representation of what our child looks like. However, it is nothing compared to actually seeing your own child with your own eyes while she is crying about being pried from the womb and you are crying with joy and praise.

When the nurse finished with all her paperwork and stuff, she had me stretch out my shirt and lean over while she inked Evelyn’s feet and placed both footprints right on my stomach. It was great. She then handed Evelyn to me – anxious, nervous and scared I might hurt her, I brought her over so that Kimberly could see and hold her. After holding her for only a few minutes, the nurses came back to take me and Evelyn to the transition nursery while the doctors finished their work on Kimberly.

So… giddy as a schoolgirl, grinning like a kid in a candy shop, and proud as a soldier protecting his country, I escorted Evelyn upstairs to the nursery – stopping at the family waiting room to notify the family.

After awhile, I went to the C-Section Recovery room where Kimberly was being kept. Her blood pressure was still a bit elevated and going up a little. They decided to use Magnesium Sulfate to help regulate her blood pressure and after a couple of hours, her BP began to lower. The nurse suggested we stay in the recovery room a little while longer because the AC unit in the other wing had gone out and they were trying to repair it. After about another hour, we were able to move into a room where we would stay for the duration.

to be continued...