The Third: Liveblogging the Birth

Here is the liveblog of the birth of our third child. Only one in there this time.

The Wife is scheduled for an eight am C Section at the hospital. It is unlikely that I will be able to liveblog, since it is surgery and all. I will write it down live and blog it after. First postings at the top. (Edit: I was unable to post this as it happened. However, I took my notebook with me and wrote it down as it was happening. I think I preserved the spirit of the liveblog, if not the letter.)

5:20 am - Alarm goes off.

5:30 - Actually get up.

5:58 - Babysitter Arrives.

6:10 - Depart for the hospital.

6:32 - Arrive hospital. Drop Wife off at the front. Wife tells me on the way that we can't leave our stuff in a room when we go in for surgery, because they have a theft problem. I guess no blog updates until after the birth.

6: 40 - Nurse directs me to the prep room "Third door on the right". No one there. Did I lose Wife already? I call out he name. Wife is in bathroom changing.

6:45 - Wife kicks me out. Sends me downstairs to have some breakfast. "Don't bring it up, the smell will bother me". I tell the Nurse where I will be. She tells tells me not to bring food up to the room. The Wife can't eat anything and will be mad at me if I do.

6:47 - Arrive in cafeteria. Not open until 7:00 am. Read newspaper. Apparently PC's and Wildrose party are in statistical tie in polling in provincial election. Also pipeline bomber Wiebo Ludwig has died of cancer.

7:09 - Breakfast. Egg sandwich.

7:18 - Back  upstairs. Hallways have been redone since we were here five years ago.

7:26 - Wife is nervous. She starts to ramble when she is nervous and she is going on about the new hallways, that she has been shaved and is now itchy, the breastfeeding nazis, etc.

7:32 - The Wife does not like surgery. It is obvious she is nervous. My job will be the same as last time: Keep her calm during the procedure.

7:34 - The baby wakes up, starts kicking.

7:36 - Now she is talking about the cats. Obviously nerves.

7:37 - Wife comments that I am probably writing that she is rambling.

7:53 - OR nurse brings scrubs for me. I get changed.

8:09 - Parade of doctors in the room asking questions. OR nurse, anesthesiologist, 2 more doctors (OB/Gyn and surgery resident). They all ask the same questions. They should all come at once and save repeating things 3 times.

8:11 - OR nurse comes in. Time to head to OR.

8:17 - Wife goes in to OR. I will have to wait approximately 20 minutes before I go in.

8:18 - The window on the door to the OR is frosted, not like last time. I can't see what is going on.

8:25 - Someone removed a finger sized hole in the frosting. I can peek in.

8:31 - They have completed the spinal and catheter. The wife is now spread out on the bed like she is on the cross. Legs are tied down. No wonder she is uncomfortable.

8:32 - Surgeon arrives and is scrubbing now. She is a short Asian lady. Very no nonsense and direct.

8:38 - Anytime now I will be going in. I am looking around the recovery room and thinking that in 20-30 minutes we will be out here with our child.

8:39 - I am going in.

8:42 - The Wife is not comfortable. They push and poke her.

8:44 - The number 2 to the surgeon is putting most of his weight on the Wife to force the baby out. He is a 6' 4'' Australian guy, while the 5' surgeon pulls the baby out. You could not pick a more mismatched pair if you were writing a comedy. Truth is stranger than fiction.

8:45 - It's a GIRL! She isn't even all the way out and the baby starts screaming.

8:50 - This is the reddest baby I have ever seen. She looks like a beet. Six pounds, seven ounces and 19.5 inches long.

9:01 - All cleaned up. A few pictures taken and she meets her mom.

9:05 - Into the recovery room.

9:15 - Start name discussion. We did some talking about names in the surgery room. I was convinced it was a boy, so I had set on one name, Luke. The Wife was in charge of girl names. Lots of suggestions I don't like. Larrissa is the best one so far.

9:18 - This baby is loud. She is sucking on my finger and seems hungry. Time to try some breastfeeding. More name discussion.

9:45 - Baby's first sneeze.

9:53 - We leave the recovery room and up to the regular floor.

10:05 - Narrowed it down to 2 names.

10:17 - More breastfeeding and she is latching. She is strong. I don't remember K being this hungry this early.

11:06 - Name decided. Happy Birthday, Lauren.

11:30 - Phone home to inform the family of the new addition.

11:45 - Baby's first poop. It looks like axle grease.

1:05 pm - Time to head home and check up on the other 2.

2:00 pm (approx) - Start calls to grandparents and family telling them the good news. The Wife and baby are all doing well. It went smoother than I expected.

End liveblog.