The Birth

Christina and I had known for weeks that the day would be August 7th. An amnio led us to know that Sarah would have CF and early ultrasounds showed proof of intestinal blockage.

At the urging of Christina, our "At Risk" physician agreed that taking Sarah 3 weeks early would be beneficial in possibly avoiding surgery. Managing the blockage is far easier earlier in the process.

We knew there would be some blockage, but we were hopeful. Surgery is hard on the little guys (and mom and dad too).

There are many details, that I am sure my wife will fill in regarding the who was there, who said what and all that stuff. Basically, we got to the hospital on Monday, August 6th where they prepped Christina for induction. The actual induction was scheduled for 6:00 AM on Tuesday.

I arrived at the hospital about 6:15 on Tuesday expecting to see people scurrying about, taking measurements and whatnot. What I found was that 6:00 was when they were going to start thinking about what the day was going to bring.

The prepping my wife had undergone involved getting her body 'ready' to be induced. That meant chemically tricking her body into pushing Sarah into position to greet the world. Sarah was not ready until 4 in the afternoon. I should have stayed in bed longer!

At about 4, Christina was given petocin to crank up the process. Then, Sarah was born.

5:33 PM CST - 7.2 lbs - 18.5 inches long

Sounds easy. It was for me. Anyway, Sarah looked GREAT. No distension in the stomach!! Maybe no surgery. Of course, there was that weird feeling knowing that the ultrasound did reveal some cloudy matter. Oh Well, hope for the best.

The NICU doctor was there to greet us. He was in attendance as the NICU is always notified because if there is need for surgery, she will be prepped in the NICU. Then, a real "Ron Santo" "Uh Boy" moment. The NICU doctor told me not to worry because only 10-15% of CF babies have a blockage.

I am usually a very optimistic person. But with Will, every time someone told me not to worry because of a small chance of something happening, IT HAPPENED!!

In my head, I was like "Don't say that!" Of course, I already knew about the cloudiness, so I was pretty sure it would be more than routine.

They let me cut the cord, which of course was a mistake. I have hoofs instead of hands. When I cut the cord blood went EVERYWHERE. It was like the AC/DC song

Blood on the ceiling / Blood on the Doc / Blood on the Father / Every Last Drop

If you want Blood, You Got IT

But I digress.

Sarah is beautiful. Dark hair, cute nose.