After we got there, the nurses hooked Anna up to all sorts of doodads and whatnots and told her to relax as much as someone can when they are going to give birth to two human beings within a matter of hours.
Fortunately, some good friends stopped by that night and provided Anna with some distracting and highly entertaining reading material.
This is a real thing you can buy at a real gas station. God bless America.
Our dear friend Becca was Anna's nurse for the first night. Since she was playing a major role in the birth of our children, we gave her a hint that the names started with B and E. When no further hints were given, she made up her own and wrote them on the board, eliciting many awkward compliments from other nurses who would come through the room.
Etoile? Really? Really?
Anna's water broke about 3:00 AM on Friday. She was started on Pitocin around 9:00 AM and valiantly labored for several hours before getting an epidural and some much needed rest. The real fun began about 6:00 PM. She pushed and pushed and pushed some more before finally getting dilated enough to head to the C-section room.
Our doctor was going to let Anna try to deliver these kids naturally but wanted the added security of being in the OR suite Just In Case.
She huffed and puffed and pushed and did pretty much the most amazing thing that can be done on this planet, which is give life to another human being. And she did it TWICE. Benjamin Daniel emerged at 8:15 PM CST on Friday, May 13, all pink and gooey and screaming. He weighed in at a hefty 7 lb 15 oz and a gargantuan 15" head. It was, as anyone who has witnessed it will tell you, the most amazing thing you will ever see. I saw my son be born and he was beautiful (under all that goo).
We were all full of oohs and aahs when Benjamin arrived, so much so that we did not notice the sudden busy-ness with which the medical team was working. The change in tone was palpable: the doctor and nurses were no longer encouraging Anna but were quietly and purposefully talking to one another. I became concerned and asked if something was wrong.
"Baby B's heart rate has dropped to about 60 beats per minute for three minutes now. We need to get him out right away," said a nurse. This was not spoken with panic or dread, but with cool professionalism and more than a little urgency. A vacuum extractor was brought out and attached to Baby B's crown. The doctor told Anna to give one long push. As she did, the doctor pulled on the tube attached to the vacuum extractor attached to my son's head, and out he came.
Instead of a gooey, pink, screaming baby, we had a gooey, purple limp baby. Along with the sight of him came the instant sensation of a lead brick in my stomach, a lump in my throat, and tears in my eyes, all of which I tried to fight back because suddenly I had to be the strong father for my kid. This person I have only just seen and not even touched somehow required my show of strength for his benefit.
Eli Harrison was born at 8:25 PM CST, weighing in at 6 lb 14 oz, though we did not find this out until later. Eli was whisked to a nearby warming table where the neonatal nurses immediately went to work on him, rubbing their hands on his body and forcing air into his tiny lungs. He was breathing, but only just and with the greatest difficulty. I found myself timidly asking a nurse through trembling lips if he was going to be ok. They calmly told me that yes, he would be fine, but he needed immediate care in the nursery. And off he went. And once again I felt that brick and a crushing sense of helplessness.
In the meantime, I had one healthy son and an exhausted but absolutely beautiful wife still in the room. Benjamin was getting pinker by the minute. I was able to hold my oldest son for the first time and it was marvelous.
One of my favorite pictures of all time, taken by my wife while she is still on the delivery table. Amazing.
Benjamin was eventually placed in the special care nursery alongside his brother for some preventative antibiotic treatment. We wheeled Anna back to her room as the grandparents arose from their seats in the waiting room, eager for some news. They saw us come out with no babies so they must have assumed something was amiss. We got Anna settled in the room and I went out to talk to the grandparents and give them the news. I got through the story of Benjamin's birth but as soon as I started telling about Eli's rough entrance, I broke down. Even though I knew by this point that he was breathing room air and pretty much making a full recovery, the weight of that worry and helplessness and those bricks simply became too much. I got extra big hugs from my parents and suddenly I realized how much they loved me and understood what I was feeling.
Benjamin and Eli both made outstanding strides in the nursery. The antibiotics worked wonders, Eli was breathing normally, and we eventually got to keep them in our room. The grandparents played paparazzi and smiled big smiles that must have hurt after a while.
In the end, all was well. In the end, we had a new beginning. Two sleep-deprived and frightened adults took two sleepy and adorable babies out of the hospital and into the world and a family was born.
