Happiness is New Life - August 14th, 2010

Ethan has arrived - a little earlier than expected, but totally welcome.  In fact we're all overjoyed.  It's amazing how such a little being goes right to the hearts all around. 

I was able to be with my daughter through the whole process.  She needed to have an induction and was admitted to the hospital late in the afternoon on Monday.  I always thought that inducing pregnancy was a pretty simple process and expected that we'd have a baby by the next afternoon sometime.  But I was wrong.  It can sometimes take several days.  And when she still wasn't making much progress by Tuesday afternoon, part of my job was to ease her discouragement and frustration.  They took her off the pitocin and let her get up to have a shower, some supper ( she was so hungry by then), and then started the process all over again.  In the meantime she had monitors for her contractions, monitors for the baby's heartbeat, automatic blood pressure readings ( those cuffs have a mind of their own and you begin to feel like they're out to get you!), and the IV line in her opposite arm.  She was not a happy camper.

But our mantra became - the baby is doing great - he's got a strong heartbeat, he tolerates the contractions well, you're doing fine; so we just wait.  Eventually he'll decide to come.  But she's now thinking it could still be a couple of days and neither of us is getting much sleep.  Listening to his heartbeat one night I thought it sounded like a train on a railroad track - you know how they click over the joint of the rails - ta duh, ta duh - a rapid steady beat.  I kept thinking "You're on your way, sweetie - and we'll be there to meet you!"

Wednesday morning the report seemed to be that there was some progress, but not much.  But then all of a sudden the body kicked in with its own hormones, they stopped the pitocin, and within a few hours we had our baby.

He came out with so much energy - stretching, crying, kicking, ready to take it all in.  I ran to get his dad and then left to go pick up his brothers so they could share in the welcome party. 

Shawn held him tenderly - he's 15 and remembers when Marcus was born.  Marcus just looked on in awe, not ready to try to hold him, just so thrilled.  At one point he looked at Ethan in his brother's arms, looked over at his mom, hugged his dad's leg and said "I love being part of this family!"  Perfect response!