(This entry is the 3rd, and final chapter of the story of Luke's birth. You may want to read Part 1 and Part 2 first.)
So when we last left off, I had just been allowed into the O.R. where they were starting to perform my wife/baby's emergency C-Section. I'd been told to wait in the prep area, and kept being passed by doctor after doctor and nurse after nurse running into the O.R.
Aaaaanyway, I finally get into the Operating Room, and I was a little bit shocked by all the stuff going on. There were two surgeons, at least three nurses/assistants, an anesthesiologist, and four or five Neo-Natal Nurses. I sat down on a chair next to my wife, near her head/shoulders and I was instantly surprised and impressed by how composed and calm she was. They were asking her if she was feeling this or that, and she said no, just a little pressure. I could hear they were using scalpels, so I knew if she was only feeling "a little pressure" the drugs must be working well.
After about 5 minutes, the anesthesiologist told me to get my camera ready, and then said I was OK to stand up. (Standing up is significant because, as I forgot to mention, there was a sheet draping my wife from just below her neck, keeping her from seeing the, um, action going on down below.)
As I stood up, I caught a look at the incision, in all of it's glory. I started to look away, thinking I'd bother me, but I realized that my desire to see my son born overrode my aversion to innards being, well, outward. After a few more cuts, a little wriggling, and more vigor than I expected, I saw a greenish-tinted form emerge from my wife's stomach, and I realized it was him, my son.
There are no words that could possibly describe that moment...
I leaned down and told De, "I SAW HIM AND HE'S BEAUTIFUL!" The neo-natal nurses took Luke, and began taking care of him, while the surgeons began closing De's incision up. The anesthesiologist told me to go meet my son, but as I took a few steps toward the warming table he was on, a very stern and concerned nurse shot a look at me and held up 1 finger, (in the "Give us a minute!" gesture) causing me some panic and worry.
We would later find out that our beautiful little guy was struggling. They give babies an APGAR score at 1, 5, and if necessary 30 minute intervals. APGAR is both an acronym (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Responsiveness) and the namesake of Dr. Virginia Apgar, the developer of the system. The score is designed to evaluate babies and provide a standard assessment criteria. The rankings go from 1 (very bad) to 10 (very good). Luke's immediate score was a 2, which the nurse later told me she had only given one or two other children this year. Researching this post, I found out that either 0, 1 or 2 points are given for each of the 5 criteria. That should explain just how much trouble he was in. Apparently, after coming out of Mom, he took one breath on his own, then stopped. When they tried to suction his airway, his heart-rate dropped. Happily, after some forced-ventilation, Luke picked right up and began breathing on his own, and his heart-rate jumped up to a level they like to see.
So after being wiped down and checked over, Luke was ready to meet Mom. The nurses swaddled him, and put him in his [very nervous] Daddy's arms. I walked him over and introduced him to Mommy, who was still a little bit groggy and out of it. I put him back into his bassinet, and nurse Kim asked me to verify his "counts". 10 fingers, 10 toes, an abbreviated version of the turn-your-head-and-cough-test (check - two!), and no opening at the spinal base. All accounted for.
From there, we headed into C-Section Recovery, where Luke was bathed, eyes salved, and then Mommy got to feed him.
We stayed in recovery for about 90 minutes, while Luke was checked over, Mommy was observed, and many, many notes were taken about the procedure. A few minutes later, we were asked to gather our things and clear out of our Labor & Delivery room, as they needed it for another patient (12 rooms full?!)
A few final checks later, we were on our way across the hall (and through about five camera-wielding family members) and into our Post-Partum room. De was transferred from her OR gurney to her normal gurney via an airbag-transfer. Finally settled, the family came in and visited Luke for a few moments, and then the three of us had our first moments of just Mommy, Daddy and Luke. For now, at least.
I sat down, enjoyed the other half of my lunch as a late dinner, and relaxed to the calming sounds of Luke's peaceful whimpers and Mommy's restful sleeping. I figured I was a lucky man, only 5 hours after birth and I was already going to get sleep. Or so I thought...
