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Today was a big day. Alexander James arrived and we’re very excited.
For posterity I am recording the experience of the birth of our second child.

the birth of Alexander James

Thursday (never could get the hang of thursdays ;-) September 28th, due date for the baby. My alarm goes off at 6am. Kerri-Jo has been lying awake and I ask how she is doing?” “I’m not sure, I’m uncomfortable but nothing serious”. We talk for a bit then Kerri- Jo says “ow”. “ow what?” “I could feel that contraction”.At this point Emma makes some noise (Oh no, it’s WAY too early for her to get up, if she gets up now she’ll be brutal all day) I rush off to her room and get her back to sleep. I start getting ready for the day, “So, do you think I should go to work today?” “take the car today and if this is it I’ll meet you at Women’s Hospital”. I’m now packing my lunch for work and Kerri-Jo is still quite uncomfortable, the contractions are coming about every 15 minutes now (she’s had 3 since I woke up). “don’t you think we should call the mid-wife dear?” “yeah, I think we really should” (Ok, something is up, she’s not normally this agreeable about such things). Ok where’s that number, got it, got a phone, Kerri-Jo makes the call I go find a bag to pack for myself “just in case”. It’s 7am at this point and Kerri-Jo has told the mid-wife she has lots of time for showering, etc. – she’s called her mom as well and told her the same thing. I’m deciding at this point to stay home for the day. Emma is still blessedly asleep.

Jan arrives and immediately starts organizing us some more, bags are moved, Kerri-Jo is up and experiencing a fair amount of pain per contraction “Ow, I want to go to the hospital right now so I can get drugs!”, uh oh, this is a bad sign. Last time this happened it was late in the game. 7:30, the midwife arrives, Kerri-Jo repeats the request to go the hospital and for DRUGS. midwife “so, shall I examine you and listen to the heartbeat to see where things are at before we go?” Minutes later Kerri Jo, Jan and the midwife go flying past the door of the office where I’m on the computer looking at a bewildering array of cameras that look at highway near the Massey tunnel. I look up and finally stop the midwife “she’s 6-7cm dilated, we have to leave right now if we’re going to leave, I’ve reserved a room for you at Women’s Hospital”.

OH, last time we were this far along we were half an hour away from a baby. Jan “I’m not taking her in my car -we’ll go with the midwife, Michael you follow us as soon as David gets here to take care of Emma, make sure you bring my bag, and get David’s Cell phone so we can contact you” “Right…wait…but…” sigh (I have to drive our car, it has the infant baby seat in it…I also need to stay here since there’s no one here to take care of Emma until David arrives…argh). David is walking from 20 minutes away, and only just started, I’m not a patient person at this point, to keep from losing my mind I get on the phone, I call my mom, I call my brother’s house…David FINALLY arrives at the house, a moment after Emma (bless her heart) has just woken up (around 7:55 I’d have to guess now). We look for the keys to Jan’s car, not here…we have to take David and Emma with us to Nana’s house to get the spare car keys. David hands me his cell phone, we get into the car and the phone rings, I hand it to David, he answers, there’s no one there, he calls the number back “It’s the local Hospital” “what do they want, weren’t they going to Women’s?”. His phone rings again, he answers “I did answer, Oh, the baby’s here arleady? a boy? Oh”. We’re on our way to Nana’s house still, I have missed the birth of my second child…I am very anxious now to get to the hospital. We arrive at Nana’s house, get the keys, get back to our house, I drop Emma and David off.

Time for a small flip-out in the car….ARRRRGH I wanted to be there. I was there for the first one…some things in life are unavoidable. I arrive at the hospital and now the story starts with puddles in the parkinglot of the hospital.

Jan, Kerri-Jo and Jane the Midwife are on their way to the hospital. Women’s Hospital, about 30-40 minutes away if there’s no traffic, it’s a normal thursday morning during rush hour… 50 minutes would be a very optimistic estimate for the trip they were trying to make I suspect. Five minutes away from the house, Kerri-Jo’s water breaks all over the inside of the midwife’s car. Now Jan in her great wisdom has prepared the car for this, plastic bags and absorbant materials festoon the back seat of the car and protect Kerri-Jo and the car from each other. At this point Jane has a decision to make, call 911 or go to the local hospital. Jan pipes up “Local Hospital!” Kerri-Jo “don’t stop on the side of the road”, thinking that she couldget drugs sooner at Delta hospital”. Both Jan and the midwife “get your bum in the air, can you get up on all fours?”. Kerri-Jo makes a valiant effort and manages to get her bum in the air, the midwife is making for the local hospital.

They arrive in front of emergency just before 8am, the emergency team are outside “ready”. midwife to Kerri-Jo “Ok we’re here, it’s time to get out of the car” Kerri-Jo “I can’t”. Jan is out and is now trying to help Kerri Jo out of her pants which are a mess. Nurse James takes charge and gives directions. Again a heroic effort from Kerri-Jo, she starts backing out of the car, Kerri-Jo gets her feet on the ground, the baby bungee’s out of Kerri-Jo into her pants leg “SOMEONE GET MY BABY!” There are cries of “we need warm blankets!” a nurse runs forward with a blanket and catches the baby at 8am. The baby is wrapped, the umbilicus is clamped and then cut, Kerri-Jo is finally got onto a gurney and the whole circus moves inside the hospital.

To be cont…