Mayah

[Michele 1]

Sometimes, you learn things unexpectedly. Like when they induced my sister-in-law, it got a tad wonky. Yep, it was time to relieve Julie of the baby. Mayah (the baby) had been teasing us all week with labor, contractions, now no labor...sigh... back and forth, and there were some blood pressure issues and whatnot. Time to bring Mayah here...sure, I knew when to be at my brother's house, and I was there right on time. But the rest of the day didn't quite live up to the peaceful plan originally discussed.

For example, there's no excuse for making 7 scrambled eggs and 5 waffles for two children (5 and 3) and myself (I don't eat breakfast.).

All good plans get shot to hell when there's an emergency; that's a given. No matter how many backup plans you've got, when the phone call comes for you to come to the hospital, all the people who've agreed to watch the kiddos (who are now sleepy from that gigantic breakfast...) just aren't to be found. No matter who I called, there was no-one home....

Children are good at giving directions. Once we decide that I'll just pack the kids up and bring them with me, and that they'll sit with one of the Grampas in the waiting room, and running around getting them dressed and crayons and color books into backpacks (who had the Winnie-the-pooh pack again? Oh. Upstairs? Wait right here....), I get the van all loaded up. Johnathan, 5, reminds me to open the garage door. Thanks, kiddo....and then I spend 3 minutes trying to figure out how to move the seat forward....and then we're off.

My nephew, at 5, is a better follower of directions than I am. I made a wrong turn in my hurry, and Johnathan's sweet voice pipes up from the way back of the van. "Noni, you went the wrong way." "You sure, Pumpkin?" asks me, and the affirmative is "yes, Mommy and the baby are at the other way."

And so I figure out to turn the van around, and make it back out of the neighborhood I've detoured in. Kayla is singing "Noni's lost, haha haha", and Johnathan is telling me the next light to "go that way", but I can't see him pointing, so I point and ask that way and he says no, and he's right. So we finally get going in the correct direction, and he proceeds to give me the tour "Go under the freeway, Noni, and then it's not the next building, because that's my Doctor Katz like you have, and he's nice and took my blood so go to the next building, and then turn that way, and then go up the hill and park." The kid is amazing. He's got a great career as a taxi driver should he choose it.

So we get to the hostible, as Johnathan calls it, and my brother and his father in law are waiting out there. I hop out, kiss the kiddos, and send them off for lunch with their Grampa John. Of course, they're not quite hungry yet, so they decide to go to the park. David and I hustle back into the Labor room, and I see Julie, who's not feeling so well.

On top of having a baby, she's having an odd reaction to the epidural, feeling lightheaded and sleepy. The monitors are all hooked up to her, and flashing lights and bells and whistles are going off. I hold onto her hand, and it's ice cold, so I rub it. Her feet are hot, and David is rubbing those. Julie's Mom is there, quietly joking and chatting. Julie is obviously uncomfortable, and wiggling in the bed.

I look at the monitor, and her oxygen saturation is dropping and then spiking, and the baby's heart rate is jumpy. I have no idea what is going on, but something's a tad wrong...it feels anxious in the room. We have the baby's heart beat on the loudspeaker, and it sounds wonderful. That little life is waiting, and ready. That blessed sound echoes through the room, and I listen to it; stilling my mind to hear only that.

And hours pass...and Julie's contractions are staying at about 4 minutes apart. More Pitosin, and then they pick up. She's starting to feel pressure, but not pain. The nurse comes in and checks her dilation, and starts laughing. Seems Julie's gone from 4 to full in about 60 minutes...and Julie's told to not push. Just lay there.

My father is asked to leave the room, and he does, cheerfully. And then a nurse comes over and asks me to bring him out to the waiting room, because he is "exploring"...and indeed he is...poking his head into rooms, saying hi, reading plaques on the wall....so I escort him to the waiting room, and tell Johnathan and Kayla that the baby will be born soon...and then I hustle back into the room. Dave and Julie's mom and I are squashed back into a corner, which is just fine. I want to be out of the way. David readies the video camera, and I get the still camera ready, and there we stand.

The Doctor is paged, he'll be about 10 minutes. The baby's heartrate changes on the speakers. Speeding up, slowing down, way down, and then back up. I start to realize there's something else going on rather than a simple delivery...

And the alarms are beeping and tolling, and the nurses come in and roll Julie onto her side, and the baby's heartrate disappears. They roll her to her other side, and the baby's heart is heard again. I let out my breath...I didn't know I had been holding it.

4 nurses in a tiny room, the three of us tucked as out of the way as we can be, and then the Dr. arrives. He is getting gowned as he walks in, and says hi to everyone. "So, Julie, are you ready to have this baby?" he asks...and Julie says yes.

As he reaches in, his face changes. "O.K., Julie, you need to push as hard as you can, starting now..." and Julie starts. She pushes, and I watch her face showing the strain.

And then the baby's heartbeat disappears. And the Dr. says "no breaks, Julie, again, hard as you can" and Julie goes right back to pushing...laboring, straining, efforting. The tension is palpable in the room, and I am again holding my breath. Julie's being exhorted to PUSH HARD, and she is answering.

Doctor tells Julie "I need to cut you now" and Julie says "go ahead", and then there's a flash of a scalpel and a gush of blood pooling on the floor. "Push again, Julie, don't stop, push" and so she does.

And then I feel a sharp rap on my head. I look up, and my brother, at 6'4", has been able to get the video camera up high enough to see the head of the baby poking through. I am enrapt in watching, knowing that something scary is going on, but absolutely taken away from everything watching that child emerge from her mother.

As Julie continues to push, the Dr. cradles the baby's head in one hand, and tugs on the body with his other one. He gets her a bit farther out, and wrestles the umbilical cord from around her neck. And the baby isn't breathing yet.

And Julie pushes, and I'm praying, and the Dr is sweating, and it's all going so fast and it's not fast enough and then the baby is out, and she's still not crying and then...

And then.

The tiniest sound comes, rapidly growing in strength. The baby's wailing, fussing, throwing her arms and legs about, and she is now full voiced and gloriously fuming at the abrupt entrance into the world. Her eyes are squinched shut, and she is pitching a good fit. Julie smiles, I am in tears, and David is prouder than I've ever seen him.

Mayah is here in the world, and healthy.

I am able to hold her for about 20 minutes while Mom gets cleaned up and Dad goes to tell the family...as her little hand escapes the bundle, she finds my finger, and wraps her hand around me, holding me too. How precious this moment, how amazing and how complete this brief span of time, immediate and forever. And I just sit there, holding this new life, dreaming of the possibilities, and feel my love spill out and circle this child, holding her in a golden space in my heart and my mind.

Mayah Lesser, born 3:03 pm, 7.2 lbs, dark curly hair, long fingernails. Loud.

I just thought I'd share.

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[SarahC07 0]

A wonderful ending... thanks for the story.. It made my day..
Sarah

[jceman 1]

Congratulations to Mom, Dad, and Baby Mayah.

Good job as usual, Michele.

Faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, more money.

Why do they call it "Tourist Season" if we can't shoot them?

[JJohnson 0]

Thank you. At the age of forty and the chances of having a child of my own grows smaller I find myself becoming sentimental over all children and babies.
Congratualtions on the newest addition to your family.

You'll have to excuse me, I need a tissue and have to go buy something for my nephew.

JJ

"Call me Darth Balls"

[RoadRash 0]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





~R+R...I also want to say that I enjoy reading all your posts, but this was particularly heart-warming and even brought tears to my eyes...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Fly the friendly skies...^_^...})ii({...^_~...

[hooked 0]

Isn't the birth of a baby miraculous? Good job Michele in writing the events. Congratulations to the proud Mommy and Daddy and family. How wonderful!
Jan

--------------------------------------
Sometimes we're just being Humans.....But we're always Human Beings.

[pilotdave 0]

Quote

My father is asked to leave the room, and he does, cheerfully. And then a nurse comes over and asks me to bring him out to the waiting room, because he is "exploring"...and indeed he is...poking his head into rooms, saying hi, reading plaques on the wall

That just cracked me up.

Dave

[skybytch 273]

Welcome to the world, Mayah.
I know this is what I always say when I hear about a new life joining us but I'm gonna say it again.

Babies are cool.

• Quote

[lummy 4]

big BIG Smiles :)


TY for sharing and also for the flashback of watching my children come into this world

(((((hugs)))))

I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. eat sushi, get smoochieTTK#1

[Rebecca 0]

Oh my God, I have tears in my eyes. Nose is running, too. Michele, you sure know how to relate an experience. That was an amazing story - even more so because it actually just happened.

Congratulations, Noni. Another beautiful bundle of joy - isn't life just grand?

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[VanillaSkyGirl 6]

Darn it, Michele...you made me cry, AGAIN! I'm so happy for you and for your brother and his wife. Omg...what a beautiful experience that you were honored to have shared with them. Congratulations to the mother, father and child for the birth of this little bundle of joy!

Michele, this story made me cry for a couple of reasons...one of them being that my father is an ob/gyn. This story is the reason that he does what he does. He gets to experience the miracle of life every day. I have so much respect for him.

Ob/gyns often get calls from the hospital in the middle of the night and must run out the door five minutes later...no time to relax or go back to sleep the next day. It's on to seeing more patients in the office, perhaps a c-section during lunch..more office visits...hospital rounds...more deliveries, etc. It leaves them constantly emotionally (must be nurturing to patients and keep cool under pressure/stress) and physically drained. I am amazed if my father ever has two minutes to rest. I can't wait to tell him and my mother (former nurse), again tonight, how much I adore and admire the amazing persons that they both are.

Anyway, I digress. Sorry, Michele, but your story touched me in many ways that I did not expect. Congratulations, again, to you (Noni), your brother and his wife for the birth of this little bundle of joy! The name Mayah is absolutely beautiful as I am sure that she is. Please post pics...when you can get some.

Btw, what a beautifully written story. You really need to write a book, my friend.

• Quote

[Michele 1]

Thanks for all the well wishes and congratulations....they are appreciated.

I was able to spend about an hour just holding my wee angel at the hospital today...what a sweet baby. She loves being bundled and cuddled, so I did. I held her until she went back to sleep, and Mom fell asleep, too...and then tucked her into the bassinette by her mom's bed and crept away, tears in my eyes, arms empty.

Earlier, though, I was commenting to Julie about the baby. Both of the other children were born bald - I mean cueball shiney; when their hair came in, it was towhead whiteblond. Mayah has brown hair. Throughout her pregnancy, it's been the family joke that Mayah's my baby...

And so, this afternoon, as I was sitting there holding Mayah, I murmurred "my Mayah, my baby...." and Kayla reached out, grasped my chin, and made me look at her. "That's NOT your baby. That's Mommy's baby, and my baby. NOT YOURS" and tapped her footsie in emphasis...I asked Kayla if I could come over and hold the baby every so often, and Kayla assented, but added "not too much. You can't hold babies too much or you don't have room for me." Of course, I immediately made room for Kayla on my lap.

Ah, so it begins. The adjustments....

But oh, Mayah's a sweet one.


Me's a happy Noni....

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[JJohnson 0]

I don't know what you do for a living but you should consider writing, you have quite the descriptive gift.

JJ

"Call me Darth Balls"

[GravityGirl 0]

Quote

big BIG Smiles :)


TY for sharing and also for the flashback of watching my children come into this world

(((((hugs)))))

What he said! When I looked down to get the first glimpse of my baby Jett, she had just her head and one entire arm out. (like a rock star) What a face!

These moment last a lifetime. No camera necessary....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!