Tuesday, July 21: Virginia’s due date wasn’t until late August and she planned to stop working in mid August. It didn’t work out that way. The symptoms of pre eclampsia include high blood pressure and severe headaches that do not go away. Left untreated, pre eclampsia can cause seizures and organ damage in the mother. Virginia was sent to the hospital for testing when the doctors decided to induce 32 days early. Cameron told Tracey over the phone that this plan was “the safest for the mother and the baby.” The problem was that Virginia had not dilated and her cervix had not thinned. Still, the doctors needed to get her blood pressure down to get rid of her headaches, and they wanted to reduce her swelling.
Tracey talked to Virginia on the phone and asked her how she was doing and she replied “I am terrified!” was her response. We were scared too so we immediately booked a flight to Austin to be there for the birth of our first grandchild.
Wednesday, July 22: When we arrived at hospital Virginia was in a remarkably good mood, even to the point of kidding about her marshmallow toes. They had swelled up due to her bloating. She was putting on a brave face but it was hard to see Virginia hooked up on machines to administer her medications. She was given magnesium to relax her cervix, potosum to induce uteral muscles to ripen, and lanicaine for the pain. All of these medications were delivered to Virginia through an IV port. In addition, she had on compression socks to reduce the risk of clots. The socks had a pump that compressed and released the legs to insure blood flow. Finally, Virginia was hooked up to a catheter and three monitors: one for her heart, one for the baby’s heart, and one for contractions. She wasn’t allowed to eat but was encouraged to drink a lot of fluids.
Virginia slept on and off during the day and I enjoyed watching her sleep. In the first of several nice moments in our trip to Austin, at one point Virginia woke up, looked over at me, and smiled. I smiled back and then she went back to sleep. So many emotions were communicated to that moment but were left unsaid.
We left the hospital to check into our hotel. Cameron called us that night to tell us that the doctors had decided to due a C section because the cervix wouldn’t soften. Another reason was that Virginia’s blood pressure went back up. So we went back to the hospital where our in-laws, Sarah and Morgan, met us in the waiting room.
Thursday: July 23: Whitman was born at 12:45 am. They started the process for the C section at 11:00. At midnight we were excited to be there but when we didn’t hear anything by 1:00 we became concerned. Finally, in the second nice moment during the birthing weekend, Cameron came out to the waiting room at 2:00 am. He was beaming and bouncing with excitement. Whitman was seven pounds and five ounces and was strong and healthy.
What made this such a nice moment was that Cameron was looking forward to giving us his “Dad speech.” This meant that he got to introduce Whitman to his grandparents. At one point Cameron told us that his nickname was Grover when he was born because he was long, skinny, blue, and had a big head. I couldn’t see Whitman without thinking about Grover because, at twenty two inches, he too was long and skinny and blue. Cameron had to get back to the birthing room so I hugged him and took my picture with him while he was still in his scrubs. Then, as we left, we hugged our in-laws. This was the first time that Morgan and Sarah were at the hospital for the birth of a grandchild and they were as excited as we were.
We went back to the hotel for a couple of hours of sleep and then we went right back to the hospital. Tracey said that she just “wanted to put my hands on my baby,” by which she meant Virginia. Whitman was in his bassinet when we arrived. When he started to cry, Cameron picked him up and placed him on Virginia’s chest and he immediately settled down. It was nice to see that they had already bonded. Virginia said that “When he first came out he squealed like a baby pig being wrangled so we nicknamed him Wilbur.” By the time that we had arrived Whitman had already peed, which is a good sign.
Tracey cried after feeling Whitman’s face and hands for the first time. And then we were allowed to hold the baby. “I can’t believe that this huge baby was still inside of you yesterday” is what I said when it was my turn to hold Whitman, “Neither can I” was her reply. As Tracey held Whitman she could feel him stretch out his legs and curl his toes. He had nap jerks and made cooing noises. Newborn babies are so small and completely helpless, but they are still miniature miracles and I was so glad to be there at the beginning.
As we left the hospital room I said that “I am proud of you two. You make a good team.” Whenever the nurse came in with instructions, both Cameron and Virginia were engaged and asked a lot of questions. So often the father’s eyes glaze over and they mentality check out when the nurses speak. But Cameron was truly interested and he even began reading the book on how to raise a newborn that the nurse had left behind.
Friday, July 24: Bilirubin is a yellowish waste product created during the normal breakdown of old red cells. A symptom of it is jaundice. The problem is that the baby’s body is trying to rid itself of the red blood cells that it used in the watery womb and transfer to the new red blood cells that have adapted to the oxygen environment. The doctor said that almost all babies are born with jaundice but, if left untreated, the bilirubin could affect brain development. To boost his liver function, Whitman was put under and over U.V. lights to break down the impurities and get rid of the jaundice.
Saturday, July 25: Whitman had been under, and over, the U.V. lights for twenty hours and he came off of them when we arrived at the hospital. Virginia was very tired as the baby had kept her up for most of the night. The good new was that Whitman was eating well, having taken in 1.3 ounces of milk, which is a lot more than is expected of a preemie. “Whitman is a preemie who doesn’t know that he is a preemie” is what Cameron said after the nurses weighed him and took his measurements.
More good news followed as Virginia was able to walk to the shower and to lift the baby out of his bassinet. As Tracey and I left for the hotel we felt secure in the knowledge that both mother and baby were doing well. As we left Virginia said “thanks for coming down for the birth of Whitman.” I replied, “it was fun. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” Both Cameron and Virginia smiled when I said that.
Sunday, July 26: Virginia was supposed to go home today but she developed high blood pressure so the doctors kept her in the hospital for an additional day. I was a little disappointed because I wanted to see her move back into her house but we had already booked a flight out of Austin for this afternoon. The doctors had given Virginia magnesium to relax her and lower her blood pressure a side effect of the medicine is that it makes her sleepy. My last nice moment of the birth weekend was when we left for the airport. I kissed Virginia on her forehead and she happily rolled over and went to sleep. It was nice to be there for her in her time of need
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