I remember a junior high football coach telling our offensive line, "Don't think. It can only hurt the team." That's kind of what it was like for the blur that was the period between Doctor Spangler calling for the C-Section to the point Wynn was behind the glass in the "Well Child Nursery."
After determining that Kate wasn't progressing, all "Doc S" said was, "You about tired of this." Kate was and he said, "Let's go have this baby." I confirmed this meant C-section and flip-flopped out to the waiting area to relay that information. By the time I got back to the room which could not have been more than two minutes, they were already prepping Kate for the bed ride down the hall to the operating room.
As I was gathering the camera and recorder, the lead nurse announced we would not be returning to lucky labor delivery room 13 and we had to get all of our things and take them to the waiting area until we were placed in a 5th floor room. Some of you that know Kate can probably tell where this story is going.
Kate isn't what I would call a "light packer." When we went on our honeymoon, we travelled with 7 large bags/suitcases. My things took up about 3/4 of one bag. Moving our things to the waiting area wasn't going to be an expeditious thing. It took me three trips alone to get our things into the room Tuesday night. Then the nurse says, "They can get those things. You don't have time. You're with us." The "they" the nurse was speaking of was my 77 year old grandmother and my mother. To their credit, everything got moved and nothing seems to be missing.
When the decision was made and the wheels of motion started turning, there wasn't time to think. Kate's mom and I were basically chasing Kate's bed down the hall. They stopped us next to some disposable scrubs, masks and footies and we had a 30 second tutorial on donning the outfit. If not for Wynn, I probably would have never had the joy of wearing a hair net. And the cloth footie things don't really work with flip flops - just in case you ever find yourself in this situation. (When I get to a point that I can download pics from the good camera, you'll all want to check out my scrubs pic - it explains why medical school was never an option for me.) The German train precision stopped just long enough for one of the nurses to offer to take pictures of Barbara and I in our scrubs.
Then we were ushered into the operating room where Kate was already under anesthesia. We were directed to a position at Kate's head. She couldn't see over the sheet in front of her head from her supine position. We could. Whether we wanted to or not. It was equal parts "E.R.," a Discovery Channel surgical special and 80's slasher flick. The wildest part is not the cutting or the blood or the view of innards. It is just before the baby comes into view. The doctor and someone giving an assist put a lot of pressure on the Mom's upper torso. They are basically forcing the baby towards the newly created baby escape hatch. Then, in one smooth motion, the baby's head appears, he's scooped out and the cord is severed. A nurse takes him directly to a station about six feet away from where his Mom is spewing blood and does a quick wipe down. After removal from Mom's belly but before he makes his way to the cleansing area, no less than three of the medical team are basically implying I'm already derelict in my Daddy duty by not having a camera in hand. So about thirty seconds after breathing real air for the first time, Wynn is having his picture taken. I'm taking pictures of our new son while two steps away their clamping a bleed and then stitching up an eight inch hole in Kate's stomach.
And it all seems so completely normal. Just as matter of fact and thank you very much as can be. That's really Spangler's gift I had noticed throughout the whole pregnancy. Early on Kate compared it to when I go to court. It is my comfort zone so while I'm telling jokes or whistling, my client is sweating bullets and trying to figure out where he can get a lawyer that will at least act concerned. Same here. This very professional team of doctors and nurses has probably done this a few thousand times. They've got this. Spangler made everything seem so casual and routine it was no big deal Kate at one point had blood spurting out like a water fountain. The way he does it, there is absolutely no anxiety. I highly recommend his method and him.
The only hesitancy I had was when they announced they were taking Wynn to the nursery to be checked out further and I had to go with him. Kate's still on the table. I asked, "Don't I need to stay with Kate?" The answer had something to do with the bracelets that Wynn and I were both wearing and making sure he didn't get lost. I hesitated, but the nurse carrying Wynn was already out the door. I ran up and kissed Kate and followed my son. I hadn't done any critical thinking up to that point. Why ruin the streak? After all, it would have only hurt the team.
When you've got a good coach, which Doc Spangler was, just run the play. Just like novacaine, give it time. It always works.
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