It Wasn't Exactly a Smooth Landing (Part 3)

You know that scene at the end of Apollo 13 where the crew is about to reach earth. They weren't sure if their craft was intact enough to survive reentry, but they didn't have any other options. Tom Hanks looked all cool and collected, but inside you knew his character wasn't sure if he going to be opening the hatch to a cool ocean breeze, or if he'd be in pieces hurtling towards the Pacific.That's what this was starting to feel like. Everyone in the room was a combination of exited, terrified, and over tired. My wife was crying, her mom was crying, I was was crying when nobody was looking. And on top of everything, the babies decided that they were going to start causing contractions for my wife.  Considering she was going to have a C-Section regardless this was just the icing on the pain cake.

T-2 hours- I decided I didn't want my children's first image of me to look like a hobo... a shower was in order. After that my wife and I spent some time listening to music and getting mentally prepared for what was going to transpire that evening.

T-1 hour- We got a visit from the anesthesiologist and a host of other people to discuss the procedure. This was really about to happen. The nurses came in with my outfit I'd have to wear in the operating room.  It was a pair of white coveralls, blue booties, and a hair net big enough that Bob Ross could have worn it loosely. The nurses came in to prep my wife for surgery. The nurse told me what to expect, that I would put my suit on and they would come and get me.  I'd walk into the operating room and sit down on a stool next to my wife, who would be awake during the whole procedure.  There would be a blue drape separating us from the cutting, bleeding, and birthing.  The nurse told me, "Just don't look over the drape".  I asked if I wasn't allowed to look, or if this was just advice.  She said, "It's advice, but just don't look. You'll get sick, or pass out, or something bad, just don't do it". She hadn't even turned around to leave and I'd already decided there was no way I wasn't looking. 

It all went so fast from there.  Next thing I knew my wife was walking down the hallway to the operating room and I was left to wait.  15 minutes later I was walking down the hall to meet her.  I followed the nurse in through the double doors. It was bright. The room was filled with the sounds of a dozen or more people talking and equipment beeping.  My wife was on the table surrounded by blue sheets, smiling.  I wasn't expecting someone to actually look happy in that position, but there she was. I almost cried again.

I sat down on the stool and grabbed her hand. The doctor said it was time to start and she'd feel some pressure, but no pain. I asked if I could peek over the drape. The nurse from earlier stared at me. "What?" She said. "You want to look? OK, just don't faint" So I stood up and looked over the drape to see a doctor slicing my wife open with a scalpel. I sat back down and said "Honey looks like they are doing a great job!" Then I stood back up. The nurse looked at me again and said "What are you doing?" I said, "I think I'm going to watch."

Anatomically speaking, what I was seeing didn't surprise me. I'd seen dissected cadavers before at work (I work in IT, so this is actually a long story for another day) and I've field dressed a few deer. Blood and guts don't typically bother me. But this was admittedly a little strange since it was my wife. You're not typically romantically involved with the deer, and the deer is NEVER having a conversation with you as you're watching someone push the bladder to the side.  There are just some things you cannot unsee.

A few more cuts and a little bit of pulling and next thing I knew a tiny little baby was being lifted up towards me. I said the first thing that popped into my mind, "Hey there little buddy!" The doctor looked at me and said, "That's not a buddy! That's a girl!" HOLY SHIT. I was a father of a girl, Lena, I announced it. My wife smiled, or maybe cried, I really have no idea. All I knew is that little girl wasn't crying as she was carried away.  Moment's later the 2nd twin emerged. Another girl, Lyndy, this one screaming like a banshee. At this point the nurse probably had a fairly good reason to be concerned about me fainting as I processed the idea that I had twin girls.  I squeezed me wife's hand, said I loved her, and went to walk over to the areas where they were taking care of the girls

As I approached where the team was working on Lena, I saw someone grab the tool used to put in a breathing tube, my heart sank. I walked back to my wife, tearing up again, and said "I think they just had to intubate the little one".  I walked back over. This time the little girl was wailing away.  I asked what happened, and they told me they came at her with the intubation tool and she took one look at it and decided she wanted no part of that and would breathe on her own. 

They were both beautiful. I cut the cord, snapped some photos, kissed my wife goodbye as they sewed her up and left with the medical team for the NICU with the babies. I was happy, proud,  and terrified at the same time.  I wasn't entirely sure, but it felt like I was Tom Hanks opening the hatch and breathing in the warm ocean air. 

Next Post- Welcome to the NICU