Catherine's Birthday

"Ryan, I think my water broke." Thus began one of the most memorable days of my life. Those words, uttered at 3:50am were the start to a day that went much faster than I thought it would. Contractions started soon after at about 6 minutes apart. By 5:30 they were consistently 4-5 minutes apart, and the midwife said to go to the hospital.

At the hospital, Trish did her best impersonation of a human pin cushion as her notorious veins struck again. After 4 different location sticks and minutes of digging around with a needle by the IV therapist, during which Ryan had to look away and Trish barely noticed because she was in the middle of 6-8 minute long contractions, they finally decided just to put it in her hand and be done with it. That's right, 6-8 minute long contractions, which the midwife coined "whoppers". Trish's contractions weren't very predictable all day, and they for some reason didn't want to let go, so that made for some very long and painful contractions. She opted for an epidural around 10:00 am, and by the time that was in and they checked she was at 10cm and ready to go. We were amazed that the day had gone by so fast that it was pushing time already. So at 11:15 she started pushing, and made very quick progress, and then the progress stopped. And it stopped for three hours despite Trish's valiant pushing. The midwife called the on duty pediatrician at about the 2 1/2 hour mark (the longest they usually let a 1st time mom push with an epidural is 3 hours), and after watching for a while he didn't like what he was seeing from the baby's heartbeat. So they decided to let Trish "labor-down" (letting contractions work while not pushing) for a while during which they would monitor the baby. After the baby’s vitals’ improved, the doctor decided to use the vacuum/head sucker to try and guide the baby out while Trish pushed and the operating team prepped. When that failed, and the baby’s heart rate was not doing well, they rushed Trish into the Operating Room for an urgent C-section.

After baby came out, I got to accompany her to the post-op room while they fixed Trish up. It really was the neatest thing, the post-op room is right next to the waiting room, and there is a window in between to each "baby-bay." As Catherine was weighed, given her first bath (she loved having her head under the faucet, a true girl as the nurse said), vitals were taken, and she was put in her first diaper, the entire Beagle/Clark Clan got to watch through the window while taking pictures. It was very special. Dad got to put on Catherine's first diaper and pick out her special pink hat.

The vitals are: Catherine Elaine Beagle, born 4:39pm on October 6th, 7lbs 11 ounces, 20 3/4 inches long, all parts intact, and early predictions are she'll be a Rhodes Scholar.

Early opinion is that she has Dad's eyes and lips, Mom's cheeks, and Grandpa Van Kleek's nose.

Mom is recovering well. We'll be at the hospital for 2-3 days. (Update: probably going home Thursday afternoon).

It's quite something, that very first look at your child when you realize that fingers and toes are in place and she’s going to be just fine. Grandpa Beagle (Dave) asked Trish how long we were going to be in for (meaning of course the hospital). My immediate thought: the rest of our lives.