Caleb is Born

For Caleb,

I hope this story inspires you.

Monday, May 18, 2009

I woke up to Mommy saying she was having contractions for about an hour. It was 2:00 am. She wanted me to help her keep track. I tried to stay awake, but it was very early. She had a contraction at 2:10 and another at 2:17. We then decided that we should probably get ready to go to the hospital. We weren't already packed because we were expecting you to come on May 21st. In fact, we had planned for it. We were going to go to the hospital on Wednesday night and check in at around 7:00 pm. Then we'd enjoy a few laughs, eat some hospital food and get to bed early for the big procedure. I guess you had other plans.

Your Mommy and I began to quietly pack up so we wouldn't wake up your big sister, Jaden, who was sleeping across the hall. At least, we didn't want to wake her up yet. As we were packing, we decided that we should probably take showers since we were going to be at the hospital for a few days and didn't know the next time we'd be able to take a nice hot shower. At about 3:00 am, I called your Grandma Skarda and asked her to meet us at St. Vincent Hospital to pick up your sister. She was a bit concerned that we weren't on the road yet since Mommy's contractions were coming at about every 4-5 minutes.

We continued to pack things for Mommy and me. Then we got a suitcase packed for Jaden since she was going to be at Grandma and Grandpa's house for a few days while you were being born. At about 3:25 am, we finally left the house and began to drive to the hospital. Mommy's contractions were still at about every 4-5 minutes which is when Dr. Tammela said that it would be a good time to get to the hospital.

As we were leaving Bonduel, we called your Grandma Skarda to let her know that we were on the road. She was already at the hospital and waiting for us. We then called St. Vincent to let them know that we were on our way. It was an exciting ride to the hospital because we knew that you were probably going to be born very soon and we also knew that you were a boy. No one else knew that yet.

At about 3:50 am, we arrived at the hospital and met your Grandma. Mommy got into a wheelchair while I moved all of Jaden's things over to Grandma's car. After I put your sister in her carseat and kissed her, I followed your Mommy up to the third floor. Your Mom and I have been to this floor before. This is where we were for your sister's birth. Read all about it at www.caringbridge.org/visit/jadenschmidt.

At about 4:00 am, we were admitted to room 8 in labor and delivery. This is the room right across from where Mommy would be having her operation for your birth. We waited while the nurses hooked up heart monitors to you and to Mommy. They showed that you were both doing just fine. The doctor on call began to get information together about the procedure that Mommy would be having. At about 4:30 am they began looking for a cross-match of platelets. Your Mommy needed 3 units of platelets, maybe even as many as 6! By about 5:30 am, the nurses had begun to put the platelets in your Mommy and she was getting ready for surgery.

Mommy and I were concerned that Dr. Tammela wasn't going to be there for your delivery. She had been through so much with us in getting ready for you to come out into the world that we wanted her to be the one to bring you here. Luckily for us, the platelets took a long time to get in and Dr. Tammela was able to come to the hospital at around 7:00 am. She came in and met with us to say that we would be starting soon. I was very excited, but you Mommy had a perplexed look on her face. I asked your Mommy what she was thinking about and she just laughed. I guess she was a bit nervous about the surgery, but who could blame her. I would have been nervous too.

After the nurses had left we took a minute to pray. We prayed, "Dear Lord, we ask you to be with us as we begin this new step in our lives. We pray that you would bless the doctors and nurses. Guide their hands and keep them in your care. Lord, we also ask that you would keep Sandy and our new baby in your strong hands as well. Help them through this operation and help it to go very smoothly. Thank you for the beautiful daughter you have given us already. We pray that you would watch over her at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Help her to keep from being afraid. Lord, all these things we lift up to you. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen."

At 7:21 am, the nurses had Mommy walk across the hall to the operating room. It was a bit frightening for me to just have to sit and wait across the hall from you and Mommy. I watched the news a bit and put on some scrubs and a mask. It seemed like a long time until they asked me to come across the hall and into the operating room. It was 7:40 am.



That was when you were born. As I walked into the operating room, I saw that you had already been born and were lying on a warm table. Dr. Winston was working to be sure that you were breathing and monitoring your heartbeat. You were doing pretty well, but needed a little help so he had a special mask that was helping to give you oxygen to breathe.


The operating room was full of activity. There were five people helping Mommy to feel better and two people helping to make sure that you were okay. I just had to take some more pictures and show everyone how beautiful you were when you were born. I also wanted to show that you had a lot of hair. Dr. Winston even took a picture of the two of us together. Right after that, I got to hold you for the first time. You were so very light, compared to your sister. I looked into your little face and knew I'd love you for my whole life.

Dr. Winston said that you would need to spend a few hours in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). I knew that would be fine, because your oxygen level in your blood was a little bit low yet and we wanted you to be fully prepared before we took over caring for you. Besides, we already had a lot of experience with the NICU because your sister spent about 75 days there when she was born. You were only going to spend a few hours there. This also gave Mommy time to wake up and feel better since the place she was cut hurt really badly. Luckily, she had a medicine button she could press to help make the hurt go away.

At about 9:00 am, we were told that you weighed 5 pounds, 9 ounces and that you were 19 inches long. This was great news and we were very happy to hear it. Mommy kept resting, but I came down to the NICU to visit you again. You had such neat little feet, I just had to take a picture.

The nurses had you in a warming bed where you could get your breathing under control before you came down to see your Mommy. It was very nice and warm. We spoke to Dr. Breen about how you were doing. She said you would be fine in a few hours, they just wanted to double check a few things and make absolutely sure that you were doing well.

At about 10:30 am, your Mommy and I were moved into recovery room number 308. It was a nice room and a lot like the room we went to when Jaden was born. Here, your Mom and I could just sit and relax while your Mommy's cut got better. After a while of sitting with Mommy, I went back down to the NICU to see you again and check on how you were doing. I was amazed at what I saw. You were sucking on your pacifier very strongly. So strong that it was hard for me to get it out of your mouth. It was then that I knew you would grow to be a strong boy. You were ready to eat! Now all we had to do was wait for Mommy to be ready to feed you.

At about 1:00 pm, I was walking back from having lunch on the 4th floor when I noticed a baby in the nursery that looked a lot like you. I thought it was you because this baby had a lot of hair and had an I.V. in its head. I really hoped it was you because this would mean that you were going to be seeing Mommy and me. This would be the first time that you and Mommy met.

When the nurse did bring you in to meet Mommy, you were very hungry. You were born at 7:40 am and it was now about 1:40 pm. That's a long time to go without eating. When you did begin to eat, you did a great job right away. After eating, the nurse took you back to the nursery so you could have your hearing tested. The hearing check went just fine and you came back in to the room for your next meal at about 4:35 pm. You ate well again and took a nap.

While you were napping, Grandma and Grandpa Schmidt stopped by to visit with us. Grandma had the chance to hold you and she seemed to really like it. After a few minutes, the nurse came in and wanted to help Mommy get up and moving around so she would feel better. Grandma, Grandpa and I took you for a walk in your wooden carriage up and down the hall. I shared the story of how you were born with them and they were both very impressed at how well you were doing for such a little guy. After visiting a while, your grandparents left and it was just you, Mommy and I. We were waiting for you to wake up for more food, but you slept until 7:30 pm. When you did wake up, you were very tired and didn't get much to eat. We hoped that you'd be hungrier next time. I did get hungry then and ordered some Papa John's breadsticks to fill me up until bedtime. They were delicious!

At about 9:00 pm, I folded out the futon couch and went to bed. Overnight, Mommy had her I.V. removed and got up a few times to feed you. You were a very consistent child. You slept well for about 3 hours and then woke up hungry. After nursing for 20 minutes, you would go back to sleep.

The next morning, you had your head I.V. removed. It was really nice to be able to put a hat on you and not have to worry about bumping your I.V. I got a chance to hold you again and I really enjoyed it. While I held you, Mommy caught up on some much needed sleep.

Your sister, Jaden, came over to visit us on Tuesday. She was very excited to see your Mommy and me. After sitting with you for a while, she wanted to go outside for a walk with me. I was very glad to do it since I missed her a lot. We went to a nice little park on the corner and she picked some flowers for Mommy. She really likes to be outside.

Over the course of the next few days, you and Mommy continued to stay at the hospital. You dropped down to 5 pounds, 4 ounces on Tuesday and then down to 5 pounds, 2 ounces on Wednesday, but then you moved up to 5 pounds, 4 ounces on Thursday.

This brings us to today. Today is Thursday, May 21. We had expect you to be born today, but obviously you wanted to come out earlier than that. We're glad you did. After school, I went to St. Vincent to see you and Mommy. When I got there I received a big surprise. You were both able to come home today!! This was exciting news. At about 5:30 pm, Grandma brought Jaden to the hospital and she was very happy to see us. We packed up all of our things and carefully put you in the carseat. You looked so small in there, but we remember that Jaden also looked really small in the carseat when we brought her home too. After we got everything loaded, we began the procession to the car. Mommy rode in a wheelchair while I pushed a cart. Jaden helped with that too. She really likes to help.

Once we got everyone into the car, we went to Walgreens to get some medicine for Mommy. Then we stopped at Culvers for some burgers and ice cream. This is exactly what we did when we picked up Jaden for the first time too. It's kind of neat to think of that as our take-home ritual. Once we got done with supper, we drove home to a nice clean house and gave you a tour. You didn't say much, but I'm sure you will like living here with us.

Once again, we have say we are very thankful that God has given us two wonderful little children. As I type this story, I look over at Caleb in the crib and know that the Lord has big things in store for you and your sister. It is our prayer that you both continue to grow strong physically, mentally, and spiritually. We love you very much. - Daddy