Sasha tells the Ivan story

Okay, thanks to my very supportive family (Grandmas are awesome!) I'm grabbing a few minutes here and there to update folks on the events of the last week. We've had just tons of great notes from all of our far-flung family and friends on the news of Ivan's arrival, and a whole bunch of you have asked for more details on the big day. So here goes.

As you know from my last whiny email bemoaning his late arrival, Ivan did not come on any of his three estimated due dates. So on Saturday last, Dr. Felix M. decided we needed to meet him at the hospital to make sure the placenta was still providing enough nutrients for the baby. Apparently, the further you go past 40 weeks the more likely it is that the placenta will start to fail. Some babies will actually start to lose weight and there are other complications that go along with the baby staying in too long. So with all those concerns in mind, we headed off to the hospital for a look-see quite early last Saturday morning. Traffic is MUCH easier at 7 on the weekend compared to during the week. But other than that distinction, our visit seemed at first like a rerun of last month's hospital visit: a very quiet hospital ward with a cast of a zillion residents and interns (ABC is a teaching hospital here in Mexico City) and the galloping sounds of the fetal monitoring machine as it read my contractions and the baby's response to them. I was having contractions about ten minutes apart but that's the kind of prelabor that can apparently last for ages. And disappointingly, it appeared that our little dude was not responding to the contractions as he should indicating that indeed the placenta was starting to fail.

With that in mind, Dr. M wanted to induce labor. Yikes! We had discussed this possibility though we had thought it would be a worst-case scenario a little further down the road. Originally, Dr. M had felt comfortable waiting until the 42nd week which would have bought us a few more days. But our doctor and the team at the hospital were pretty convincing that our baby would do better outside than inside, and we were soon on board. I took a pill and labor in earnest began. We were told we would absolutely be having a baby that day which was pretty mind-blowing. We were pleased with ourselves for remembering to bring along our packed bags but a bit bothered that we had forgotten to arrange for LouLou's daycare!

As the contractions became stronger, the room grew more crowded with various medical professionals and students clocking me and my baby's moves. Eventually, the doctor came in to tell us that he suspected that the cord was caught around the baby's neck. He said that the baby was fine but if the heart beat pattern continued with no change even during the most intense contractions, "we would have to look at other options." That's how doctors talk all over the world I guess. As it turns out, even with the strongest contractions and after five hours of what the doctor termed "good labor", there was an established pattern of strong contraction, decelerating heartbeat and no dilation. The doctor advised immediate surgery.

Sergio's last view of Sasha pre-delivery

And in no time, we were off! The doc was out of his track suit and into scrubs, I was visited by an anesthesiologist and wheeled off down the hall, and Sergio was sent to get his camera and wait to join the surgical team in the operating room.

Bring it.

I was so happy to have my mom there, and she offered some very down-to-earth wisdom when I started to feel a little sorry for myself that my plans for a natural childbirth were by now completely shot. My mom mused that it seemed to her that getting hung up on the "how" of childbirth might be more about the mom than the baby. I had to agree and it was as good a time as any to start learning the art of being flexible!

I was in surgery within 30 minutes and while I couldn't see every detail (thankfully no doubt!) , I was very fully aware and able to feel a part of it all. Sergio was an eyewitness to the whole thing so I'll let him give his account (warning: it's a tad graphic):

So I had been waiting myself for a few minutes after they rolled Sasha away, wearing scrubs for the first time in my life and trying to calm the butterflies going to town in my stomach. They finally summon me into the O.R., where I see Sasha on the surgical table with her arms spread out and tied down, crucifixion-style, and various doctors and nurses busy at work. They put me directly behind Sasha's left shoulder, the best position in which to both comfort her and watch what was happening.


Dr. M worked fast -- his hands moved quickly and deftly, steadily working on the 8-inch incision across Sasha's belly. Cut, suction, cut, suction -- it was obvious this was not his first rodeo. After no more than 10 minutes of that, he pulled out what looked like an 18-inch ice cream paddle made of stainless steel and with thick finger grooves molded into the handle. He shoved that deep into the incision and wedged it there with the handle sticking up and straight out of Sasha. The docs gave me a quick "All set? Camera ready?" to which I responded a vague "uh-huh" and nodded yes, hesitantly. He then pulled back on the handle and in one motion Sasha's uterus popped out. I snapped a photo and by the time the light of the flash receded there was a naked screaming baby laying on the table between Sasha's legs, with Dr. M cutting his umbilical cord. I was then shuttled over to the corner of the room to watch the pediatrician stick various tubes in the baby's nose and mouth, all the time saying "looks good, looks good...." I was now a father.



Dr. M liked to give me the business, and predicted many times pre-delivery that I would faint or pass out in the delivery room. I did not -- but not for any particular intestinal fortitude on my part. The whole thing was just so surreal and happened so quickly that by the time my brain could process and react to it, it was over. In other words, it was awesome. Now back to Sasha.

Sergio sat right next to me and while I was certainly a bit anxious about it all, I was so excited to see and hear the baby it all went by in a flash. After some preliminaries, I felt some tugging and then all of the sudden, I heard a tremendous cry. I turned to look at Sergio and saw a huge sunbeam smile.

I insisted I could still operate the camera in my condition...

...but the anesthesiologist decided to step in.

It took less than an hour for the little guy to enter the world yelping and after Dr. H the pediatrician took a peek at him (and made many thumbs-up signs!) he was handed over for our inspection.

Note: not a sign of Blackfoot disease.

And he was gorgeous! And loud! And had all his parts!

I am completely unaware of what is happening right now! - Ivan

Word.

Ivan and I recovered in the hospital for a few days with Sergio and my mom taking turns looking after us and keeping us company in our hospital room.

We even had a nice visit from our cousins in Mexico City:

Bolivia in the house.

Meanwhile Sergio spread the news back at work and around the world, passing out cigars where he could and generally taking care of business. My mom helped me keep my cool as I learned about nursing the baby, bathing the baby and on and on. What a brand new world we've entered!

We came home on Tuesday to a very curious dog, a house full of gorgeous flowers and the beginning of a parade of delicious baked goods and even complete meals cooked by our lovely neighbors. We're all a bit sleepy around here, but we could not be happier. Here's hoping the next few weeks will bring a lot of this...