Another Baby Boy

When labor started, I had W take me to my parents house first. I couldn't believe it was actually starting late the evening before the baby was due. I believed it would turn into a false labor. How could this baby be on time when I'd waited so long the first time?

My family sat up with me till well after midnight. When it became obvious this baby was ready, Dad stayed with J T who had been put to bed. Mom phoned the In-Laws and then went with W and I to the hospital. I remember how much trouble W was having staying awake. Remembering how G had signed me in an gone back home to bed, I told W all I expected of him was to stay awake with me. In 1971 this hospital didn't allow Fathers to wait in the labor rooms or enter a delivery room. Some hospitals did, and I was surprised by that. During those early hours I was allowed to walk out to sit with W and Mom for short periods. Then the waters broke and I was kept in my room. But, there were two nurses who never left my side. I felt spoiled. My Doctor had appeared within an hour after I was admitted. He came and went every hour, but I teased him about taking naps when he wasn't with me. He didn't deny it, he just grinned. Remember this was a man who had known me since I was about 14.

Somewhere around 6 A.M. he checked on my again and decided he had time to slip down to the cafeteria for breakfast, telling me he would be right back. Once again, when it happened, it all happened at once. J T had been born in a hallway on the way to the delivery room. I just barely made it to the delivery room again. They paged the Doctor to hurry. He showed up out of breath and running with his white coattails flying. I just had to laugh and he grumbled at me something about new white hairs on his head that were all my fault. My second son arrived just as easily as J T had, on the run, just as we entered the delivery room. (By the way, I suffered a broken tailbone with both babies, not to mention the stitches.)

Then my new baby scared the happy mood right out of everyone. They couldn't get him to breathe. They took him away from me to the other side of the room. There were several tense moments or minutes or what seemed like forever to me. Then I heard him cry and you could feel the tension melt from the room. But, they didn't bring him to me. He was taken away to be checked over. I didn't even get a glimpse of him, though they kept assuring me he would be fine.

After a bit, I was put on a clean gurney and taken past W and my Mother and my In-Laws who had arived since I'd been out. There was W, asleep on a couch while our elders talked. He didn't know yet he was a Father. I was still too scared for the baby to even scold him, but I did notice. Waking him with the scary news of trouble seemed punishment enough. They followed while I was taken to a room to wait for assurance that baby T K would be OK. I have no idea now how long we waited, but we were all together when they brought the baby to my room. And my doctor was right behind him ready to show Mom the new white hairs we had given him.

T K was very congested and we were kept in the hospital an extra day because he had stopped breathing a couple more times. Once when they brought him to me. I didn't even try the call button. I started yelling at the top of my lungs for a Nurse. Believe me, I can yell, and they came running. Then they let us leave when we promised to go to Moms house for a few more days before leaving the county for home. (W, of course, went back to work.) My brothers and their wives and the rest of my family were in and out of Moms house all the time we were there. It was wonderful, but I'm sure she was relieved and needed rest when we left. T K was a tiny, skinny little spider of a baby. That's what I called him those first few days...my blond spider. Or maybe he just seemed that way after the size of his brother. But, he stayed healthy after his rocky beginning. And, I didn't have any more trouble with my eyes for years.