Hase Arrives

Char and I went to a doctor’s appointment at 9:45 am on Tuesday, March 12th. It was a regular prenatal checkup. Hase was three days past his due date, and there had been no signs of labor as far as we could tell. Our doctor was mostly unconcerned, but did an ultrasound to check his position in the uterus and noticed that there was not much amniotic fluid surrounding him. She asked us to go to the radiology lab for a more detailed scan. They were also unable to find a safe amount of amniotic fluid, and at that point, we made the decision to induce labor.

Much of the rest of our time at the hospital is a blur in my memory. We made it through somehow, aided by the kind support of the hospital staff, meals and snacks provided by our parents, a ready supply of nitrous oxide, and a lot of Brian Blade and Brad Meldau (modern, cerebral jazz) to drown out the less savory noises of the labor and delivery unit.

Char went through over thirty hours of treatment that essentially boiled down to Hase not responding well to induction. Each time they increased the dose of Pitocin, his heart rate dropped. Many interventions were tried, but none succeeded in solving that central problem. Finally, the obstetrician on shift said it was time to move forward with a Cesarean section. About forty-five minutes later, Hase was born.

We spent two more nights in the postpartum unit so that Char could start her recovery and we could make sure Hase was healthy and feeding well. There was some question over whether we would stay longer, but we finally decided we were ready to go home. As kind and helpful as the labor and delivery staff were, we really just wanted some peace and quiet with Hase. We were very glad to make it home.

Both our parents came to meet Hase in the hospital, and it was a revelation to watch them connect. I realized that I was once as fragile and precious to my parents as Hase is to me. As my brother Colin later said, everyone has parents, but not everyone is a parent. The simple truth of that statement is not so much learned as felt - once it happens to you.