Tuesday, June 5

Ob appointment with Dr. Doherty. Karin is showing signs of toxemia. Labor induction is scheduled for Thursday June 7. We think that will probably be Rachel's birthday.

Wednesday, June 6

We are very excited and nervous all day.

Thursday, June 7

8:00 AM	We arrive at Sutter, and are led into Room 203. The nurse, Sue, puts Karin in the standard revealing hospital gown and attaches external fetal monitors to her belly.
8:05 AM	Sue leaves, and Karin freaks out. She tears the monitor off, and she and Bruce go and sit on the couch to talk. When Sue comes back in to check on the monitor, we ask her for a less revealing robe. She promises to look for one. A while later she comes back with a better robe and tells us that Dr. Doherty is on her way.
8:20 AM	Dr. Doherty arrives. Sue tells her that Karin is nervous, and Dr. Doherty thinks she must mean Bruce. When Dr. Doherty comes in to talk to us, Karin starts to feel better. Sue reattaches the monitor.
9:00 AM	Karin is administered Misoprostal vaginally. This is a milder drug that ripens the cervix and induces contractions. However, it does not seem to do much of anything over the next five hours.
2:00 PM	Dr. Doherty calls to start Karin on a Pitocin IV drip. (On the phone, Dr. Doherty asks Sue how Karin is doing, and Sue says that she is a different person -- calm and sweet.) Pitocin is the main labor inducing drug that will be used. They start it at a very slow rate, and increase it every half-hour. The Pitocin only produces mild contractions through the afternoon and evening. We were excited and nervous. We talked some. Karin was too nervous to eat. We started watching Alec Guinness in The Lavender Hill Mob.
10:00 PM	Since the contractions haven't really started going, it is discussed that we stop inducing, get some sleep, and start again in the morning. However, when we hear that we would start the Pitocin again at the lowest level, we decide to push ahead. They start increasing the dosage every 15 minutes.

Friday, June 8

1:00 AM	Karin's cervix is checked for dilation (OUCH!), but there is none. Frustrated, we decide to get some sleep.
6:00 AM	Karin's water breaks. She starts awake with a yell, and Bruce jumps out of bed to call the nurse. We are very excited, as this means things will start happening! And indeed, the contractions do get stronger and more painful.
7:00 AM	Karin gets a dose of fentanyl for the pain. She doesn't really notice it much, but Bruce can tell that the pain is not as sharp. But it only lasts for 30 minutes, and they can only give it to her every hour. That's a problem!
8:00 AM	Second dose of fentanyl does nothing. Karin is getting in worse pain. We start asking for the doctors, and the epidural. They say they are on their way.
9:45 AM	Dr. Anish arrives, and starts preparing for the intrathecal (a spinal injection that gives immediate pain relief), and the epidural catheter (through which ongoing pain relief can be administered after the intrathecal wears off). As he prepares, he talks to Karin about the risks, but Karin is VERY SURE SHE WANTS THE MEDS!!!
10:00 AM	Dr. Anish administers the intrathecal. He asks, "Am I your best friend?" Karin says "You're my BEST FRIEND for LIFE!!!" He then inserts the epidural catheter.
10:05 AM	Now that Karin is out of pain, it is time to check her cervical dilation. Mary reaches in, and FEELS RACHEL'S RIGHT ARM! She announces this to the room as she hurries out to prepare the emergency Cesarean Section. Dr. Anish says "WHAT?!?!?" He is distressed because this means he will have to administer additional anesthesia (enough for surgery) while Karin is already anesthetized with the intrathecal.
10:10 AM	Dr. Doherty arrives (quickly!) and verifies that Rachel's arm is protruding through the cervix, and that we will be doing surgery immediately. They wheel Karin into the OR to prep her, and Bruce waits impatiently in the lobby. He calls family on the cell phone to tell them what is happening. Priscilla, at our house in Scotts Valley, gets the first call. She says "I'm coming down there now." and hangs up.
10:35 AM	Bruce is called into the OR. Dr. Anish is nearest the door, standing next to his monitoring equipment. He sees Bruce's camera, and grabs it immediately. "I'll do that," he says. (Thanks to him we have wonderful pictures from the OR!) Karin's is lying on the table, with her head protruding through the drape. Sherrie St. Clair, a midwife nurse practitioner, is standing to the left of the table. Dr. Doherty is to the right. They are all ready to start cutting.
10:40 AM	Bruce peeks over the drape. Dr. Anish encourages him to focus on Karin. He seems worried that Bruce will be squeamish and faint, but Bruce assures him that he will be OK.
10:45 AM	Dr. Doherty seems to be working harder and harder. Too hard. Sherrie often bends over the table, blocking Bruce's view. Dr. Doherty pulls an arm out at one point, but that is not a good place to start a birth, so she pushes it back in! They are struggling a great deal to get Rachel out! Finally, she pulls out a leg. That will work better! She gets the other leg out and proceeds with a breech birth.
10:50 AM	Dr. Doherty has to reach WAY inside, to pull Rachel's arm back up through the cervix. It is the most difficult part of the birth. We learn later that Karin has a fibroid tumor as large as Rachel's head that is partially blocking the cervix. There is no room for Rachel to get out!
10:51 AM	Finally, Dr. Doherty pulls the arm out. Now everything is out except the head!
10:52 AM	The head pops out!!! Somebody barks out "SHE'S OUT!" Somebody else barks out "BIRTH AT 10:52!" Dr. Anish stands up with the camera and takes a picture. Bruce says to Karin: "She's out! She's out!" Dr. Doherty pulls Rachel about a foot above Karin. Rachel is very blue and purple, but Bruce sees that she moves her arms and legs around. She really is alive! Bruce tells Karin "She's moving around!" Dr. Doherty lays Rachel on Karin's belly. She clamps the cord in one place, clamps the cord in a second place, and cuts the cord. About three seconds for the clamp-clamp-snip. She picks Rachel up, spins around, and hands her to Dr. Griger, the pediatrician. Rachel is about 10 seconds old! Dr. Griger and the nurses Mary and Jane start working to get Rachel breathing.
10:53 AM	First APGAR test. Rachel gets a 1 out of 10. VERY BAD! But the women have Rachel on oxygen immediately, so there is never any danger from oxygen deprivation. They start to suck the fluid out of Rachel's lungs (normally squeezed out by the passage through the birth canal).
10:57 AM	Second APGAR test: 5. Karin and Bruce are VERY nervous, but everybody assures us that things are going well. The women working on Rachel clearly know what they are doing, but it is still tense. Every once in a while Karin and Bruce catch a glimpse of Rachel. She is getting pinker, and is very beautiful!!!
11:02 AM	Third APGAR test: 6. Karin and Bruce hear Rachel make a sound, and are very encouraged! But they are still working on her very urgently.
11:07 AM	Fourth APGAR test: 9! Dr. Griger, Mary, and Jane have stopped working, are taking deep breaths, and have big smiles on their faces! Bruce breaths a HUGE sigh of relief! Everybody will be OK!
11:10 AM	Bruce is invited over to meet Rachel. He is afraid to touch her, because it has been so tense! Dr. Anish takes another picture.
11:15 AM	Rachel is weighed for the first time. 3510 grams, or 7 pounds 12.2 ounces. More pictures.
11:16 AM	Bruce is given a wrist tag that matches Rachel's wrist and ankle tags. Rachel is also given an ankle alarm which will sound if she is removed from the maternity ward.
11:18 AM	Dr. Doherty invites Bruce over to look at Karin's purple uterus, which is lying on top of her belly. She shows him the vertical incision, with all the stitches. Fascinating! And how many husbands have seen their wife's uterus?!?!?
11:20 AM	Rachel is swaddled, and Bruce is told to take her to meet her mother. Dr. Anish shows Bruce how to lay Rachel on Karin's chest, where she can hold her and look at her. Dr. Anish takes the first family portrait! Dr. Doherty notices the flash, and looks over and smiles for a second picture. Karin says her arms are getting tired, and Bruce takes Rachel back.
11:25 AM	The nurses ask to take Rachel into the nursery, where she must still be monitored for the next hour or two. Watching from the lobby, Priscilla sees Rachel for the first time as she is brought into the nursery.
11:30 AM	Dr. Doherty and Sherrie are trying to get Karin's uterus back inside. It is not easy! All her organs finally have some breathing room, and do NOT want to give it up! Sherrie has a THREE-FOOT long shoe horn (NO KIDDING!) that she uses to try to stuff it back in! Happily, they finally succeed!
11:34 AM	Bruce starts calling family from the OR. Dr. Anish laughs at him, and announces the fact to the OR staff. Everybody laughs, and Dr. Anish takes a picture.
11:38 AM	When Bruce calls Stacey he says "Hi Aunt Stacey!" Stacey says "OH!" in a choked voice.
11:50 AM	Karin is all sewed up, and the OR staff is cleaning up. Bruce finally leaves the OR to go tell Priscilla about it all, and to see how Rachel is doing. Priscilla is in the nursery, where Rachel is lying on a table under lights, with monitors. Bruce puts his finger onto her palm, and she grabs it.
12:00 PM	Dr. Doherty comes into the nursery, and talks to Bruce and Priscilla (and poses for some pictures). She then takes us into the lobby to tell us about the complications of the birth, and the future implications.
12:10 PM	Karin is wheeled back into her room. Jane starts getting her comfortable.
12:12 PM	As Bruce leaves the room to check on Rachel, he hears an emergency call to get the nurse into the nursery. Since Rachel is the ONLY baby in the nursery, Bruce is very nervous. He looks through the window, and sees people standing around, working on Rachel. Again! But Priscilla is also watching, and seem calm. Bruce goes in the room and looks at Priscilla anxiously. She says "Oh, she's fine. This is why they monitor them like this. They know what they're doing." Since Priscilla is a nurse with 25 years of experience, these words are VERY comforting!
12:15 PM	Rachel is fine. Priscilla leaves to get some lunch. Bruce is too nervous to leave and goes to check on Karin.
12:20 PM	Karin is not doing so well. She's dozing some, but then she wakes up shivering violently. Bruce puts another blanket on her, and tries to comfort her.
12:25 PM	Meggin, the nurse from the nursery, comes in to ask Bruce's permission to give Rachel her first feeding. Yes.
12:26 PM	Realizing this is An Event, Bruce rushes to the nursery with the camera. Rachel eats ½ ounce, which Meggin says is very good.
12:50 PM	Bruce goes back to check on Karin. Jane is there, installing a warm air blower underneath the blankets to keep Karin warm. Karin is sleeping soundly, in good hands.
1:15 PM	Bruce goes back to check on Rachel. She is sleeping soundly.
1:30 PM	Bruce starts to go back to check on Karin, and realizes that if he walks once more between the room and the nursery, he will go insane. He leaves the hospital to call some friends and de-stress!
2:20 PM	Bruce returns to the nursery, and just in time: Rachel is about to be taken to the room.
2:30 PM	Bruce gives Rachel her first diaper change.
2:45 PM	Bruce gives Rachel her second feeding. She eats one ounce.
3:15 PM	Karin is asleep, Rachel is asleep, and Bruce, very happy, goes to sleep too.
6:00 PM	Everybody wakes up in the same room together, we are all well-rested, and we all begin the Time of Perfect Bliss!!!