August 4, 2008

Dear Felix Raphael

Your expected date of arrival was unknown as there was some discrepancy with the dates but eventually, it was decided that your birth should occur somewhere between the 16th and 23rd of July, 2008. However, those dates meant nothing to you as you knew when you were ready to make the journey into Mommy and Daddy’s arms.

At 31 weeks, Mommy and Daddy had a scare when the bag of waters that were keeping you safe and warm sprung a leak and there was concern that you were going to be born early. Mommy was put on bed rest and she took very good care of herself. As a result, the bag resealed and you continued to grow in your safe environment.

In fact, you) were so comfortable that, as Mommy’s due date approached, there was concern you were going to need some encouragement to leave your watery home! On Monday morning, July 28th, Mommy saw her doctor and she determined that Mommy’s cervix was changing in preparation for your birth, so she separated the membranes from the cervix with her finger to help stimulate labour. Mommy had already been having some cramping and mild contractions so there was a good possibility of this working. If not, Mommy was scheduled to have you assessed on July 29th and to have a discussion regarding medical induction later in the week.

Around noon on July 28th, the walls around you started contracting and by 7:00pm the contractions were 5-6 minutes apart and more intense. By the time I arrived at Mommy and Daddy’s house at 8:30pm, the contractions were occurring every 2 minutes and were lasting any where from 30 seconds to 1 minute. Your Mommy is a woman of strength and your Daddy was an incredible support to her. She embraced each contraction with tremendous courage and strength, knowing that each contraction was bringing you closer to their arms.

While all of this was going on, Grampy and Grammy had come over to put your big brother Elliot to bed and to stay with him while Mommy and Daddy went to the hospital.

We arrived at the Early Labour Assessment Unit (ELAU) at the hospital at 9:30pm. The unit was full and the Birthing Unit was extremely busy so Mommy and Daddy and I waited in the ELAU lounge and the nurse working in ELAU that evening came in to check on you and Mommy. You were tolerating the changes very well and much to Mommy’s surprise, her cervix was dilated to 7cm and had completely thinned out. There was great excitement in the room, as that meant that you would soon be in Mommy and Daddy’s arms.

Your nurse arranged a room on the Birthing Unit for Mommy, and L was the nurse assigned to care for both of you. L was new on the unit so she had support from N, R and K, all of whom had more experience.

Dr L arrived around 11:00pm and examined Mommy to find that she was 9.5cm dilated. During a contraction Dr. L was able to push the remaining cervix over your head and within 15 minutes Mommy was feeling a very strong urge to push. She was encouraged to breathe through that sensation while Dr L got ready to assist you. Mommy’s body couldn’t wait and neither could you. You had made up your mind and there was no stopping you. You and Mommy define the term “effective team work”!

At 11:39 your head was born. The cord was wrapped twice around your neck, so Dr. L removed it. With the next contraction they expected you to slide into Dr L’s hands but your shoulders got stuck and it took some effort to get them to release. Happily, within a couple of minutes they were free, and, with one big push, Mommy birthed you into the world at 11:41pm July 28, 2008. Dr L cut your cord and you were whisked across the room to be checked over by the neonatal team. It wasn’t long until you let out some loud cries to let Mommy and Daddy know that you were indeed fine and that there was no need for concern.

You weighed 9 pounds 4 ounces and were 20.25 inches long. It wasn’t long until you were on Mommy’s chest and you were very vocal as you expressed your feelings about your experience. Mommy and Daddy were very happy to meet you and there were tears of joy as they welcomed you. Once you settled, you nuzzled at Mommy’s breast and took a couple of sucks. However, you seemed content to just be close to Mommy and food was not the priority.

Felix, you were born into love and that love will always be with you. Your birth is another thread woven into the tapestry of life that was started thousands of years ago when your ancestors brought their offspring into the world. Felix, I feel blessed to be a part of this tapestry and you will always hold a special place in my heart.

Journey well my little friend.

Your doula,
Karen