Taylor is home and that is just awesome! She is doing very well! Here is a short video I put together of her first month! Have a great day!
If you would rather watch it on Youtube, here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MUYfSfCFzY
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Taylor Brooke Laney has Arrived!
A “Tonight Show” rerun was on the television as I drifted in and out of consciousness at approximately 11:30 PM on Saturday night, October 24, 2009. The disappointing loss to LSU had worn us out. Rebecca was already catching zzzz’s when she sat up in the bed and said, “I think my water just broke”. I said, “what?”. She ran around to the bathroom as the fluid poured. She had been feeling some pressure that day (which was normal) and I wasn’t sure if it was just a reaction to that pressure or not. I didn’t know what to expect when her water broke and definitely wasn’t expecting it more than 2 months before her due date. I told her to call her mom to see if she thought that was what was happening. She did. So did Dr. Short when we called her. She told us to rush to the hospital and we grabbed a few things and hit the road.
At the hospital, they immediately put her in the stirrups and checked. They confirmed her water broke. Although we were really hoping to deliver at CRMC, they couldn’t handle babies born this prematurely. They loaded us in the ambulance and took us to UAB. We arrived at UAB at approximately 2:25 AM and were immediately given a room in Maternity on the 5th floor. They checked her again as we arrived and she was dilated just a little over 1 cm. They loaded her up with Magnesium Sulfate to slow down delivery. The Dr.’s assured us that it could hold her off as much as two weeks. That didn’t happen!
Dad had followed us to UAB arriving only shortly after we did. Mom was in Yuma, Arizona. She was due in at 11:00 PM on Sunday night, but we weren’t sure if that would be soon enough. She rescheduled by going Yuma, AZ -> Los Angeles, CA -> Phoenix, AZ -> Birmingham, AL by 3:00 PM. Bobby and Kim were actually at the Auburn vs. LSU game in Baton Rouge, LA with Sissy and Danny when we called. They were headed to the hotel after a long and depressing beating Auburn took, but instead drove through the night to get to the hospital at about 5:45 AM. Bethany and Steven drove through the night from a getaway weekend in Tennessee.
Throughout the next couple of hours, she progressed from 1 to 2.5 to 4 cm. 4 cm came at approximately 9:45 AM. The nurse made everyone (including me) leave the room as they gave Rebecca the epidural. She told us to hang out in the waiting room and she would let me know when it was OK to come back in (probably 20 or 30 minutes). I was just explaining to them about my one request for Rebecca. Whenever any husbandly duties came up at the house over the last month, my excuse was always the same, “After October 23, I’ll do anything you ask’. That was the date of my Professional Engineering Exam and I had been studying up to 12 hours per day (in addition to working a little) for the entire month before the exam. October 23 was the culmination of over 500 study hours since January 20, 2009. So, I just told her to hold off until October 23rd with Taylor as well. She did, by one day before she started labor.
I was telling them about my promise after the PE exam when the nurse came in (less than 10 minutes after relegating me to the waiting room).
Nurse: “We’re ready!”
Me: “For what?”
Nurse: “To have a baby!”
Me: “What?!?!?!?!”
By the time I got my scrubs on and found my way to the Operating Room, Rebecca was in mid-push. As soon as I walked in the room, something seemed very odd to me. There were about 18 doctors in the room. I asked the guy next to me about the disproportionate number of doctors in the room and he (a doctor) reminded me that UAB is a teaching hospital and that about half of the doctors were there to just learn. Rebecca was in obvious pain, but was still very strong. About 45 exhausting pushes later, Taylor Brooke was born. The doctors held her up long enough for me to get a glimpse of her before they moved her out of my vision to cut the cord. The doctor carried her away and I followed in hot pursuit. In another room, they laid her on the bed and cleaned her up. They slapped her foot several times and I heard her cry for the first time. I had previously told Rebecca that I didn’t see the point of crying because I was happy and informed her that I would not be crying at the birth of my daughter. I remembered this as I soaked a surgical mask with the stream of tears flowing from my eyes. Two pounds and ten ounces and 15.75” of pure joy. After about five minutes of sobbing at her presence, the doctors asked me if I wanted to go back to the OR and see Rebecca. I said, “I do, but I don’t want to leave her” motioning to Taylor. They promised me they would take good care of her and I went in to see Rebecca.
Here are some pictures of my beautiful wife and daughter!
At the hospital, they immediately put her in the stirrups and checked. They confirmed her water broke. Although we were really hoping to deliver at CRMC, they couldn’t handle babies born this prematurely. They loaded us in the ambulance and took us to UAB. We arrived at UAB at approximately 2:25 AM and were immediately given a room in Maternity on the 5th floor. They checked her again as we arrived and she was dilated just a little over 1 cm. They loaded her up with Magnesium Sulfate to slow down delivery. The Dr.’s assured us that it could hold her off as much as two weeks. That didn’t happen!
Dad had followed us to UAB arriving only shortly after we did. Mom was in Yuma, Arizona. She was due in at 11:00 PM on Sunday night, but we weren’t sure if that would be soon enough. She rescheduled by going Yuma, AZ -> Los Angeles, CA -> Phoenix, AZ -> Birmingham, AL by 3:00 PM. Bobby and Kim were actually at the Auburn vs. LSU game in Baton Rouge, LA with Sissy and Danny when we called. They were headed to the hotel after a long and depressing beating Auburn took, but instead drove through the night to get to the hospital at about 5:45 AM. Bethany and Steven drove through the night from a getaway weekend in Tennessee.
Throughout the next couple of hours, she progressed from 1 to 2.5 to 4 cm. 4 cm came at approximately 9:45 AM. The nurse made everyone (including me) leave the room as they gave Rebecca the epidural. She told us to hang out in the waiting room and she would let me know when it was OK to come back in (probably 20 or 30 minutes). I was just explaining to them about my one request for Rebecca. Whenever any husbandly duties came up at the house over the last month, my excuse was always the same, “After October 23, I’ll do anything you ask’. That was the date of my Professional Engineering Exam and I had been studying up to 12 hours per day (in addition to working a little) for the entire month before the exam. October 23 was the culmination of over 500 study hours since January 20, 2009. So, I just told her to hold off until October 23rd with Taylor as well. She did, by one day before she started labor.
I was telling them about my promise after the PE exam when the nurse came in (less than 10 minutes after relegating me to the waiting room).
Nurse: “We’re ready!”
Me: “For what?”
Nurse: “To have a baby!”
Me: “What?!?!?!?!”
By the time I got my scrubs on and found my way to the Operating Room, Rebecca was in mid-push. As soon as I walked in the room, something seemed very odd to me. There were about 18 doctors in the room. I asked the guy next to me about the disproportionate number of doctors in the room and he (a doctor) reminded me that UAB is a teaching hospital and that about half of the doctors were there to just learn. Rebecca was in obvious pain, but was still very strong. About 45 exhausting pushes later, Taylor Brooke was born. The doctors held her up long enough for me to get a glimpse of her before they moved her out of my vision to cut the cord. The doctor carried her away and I followed in hot pursuit. In another room, they laid her on the bed and cleaned her up. They slapped her foot several times and I heard her cry for the first time. I had previously told Rebecca that I didn’t see the point of crying because I was happy and informed her that I would not be crying at the birth of my daughter. I remembered this as I soaked a surgical mask with the stream of tears flowing from my eyes. Two pounds and ten ounces and 15.75” of pure joy. After about five minutes of sobbing at her presence, the doctors asked me if I wanted to go back to the OR and see Rebecca. I said, “I do, but I don’t want to leave her” motioning to Taylor. They promised me they would take good care of her and I went in to see Rebecca.
Here are some pictures of my beautiful wife and daughter!
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