At 2:00 AM, the cervical lip had disappeared and it was finally time to start pushing. Kate stood at the foot of the bed while Connie (our new nurse) and I stood on opposites sides of the bed alongside Tary's legs. As the contractions came in, Tary was instructed to push while Connie and I help hold her legs. The top of our baby's head was already visible. Each push seemed to nudge him that much closer to us.
Connie tried to keep Tary focused but she had a very blunt personality which Tary and I didn't particularly care for at the moment. I guess the best way to describe her was that she was a bit rough around the edges, both physically and verbally. She meant well but sometimes she would do or say things that were very distracting. For example, she would count out loud during the pushing and try to urge Tary on. But then Connie would then mutter some nonsense that if Tary doesn't push hard enough, the baby will get stuck and end up looking like Connie. How can you stay focused listening to that? Tary indeed was a great pusher so I thought it was important to inform her that she was making a lot of progress.
The baby's head was really starting to show. I was amazed at how calm Kate remained during this point of the labor. I watched her casually slip on an extra hospital gown and place down some extra padding on the bed. As rough as Connie was during the birth, Kate's gentleness stood in stark contrast. Kate's words and movements were soft and purposeful. As Baby's head came out, Kate gently supported it and rotated it slightly to ease his passage. A quick push later, a slight adjustment for the shoulders, and Daniel was finally born!
Daniel cried immediately as Kate lifted him onto Tary's chest. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. I heard the nurse announce the time as 2:40 AM. The umbilical cord was quickly clamped and Kate handed me a pair of scissors. With overflowing pride I snipped through the cord. Several other nurses had joined us in the room and they whisked Daniel over to a warming table to check his vitals.
Tary was exhausted and I didn't want to leave her side. She urged me to go over and see our son so I walked over to him. His eyes were open and he looked up at me. A part of me would like to think that he somehow recognized my voice through the womb. His chest was a healthy rose color though his extremities were still a little pale. One of the nurses gave him a shot and each cry he let out caused more blood to flow to the rest of his body. I was amazed at how small he was yet so full of life.
I went back to check on Tary and she had already delivered the placenta at 2:52 AM. Again, my curiosity took over so I asked if I could see it. Kate lifted a container with this liver-sized organ in it. I can't believe that just 15 minutes ago, our son was inside of this. Kate satisfied my inner geek by lifting it up, flipping it inside-out, and continuing to give a brief Science class on it.
After cleaning off Daniel a little bit, they put him on a scale and took some measurements. He weighed in at 6 lbs, 10.5 ounces and was 19.75 inches long. My inner ego was a little disappointed that he wasn't born a little bigger but I realized that more importantly, our son had arrived and was healthy despite being born two weeks early. I got to take my first photo of him. I stood there watching over him. He was beautiful, perfect, just as God had intended.
Psalms 127:3 reads,
"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him."
Daniel Heng Trinh. He truly is a gift from God and Tary and I are so thankful for him.
And to Daniel...one day you'll be old enough to read and understand this. Daniel, I am your father. May the 4th be with you. :)
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