All systems GO for...Operation: S.P.A.W.N. (Small Person Approaches Wondrous Nascency)

We're a go for birthin'. 

My wife's nethers have started telling her that the watermelon wants out the lemon-sized door.

She's at the hospital right now and I'm home with the boy and the dogs.

I will update the chronological timeline below as often as I am able.
Check back often!!

(All times are Mountain Standard, Friday, 3rd March 2006)

---

3 am - I woke to Declan crying unexpectedly in his sleep; laid down with him until 5.  When I got up from the race car bed, most of the lights in the house were on and Amy complained of some spotting.  Given the hour, she drove herself to the hospital to be assessed since we didn't want to wake and bring Declan nor wait for my mother to get here.  Could just be a false alarm anyway.

6.15 am - Suspect she's going to be in labour soon and am anxiously waiting her phone call.  Saw a program last night on Discovery re: artificial equine insemination.  It must have been an omen.

6.50 am - Watching The Incredibles to keep myself distracted while waiting.  Struck by the thought that it must have been pretty easy for Elastigirl to give birth.  Bitch.

10 am - First phone call from Amy.  She's booked for an ultrasound at 11 am and expects to be home by about noon.  She saw the doctor and was informed that she can probably expect to give birth some time tonight.

1 pm - Second call from Amy.

"Hi Si...  ooooh... hang on a sec.... I'm going to have a contraction..."
[pause]

She's currently 3 centimetres dilated and in the early stages of labour, but not active labour, so they're going to keep her for a couple more hours and see then if she should be admitted or sent home for the rest of the afternoon.  She had three contractions in the 7 minutes and 22 seconds I was on the phone with her...

1.53 pm - First call from Random Nurse #6 at Sturgeon County Hospital.  Amy seems to be in active labour and unable to call me directly.  I have called Granny to come watch her slumbering grandson and then I'm going to cab it to the hospital.  I have no idea when I'll next be able to update this.  Camera batteries are charged.

2.15 pm - Third phone call from Amy.  Change of plans.  They're going to dose her with some Gravol for her nausea (and she'd been doing so well these past few months), some Tylenol3, and then as soon as Granny gets here, we're going to go pick Amy up to bring home to suffer here for a few hours.  There'll be no gettin' rid of Granny though, save at gunpoint.  More updates though.

4.25 pm - Home again, just the 2.95 of us.  Granny has Dex and the Jack Russell at her place now.  Amy's girlfriend has the Boxer off to the kennel.  My dear wife is less than content and about to immerse herself in a really hot shower until our water tank is empty.  Our current plan is to head back to the hospital within the next two hours, by 6 pm or so.  At that point, hopefully, Aim can get the epidural she's been craving for the better part of today.  On our strolls around the hospital corridors, before coming home, the only indication I had that she was having a contraction was that she'd stop walking and lean up against the railing.  About 45 seconds later we'd continue walking.  It's a little unnerving when it just looks like she's stopping to collect her thoughts when in actuality she's on the verge of collapsing from the pain.  Damn.

4.45 pm - It's a boy.  We need new bedsheets.  The ambulance was fast.  I'm still in shock.

5.25 pm - Amy's first words to me after the birth:  "You had to go and grab the Ralph Lauren towels, didn't you?"

I'm off to the hospital now that some of the shock has worn off and I feel a little more able to drive.  More later.

......

Comments

[Mark]

Wow. The baby's on the way!

What a tough lady you have there. Drove herself there, huh? And how is she getting home (if she comes home before the birth). I bet she won't come home until she has a new baby breathing the rich Canadian air. I guess it's rich.

[Alec Lynch]

This is exciting. We should have all chipped in on buying you a laptop with wireless Internet so that we could get continuous updates right until the end...on second thought, maybe it's better this way.

[Paul]

Pat and I are excited for you, and there will be large amounts of thinking about you guys going on in the Little household over the next several hours/days(God forbid). Go get 'em, Dex2!

[Dixie]

Awesome. Go Amy, you can do it!!! Hope all goes well. Can't wait for the updates!!! (Unless this is just your sneaky way to get lots of hits on your blog today!!) :)

[Paul]

Random nurse#6...is she the one in the red uniform that won't make it through the episode alive? You go, man. Cab like the wind! Can't wait to hear the good news. (What are tenterhooks, anyway?)

[Dixie]

PS. When you Google "Sturgeon County Hospital" there are only 5 hits and two of them are yours.

And I'm very, very excited right now. You're page will stay open until I know the results of the labour. So all those hits are from me. Dixie. Someone who enjoys hearing about childbirth far too much.

Come on baby!

[Dixie]

Okay, only one more comment. I just saw your 2:15 comment. Take it from someone who got sent home at 6:15 in the evening and was only 2cm, and then went back and had a baby an hour and a half later. If she starts having really regular contractions, even if they aren't super bad, go back to the hospital. Second babies can come out fast. And I don't want to see you guys on the news for giving birth in the car!!!

[Jenn]

Ooh, second babies usually do come fast! What exciting news! I am sprinkling Easy Birth Fairy Dust through the Internet and onto Amy's head! I can't believe the timing -- nearly no one gives birth on their due date, and you are right on track. Tell her to hold out for a few hours to beat the stats.

Whoopee! You're going to be a papa all over again!

[Linda]

Holding my breath, saying prayers and checking on here often... :-))))))))))))))

[Dixie]

Oh my goodness!!! Wow! Congratulations and I hope everything will all be okay. Wow. My heart is beating pretty fast right now. I tell ya, those second babies...

[Linda]

YIPPEE!!! We're SO Happy for you all! Very Sincere Congratulations and Love!

[Kristen]

Yay! A baby!

That was quick! I had to laugh at her comment. I mean, geez, you couldn't get some old towels? You had to get the Ralph Lauren?

Congrats to you and yours!

[rick]

Though even upon cool reflection would you have wanted to use anything less than the Ralph Lauren to welcome in the wee one, really? Congratulations!

[Paul]

Congratulations Amy and Simon on the birth of your new son. I assume we will be told the name tomorrow?

[Paula]

Oh, what a story - who expected a home birth?? Did you deliver your newest son? I am so happy for you, Amy and Declan and he who shall be named!

[Tasha]

Sounds like you had an exciting evening! Congratulations to all the Frasers, especially Amy! I hope we see a more detailed account of what sounded like a harried experience.

P.S. I'm glad I sent the right colors. :)

[TerriTorial]

Congratulations!!!!

[Jeff A]

Congratulations!

[elizabeth]

YAY, THE BABY!!!

Way to go Amy! And, uh, yeah, you too, Si. ;)

So happy for ya'll - and that everything went well. Warmest Congratulations.

[Mark]

Congrats! Wow, so you delivered the baby? Or did someone from the ambulance do it? I'm so confused, because here in the U.S. most doctors would never even send a woman home that far along in labor. Unless your plan was for a home childbirth.

This is all so wild. Just, wild. Makes me think if we go for a second one, maybe I need to do a lot more to prepare.

[Hazel Hazel]

Holy cannoli! Congratultions! Can't wait to hear the whole story!

[Alec]

Many congratulations! (Reading the end of the post all I could envision was Austin Powers collapsing as he wipes his brow, declaring, "And...I'm spent."

[Edmonton Jenn]

Yay! Congratulations!

You are a braver man than my husband...I'm sure he would have collapsed into a puddle of goo if I had a baby on the bed. He had a hard enough time at the hospital.

[wil]

Congratulations Amy. Sounds like the end came quickly. Remind me not to get you into the back of my ambulance, though.

Simon, what were you thinking using the Ralph Lauren towels? You know those are only for guest births!

Proud Papa, my better half wants details, boy. Birth weight, length, fingers, toes and nose. And name, of course.

[fv]

Huzzah!