Why seek out new life, when you can create it from the comfort of your own home?

It’s catch-up time again. Last weekend, Bionca had her baby shower, and thanks to our family and friends, we are very prepared to bring Perrin home. We don’t have everything all set up, but most of it is. Bionca will have to talk about the baby shower, as I wasn’t there, but what I can say is that I was blown away by the number of gifts we received. Chris, Stephanie, Dad, and Bionca all helped bring stuff up, and it still took me 6 trips to the van.

It was a good thing. Monday, Bionca went to her doctor to check on how Perrin was doing, and the doctor could immediately tell that he was still breech. This basically meant that we had two options: we could either do a version to try to turn him around, or we could schedule a Caesarean Section. We had planned on trying the version, since we figured that it just carried fewer risks of complications, even if it wouldn’t be comfortable.

We needed to do an ultrasound to check his position before we could schedule the version. The plan was that assuming that he wasn’t too big, and he had enough amniotic fluid (8 cm), then we would schedule the version for July 27, where she would be induced right after to make sure that he wouldn’t squirm right back around. Well, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”

As the tech was doing the ultrasound we noticed that the fluid measurements seemed low, and after the tech brought the doctor in, he confirmed it. Not only were they too low to do the version, but he was worried that it was too low to continue the pregnancy, though Perrin seemed to be doing fine. He said that he would talk to our regular doctor, but to not eat or drink anything. We got really excited, since it would mean that we wouldn’t have to wait a week to see our son, but Bionca was nervous about the c-section.

From there things moved pretty fast. (You can see an archive of my status updates here and here) By 6:45 we were finding out that we would likely have the c-section, and by 7:30 we were being monitored while they were preparing our waiting room. By 8:45, we were in the waiting room, and could get visitors. Everyone was really excited as we told them that it was the day.

We didn’t have much time in there, but we got to visit with my family, and Dana a little. By 11, we were moved to the operating staging area, where unfortunately, no one was able to visit. Bionca was very emotional, since it was all happening so fast, and her mom hadn’t arrived yet. Luckily her cousin, Cathy-Anne was working there, and not only was she able to visit with us, but she also was able to get permission to allow Bionca’s mom to visit for a little, which made her more calm.

Everyone there loved her, since she was so happy and giggly. They especially liked that both Bionca and Kathy have the same laugh. At around 12, the nurse-anesthetist came in and put in Bionca’s epidural. She did great, and Bionca said that it didn’t hurt at all. She stayed calm, and I helped her breathe to relax. This was where we stayed the longest. Since we weren’t prepared for all of this, Bionca had eaten breakfast, which meant that they couldn’t perform the operation until 3pm, though they were saying at this point that it would be more like 4 or 5.

Then things got a bit scary. It started with minor drops in his heart rate called variable fluctuations, and as we were getting closer, his heart rate slowed a bit more. Bionca and I were a bit shielded from it, but apparently, they were worried, and rushed Bionca into the OR. I was completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation, which was good, since I had to wait outside while they set up. After they did, they brought me in, and I saw the top-half of Bionca with the bottom half shielded by a curtain. Bionca stayed lucid and in good spirits until we both heard them say that the chord was around his neck, and we could see the pushes and pulls on Bionca pick up pace. I could tell that Bionca was getting worried, and so despite my fear, I started singing “Rainbow Connection” to her.

Singing that song was one of the hardest things that I have ever done. I was so choked up with emotions: hope, fear, love, uncertainty, and a whole host of others. Somehow, I made it through, and they said that he was out, and I could see them taking him to the warming table, where they called me over. We wiped him off, measured him, weighed him, and then they gave them to me. My first words to him were “Happy Birthday, Perrin. I love you so much.” Then, I took him back over to Bionca, and where she said, “Oh hi, Perrin.” We all burst into tears and laughter as they worked to take out the placenta and close her up.

As they were finishing up on Bionca, they had me wheel him out and meet the family, where I got to introduce my son to our family for the first time.

Happy Birthday, son. I love you so much.

Perrin Philip Kleinberg
July 20, 2010 at 3:35pm.
5 lbs. 14oz. at 18 inches long

Our first family portrait