Jonah Valentine Perry caught the last train from Nirvana and arrived in Kingston almost two weeks past his due date. It was an auspicious birth in the end, although it had its surprising elements—things did not go as planned, which only goes to show that plans hatched in the Great Beyond take their own course.
October 5th came and went without a hint of labor. Suddenly last Saturday night (the 14th of October), Tealie’s labor seemed to kick in, and the entourage of Teal, David and Lindsay came to Stone Ridge to await the impending emergence at our house. With mild contractions all night and into Sunday morning, Teal got little sleep. But by Sunday evening they had settled down to nearly nothing. The entourage went back to O’Neil Street to regroup, recharge, reboot. And Teal decided then that she wanted to nest there in her own home for the birth.
Meanwhile, Lindsay’s vacation time expired, and she had to fly back to her own life in California. It was a sad shift in the plans, as Jonah’s train seemed to be delayed somewhere. But on Tuesday morning at 4:30am, Teal put out the word that real labor had begun. In fact, she barely got her sentences out, having to stop mid-word and catch her breath.
The entourage of midwives, Susan and Susanrachel, and I took over the O’Neil house, timing contractions, boiling water and waiting. And waiting. Teal worked through long hours of hard labor, which had begun the night before around 11:30pm. She floated her ball-tight belly in hot bathwater. She drank lots of juice and ate yogurt and miso broth to keep her strength up. She took a long walk at 6:00pm, stopping to chat with an old woman who recommended castor oil in orange juice to help things along. Back in her bedroom, her water burst—much to David’s surprise and without the castor oil. It appeared that labor might get more intense and bring Jonah into our world by midnight. Bob and Jesse were summoned to witness the emergence.
And we all waited and waited some more while Teal’s contractions sort of gave out after midnight. She was exhausted, and so was everyone else. It was catnapping and dozing for us all, all night long. By Wednesday morning, Teal had revived a little and started working into some more serious labor. Stage one seemed to be peaking; yet upon examination by the two Susans it was apparent that her cervix was not completely dilated. Still, the urge to push was overcoming her, so she did. And she took more hot baths to relax and let her body open fully. The two Susans added homeopathic remedies to help in this effort, but to no avail.
Late in the afternoon they suggested that Teal needed help. She’d given it her best effort to birth at home, but now it seemed certain that something beyond their understanding and their capacity to assist impeded her progress. So plans shifted again, and the entourage moved to Benedictine Hospital.
Teal was admitted at 5:00pm on Wednesday, October 17th and given a pitocin drip. Her vitals were good, even though she was truly spent by then. Still the baby’s vitals appeared to be good, so Dr. Barnes left to have his dinner and said he’d return soon to deliver a happy baby. When he did so at 8:00pm, he took one look at her vitals, the baby’s heart rate, the lack of progress on her cervix—now at only 7 centimeters after forty four hours of labor—and announced “I’ve seen enough. I’m ending this labor now.”
We were all in shock as we took in this pronouncement, wanting to give it a few more hours, wondering how seemingly minor signs pointed to only one drastic alternative. Teal’s temperature was rising. The fetus’s heart rate was beginning to show slight changes. These conditions, coupled with twenty-four hours of a compromised uterus with no water bag protecting it from the outside world, spelled medical emergency.
It was baffling to us all why Teal’s strong, willing body held on to this baby, and it was upsetting to suddenly face the necessity for immediate caesarian section delivery. Susan helped us through a consultation with the attending nurse, who answered some tough questions about the situation, the procedure and the possible outcome. With great sadness in their hearts, Teal and David consented.
And things changed once more. As the nurse and anesthesiologist rapidly readied her for surgery, Tealie tried to process her predicament and make the best of it. Not easy, when her hopes and dreams were attached to a natural delivery at home. And of course, David’s concern for her health and happiness was paramount. It was one of those times in life when a life-altering choice must be made under great emotional stress. And we all were forced to shift our thinking from any feelings or thoughts of failure to actualizing those hopes and dreams by other means.
Our emotions soared once 10 Lb/10 ½ Oz, 22-inch-long Jonah was whisked away from the operating table at 11:18pm, lungs full of air and squalling like he meant it. Bob was in the operating room with Teal, who retained consciousness throughout the speedy ordeal, while David, Susan and I were there to take the baby into the nursery where he basked under a heat lamp after a quick bathing. He stopped protesting when he heard David’s voice. Imprint time. It was beautiful. Bob reported that the surgery itself went so quickly and smoothly that he was impressed. And Teal was back in her room within an hour, ready to hold her sweet boy. With only a little prompting, he nursed right away.
The surgery requires that Teal stay in hospital for two full days, and she has one of us with her at all times. That way Jonah does not have to be separated from her and sent to the hospital nursery. David spent the night, then I spent all of Thursday with them, marveling over his every attribute. He is indeed a happy, healthy, big baby. Even his lamentations at having his diaper changed or being handled by one of the medical staff members are sweet. Teal is in good shape mentally and physically, although a good long sleep would do wonders. She is busy adoring her infant and easing into the nursing mode. It’s going quite well.
Jonah’s birth is an auspicious occasion in many ways. He not only had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and his leg, but he’d also tied the cord in a true knot, probably by swimming around in the amniotic fluid when he was still tiny enough to do so. He has been an active fetus, constantly stretching and switching positions. And his awesome size may be a record breaker in this family tree.
It is good that he had those hours experiencing his mommy’s labor, getting all his internal systems stimulated and ready to meet the outside world. It is also good—a miracle, really—that we were met with sane, professional responses from the two excellent midwives and the hospital team during a time of emotional crisis and physical duress. The well being of Tealie and her baby have been foremost in everyone’s minds and hearts.
And now… the train has arrived bringing us this new Earth Passenger. Jonah’s blue eyes are open, searching his new world. The waiting is over. Now the wondering begins.