The Story Of Emily Fern

On Monday, June 18 I went to the dentist’s office in Vista to get a couple teeth crowned. When my appointment ended at 11:00, I drove to work. I get there at 11:45, and ten minutes later, I had a text message from Ann. She was having contractions.

I did the few pressing things I needed to, packed up my laptops and drove straight back home. I get there around 1:00.

We packed stuff up and timed contractions. I cleaned the house a little. By 3:00, we were at the hospital. We checked in and Ann had her exam. She was now 3cm dilated. An hour later, she was 4. The contractions were tough. By 6:00 Ann was 6 cm, and the epidural arrived. The problem then was that the anesthesiologist missed the spot twice, which hurt like a sonofabitch, so far as I could tell. On the third try, he got it, and she felt much much better. “It’s like when you get into a Jacuzzi for the first time, only that feeling stays with you,” she said. She also noted that it was the best she’s felt in months. Nine months, to be precise.

Sue was our nurse, and she was a champ. We all just hung out and waited. They wanted to break Ann’s water earlier, but she wanted the epidural first. Which was just as well, it was a busy night in the delivery ward. There were at least 3 C-sections, 3 “natural” births, and one woman who had a seizure during her delivery. And then there was Ann. We were doing so well, we were placed on the bottom of the priority list. The doctor changed his mind about breaking the water bag, as he was already needed in three places at once. So we waited.

Anhao, Annie, Jane and Peter came by for a few hours. Then they went to get sushi. They came back around 10:00 with some for me. Peter and Jane went to the restaurant to wrap egg rolls. Jane came back, and she spent the night in the waiting room with Annie and Anhao.

Around 4:00 Ann was at 10 cm, so with Sue’s help, we began to push. And when I say we, I mean Ann. I held her leg though, and counted to ten a whole lot.

So we pushed for a while, and after 2 hours (which is considered kind of a long time), Sue got the doctor. He came in and it was go time. We pushed some more, and at about 6:00 AM, he said “My shift ends at 7, if we don’t deliver the baby then, I’m going to recommend a C-section.” Apparently, that’s all Ann needed, a threat. She found some more strength, and little Emily Fern was born—at 6:59 AM. Christine Brody came in at literally the last minute—the head was out. They handed her off, and it was all over in less than a minute. Mom had a small tear. Emily got measured and weighed, and as soon as she was swaddled back up she was quiet. Her eyes were wide open, though, checking everything out. She met Aunty Annie, Ja-Po (Jane), and Dad. I think she was pleased.