After 40 weeks of anticipation, our little guy has finally arrived. After an unsuccessful labor induction and subsequent caesarean section, Baby Boy Baeth (check out that alliteration!) was born at 12:23pm CST. At birth he tipped the scales at 8lb 15oz and was 20.5in in length.
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| Sorry son, I know you'll hate this photo at some point, but it really is cute. |
On his way out of his watery home of the past nine months, he took an unfortunate gulp of amniotic fluid, hindering his ability to breathe regularly in his new world full of this strange thing called air. (There's probably a joke about a "fish out of water" somewhere in there, but it eludes me.) Almost immediately, Baby Boy was surrounded by a team of doctors and nurses, and was closely monitored as one of his entourage held an oxygen mask (almost as large as his head) near his face. His terrified father did have a brief opportunity to take a photo (above) and to stand amongst the chaos and hold his new son's head, hands and feet. Shortly thereafter, it was decided that Baby Boy (labelled that by the hospital staff as we wanted to spend some time with Elvis before we christened him with the moniker we had chosen not long after his 20 week ultrasound) needed to go to the NICU. His mother stayed calm and prompted his father to follow the procession down the hall to where his heart rate, oxygen levels, respiratory rate, and lungs (by way of X-rays) were evaluated and he was put on a ventilator. Nick stood, somewhat in shock, as a dozen individuals whirred around the room. Eventually, Nick was escorted back to find Katie, who had been moved to a recovery room in the maternity ward. Fortunately, two NICU doctors stopped by the room to update the new parents on the health of their son. Other than some difficulty in breathing, and in particular, trouble breathing at a moderate and steady rate, their little guy was healthy and they were welcome to visit him whenever they wished.
After making a score of phone calls to grandparents, siblings, etc. who had anxiously been waiting for news, Nick took a trip to the NICU to introduce himself to his son. At that point, the little guy was partially supported by pressurized air supplied by a ventilator and was inaccessible except through small little portholes. Dad was calmed by the peaceful look on his son's face and when his baby boy reached out and grabbed ahold of his index finger. Some photos and a short video were taken so that Katie, just hours removed from a major surgery, could see her beautiful boy. Happily, Nick only had to make one more trip to the NICU without Katie that day. Katie, surprising many of the nurses and fighting off pain and nausea, made the trek to meet her son just a few hours after birth.
While sitting in the NICU, gazing lovingly at our beautiful boy, we decided that George was the perfect name for Baby Boy Baeth. We had long since decided that family names would replace the Elvis Ferdinand Ulysses placeholder, and after the 20 week ultrasound, Katie began scouring our family trees for the appropriate name. We wanted a strong, simple name, not too popular in the US and that would not easily be replaced by a related nickname. George Henry was the name of Nick's paternal grandfather's father while William was the middle name of Katie's grandfather. While perhaps a bit regal of a name, George also feels down to earth. We now introduce George Henry William Baeth. (Maybe we'll call him by the German Georg Heinrich Willhelm when he's in trouble.)
Over the next several days, George's health continued to improve. We visited him every few hours in the NICU, and eventually he was allowed to visit our room for feedings. The new parents were ecstatic each time a new wire or tube was removed. At one point, a nurse told us that he was no longer receiving supplements through his feeding tube and that it might be removed the next day if things continued to improve. I guess George heard her, since shortly thereafter he removed it on his own accord. What a smart, independent kid!
Katie gladly took the opportunity to spend one additional night in the hospital so that she and George could be discharged on the same day. Early in the afternoon of Monday November 16th, mother and baby were released from the hospital. Thrilled and exhausted, the new family of three went home for the first time. Though the first several days and nights were not always easy, we couldn't be happier than we are now. Welcome home George!
