On the way to the hospital she was beginning to be in a pretty good deal of pain and she called her mom and my mom between contractions. My sister Kari, who is a photographer, was going to come to the hospital to take pictures of us so we kept trying to call her. We got to Davis Hospital in Layton, Utah, and had to go through the emergency room to check in Cambria was in quite a bit of pain by then and on her way up to labor and delivery, she threw up in a trash can. She could hardly walk so she let them sit her in a wheelchair. She is the type that does not want to get int of wheelchair but wants to walk up on her own to prove she can do it.
We got the the room and got her into a bed just fine. Her mom quickly appeared in the doorway which I know for Cambria is a comfort that she says she will always need. Her and her mom talk on the phone daily and have a good relationship which makes me happy. She labored for a while and my sister showed up then my mom. My mom had to be at work early that morning so she got ready quickly before she came. That is why she was there a bit later.
Well Cambria's contractions were getting very painful and she decided to get an epidural. They called the nurse anesthetist on call and we waited for them to arrive. Cambria was getting quite anxious that they would not get there in time but right as I was clashing with Cambria's nurse on whether or not the nurse anesthetist had a cell phone she could call her on the anesthetist walked in. (Cambria's nurse told us they couldn't call the anesthetist because they were driving and I argued with her trying to get her to check when they would be there, I was trying to support and protect my worried and laboring wifey.) Cambria was moving along quite fast so delivered her a very powerful and fast working epidural. Within the half hour from then, she was pushing, and our little baby boy was born. There were no complications during the delivery but they did see that his oxygen saturation was a bit low so they put him on oxygen. I had them let Cambria hold him for a while while he had oxygen on but then they needed to get him to the nursery and keep him on oxygen to make sure all of his alveoli opened up in his lungs. They said that he just have gotten some amniotic fluid in there during birth.
I went with Benson into the nursery. He was so puffy eyed like all newborns are. He had a lot of hair but not as much as his big sister Lynlee had when she was born. I am always prepared to have an ugly baby because quite often babies are just plain weird looking, but my little boy was not. He was cute as could be and he was mine. I saw that he had Cambria's eyebrows that taper thinner at their edges, and her nostrils that she thinks are a bit larger and annoying but it's better than my nose. He may have my larger nose bridge. He has my upper lip and maybe my eyes. My mom pointed out his little tiny dimples as he was crying. I am not sure where those come from.
We finally got his oxygen up and he was able to go back to his mommy. She was anxious to get him breast feeding and to bond with him. Afterward, we we're transferred to our post-delivery room which was in a corner and was quite spacious. I enjoy being in the hospital with my wife. We had some of our family visit that day and some came by the next. I loved that my little sister, Emilee, drove the couple of hours up from where she lived to come visit. That meant a lot to me.
Lynlee was not able to be there for the birth like Cambria had wanted since it was in the middle of the night. My dad woke Lynlee up that morning, got her dressed and ready, and brought her in. She was so perfect. She was so excited to see her baby brother and to hold him. The first time she held him she sat there for a minute then went to stand up and half pushed him off her lap. We were there to take him but it was kind of funny how she realized there wasn't very much to this little silent bundle she was holding. Since then she has become very involved in wanting to hold him and hug him and kiss him and get diapers for her mommy to change him. She has had a runny nose and it is near impossible to keep her away from him till she is better.
Cambria had a great delivery this time. I know that half of what she dreads are the post-delivery problems, pains, and recuperation, but she noted that they were very minimal compared to her last delivery. We enjoyed our time together in the hospital, talking and taking naps when Lynlee napped. That night I had planned to take Lynlee home to sleep in her own bed but when it came time to leave she began crying and really wanted to stay with her mommy, so we decided to stay. She slept in the bed with Cambria and I slept on the pull out couch in the room. We like Benson to be in the nursery at night so the nurses can keep a better eye on him the first few nights. The next night I was able to get Lynlee home for a better night sleep in her own bed by telling her that her cousin Braxton was at home to play with before she went to bed.
The hospital provides one dinner that included the father but for most meals Cambria just made sure to order enough to cover both I and Lynlee. Our couples dinner that they called the "candlelight dinner" was served with a nice little flower. They tried to make it nice for the two of us. Lynlee of course was there to share it with us. I wouldn't have it any other way. I occasionally enjoy just a night out alone with my wife but there is something special about being with our little family, a hectic as it may be sometimes. When w went home, all of the delivery and hospital seemed like a blur and we were suddenly home with a little boy. It didn't seem all that different like it did when Lynlee was born. I'm sure that experience will change when we bring home a third child someday and we are suddenly outnumbered by our children.
Since then we have been enjoying Cambria's maternity leave and being together as a family. I have been traveling a lot for medical school interviews, which I will write about another time, and Cambria has been doing excellently at home with both children. She is strong and amazing. I can't describe how happy I am and how blessed I am to have my little family. They are my world and as hard as it is to be away from them, I know that I am securing a good future for them, and I won't have to be away as much as I would otherwise to provide for them. I love life and things could not be better.
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