Talk about a day full of emotion. Going from waiting in Pre-op to sitting in the Operating Room. From going to the nursery to moving to the post partum room. There is so much anticipation involved when having a child that it seems like you are fighting back the emotions all day long. I was all dolled up in my surgery outfit, waiting for the call that Leah was ready, and just thinking about the different situations that were about to happen. I was about to become a father. It's like the idea was still a little out of reach, unreal. It was about to be real, in about 20 minutes. Happiness, Anxiety, Fear, and many other emotions, flooded over me. I told Leah when I got into the operating room that I'm glad that I had the face mask, then no one could see me cry.
The operation went by without a hitch. Dr. Mark Akin was amazing, just as he had been in all the other interactions that we had with him. I was there, stroking Leah's hair, trying to keep her calm, when the doctor came from the other side of the curtain with the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Yes, she was a little gooey, and a shade of purple, but still beautiful. The nurses and I went over the heat lamp and they started checking her out and going through the measurements. Bear in mind, just a couple days ago, a sonogram had told us that Emma was going to be 9 lbs 14 ozs. That information is what caused us to move towards the Cesarean as the best option. They put her on the scale and she came in at a light 8 lbs. They gave Leah a couple minutes with her before we went to the nursery for a bath and more comprehensive checkup.
The nursery was a magical place for me. It was the place that I really started to bond with my new daughter. They were giving her a couple shots and a bath, made sure that her temperature was where it needed to be and served as a holding place till Leah was ready in recovery. We stared at each other for what I thought was an eternity. She opened her eyes almost as soon as she was put in the warmer. I knew at that moment that those eyes were going to have control over me for the rest of my life. It's hard for me to look at them for more than 10 seconds without getting a little emotional. It's like a spell was put on me.
I will remember this day forever, as it will go down as the day that I became a father. There is no other feeling like this. I have complete confidence that Leah and I will be a great team, making sure that we give Emma all the opportunities that she needs to be safe and successful. I can't wait for what this experience will bring to us going forward. I just know that it's been an amazing ride and I don't want to get off.
To see some pictures from this weekend, check out the link below.
http://s1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc410/scottnu2005/
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