What a Cool Birthday 12/12/12

Well Cage Cross VI has arrived.  Sorry we did not post earlier, but Katie and I have been exhausted and are just now getting a chance to share our story.  So I will give you all the play by play.  Katie and I took her boss Ole and his wife Traci out to dinner at the Tav for dinner to show our appreciation for all their support both at work and away from work.  As we where saying our goodbyes standing out front of the entrance Katie's water broke at around 9:15 pm.  We decided to go home and get her cleaned up and make sure she was actually in labor before we went to the hospital.
We already had everything in the car ready to go so we hopped in and left.  We got to the hospital about 10:30 pm and checked in.  It didn't take long for the nurses to determine that we would be staying there awhile.  Katie's water had indeed broken but she was not feeling any contractions yet.  Her contractions did show on the monitor but were too small for her to feel.
Soon after they transferred Katie to a nursing suite and got her situated and hooked up the the fetal monitors.  It did not take long for her contractions to start getting a little more intense a little after midnight.  Our first attempt to help her through them was to walk around the birthing center hallways to see if that would help.  That didn't last long though and so she decided to opt for the Jacuzzi tub in her room.  That was helpful for quite awhile and very soothing.  She did a great job breathing through them and staying tough.
Katie had already decided to have an epidural early on in her pregnancy so we told the nurses that we would like to get that started as soon as she was able to have it.  They checked her cervix and she was close to four centimeters.  They called our doctor to let him know our status and he advised us to wait till Katie was a little more active in labor before she had the epidural.  Katie toughed it out until about three in the morning.  She had had enough and was really starting to struggle, but still being really strong.  Katie said she was ready for the juice, but unfortunately it was going to take the anesthesiologist at least a half an hour to get there and get set up.  By four am and at 7 cm Katie was drugged up and feeling quite a bit of relief.  I have to give my wife credit here for making it all the way to 7 cms before getting the drugs.  She is one tough momma!
Just before 7 am, Dr. Herman showed up and got involved.  Katie started pushing along with her contractions at 7 am.  She pushed hard for four and a half hours straight.  It was unbelievably brutal on Katie and a very strenuous labor.  It got right down to the wire- Katie had been pushing for so long and the head just wasn't moving.  Dr. Herman called in a surgeon to help him with a c-section if Katie couldn't move the baby any further, probably because the shoulders were unable to pass through her pelvis.  However, the problem was that the other surgeon was with another patient and had already put him under, so if we were going to do this, we had better do it now.  Dr. Herman told us that if she couldn't get the baby closer in the next three pushes she would have to go in for the c-section. So Dr. Herman decided to use the vacuum assist on the baby's head if it was close enough to crowning.  On the second set of pushes, he was able to get the suction device stuck to the top of his head.  We waited for Katie's next big contraction for her to start pushing and he would pull.  She let a couple smaller contractions go by breathing through them and finally felt a big one start to come on.  She pushed with everything she had and he pulled the baby's head out on the first push and on the second one he came the rest of the way out.  At 11:28 am, Cage Cross VI made his entrance into the world.
It was an indescribable feeling of emotion filled with relief and utter amazement.  The nurses took baby Cage over to a little table that was already set up, gave him a quick look over and handed him over to Katie to hold right on her chest.
The suction cup gave him a lump on the top of his head that looked like the bottom of a pop can.  The doc assured us that would go away in the next few days (and it did).  He is absolutely beautiful and very healthy.  Mom and baby are doing well.  We are all home now and exhausted.  Mom and baby are still figuring out the whole nursing thing, but it gets better and better everyday.  Can't believe we are parents, it is very surreal.
Out of this whole experience I have to say one thing and that is that I have a new found admiration for my wife.  She is a rock and will make an amazing mother to our new child.  I love her more than words can say and now know that she is tougher than I will ever be.  Thank you Katie for the most precious gift in the world.

I have to give a big thanks also to all of those who have supported us through Katie's pregnancy and continue to help.  My mother in-law has been a godsend making us meals, helping with all the household duties we are unable to get done and taking Cage to give Katie and I some much needed rest.  My father in-law for helping out with projects that needed to get done and holding Cage while he sleeps.  My mom for all of her support and help with everything and jumping in to help when we needed anything.  To Ole her boss and all of Katie's fellow employees for continuing to let her have so much time off and covering for her.  We couldn't have made this possible without the love and support everyone has given us.  Thank you all.  We look forward to Cage VI meeting all the great people in our lives.