A lighter topic than your father's death. Our first daughter was born 6 July 1969. She has a family of her own now, twins, 21 years old. Son, and daughter.
We baled hay that Saturday, It was a hot, she was born in the wee hours Sunday morning, then rain for a few days
I had the hired summer help in the garden pickin' peas, and beans, as the wife could not do it!

Remember the days?

Oldest was born September 22, 1973, has a14 and a 7 year old boys. Thunderstorms that day, nice rainbow that afternoon. Named her April Nicole

Oldest (daughter) was born June 23, 2006. Youngest (son) was born June 23, 2006 - 2 minutes later.

Would've loved a couple more.

Like it was last week. 2 glorious days nearly 2 years apart.

All too well

December 2, 1980 - the wife woke me up and said that it was time to go, water broke. 2:00 A.M. Wife realized that we had no picture of her in expanded form. Picture taken against wood-paneled wall. Out door. Snowstorm. 35 miles to Cedar Rapids on U.S. 30. Hard to see road. Got behind a semi and followed his tail lights to CR. Ensconced in delivery room. Doctor comes in and examines wife. Gently points out that water is not broken; just rolled over on bladder and wet self. Wife dressed and back out the door. Dawn breaking, snowstorm over, bright pink glow. Drive back home. Deposit wife in house and hurry to school. As morning progresses, extreme weariness sets in from lack of sleep and nervous tension of the night. Call down to the office and ask secretary if she can get someone to come in for me so that I can leave at noon. 20 minutes later, special ed. teacher comes running into my room and says that I need to get home, she'll take over. Seems that this is the real thing. Return trip to CR. Wife into delivery room, bitching about the cold table and asking if she couldn't get some blankets. Short but intense period of exertion, all that LaMaze BS about breathing out the window. Husband standing around being totally useless (this to continue for years to come). Eventual appearance of son. Everyone fine.

My older daughter was born on Monday after duck season opener. Then the kid stayed in neonatal ICU for a couple weeks. Wife was focused on the kid, Bill Clinton had passed FMLA several years previously so I hunted ducks like mad for 3 weeks. It was awesome. I had to go back to work to rest up.

Daughter was born the 6th of January 2009.

It was a dang tough winter. The County snow plow man came out every day to plow the road.

He came right in the driveway, even though the half mile into our place is private.

He probably could have gotten in trouble for that.



By being born on the 6th, we had to start a new deductible of 10,000!


She is still working it off.

I went to Krispy Kreme while she was in a labor at 10-12 centimeters?? Fugg if i know...

I seen that Hot Donuts neon glowing down on West End in Nashville

Had to bounce ouwt!!!

Came back and the magic was finished.

Boy she was pissed at me. They finishin up scooping out the galaxy goop.

She was already mad at me cause her water broke the nhht before opening morn of Tn archery deer.


I asked if she could just chill wit dat sheyott till at least Sunday.

Serve the pervert right.

Our second one, 9lb boy.

She squeezed him out on a Friday was back to work 3 days later Monday morn.

The rice patty ain't gonna plant itself. We ain't Unicef

None of that wimpy caesarian crap.

Oldest came 7 weeks early back in 1997. I cried happy tears uncontrolably. We waited 12 years to have our first child.

She spent a couple weeks in the neunatal intensive care unit. Brought her home weighing 4 pounds 7 ounces. She's in college now on her way getting a Masters in Nursing.

August 20, 1983 birthdate. Wife was so close to due date that I was going to take her with me while I cut firewood since she had no way of contacting me in the pre cell phone days. As she was walking to the truck, her water broke. Change of plans as we headed to the hospital which was over an hour away. Could have taken my time as she was in labor 26 hours. When son finally got here, the staff grabbed him and left the room with him thinking he was in distress. Turned out he was just as tired as his mom from the labor. Life changed for us forever. Being a parent is worth the worry.

1995 in Aschaffenburg, Germany. We had a mid-wife who was barking orders at me in German - my German sucked and her English was worse, but we figured it out. When he popped out she turned as if to hand him to me. I backed up and waved her off, saying, "Whoa, clean that thing up first!"

Feb 28, 91. When the first sergeant told me, I thought he was trying to be funny cause it was two weeks before the due date. Then the S-1 handed me the Red cross note. Walked on a cloud all day. Finally saw him three months later.

Sept 1, 1983. Momma woke me up about 02:30, said it is time to go. At the time we lived only a couple miles from the hospital. I asked "How close are the pains?"
She said "Four, five minutes."
Me: "I am taking a shower."
Her: "WTF"
Me: "We have lots of time."

We hit the hospital at about 03:15 with pains at three to four minutes.
About an hour later I was sitting beside her right knee holding her hand while she reclined in the labor room. The OB was sitting beside her left knee as our son began to crown.

The hospital had a policy that no Dads were allowed at delivery without Le Maz classes. An idea at which I scoffed........loudly.

The OB was fully aware that we had not done Le Maz. As the baby crowned, Doc turned and asked me "Are you going to be okay in here."

I looked him dead in the eye and replied, "DAMNIT, I forgot the balin' twines!"
He looked back with a puzzled expression "What?"
Me: "To tie around the little sucker's feet and drag him out of there."
Doc got a wry smile and said: "Yeah, you'll be okay."

About five minutes later we had a squalling baby boy in our arms.

Momma still does not see the humor of the event the way I do.

Went to a wedding on Saturday and the reception following. My bride was 2 weeks overdue and very uncomfortable so we left the reception early so she could get some rest. On the way home she informed me that she had been in labor since about 11 AM. About 11 PM things started getting a bit more serious so we headed to the hospital. Then things slowed down again. Our son was born at 3:00 PM on Sunday, Dec 19, 1976, 9 lbs 4 oz, after about 28 hours of labor. Missed the entire 4th quarter of the Packers game and I didn't care . . .

11/16/13 my first born was brought into this world right as "The Prayer of Jordan - Hare" took place and Auburn beat UGA in the final seconds.

Great day that was!

George Harrison croaked the day my 2nd arrived. When he hit 13, I started him on guitar lessons to see maybe if George's Eastern Mysticism got him reincarnated. Does not appear to be the case, but I'm alright with that too!

was fishing, my dad had to come let me know, no cell phones back then. waited till the last minute to get there.

The day my Son was born i got to look at him through the glass of the neonatal ICU unit.

Didn't get to hold him for a week.

When the Daughter was born 2 years later we thought that something was wrong because she was not blue like her brother.

son was the first, I was 6 hours away in Mansfield, LA when I got the call, drove like a bat out of hell to get there, wife was still in labor but unable to deliver. They opted for a c-section a few hours later. This was '98

I've been tired ever since.

I've been in some sketchy situations, but I have never been as terrified as I was when my wife had our first child. Scared for her, scared for him, no family within 2000 miles. I don't like being helpless, with not being able to do a DAMNED thing and trusting an indifferent seeming medical staff in a less than stellar facility. All turned out ok! Second one was scary too, but not like that first one.

Supposed to stay for 24 hours, but she was carrying stuff out to the truck way before that, and had to go back in to get wheeled out in a wheelchair. lol No epidural either. Tougher than me.

I "got to" cut the umbilical cord. Fuuck that. Never ever ever ever ever again.

I was at sea.

March 6th 1989. I do believe it was a Monday not positive but it was through the week. 18 inches of snow on the ground that morning. Which is a [bleep] for this area. 21 years old wife in labor snow on the ground in a 30 mile drive what a deal

September 21st, 1994, our daughter, Caroline was born, via emergency C-section, due to stress on the baby because Deb's pregnancy induced toxemia !

So blessed, as the umbilical cord had a perfect half hitch in it, that had not tightened & was also wrapped around Caroline's neck.

Natural birth would have both, tightened the knot & possibly strangled her !

Either option .....................

I was born on 1/11 and my Dad's still pissed that he couldn't count me off on the previous year's taxes.

my first born was interesting his mother (my ex) started screaming at me in the back yard that her water broke, happened during a close lighting strike. Got in the truck and headed to the big hospital she was supposed to deliver in, she said she couldn't make it, I diverted to the little hospital in our town, and thank God I did, from the time her water broke to him being born was 22 min. there was no Dr. and the nurse didn't even have gloves on yet.

Oldest daughter was born April 5, 1973. I was aboard the USS Forrestal in the Mediterranean. First saw her the 29th of June, 1973.

Yep. We hadn't sleep for 3 days due to 2 false starts and then 29 hours of labor before we went cesarean. Doc's wanted to try for another 4 hours. I said NO. She's got no push left in her. We had a son.

Jan 4, 1966, Parsons Kansas. Was the New Year's baby on the fourth, small town. Got several gifts for being the first in 1966. GW

My first child was stillborn. Medical staff worked on her feverishly for 45 minutes at which point they got a heartbeat. Her first 11 months were very hard on all of us. She is now 40 years old. She has a learning impairment. But, you would have to speak to her for a long time to detect it. She’s loves her walk with God, is married, holds a steady job & never meets a stranger.

2/21/03
Told the lady doc all I knew about this was to get the chains.
She had no idea.
"To put on a calfs legs and pull".
She didn't like that much.

Baby got hung up, they needed to drain my wife's bladder,
somehow it was just the doc and I, I volunteered, and helped
Cath her. Baby popped out shortly.


6/21/07
Baby was hung up, they had my wife face the wall, get on her knees holding the raised bed,
Pushing in that position. Nothing, she was getting tired, they told her to lay back down.
Halfway down, she felt something shift and had a contraction, the baby literally popped out.
The doctor and I both grabbed her, or she would have hit the floor.

That kid went from barely crowning, to out in a second, tore my wife quite a bit.

She groaned. That's it, a groan. The only sound during the whole thing.
No drugs at all.
She was a rock star with the nurses, the whole floor was talking about her,
nurses that weren't assigned to us were looking in at her.
They wanted to film her and show it to women as to how they should act in labor.

August 29th 1989, Adak Alaska in the Aleutians at the Naval Hospital. Only birth that week. Wife was two weeks over due. They decided to induce. Did not work out, baby stressing all vitals not good. C section time.. Wheeled wife into surgery, both doctors and the two nurses present, about 10 minutes later out he comes. Crying and mad. Peed on the nurse holding him. Turns out the cord was wrapped around his neck. Just under 10# a big boy. I still remember the big stainless stapler they used to seal the wife backup.. That thing was scary. Fast forward to college time, Derek asked if he could claim Native Alaskan on the FASFA... One of about 400 folks born on Adak.

June 2 1990. Was on the road coaching eastern finals in state high school tournament. She was in good hands as mom was there.

My first child was born via a last minute C-Section since he would not turn. I was able to be in the room and actually stand by and watch the surgery. Being much younger then, I made the rather insensitive observation that the operation was just like gutting an elk! Boy did I regret THAT analogy later! The doctor kept having to tell me to stay back, I was crowding him and the nurses! Later that day while both Remington, our son, and his mom were sleeping I went to a gun show and bought a rare Browning B-78 single shot rifle! It was a great day that December of 1985!

That little guy is now a Major in the USAF and he flies the MC-130 J while is wife , another Major flies the Osprey, both for the Special Ops Group. They deploy at different times so no grandchildren from them!

33 years ago. delivered by a midwife and Doctor Donnie....

Wife’s water broke in the shower. She got dressed and went to work.

Maybe 10 that morning she called me and told me, said contractions were getting strong as well. Asked me to head home, grab her bag, and head to the hospital.

Hours and hours of labor, hours and hours of pushing, doc called an end to it. C section.



Second child was the opposite. Labored at home for a bit, went in, and before they had a bed ready, momma was hanging onto the wall pushing a baby out. Kid got hung up in the canal with the chord around his neck. Different doc came rushing in, 6 foot Swedish woman, she got real serious barking at nurses and me. Before I could understand WTF, she delivered my second son.


Giving birth is quite the rodeo apparently. Lol.

That's awesome!!! Glad to hear it ended so well!!

My oldest was born the day Space X (or whatever it was called) had their first flight into space and returned.

Pretty cool. I musta watched the special on it 50 times during the night feedings.

Are you of Italian decent?

Mine was in September 1989 with the cord wrapped around his neck. Pulse dropped WAY low, vacuum pump came out and out he was yanked. His head the exact shape of the cone, small Solo cup like. For the next year we had to regularly take him to the UC San Francisco Medical Center to see that his scull was bolting up correctly. It did. Him on the right.

None.

Dec of 99. I was standing in roll call when sarge came in and said it’s time. Best day of my life. Thank God I’ve had three more just like it.

My first was pretty scary time. Went in got induced waited a while. Contractions started getting going better and they put the monitor on. As my wife was in active difficult labor the nurse told me to keep an eye her and left the room. I was watching the monitor and noticed a lot of late decelerations. Baby's heart rate was really dropping at the contraction and staying down for quite a while.

I went to the nurses station to tell them and they rudely said we know we have a monitor here get back in there and help your wife. After about a hour I was really feeling something wrong. Went found my nurse in the hall but she was busy talking to her kids on her cell phone and motioned me to go away. Fifteen minutes later she's still on the phone. I tell the other nurses I'm really worried. They say that's because you used to be a nurse. I said yes but not in OB. I went and told my wife and we were both pissed at this point.

She'd been in heavy labor for like an hour and a half and no nurse had came in the room yet. I went out and demanded someone call our Dr. He showed up about 20 minutes later and checked her and said not quite yet and just left. He was the first staff person in the room for 2 hours. A few minutes later I go out and our nurse is still on the phone with a personal call. I go demand another nurse to help. They say it's almost shift change you'll have a new nurse in a bit. About 15 terrifying minutes later our new nurse comes in.

She looks at things an says wow your ready to have this. She leaves to call the Dr. After what seemed like forever they both come in and find the baby stuck. They get the vacuum out and pull like crazy about 5 times. Then out comes my first born son with a big lopsided cone head. He didn't make much noise just looked around like saying well here I am.

The Dr is then getting the cord ready for me to cut and literally gasped and said we need to have a moment of silence because there's no way this baby should be alive. He said it was a miracle. Our baby had a true knot in his cord and it was pulled very tight.

I then said maybe that explains all the late decelerations. Dr went and looked at the strip and said to the nurse how long have these been like this. Nurse just stuttered a bit so I said 3 hours but she just came on shift. I said the last nurse left us in here alone the whole time while she hid down the hall and talked to her kids on her cell phone. He seemed upset and said he'd look into it but a friend that worked there later told us no one ever looked into and know one followed up.

I just remember feeling overwhelmingly grateful and relieved that our baby was ok.

Bb

Our oldest daughter was born on a national holiday in 1971. Our next, also a daughter, was born just a couple weeks shy of three years later. Our third and final child, a son, was born about 4-1/2 years later. All three are in their 40s now.

The doctor that delivered our eldest was known to be quite a practical joker. Saw him and his also elderly wife in a local bank a good many years later well after he had retired. I happened to mention just in passing conversation to the teller I was working with that he had delivered our oldest daughter, the date she was born, and her name.

As I was leaving the bank the old doc spoke to me saying "Hi!" and addressed me by my first name, asked about our daughter, also addressing her by her first name and exact date she was born. I was literally jaw dropping flabbergasted that after delivering thousands of babies that he could remember my name and all about our daughter.

His wife finally couldn't hold it in any longer and started laughing and told me that I had just made his day complete and went on to say that the teller had tipped the old jokester doc off. He still had a mischievous ear to ear. grin on his face as they left.

no. german/irish, but I like lasagna.

and pizza.