Welcome Baby Evan!!

Evan Bradley Keller is finally here!! And what an entrance he made! He gave us all quite a scare, but more about that later. He entered this world at 7:19pm on July 27, 2009, weighing in at 8 pounds, 1 ounce and measuring 19 inches long. He has a healthy set of lungs and a FULL head of beautiful long hair. Mom is doing great and recovering from surgery. She is currently learning the art behind breast feeding.

As for the story, yesterday was a fairly relaxing day of entertaining out of town family and waiting for a scheduled doctor’s appointment in the afternoon. Our bags were ready in the car and we were mentally prepared to head to the hospital for an induction, pending the recommendation of the obstetrician. Amy had been enduring contractions throughout the day and hoped to show some progress for the effort.

The doctor was pleased with the progress, although it was less than we had hoped for. However, after consultation, it was decided that we would give Mother Nature one more chance to make things happen naturally over night and we scheduled the induction for the following morning.

Upon returning home, Amy and I went for a short walk down the street and back. Before we continued on further, we stopped by the house for a quick potty break. While I waited with our guests, Amy yelled from the bathroom that she thought her water had broken. It took a quick straw poll from the adults in the room to convince Amy that it was in fact her water breaking and it was finally time to head to the hospital.

On the way to the hospital, Amy maintained a chipper and positive attitude, even laughing between the contractions. Because she was feeling so strong, we opted to skip the expecting mother’s drop-off area and park in the garage. She even walked to registration and later to triage (even during contractions with her water breaking more and running down her legs). We got cleaned up and settled into a bed in triage. The staff ran through their typical admission exam and prepped Amy to move down to a delivery room for the duration.

Out of the blue, Amy’s contraction went from mild (easy for me to say) to completely off the chart. She was uttering phrases that would make a sailor blush. What I had failed to notice is the baby’s heart rate plummeted during the massive contraction. All of a sudden, the door to the tiny waiting triage room flew open and staff started pouring into the room, shouting orders, and taking action. The baby’s heart rate had dropped dangerously low and was not improving.

Within seconds, they started rolling Amy down the hall, straight to the operating room. For me, reality kicked me in the stomach when I heard “OB Operating Room STAT” over the hospital speakers. With those simple words, I knew the severity with which my wife and son were now faced against. As Amy was wheeled towards the operating room, I was directed towards an area to scrub up. I quickly called my sister and said, “There has been a problem. I need for you to get everyone here fast and safe.” She knew from my tone that there was not time to ask questions. She hung up the phone and immediately gathered the troops.

I was told to wait outside of the operating room doors until I was summoned. Staff continued to run in and out of the doors like busy bees. Finally, a doctor stepped out of the operating room and told me to sit down and breath. The baby’s heart rate had returned to normal. We had some time to relax and make some decisions. Our obstetrician was on her way.

I was allowed in to sit with Amy. She was strapped into the operating table and the drape had been placed. She was amazing and brave (probably more so than I was)! Eventually, it was decided that a long traditional labor (which we were probably facing) might continue to stress the baby. Instead, we opted to proceed with the C-section for the safety of the baby and momma.

Before I knew it, I was being told to look over the drape to see my baby boy entering the world. It was a miraculous and spectacular site. His crying voice was an absolute musical sound! As every parent knows, it truly is the miracle of life.

We were blessed with a remarkable staff of caregivers and prayer from God. Just over an hour after we arrived at the hospital parking lot, we were holding our beautiful new son.

As I said before, mom and baby are both doing great. He is asleep in her arms as I finish this posting.