When Lindsay and I walked into Lucile Packard Children's Hospital to introduce Will to the world, I knew that I was a rookie. Although I had completed the LPCH Preparing for Birth classes, I did not feel prepared. I felt more like that novice triathlete I was when I checked my 30 lb mountain bike into the transition area for the Olympic-distance race at the Wildflower Triathlon in 2000. But I was prepared to not matter to anyone in the building except Lindsay. The classes didn't teach me this, but Michael Lewis' book HOME GAME did.
Once Lindsay was admitted, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I did matter (for now.) The labor-delivery nurse looked at me and said, "Make sure you get some sleep. And eat. It's going to be a long day, and we need you sharp." I was surprised by the comment, and even more surprised that our room had a daybed that resembled a new international business class seat (think Singapore Airlines). So I napped a few feet from Lindsay and snuck off to the cafeteria to eat breakfast and lunch. Although the food was not as good as Singapore Air's, it wasn't bad...though my body may have just known that I was carbo loading.
One of the first roles I played was assisting with the decision process to request an epidural. While this had not been a foregone conclusion in our (brief) birth plan, it was an option. Inviting the anesthesiologists into our room was one of the better decisions we have made together...ever. It also gave us an interesting insight into roles in a hospital. Up to this point, every doctor or nurse we had worked with was a woman. The anesthesiologists were all men. Confident men that walked with a swagger that I expect resembles jet pilots on an aircraft carrier approaching their planes or firemen approaching an emergency call. But this is not surprising given what they do - insert a needle next to the spinal cord of a woman who is in the greatest pain of her life...between contractions. When they finish their mission, the pain disappears.
Delivery was a process that I was pleased to have a meaningful role in, but for the sake of modesty I am not going to describe it in detail here. Following delivery, I would describe my role as that of a left tackle. Lindsay was the quarterback, the most valuable person on the field with the greatest responsibility. I was her left tackle - the offensive lineman responsible for protecting her blind side.
I haven't defined the role of the OB yet. Head coach? Offensive coordinator? I can't decide which to assign to our OB and which to our labor/delivery nurse. But I will simply say that both of them were tremendous people and players. Truly outstanding athletes that I was very glad were on our team.
-HammerHead
