Sunday, August 24, 2008

A conversation

Here is the my recollection of the conversation:
DR: “You’re having the babies TODAY!”
ME: “Are you sure?”
DR: Looking at me squarely in the eyes “You’re ready. You’re ready.”
ME: “Really? Wouldn’t it be better (and easier) for me to just keep them in there a while longer?”
DR: (blank stare) “Where’s Jeff?”
ME: “Really?”
DR: (blank stare) “Where’s Jeff?”
Side Note: Jeff and my doctor learned early on that I only partially listen. I would have to repeat what the doctor was saying (and spin it of course…my version) and then he would look at Jeff and smile and ask him what he heard (which was exactly what the doctor had said)
Anyway, here’s the rest of the conversation…
ME: “At a meeting. When? How much time do I have?”
DR: “Now!”
ME: “Seriously? Jeff’s at a meeting.”
DR: “Call Jeff. Get him here now or we’ll start without him.”
ME: “Really??”

The next few minutes, I had a ton of people in my room, someone was giving me something that tasted like liquid SweetTarts, someone was helping me get in another gown, someone was shaving me, someone was asking me questions…all of this craziness while I was trying to find Jeff!

When Jeff has a meeting, he’ll usually turn his cell phone on vibrate or set it to go directly to voicemail. Out of habit, even though I was in the hospital, Jeff’s phone went straight to voicemail. OMG…he wasn’t there “when it happened, when I first found out, and now he’s going to miss this too!” (OMG) I called his office to see if someone could find out who he was meeting with and if they had a phone number for that client. No go. Jeff was meeting the client on an empty site…no house meant no land-line either!! I called his cell phone again and left a message…something along the lines of “Having the babies NOW. Wish you were here!”

At some point during his meeting with his clients, Jeff remembered his phone going directly to voicemail. When he looked at it, he recalled my room number at the hospital and put two and two together. Amongst the poison ivy, Jeff stood there and informed his potential clients that we were expecting triplets that weekend and that was the hospital calling…which meant only that “things have changed.” I remember Jeff getting to my room just as they were wheeling me out and he asked the Dr. if he had time to take a shower. SHOWER??? Alright, in his defense, Jeff was only thinking about me and my extreme sensitivity to the PI, however, at first, I thought “Are you KIDDING me??” I'm sure my delivery doctor was also thinking "Are you KIDDING me?"

The delivery room was filled with many nurses, NICU nurses, doctors, specialists, the anesthesiologist, and of course, Dr. Brillhart and his delivery team. Outside of Jeff and myself, there were about 15 sets of trained staff to help us deliver our team of three incredibly beautiful babies!