Baby Aivley

Hi Launi,

I just accidentally had my baby in the bathtub. Listening to the cd’s again definitely helped teach/remind me how to relax and she came before we could really even make a decision on whether or not we should head in to the hospital.

Just thought you’d get a kick out of it.

Here’s the story…

Aivley Jean Barnett was born Thursday, March 11th at 8:45 am. She weighed 8lb 7oz at birth and was nearly 21 inches long. She has a full head of thin dark brown hair and is just beautiful and healthy!

She was born in our home quite unexpectedly. I think Jared probably tells the story best in his email to his coworkers, so I’ve copied and pasted some of the email here.

“Thursday 3/11
+ 4:00 am – wife wakes up with somewhat steady contractions about 10 mins apart.
+ 6:00 am – I wake up for a conf. call and realize wife is in labor so pass on the call. Time the contractions but still 10 mins apart so not worried
+ 6:30 am – start playing Yahtzee to help my wife focus on something besides the contractions and stay relaxed
+ 7:00 am – 2-yr old son wakes up and finishes playing Yahtzee with us. In a fluke event, wife beats me at the game
+ 7:40 am – send note to my EM asking how the conference call went
+ 7:45 am – call our doula (personal birthing aid) to let her know today looks like the day and give her heads up about coming over a little later to help
+ 8:00 am – intensity of contractions pick up a little but still 8-10 mins apart. Wife jumps into a warm bath to help her relax
+ 8:10 am – update an RFP with some data the client just sent and email final RFP back
+ 8:15 am – call back doula and let her know things have picked up and would appreciate her coming to our house as soon as she can. Contractions still >5 mins apart
+ 8:30 am – call doula again who says she’s in transit. Confirm with doula we are doing everything we can to help my wife relax and start preparing to head to the hospital
+ 8:42 am – give my mother directions to the hospital and head back into the bathroom to be with wife.
+ 8:43 am – immediately upon re-entering bathroom, wife says “I think she is coming” and I notice that the baby has moved rather dramatically.
+ 8:44 am – I kneel at the tub and recognize that my wife’s “water” breaks. (I ask myself “is this really happening?”). Almost immediately the baby’s head is crowning (rather definitive answer to my question)
+ 8:45 am – I reach into the tub and within 20 secs am holding my baby girl!
+ 8:46 am – surprisingly couldn’t find any PD docs on post-bath tub child delivery processes so call the paramedics to come make sure wife and daughter are OK (although I may have found my distinctive knowledge platform)

+ 8:50 am – paramedics show up and finish up the job; say my wife and daughter are doing well
+ 9:00 am – take my ED’s prior advice (Jeff Shulman, Firm’s ER expert) and skip the ER queue by having the ambulance take my wife and daughter to the hospital “

“While I am thrilled to be a father again, needless to say it was a little more than I bargained for this time around. One plus is that my name now gets to show up twice on the birth certificate, once as the father and again as the attending physician (no joke!).”

We were planning on having the birth unmedicated, but definitely not planning on having her at home, ESPECIALLY not without a physician. We are so blessed to have had everything work out so well.