The birth of a child - unabridged

We cannot control time. It will always plod forward at the same pace - though relative speed will vary. Though we cannot control time, we can control timing, and timing is everything....except maybe in Real Estate, where location trumps timing, but it's still pretty good in Real Estate, too. Just ask anyone who bought a house in 2006!

For the birth of our son, the timing of his arrival held many things in suspense. My in-laws return to the US on 26 November, and we want them to see Jakarta. Per the US Embassy website, obtaining a passport takes 10-12 days. Obtaining a Indonesian visa, I know from experience, will require 3-4 days. We will need 2-3 days in the hospital before we can go to the Embassy, assuming they have an appointment available. I was also scheduled to return to work on 02 November, and needed to be present at the Embassy when applying for the passport.

Taking all of the above into consideration, when we met with the doctor on 12 October, she asked if we wanted to induce at our appointment on 19 October. We told her we would think about it.

My wife and I went back and forth. I saw the merits of the decision to induce. She didn't want to force the issue. She was hoping to let things happen naturally. She said it felt like we were "playing God". (Brian 1:3) Thus, I said unto her: "The decision is thine. Do with it as thy will."

Ultimately, we did not induce on the 19th. My wife wanted to know that status of her cervix before making the decision, and the cervix looked ready. Our doctor said if she changed her mind, we could schedule for the next day (Tuesday) or on Thursday. She didn't deliver babies on Wednesday (which made us wonder what magical power she possessed enabling her to prevent births from occurring on Wednesday's - we later found out she was at a different hospital on that day).

By the Tuesday, our son was no closer to arriving, and all our tricks didn't work - scary movie, spicy food, marital relations. I offered to try them again, especially the last one, but that was a non-starter. Tuesday afternoon, we called the doctor and scheduled the induction.

On 22 October, we arrived at the hospital at 8 AM. My wife took her position on the bed, and I took mine in the recliner, complete with control of the TV remote. I brought a book to read, too, until the event began. We ended up watching The Transformers movie until it was time for the epidural. We went in with brave hopes of not using it. Those hopes evaporated quickly...though I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing, and probably earlier.

Four hours and thirty minutes after we arrived at the hospital, our son was born. We spent another two hours in the delivery room waiting for our room in the maternity ward. The maternity ward is on the fourth floor at the far end of the hospital. The rooms are larger than the room I stay at in the Ritz when travelling on business. They had a hospital bed for my wife, and a futon for me, so I slept comfortably.

The hospital knew she needed her rest, so they would take the baby to the nursery around 11 PM each evening and return him when they brought breakfast in the morning. They provided food to both of us. We really enjoyed the hospital staff and the accommodations. The location was ideal, too. A mall with a grocery store is directly across the street. On our second night, we both got a craving for chocolate ice cream, so I made the quick jaunt and returned with some decadent desserts.

That same evening, shortly after I returned, we started hearing what sounded like gunshots in rapid succession. We looked out the window and the night sky is flickering orange. Having just experienced the bombings in Jakarta, and being so close to China, my thoughts went to military invasion. I think my wife thought there was a bomb and the hospital was on fire.

As it turned out, the actual cause was nothing near as nebulous. The mall across the street was having a grand opening of a new store, and they had fireworks. Just shows what living in Jakarta can do to you.

The next day, the pediatrician came by and inspected our son and scheduled the circumcision. I don't know how they do these in the rest of the world, but I like the procedure they used in Singapore. They pull back the turtleneck, slide a cuff over the shaft, then let the skin fold back over the cuff. Then, they take some string and tie it tight under the cuff. Within a week, the cuff and the extra skin fall off. No pain, no cutting. Little guy didn't even notice.

After three days in the hospital, we returned to our apartment at Great World City and began the adventure that is all-day feedings and changings every two hours. One of these days, I'll have to ask my wife how she does it. I sleep through it all.