Throughout our pregnancy we were often told "You don't want anything to go wrong with your baby, but - if something does go wrong - Children's is the place you want to be."
After a relatively tough pregnancy filled with migraines and nausea, we were hopeful that our baby boy's arrival would go smoothly. He was due on May 24th, and we were getting pretty anxious to meet him. At 10 pm on Sunday, May 22nd, I was watching a Hallmark movie and attempting to relax, while Craig wrapped up one last thing for work. By the time Craig closed his computer, I was in serious pain and my contractions were coming faster and faster. We went to the hospital and were told that they were two minutes apart, and we weren't going home. In what felt like the blink of an eye, the nurses came in and said we were at 10 cm. It was time to start pushing. Craig and I were so excited to get moving and see our little man!
Before the doctor arrived, our son's heartbeat dropped significantly. The nurses started moving me around in different positions in an attempt to help it rebound. But as soon as the doctor got to our room, I was swept away in an instant - leaving Craig behind in the calm, dark room I had grown accustomed to. I can honestly say I've never been so scared in my life.
The bright lights and frenzy of the OR were completely overwhelming, and I had no idea whether our son would be okay. But the amazing Children's staff comforted me and reminded me that I was in good hands. Seeing how scared I was, one nurse even ran to find Craig, so that he would be there for our son's arrival. I looked around the room to see specialists covering the area to ensure our son and family would be healthy and happy.
Before we knew it, our baby boy was screaming and the room applauded. Craig was there to cut his cord and hold him for the very first time. When I look back on this life, I will always remember Craig's first words: "Babe, he looks like a Tate! He's perfect." In what couldn't have been more than 5 minutes, I had gone from the scariest moments of my life, to the most joy I had ever known. Everyone was right: "You don't want anything to go wrong with your baby, but - if something does go wrong - Children's is the place you want to be."
We thank Children's every single day for our most precious gift - Tate Martin Miller - born Monday, May 23, 2016 at 6:25 am.