The delivery was a c-section. Between the docs and ourselves, we thought it would be a better choice , not knowing how things would go with the "only baby in the world syndrome" delivery. Things went beautifully!! I think I even heard a sigh of relief in the room after Drake was born.
The first thing I noticed after they handed him to me was the shape of his ears. I said "somethings wrong with his ears!" They were the shape of little ruffled potato chips. I had never seen anything like them, cute, but different. The docs didn't say much about it. (I have since learned they seldom do)
Afterwards, Shane and the baby went off to do the first bath thing while I tried to enjoy my last few moments of rest and recovery. ( I had joyfully prepared for this moment since my first son "Grant" was a cesarean baby too.) After a while in recovery Dr.Dees, the pediatrician, came in to see me with an update. She told me that his ears had very small openings called aural atresia. The shape was also defected called microtia. At that moment I knew all wasn't well. Call it mothers instinct, call it paranoia or call it whatever you wish, but this was the moment I knew things were never going to be the same. I cried as they wheeled me to the room where everyone could come to celebrate in the birth. All I could do was cry every time someone asked me how we were. (maybe a little postpartum, maybe not) I think I stopped long enough to take a nap, just enough to wake and find Drake liked to cry too. I should have known he cried more than usual. Weren't they at least wait suppose to wait till you get home to start that?, not Drake. He wasn't feeding well either, but we were learning his ways the best we could. I did feel a little more confident with the second child, after all who can't deal with a child that cries every time you touch him? ( a little foreshadow for those interested)
The next day the pediatrician came in to tell us that Drake didn't pass his hearing screen. Shane and I still today laugh about how we talked that night saying"No problem, we can learn sign language!" Dr. Dees also mentioned his chin was slightly small. At the time we didn't think that was something to be too worried over. (they forgot to tell us he was considered "a poor feeder".) So four days later, we headed home to live happily ever after.
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