Oh baby

We are getting close to a very special time of the year for me, even though the tale itself will be 45 years “old” soon.

It involves a move to another location, a long, long time ago in what seems like a galaxy far, far away….

To set the stage: We had moved from New York to Lenox, MA in the winter of 1979 so I could take a new position teaching at Monument Mountain Regional High School. My (now ex) wife found out she was “in the family way,” and all through that spring and summer we were making plans. While we were not quite as far from friends and family as Sue and I are now, it still seemed like a long way away.

Zoom ahead to October 4th, it was a cold, crisp morning in the Berkshires. I was driving like a madman, running lights, trying for all the world to get stopped by the local constable. Our baby was on the way, and I wanted an escort to Dr. Ray Haling’s Birth Center. I was terrified. There is no manual for becoming a first-time dad and I was simply trying to survive the ride.

Dr. Haling and his wife, a nurse and midwife, were as calm as could be. We were escorted up to a very comfortable bedroom with a queen size bed where, complications not withstanding, the birth would take place. The house was directly across from Berkshire Medical Center and we had signed consent forms that, should he deem it necessary we would be taken, without question, to the hospital.

The labor was moving along, and for those gentlemen reading this, it presents pain like nothing I had ever seen. I did the best I could to pay attention to the things I learned during the Lamaze classes.

When it was time, Dr. Haling encouraged me to “catch” the baby…talk about being scared. I originally turned him down, but he again, very calmly (so calm that he was listening to a Notre Dame game on the radio periodically leaving the room to catch the score) suggested I do it, and said “it is something you will remember forever.”

So, I took up my post, got into my best Yogi Berra stance holding the now crowning head in my hands and saying to my self “no batter, no batter” and there she was. We didn’t know until that moment what the sex was, but now here she was. I held her for a few moments before they took her, cleaned her up, gave her the APGAR scores and gave her back to us.

I was speechless (honestly, totally speechless). After a shower for mom, they left us alone and we simply sat with her and marveled at what had just happened.

A couple hours later, our neighbors arrived with some celebratory pizza and champagne. That was followed by a visit from Dr. Rosenfeld, the pediatrician, who sat with us for what seemed like a few hours guiding us through what to expect and what to look for over the next few nights. We scheduled her first trip to the doctor’s office for the following week.

After making sure that mom and daughter were medically sound, we were sent home. One of the benefits of using the birth center instead of the hospital, was no required overnight stay. We made our way up the stairs and put Kate Noel down in her crib where she promptly fell asleep. The new mom was also exhausted and fell asleep quickly herself.

I could not sleep a wink. I was scared of doing something wrong, the adrenaline of the day mixed with fear, worry, joy and pure excitement kept me wide awake. I kept poking her every half hour to make sure she was still breathing.

It’s now 45years up the line and the memories of that day are still vivid. Kate now has a daughter of her own, a loving spouse, has overcome some pretty serious health issues, and lives 1,000 miles away from home. But it’s not about where you are physically located but where the heart resides.

Happy Birthday Kate Noel Fitzpatrick-Silgals.

Fittingly let’s let Jackson Browne play us out with some of the opening verse of his song

“Ready or Not”
“Someone’s gonna have to explain it to me…
I’m not sure what it all means….
I guess we’ll reach some understanding when we see what the future will bring…”

Kevin Fitzpatrick is a retired teacher who, along with his wife Sue (also a retired teacher) is enjoying exploring life in the lowcountry and all it has to offer.