it's a boy!

on a sunny day in chilliwack, with the spring blossoms scenting the air, tyrn james g took his first breaths. (pronunciation -TIE rin jAYMz greh DAN us)
kylie started labour late tuesday, and was up all night with strong regular contractions. i included this picture of our tree out front b/c i hope i will always have the memory of lying in bed on wednesday morning in a daze, looking out the window at the delicate blossoms outlined against the blue sky and pink clouds of dawn and thinking that we would get to meet our baby on such a beautiful day.

the maternity ward in chilliwack was relatively quiet and we were ushered directly into a labour room, rather than having to share a room for the first stage (which is common). the rooms in chilliwack are pretty utilitarian, but have one wall of solid windows with beautiful mountain views.

just before sunset on the toughest day of her life, kylie pushed out a screaming baby boy. his head circumference was 36 cm and he was 54 cm long.

i was so proud of kylie. i have seen 100s of women in labour, and although the kenyan women are the toughest i have witnessed, kylie was one of the strongest canadians. seriously. she was fantastic. she gave solid pushes through the full length of every contraction, and didnt complain or scream (until the very end when the head was almost out... then there were a few involuntary howls).

here's tyrn having his first bath. as soon as he came out i was struck by his resemblance to my brand new baby pictures. my mom agreed and sent us this picture of her holding me on my first day.


once kylie had showered and rested our friends started to arrive. we had an excellent evening and following morning in the hospital, with a perfect mix of visitors and naptime, and even a decent night's sleep. i also went down to visit the emerg a few times. the nurses there are SO excited for us. someone put up a birth announcement for us, and no one could figure out how to pronounce "tyrn".



being a part of the new generation of doctors, i feel like i got as much teaching on the importance of skin to skin contact as on how to deliver a stuck shoulder, or deal with labour dystocia. with all the emphasis i had to give it a try. i cant testify to its purported physiological effects, but it sure is fun!
now the family is back at home. niko is interested and tolerant, and not yet jealous. kylie and i are tired, and tyrn just had a good feed, so it's time to try sleeping at home with our new baby. welcome home ty! it's good to have you.