Welcome Myia

March 14, 2017

It's early morning.

I wake up in Irvington, New Jersey to a serious snow blizzard. I looked out the window, and the rented SUV is completely covered in snow. Without a snow removal, I used a piece of carton to clear the snow. I wasn't prepared or dressed up for this weather. 

After several tries, the car is cleared and warmed up. I had been to the hospital several times and wasn't using the GPS anymore.

In a few minutes of slow driving on the icy road, I ended up at the Children Hospital in Newark. I go upstairs, and Xaviera is still in bed with her mom present. The doctors tell us they are attempting to induce labor.

Several processes administered without good results after a protracted time. As a result, the lead doctor recommends C-Section delivery. I have a chat with Xaviera about the process knowing well this wasn't her preferred option. 

After several conversations with the doctors, Xaviera agreed, and the process begins. Her mom is prep for the delivery room. I rejected to enter the room even though my mother suggested its an experience I did not want to miss. As a compromise, I agree to wait in the 'baby room.' This room is where the baby is brought into after he/she is born, allowing the doctors chance to complete the surgery process. 

As Xaviera and her mom (Aunt Felicia) head into surgery, I got into my scrub and waited. The wait was one of the longest hours of my life. It finally hit me, that in a few minutes I will become  'responsible' for a human being, a person's life. I became overwhelmed knowing in a few more minutes; I will be a 'parent.' 

As I pondered, a nurse approached me, and before she could speak, I had mixed feelings and emotions. You see, part of this long period of waiting (or at least that is how it felt), I was also worried about the surgery; the process, possible complication, Xaviera's health before and after, etc. 

Finally, the nurse altered the words that changed my life forever. She said, 'Are you the father? Congrats". I was stunned. Not sure if that is what I was expecting, but it was a rhetorical question. She congratulated me before I could answer to being the father. 

I was ushered into the 'baby room.' As I walked behind the nurse, I am in a bit of shock. "What just happened?", I quietly altered. Everything changed. The air felt different, the room, the space felt smaller as if to say I was floating off my body and in a dream watching live.  

In a second, we entered this room. Ma Felicia came out along with another nurse and the baby and gave me a hug saying congratulations. I was back in 'present time.' For the first time, the term 'parent' flashed across my head as I saw Myia for the first time.  

Myia laid in the glass tub with a heat-light hanging low from above. I helped to wipe Myia clean as Ma Felicia returned to the surgery room to be with Xaviera as the doctors complete the process. 

Looking at her lying there with eyes shut, I felt proud. It's either there are words to express this feeling looking at your first new born, and I am not just familiar with it, or words like those don't exist. Regardless, it's a moment for the heart. 

Not long after, Xaviera is rolled into the recovery room. Myia is taken away by the nurses to another room where there are other babies. Xaviera has low breath, and doctors came in repeatedly to check on her. She is given a 'breath controller,' a plastic machine she breathes through pushing a small dot up and down the container with measurements on the side. With more practice and trails, her breathing stabilized. 

Xaviera is kept in the hospital overnight. Her mom spends the night with her. I went home later that night to release her mom the next day.

What a day it has been.

We spend a few more hours with Myia that evening. Myia had her first breastfeeding, and it was another breathtaking experience. 

So, in conclusion; 

 

On March 14, 2017, at the Children Hospital of New Jersey at Newark' Beth Israel Medical Center at 8:47 pm,

Myia Ava Yarsiah entered our lives.

It is an extraordinary experience being a parent. A gift being responsible for someone. A blessing to find love and hope knowing you can project yourself into the future.

I am grateful to God for his favor and blessing. We pray for peace, patience, and guidance to strive and be good stewards in raising and loving Myia for God.

Welcome, Myia!