Everything about Dogs and AccessoriesDogs, accessories, training, sleeping, toys

Premature And Blue Babies Are God's Babies, Too

Last week it was my daughter Heather's birthday-now 25! Out of college, employed, about to get married, and wise, and pretty, I couldn't be but the proudest father on Earth. I thought I heard her say, "... a promotion with a salary increase," as she punched the microwave buttons to heat the fudge.

In a hallucinating second, the kitchen surroundings became the delivery room at New York Hospital; the hospital where my baby was born. Clad in a white gown, I had been allowed to watch the delivery. And as I held my wife's hand and watched the miracle of birth, in a New York minute the dazzling brightness of the room change into dark foreboding.

Something was definitely wrong!

The turmoil that ensued left me paralyzed: beepers resonated, screens flashed, voices became louder, commands snapped. At first I heard whispers: "umbilical cord..." "blue ..." "oxygenation ..." "blue baby!"  And then shouts, "upstairs-code blue!"

The rush of the moment had beclouded my reason, and all I could think of was that I had lost my daughter; that my baby was born still. Since no one bothered to explain what was happening, my mind filled itself with the worst thoughts. All the offending acts of my life marched in procession in front of me, mocking me, reminding me that I wasn't a perfect human being, and that I had sinned against God, stranger, and neighbor. Guilt assailed me.

In my distress I called to the Lord

In utter despair, my mind beclouded, yet not quite panicked, I fell on my knees and I raised my eyes to the heavens and begged, "I have tested your patience dear Lord, punish me, but let this child live." Raspy and cracked and lame my voice kept repeating, "Take me God, but don't take her." Having forgotten my prayers, since I had been away from church for many years, all I could manage was to repeat my own simple words.

The nurse that had been left behind promptly attended to my wife, soothing her, calming her down. But she had no more information about my baby than I did.  Seeing my distress, she assured me that the rush and the turmoil were really precautionary, and that the babies usually recovered; that they had a special unit on the sixth floor for the "pree-mees," (prematurely born), the "blue babies," and other difficult births.

"They got the best equipment and trained personnel in the world!" she boasted. "Upstairs, is like a space ship."

"Where, upstairs?" I asked her. "Will they let me in?"

"Yes, parents are allowed, but not during the emergency. But go and see."

My heart in my mouth, half-tripping on my own clumsy steps, I made a mad dash toward the elevators. Once on the sixth floor, through the wide glass windows I could see the obstetrician and his retinue gathered around an incubator. Apparently, the child had been saved, for everyone in the group seemed to be collected; in fact they appeared cheerful, smiles showing on their faces.

Of all the faces in the group, one looked in my direction and nodded in a reassuring way; I found this incongruous, for the man was a giant, a tall and heavy African American, clad in a Light Blue uniform, with a matching cap.

Not wanting to be called out for trespassing, I hurried back to tell my wife that the baby was saved; that she was breathing on her own in an incubator. As I hustle back, the hallways seemed long and interminable, the elevator slow, my own steps ungainly, and I moved as if in the midst of a nightmare. Doubt filled my mind, was my baby really well? Or, had I conjured up that scene? "God, don't let me go off my senses," I begged.

I called out to my God

Early in the morning when my wife started having contractions, I realized that I had to miss work. Since I had just hired a new assistant controller, I immediately called him at home and instructed him to review the multi-million dollar payroll, transfer funds to cover it, check the protective collar or puts and calls I had on the investment portfolio, and other tasks that I normally handled. In my arrogance and hubris, I feared my department would collapse during my absence. Needlessly I overwhelmed the poor man, as I snapped commands. Little faith I placed back then on the abilities of other people. Now, as I watched the hospital staff work as a team in seamless effort, it dawned on me that people care and they take pride in their assigned chores.

Within minutes, the obstetrician and the nurses returned and explained to us that the umbilical cord had twisted and knotted around the baby's neck and cut off the oxygen, and that they would have to keep her in the sixth floor for a few days. And though she was "a little blue," she didn't fall into the category of 'Blue Babies Syndrome," since these babies are born with a congenital heart defect.

As I listened, my heart was bursting with joy. Yet a voice of reason held me, for I wanted to yell my thanks to the heavens. The word Hosanna came to my mind, but I wasn't sure what it meant; so I kept quiet, enjoying the warmth, the ecstasy of triumph of life over death.

From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears.

With the doctor's permission, I was allowed to return to the sixth floor to see my daughter. Only the nurses are allowed near the incubators, so I had to content myself with watching Heather through the glass windows. The giant black male nurse walked in with a "pree-mee" --kicking and screaming-- on the palm of his wide hand, and as he placed the loudhailer pree-mee in the incubator, the giant smiled at me. The man's name tag read, "Samuel Moseley."

Pointing at my baby I could see that he had twisted a piece of pink ribbon into a tiny bow and scotch-taped it on top of Heather's head. I gave the man a thumbs up as I mouthed through the window: "Thanks, Samuel."

What follows next is something I have never confided to anyone, but it's high time that I share my experience.

When I walked into my wife's room the next day, I felt a little silly carrying a bouquet of flowers, for flowers were all over the place. Some friends were already there, and well-wishers kept the telephone ringing. After a while I excused myself and ran to the sixth floor to see my baby and to give Samuel a box of chocolates. But Samuel was nowhere to be seen.

I ran to the reception station and asked the attendants to give the box of chocolates to Samuel later when he came in. The nurses looked at each other. "There's no Sam or Samuel-or male nurses on this floor," one of them said. "You must be confused," the other nurse added, "maybe in another building or floor."

The loud beeps from the microwave drew my out of my reverie. "Dad?" I heard Heather say. "I'm thinking about applying to law school--do you think I'm ready, or am I too premature?"

About the Author

Retired. Former investment banker, Columbia University-educated, Vietnam Vet (67-68). For the writing techniques I use, see Mary Duffy's e-book: Sentence Openers. To learn about child-birth visit: Child-birth education

Beeper Collar Facts

Dog Collar Battery Fits Dogtra 1100NC, 2000NC Receiver Tritronics BP-12 1100NC, 1200NC, 1500NC, 2000NC $17.95 Dog Collar Battery Fits Dogtra 1100NC, 2000NC Receiver Tritronics BP-12 1100NC, 1200NC, 1500NC, 2000NC...

Click 'n Dig! Key Finder Wireless RF Item Locator Remote Control, Pet, Wallet, Keyfinder. (Free Extra Batteries). $38.95 This Key, Wallet, Remote Finder is a convenient and high quality gadget that works! It beeps the right device every time. Simply click the color coded button on the radio transmitter to find the item up to 60 feet away and hidden under the pillows or across the walls. Radio frequency penetrates walls, cushions, leather etc. So the receivers beep from the other side of the walls, or when hidden dee...

Baritone Beeper / Locator Dog Collar $89.21 BTB-800 Remote: No Features: -Beeper / locator dog collar. -Easy operation - one touch push button system. -Long range audibility - audio booster element. -Reliable, state-of-the-art microcomputer technology. -Two operating modes: run / point, or point only. -Rechargeable batteries - charger included. -Completely waterproof. -Optional remote control activation 250 yard range....

Elite-Tek ET-9888 Waterproof Remote Dog Training Shock Vibrate Beep Collar with auto anti-bark feature for 1 dog $124.95 Elite-Tek SH-9888 dog training collar is one of the best products in the market and is loaded with features not found in any other dog training collars in the market. The collar features 18 intensity levels of shocks, vibrations and ultrasonic sound. Train your dog with shock, vibration and ultrasonic sound or a combination of the three. The collar can also be set to automatic anti-bark to control...

Dogtra Train and Beeper Collar $329.99 Dogtra's new 2500 T&B's beeper horn is built in to the receiver and eliminates the bulky horn that sits on top of your dog's head like other beeper units. Features include 127 levels of nick and constant stimulation, a one mile range and 400 yard beeper activation. The beeper's locate only mode has two tones, while the run/point & point modes have two tones that can each adjust to 3 different volu...

Deluxe Beeper(Pack of 1) $237.83 Deluxe Beeper - The Sport DOG Brand DSL-400 add-on dog collar beeper locator gives you maximum flexibility with a high and low volume option, three settings for beep duration and four different tones. - The DSL-400 beeper uses a 3-volt lithium battery th

Baritone Beeper Collar(Pack of 1) $296.65 Baritone Beeper Collar - The BTB-800 gives you the ability to keep track of your dog's location when he is out of sight and lets you know when he has gone on point. - This allows you to find the dog quickly and prevents you from making the mistake of call

Baritone Beeper Collar With Remote(Pack of 1) $520.33 Baritone Beeper Collar With Remote - The BTB-809 gives you the ability to keep track of your dog's location when he is out of sight and lets you know when he has gone on point. - This allows you to find the dog quickly and prevents you from making the mis

Beeper with Strap(Pack of 1) $362.6 Beeper with Strap - Easy to hear up to 400 yards. - Use alone or with any brand of electronic collar. Remote turn on / off when used with compatible Tri-Tronics models: Sport 65 G2, Sport Upland G3 and Tri-Tronics G2 and G2 EXP Field and Pro Series.

H2O 1Mile Remote Trainer with Beeper Collar Black(Pack of 1) $451.83 H2O 1 Mile Remote Trainer with Beeper Add-On Collar Black - The H2O 1850 Add-On Beeper collar is compatible with the H2O 1850 PLUS system, and it can also replace any lost or damaged H2O 1850 or 1852 collar unit. - Available with Black, Blaze Orange, or F

H2O 1mile Remote Trainer with Beeper Collar orange(Pack of 1) $451.83 H2O 1 Mile Remote Trainer with Beeper Add-On Collar Orange - The H2O 1850 Add-On Beeper collar is compatible with the H2O 1850 PLUS system, and it can also replace any lost or damaged H2O 1850 or 1852 collar unit. - Available with Black, Blaze Orange, or

Beeper $4.99 We believe it is important to preserve what makes music special, and make it easy to craft listening experiences. At MOG, browse millions songs and play them instantly. Or just turn on radio where you can stop and replay songs. You can also create playlists for any occasion, and even download songs to your mobile. We are dedicated to employing the cleanest but most powerful technology so you can enjoy music as much as ever.

SportDOG UplandHunter SDR-Beep Add-A-Dog Collar (SD-1850) $219.95 Use this SportDOG SDR-BEEP collar receiver to add another dog to your current SportDOG Brand electronic beeper collar system or replace the original SDR-BEEP receiver. The SDR-BEEP receiver features 9 beeper tones audible up to 500 yards. The collar is waterproof, submersible and operates off a replaceable, rechargeable NiMH battery. This collar is fully compatible with an UplandHunter 1850 transmitter, and you will be able to operate all training collar and beeper functions remotely. The transmitter of the SportDOG Brand SD-1800, SD-2000 Camo, or SD-2500 system will operate the training collar and the remote locate or "call" function on the beeper. Waterproof, submersible collar receiver 9 beeper tones audible to 500 yards Beeper can be used independently of collar receiver Replaceable, rechargeable NiMH batteries Low battery detect feature

Receiver and Beeper with Strap Green(Pack of 1) $949.33 Receiver and Beeper with Strap Green - Compatible with Tri-Tronics G2 Sport Series, G3 Pro and Field Series and G2 ECP Series - Easily add a beeper to you remote trainer. The Upland G3 Beeper can be field match to your transmitter. Beeper is operated usin