When yin draws oot, anither draws in.

On July 18th, at 1129pm our daughter arrived in the world with a fanfare of trumpets and violins, at least in my wife's head anyway as the morphine kicked in and little Ailish kicked out. 9lbs 4oz of joy.

Let's rewind a little...

On July 17th at 9pm she was scheduled to be induced but Mother Nature had other plans. It was a 103 degrees outside and we showed up at the waiting room in the hospital only to find it filled with pregnant women all breathing heavily and attempting to stave the impending babies off for a few more hours. It seemed like the heatwave put everybody except my wife into labor and the delivery rooms were full... all 11 of them.

Can you come back in a few hours? Turned away from the inn like Jaysus, Mary and Joeseph we trek off into the NYC night. Sure. 3 hours later after a disgusting meal of mashed potatoes and shite we come back and still they are full. We eventually get into a delivery room at 3.30am where they start the induction procedure.

According to the docs something has to happen in the next 12 hours, this is it, the moment of truth... yeah right!

10 episodes of Law and Order on the hospital telly with a few god-awful reality shows thrown in but this baby ain't coming out!

Eventually they break the waters artificcially and the contractions start. 3 hours of contractions without an painkillers and Alma has had about enough. She asks for an epidural and when the docs check up they discover that the head is still high up in the pelvis, big-Irish potato head that it is, so we decide that a c-section is the best option.

It all happens really quickly after that, doctors scrub up and I am given a operating-room outfit in an unappealing blue color with a shower cap that is 2 sizes too big!

A big hit of morphine that has poor Alma shivering like she has just been put in the freezer is administered and I am invited to stand up if I want to see my baby being born. Her stomach is pulled back with clamps and looks like John Hurt in the movie Alien. Next thing I know, the doctors are reaching in and pulling out a baby. It is strange and amazing sight that I'll never forget! I thought I'd be squemish but I am too excited by the baby's cries.