Last Updated on Sunday, 25 October 2009 17:55 Written by Administrator Thursday, 22 October 2009 15:27

On Tuesday, 20 October, my second son was born into this world at 1139.  It was... an interesting experience.

Early in the pregnancy my wife had decided that she didn't want to know the gender of the baby, and no one should either.  I won out and found out that it was a boy from the ultrasound tech and tried to keep it a secret for many months.  We had girls' names all picked out, but none really for a boy.  Yet, I couldn't push the issue as that would give away the gender.

 My wife had me stay home from work on this Tuesday, as she was two days past the due date and feeling like it would come soon.  We had already planned on a homebirth with two midwives coming to assist in the delivery.  However, the entire "hard" part of labor was less than two hours and the midwives didn't arrive in time.  Meaning, that I had to catch the baby.  The midwives arrived just 7 minutes later.

Tristan Blaise Baskin, 8lbs 14oz, 21 1/4", was born very healthy and strong.  And it was a very strong family moment for us to deliver the baby with just our family, and our five year old cutting the cord.  No overbearing "hurry so we can free up the room" hospitals, no over-trained doctors that want to make it interesting for their own sake; just a nice, natural birth.