Chris Platts

On the 17th May 2017 we embarked on our greatest journey yet. The alarm goes off at 0530 and me and Becky start getting ready to go to Tivoli hospital in La Louviere. The beginning of the end of 9 month journey for the birth of our first child, a son. We were booked in for a 0700 C-Section as he had decided he was far more comfortable having his feet pointing down than rather try and come out head first. The dogs had been dropped off with friends the night before so there wasn’t much to worry about apart from getting ourselves out of the house. We set off at 0620 excited with anticipation with what was to come.

We arrived at 0650 and mde our way to the 10th floor to get checked into the maternity ward. The staff at the hospital were amazing. They knew we were an English couple from the start and did their best to make sure we fully understood everything that was going to be happening over the next few hours. Every single situation that could happen was rushing through my head. What if we had to wait for a long time? What if there were complications for both him and Becky? It is very rare that I think about how I could do with a cigarette since quitting but this was definitely one of them! The nurse came in and said it was time to get our stuff together before we move to the operating theatre. One of the first things she asked for was a blanket to wrap him. We had left our bags in the car to bring up afterwards and that is where we had left it. “I’ll go and get it” I said. In a flash, I was out of there and quickly scurrying to the car to fetch it. Not thinking about how soon Becky was going down to the operating room and that she might need me by her side. My only thought was he needs this blanket and by god on my first day of being a Dad I’m going set off with a good example and that I am willing to do anything to help. I got back in what I thought was quick time but the room was empty! Where had they taken Becky? Why didn’t I just stay and await instruction? I quickly tried to find a nurse who told me they had taken her downstairs to the 3rd floor to start the procedure. Oh my God! Was I going to miss the birth of my first child? I hurried to the elevator to make sure I wasn’t too late. When I arrived, there were so many doors and choices to make. Thankfully there was a nurse on hand who was able to point me to an intercom which I needed to use to get through to the area where Becky was. I scampered to the reception desk where I was told to take a seat and someone will bring me some scrubs to wear. It seemed to take an eternity for anything to happen. People looking at me just sat there on my own. I was sure I was too late. Then Naomie appeared. She was a midwife who helped us when we went to see if you could be turned out of the breach position. She calmed me down and went off to find some scrubs. She reassured me that I would not miss a thing. As soon as she came back with them I went to the changing room and quickly got changed. I then had to wait again in the reception area awaiting Naomie to come back and take me through to Becky. Once again this seemed to take an eternity but eventually she came and took me through to the operating room. As I went through the double doors there were 4 or 5 people in scrubs busying around your Becky who was on the table. I went around to her head and gave her a kiss and said ‘everything will be alright now’. I said that for reassurance for both her and me. It was at this point I realised I was still grasping onto the blanket for dear life just waiting for him to come. The anaesthetist was trying to help out and translate everything for us. Which was really helpful as trying to remember GCSE French really doesn’t cut it when it comes down to surgery!

So, this was it the final few minutes prior to Edward arriving. The doctors were scampering grabbing various clamps and scalpels. Doctor Hollemaert, who had been our doctor from the start of pregnancy, was in charge. I was trying to make out what they were doing over the sheet but couldn’t quite see the incision. They were wrestling with something I did not know what it was. Was it a leg? What it your arm? Or something else? After a few seconds, I saw it. It was a leg! I was starting to well up with tears of joy but there was no time to get sentimental just yet as there was the rest of him to come out! They popped out the second leg and were trying their hardest carry on puling the remainder of you out. There seemed to be a little struggle trying to get the shoulders out. Doctor Hollemaert grabbed hold of her scalpel and made the incision a little bigger. This helped and out came his shoulders and arms all at once. All that was left was the head. They carried on pulling and tugging but it just seemed like he didn’t want to come out. There seemed to be consultant overlooking the procedure and by what I could make out by his hand gestures he insinuated that by doing a screwing like action that would help. He must have seen this before as it definitely worked! Out he came with a little whimper but not screaming like I’d seen before on TV. Naomie grabbed hold of him and brought him round so Becky could see you. It was beautiful. All 3 of us together for the first time. Becky gave him a quick kiss on the head before he was whisked away for some tests. I couldn’t help but cry with tears of joy. Here was the love of my life who had been amazing and not made any sort of fuss, giving me the greatest gift of all, a son. No words could ever describe the sheer ecstasy I felt at that moment. As the doctors were stitching Becky back up Naomie came in and said, “Do you want to hold Edward Stanley?”. Nothing could have stopped me from getting to him at that moment.

I was asked to go and take Edward to a waiting ward while they stitched Becky up. So, there I was sat in a small cubicle. Just me and my son. I had no idea what to say. There was just too much pride swelling up inside of me. I so did the usual thing when you meet someone for the first time. I grabbed his hand and shook it, “How do you do Edward Stanley, I’m your Dad“. I then proceeded to talk to him about his family and who everyone was. I know he wasn’t taking any of this in but that’s all I could think of at the time.

Previously I had said that his song would be Stevie Wonder ‘You Are the Sunshine of My Life’ was going to be his song as I had found out it had been number 1 in the charts on the 17th May. So, it seemed appropriate. However, at the time I could not think of the lyrics for love nor money. The only song I could think of at the time was Oasis ‘Talk Tonight’ so I started singing it. I think it was just a culmination of seeing Edward for the first time and everything that had happened previously from when I first met Becky. I had been and travelled around to all different manner of places. Taking in the sights and experiences but there was always something missing. Like I had drifted through life waiting for the moment it would all click into place. This was it. That one moment. The previous September I had married my soul mate and now I had my son. They had stopped me from drifting along, and as the song repeatedly says ‘Bout how you saved my life’. They have and I will do everything in my power to keep them safe and happy.