Meet Solomon James!!

May 13, 2002 *Solomon James birth story...*
whenever I think of his birth, I can't help but grin...it actually strikes me as quite humorous! Thursday afternoon my water began to leak - I was just on my way out the door to pick up dh from work - I had ds and two Grandmas in the car with me. I decided to keep my mouth shut until I got Jerad. I told him and we quickly toodled off to the Drs office (right next to his work!).
Dr sent me straight to the hospital for a dose of antibiotics (GBS +). I was to go again at 11 and at 6am. After the first dose, my waters REALLY started to leak and leak and leak! Ack! I was just a little blown away at the amount of water I was leaking...gushing actually. No wonder my belly was so stretched out! Anyway - after the 11pm dose at the hospital, we came home, hoping to get a little sleep.
	We went to bed...well Jerad did and I tried but my waters were, well...still leaking and then WHAMO, by 12:30 I was having some REAL cntx! Ha - I didn't have to be induced! How marvellous! By 1:30 I realized that they were pretty close together already (like 6 min) so I called L&D and they said to come in seeing Matthew's birth was so quick. waking up Jed was.. .interesting...I was like "Hon! You HAVE TO wake up!"
He looks over at the clock and says, "It is only 2:00!" (thinking that I was waking him to go back for my 6a.m. dose) So after some convincing that I really WAS in labour, we got out the door. We arrived at the hospital at about 2:30- it was so quiet, just us having a baby...I liked that. The nurses whisked me off to a room and got me changed and by 3:00 I was pushing, well my body was pushing and I was hanging on for dear life. Suddenly it occured to me that my friend was supposed to be at the birth (duh!) and I told dh to quickly call her.
He said he would call her in a 1/2 hr - and the nurse said, "Um...I don't think you have a half hour!" The Dr arrived soon after - he was a little surprised to see me so far along as I was maybe 1 or 2 cm dilated and minus two station when he saw me that afternoon. I surprised myself when it came time to push. I was completely different than I had been when I gave birth to Mattie.
I quietly took it with Matthew...with Sol I yelled at my poor quiet mannered Dr. I remember yelling "It hurts!! and it BURNS!" Generally making a lot more noise than is typical for me! When they let me reach down to touch his head I actually screamed and drew my hand away! Gosh, I was a psycho woman! Anyway, the whole time i am vocalizing what I am feeling this Dr (not my Dr) was trying to be all logical - he was like "Yes dear I know it burns, I am trying to get you to stretch so that you won't tear." I am thinking to myself "He doesn't have to answer me!" lol!
	He commented several times on the length of the cut I had from last time and was actually able to keep me from tearing on that spot - though there was a bit of seperation, but not much. After not too many pushes, Solomon James made his entrance at 3:36 a.m. April 26th weighing in at 9lbs and 22 inches. (no wonder my ribs hurt)! My friend walked in moments after he made his entrance.
I knew something was wrong right away b/c they didn't give him to me. I was trying to get a good loook at what they were doing - I could hear them saying that there was a lot of mucous and that they couldn't seem to suction out his nose. They bundled him and gave him to me for what felt like 10 seconds...then they whisked him off. When it came time for the placenta to come out things got intersting. I was having a tough time pushing, almost impossible and on top of it I could hear the Dr saying things like "I've never seen this before!" Sort of unnerving.
They gave me that gas to breathe in - something I have never had before. I started to giggle...oh man! Anyway...as the dr was trying to get it out the cord broke off! Then I could see him starting to look at the clock - I guess if it didn't come out w/in an hour he would have had to call someone else. It came in time...but...it turns out that the cord was attached only by what he described as "fingers" and when my water broke it is actually amazing that it didn't rupture.
A nurse took my friend aside and showed her in a book and basically described it as a miracle that it didn't rupture. I know that there are angels watching over my Sol. I am going to see this dr next week to ask him more about this placenta thing and find out all I can about it.
	I know that if I hadn't had such an easy and fast birth, with no tears or cuts that there is NO WAY I could have been discharged so quickly from the hospital (8hrs) and been chasing my baby's incubator down long corridors within hrs. There is no comparison between the way I felt after the two births - I am so thankful.
Sol came home yesterday and I swear that he knows he is home...he just seemed so much more settled when he got here Its sort of strange, he is already two weeks old and I am just now really getting to know his routine etc - though I did spend as much time as possible with him in the hospital. I forgot how much newborns sleep and eat sleep and eat! lol! What fun! I really want to try nursing again in the next day or so...but for today I pump pump pump.
	Thanks for reading! ~thankful Penny