here ya go:

Solomon Elijah
November 09, 2006 12:47 am
7 lbs, 6 oz
20.5" long

We did it! After about 24+ hours of active labor, our son Solomon entered the world without drugs, without tearing me & surrounded by people who love us. I complained alot, I'm sure. I screamed & thrashed, but I had the amazing help of so many wonderful people to see me through.

Birth is humbling. I've never been so overwhelmed by the power of my body.

It began with mild contractions all day Monday (11.06.06). Tuesday's contractions were much harder. I puffed a little herb to help me through the pain, but it only made me paranoid. I had errands to run & that was hard, being on the bus, my belly getting hard & tight every 10 minutes. I went to the library & could hardly sit still. The bus driver asked me if this was a Christmas baby. "Actually, it might be a tomorrow-baby!" I laughed & she wished me good luck. That night they stepped up to a few minutes apart & definitely regular. I remembered that I needed some potato corn chowder for the birth center & spent the evening alternately cooking & leaning against the counter when the contractions became too strong to stand through.My doula, Katherine, came over at 11pm at the request of my midwife, to check my dilation. 1cm... Crap. I had been told that it could be "false labor" & when I got into my bathtub to try to relax, all I could repeat was "I have to believe this is it, I can't go through this again later, this has to be it." I felt panicky, but I tried to sleep until 2:30am, when I ran to the bathroom for the first vomit. Tim hovered around the bathroom door, looking worried. He asked if there was anything he could do. Poor thing, I'm sure he felt helpless too! All I could say was "(puke) CALL DENA!! (puke)"

Wednesday saw my labor intensify, with Dena, my primary midwife, coming over at 5:30am to help me. She sat with me all day while I moaned & cried. Her very presence was soothing. They had breakfast. I couldn't eat, but I was thirsty. I remember the day being very pleasant, despite my pain. The sun shined in through the blinds onto our bed, onto my face. It was a quiet, peaceful day at home. I slept between contractions & labored alot on the toilet. My mucus plug came out around 3pm & we decided to finally head to the birth center around 3:30 pm. Although I didn't vocalize it, I almost didn't want to leave my home, but I knew it was best to go. The 2 hour drive was hard, I slept between contractions again & almost ripped the little handle off of Dena's backseat ceiling when they came. Over & over, they called out encouragement to me, "you're doing a great job!", but what I really wanted to hear was Tim say he loved me & he did. We arrived & I immediately got into the tub. There were 6 people aiding me, including Tim, whom I am so blessed to have as a partner. He was amazingly supportive through it all.

My water had not broken yet & when Cindy, Dena's teacher, wanted to check me, I was hesitant at first & confessed that I didn't want to be disappointed! She gave me a big, understanding hug & checked me anyway. Good news! She said I was complete & should be pushing. I have no idea what time that was or how long I pushed (I was told 5 hours), but I didn't know what I was doing so I labored in many positions & on many items around the birth center. The best position - albeit the most uncomfortable & least attractive - was flat on my back on the bed, grabbing my ankles. Tim had my left leg, Katherine had my right & Dena used her fingers to focus my concentration on *where* to push. Together, we entered a flowing dance of contractions; "okay" was me signal that another one was coming & they would push down on my legs - knees toward my shoulders - because I had no physical strength left in me to do it myself. When the wave passed, they would let go & I'd relax for about 30 seconds until the next one ripped through me. I didn't really feel any "urge" to push yet, but I was going along with what they told me to do, "poop your baby out!" The bag of waters emerged first, stretching my yoni to accomodate my son's head later. My mom had just shown up & Cindy's husband, Dan, walked in just in time to see me push the bulging bag out through my yoni. I kept my hand on top of it & I was confused as to what it was. I thought it was his head until.... it exploded! It soaked the 5 people surrounding me! I cracked a joke "I think my water broke!" & we all laughed. That was nice to do because I had mostly been screaming at the top of my lungs until then. After that, the "rushes" REALLY came. Every fiber of my being told me to push that baby out NOW. I have never felt such an urge! I concentrated so hard that it was just me & my bottom. I don't remember sound, the positions of those around me or if anyone was touching me. Within minutes he came out into my hands & those of my midwife. I kept my hand on his head (my bulging perineum) & was so amazed to feel him emerge from my body! I tried to slow myself down to prevent a tear, but I also pushed him out quickly. I will never forget the feeling of his slippery little body sliding out. Everyone was impressed that I had not torn, but my mom was most impressed that I had done it NATURALLY.

She announced, "it's a... boy!" & then I heard him cry! I said "my son!" & Tim & I looked at each other through our happy tears. His cord was short, so he could only lay on my belly until I pushed out the placenta, which was beautiful. Dena later remarked at how nonchalant I was about pushing it out. As I reached for him, all warm & slippery, I looked at Tim & said "Solomon?" & he agreed. Cindy encouraged me to let him locate the nipple by himself, as all mammals are capable of doing & it was amazing to watch this tiny baby scoot up my belly to my breast. Later while Tim was on the phone with his family, I decided on his middle name, Elijah. I checked his fingers & toes for extras (it's genetic in my family) & counted 10 of each! Yay! (I was born with 12) We burned his cord, instead of cutting it, in accordance with an old Chinese medicine method of returning heat to his body. He is not circumcised. It took us awhile to figure out latching on, but he nurses well now. And he's so beautiful. Oh my God... I've never loved anyone so much in my whole life. He's perfect.
Fri, November 10, 2006 - 8:39 PM

what a beautiful story! thank you!

this panic over going past" due dates" is fairly recent.I;ve known enough ten-month mamas" so that unless it seems the baby isgetting too big to fit through your pelvis...it's okay. sometimes babies just need a little more time to cook.

wow, saskia, i'm jealous! with my big belly in the way, i could barely wipe myself clean, let alone check my own dilation at 40 weeks! lol