More Caleb...

Caleb's Birth....by Rachel

August 19th at 3:59am
Caleb arrived earlier than I thought he would! I had a really busy day on Tuesday...busier than normal. Went hiking in the morning and then took Micah for a swim and then did quite a bit of work in the afternoon. Imagine my surprise when I started having strong contractions around 10pm! I was in a bit of denial and thought I might have a touch of the stomach flu since I felt so sick...and actually threw up. I called our doula, Angie, and she laughed and said, "You don't have the flu! You're going into labor!" And so I was. The contractions came on strong right away, and I labored at home until 6am. Angie came over at 3am to help coach me through them. Let me tell you, a doula is a wise investment. I don't know what I would have done without her! I used a birthing ball and stayed at home until Angie thought I was dialated to 4cm. We called Linda and Campbell, who came over to watch Micah (thanks, guys!), and off we went to the hospital! Good thing we left when we did...shortly after I arrived, my water broke and I dilated to 8cm in about 30 minutes! By the time I got around to asking about an epidural, they told me it was too late---this baby was coming soon! So no drugs for this mama! Angie and Matt were right by my side as I pushed for a good 2 hours...that was the hardest part. Dr. Lee (who has delivered a lot of ORTV babies) was great...he's a very quiet Chinese man, but I saw a different side of him in labor...he would loudly encourage me to "push,push,push,push,pushpushpushpush!" Those of you who have had Dr. Lee know what I'm talking about, right? He was great. After a LOT of pushing, Caleb was born at 10:11am. What an incredible feeling...Matt cut the umbilical cord, and I was able to feed him immediately. Praise the Lord. I had visitors within a couple of hours and was so giddy that I didn't sleep until that night...I was too excited to sleep! I'm so thankful everything went well, and I know a lot of you were praying for me. THANK YOU. I have been eating the traditional Chinese "post-birth" food the last few days, which was a gift from some dear Chinese friends. Chinese women take a "month of rest" after they give birth, and even though I'm not doing an official month of rest, I am open to eating some of the traditional soups, foods, etc. I took some pictures of the foods I've eaten the last couple of days, which are very different from the food you'd find in a U.S. hospital. Well, that's the story in a nutshell! More details than you wanted, I'm sure, but I know there are a few of you who are interested in the story. What an incredible journey...thank you, Lord, for allowing me to conceive (that was a miracle in itself) and give birth to a healthy baby boy. We pray that Caleb will love you with his whole heart, soul, mind and strength.