The Sol Three: Welcome Jada Jolynn Sol!

We welcomed our daughter, Jada Jolynn, on 3/31/11. That morning, I was ready for work and stopped in the restroom before I walked out the door. When I grabbed my bags at about 7:30 a.m., I sneezed and thought I'd wet my pants. I thought this was a little odd because it hadn't happened the entire time I was pregnant. Then I realized that it could also be my water breaking. I debated for 30 minutes whether or not to call the doctor and finally did, while sitting in my car to go to work, thinking if I had broken my water, I didn't want to go into labor at work which is ~20 minutes from the hospital where we planned to deliver. I called Robin and let him know what was going on and then called the doctor's office. Then I called my bosses to let them know I'd at least be late.

My midwife asked that I come to her office after 9 and we'd check things out. I didn't have any contractions other than the usual sporatic ones now and then but when I arrived at the doctor, I just knew something was going on. That was confirmed when my midwife did an exam. The words "You're going to have a baby today!" sealed the deal. I can't explain how I felt but as I left the office, I told the scheduling clerk to cancel my appointment for the next day and that I was going to have a baby, to which she celebrated and congratulated me. I called Robin and asked him to meet me at home, then called my boss. I am so lucky; my boss was super supportive and extremely excited for us. I can't explain again how glad I am to be working where I do.

Did I mention this was the worst possible day for the baby to come? I had a grant due that day and Robin had the biggest, most important meeting his company had ever had. This was the first indication that Jada would be a bit of a diva!

We took our dog to PetSmart to stay while we were in the hospital, checked in around 11 a.m., and were taken directly to a labor and delivery room. I was pretty nervous but not as nervous as I had thought I would be. Robin was calm and I think that helped me. My body was already doing a great job of getting the baby moving so my midwife asked what I'd like to do. I could let my body go for it but I may be in labor a lot longer or I could have a small dose of pitocin and get things moving. I chose option 2. Jeane said I'd likely have a baby around 5 p.m. and she was right! Unfortunately I waited way too long to have the epidural and had to feel the wrath of my contractions for about an hour. It really is the worst pain I have ever experienced. On the bright side, the epidural was a miracle worker and for me, it was a great decision.

Finally, it was nearing baby time and the nurse noticed her heart rate kept dropping. They moved me into various positions to see if that would help and for a while it did but the farther the baby dropped, the more her heartrate dropped. Eventually Jeane asked the OB/GYN on call to come in and help decide what to do. Worst case was a C-section. Best was some sort of intervention like using the vacuum to help her move faster. They asked me to try pushing to see how well I did and I'm apparently a champ so we went with option 2. I won't go into detail but I will say that I had to have significant interventions on myself to get the baby out. It didn't hurt; like I said, epidurals rock! When her head came out, they found that the cord was around her neck, causing the heart rate to drop. One more set of pushing and I was done. I only had to work for 15-20 minutes total; the rest was a breeze! I was rewarded with a healthy, baby girl.

We stayed in the hospital for 2 days and came home on Saturday. She has been a complete joy! She feeds very well but she likes to be awake every 1-2 hours during the night. I'm hoping that will change sometime in the next few weeks. My Mom has been here since Friday helping us and I cannot explain how important it has been to have her here. Having someone to watch the baby while I take a nap after a long night or cook or clean is such a blessing. I don't think any of these things would get done if it were just me and Robin. Robin is also a big help. He changes diapers like a pro now and does this before every feeding, then goes back to bed. He also brings me water when I need it or helps me with other tasks that I'm not allowed to do. Since I had to have so much done to me, I'm not allowed to do much but sit here, feed, and take care of myself. Still, this has been the best experience of my life. I never thought I'd be a good mom because it was never something I pictured myself as doing. Thankfully, I was wrong about myself. I'm pretty good at this!

Anywho, I have to go change a blowout now. Please enjoy the pictures of our sweet baby. We can't wait to introduce her to all of you!