***Note this contains a birth story! If you do not like blood etc. do not read*****
So, some of your know the story of how Salome was born. I have never posted this story because, well, it is kind of crazy.
We had picked out the hospital with Salome under the impression (and paid a VIP fee) to have a private room with Joab there. However, they lied to us and did not provide that. We learned later if we would of paid a bribe things probably would of been different. But we do not pay bribes and in the end Salome was healthy, I was fine and can actually laugh about it now.
I am thankful we are giving birth at a new hospital for #4. Paying a lot more, but in the end I think it will be private and Joab will be there!
________________________________________________________________________________
Salome Grace Elaine
December 23, 2009 Shanghai China
Birth Adventure
> > Salome’s whole pregnancy taught me so very much. I treasure those days- and
> > really thank God for a wonderful pregnancy. I was able to get through: the
> > few weeks of bleeding, Miriam’s pneumonia hospitalization, more days of
> > bleeding after that, food poisoning, climbing the Great Wall and a quick
> > trip to America! WOW! We did a lot and God’s peace was always close to my
> > heart- that is one reason we named her Salome it is Greek for- Peace.
> >
> >
> >
> > About midnight on December 23, 2009 I was in bed and rolled over to feel a
> > huge rush of water leave me. I looked at Joab who said “I think your water
> > just broke”. I was not sure, so I got up and went to the bathroom watching a
> > trail of water follow me the whole time. I spent a while in the shower
> > trying to relax through the first of the contractions.
> >
> >
> >
> > I got out of the tub to blow dry my hair and more and more water is coming
> > out! Yikes I had no idea how much water is in there (with my other two kids they had to break >>my water)! As I dried off I was
> > trying to come to terms that this baby was coming! Soon!
> >
> >
> >
> > After my shower Joab told me he thought we should head over to the hospital.
> > As we were not sure of the registration process and perhaps- just maybe we
> > could secure a VIP room. I had been told a month before that all the VIP rooms
> >were going to be under remodling so they would not be sure where I would give birth.
> >This, has caused me a lot of stress! As the "local" option to birth- was well, not
>>my first choice.
> >
> > Funny what you pray for. My whole pregnancy I had prayed for the taxi driver
> > who would take us to the hospital. So when Joab called for a cab I was
> > pretty amazed at who God gave us. One of the calmness, nicest taxi drivers
> > in Shanghai! He knew I was in labor but did not speed through the stop
> > lights- but drove fast but dropping me off right at the ER door. As Joab
> > checked me in I was starting to have to stop and really breathe through my
> > contractions. We checked in at the ER but had to take the elevator to the
> > third floor to labor there. At the door to the Labor unit Joab was not
> > allowed to come in before he put on this very uncomfortable plastic
> > disposable gown and strange looking blue plastic chefs hat! We get into the
> > labor room and the reality of what I am about to do hits me. As I am sharing
> > this room with two other Chinese women. But I don’t have long to think about
> > this because my contractions are coming hard and fast. I had to kneel on all
> > fours on this little tiny bed and rock back and forth to keep the pain under
> > control. They decide they need to “check me” which means they want to check
> > me WHILE I am having a contraction! What! I have never heard of this! On top
> > of that when they check you they put this really strange looking brown goop
> > (think poop) which is suppose to prevent infection. I have no choice, and
> > let them check me- which hurts like crazy. They announce I am at a ZERO and
> > the baby is high- so I can not walk around in fact they just want me to lay
> > on my back.
> >
> >
> >
> > Forget the laying on my back I am having such intense back labor I can
> > barely talk. Speaking of talking, Joab and I decided that I would not speak
> > any Chinese at the hospital so that it would make them think even more that
> > I needed him to stay with me. At this point I am not speaking much English
> > let alone Chinese.
> >
> >
> >
> > We get to the hospital about 1 AM- at 3AM they “check” me again and I am
> > only at a three. But again, contractions about three minutes a part with
> > basically no breaks for me to catch my breath or even talk to Joab about our
> > options. Here my memory gets a bit unclear. Time starts to stand still and I
> > can’t really think about much except the extreme pain this baby is causing
> > me. With both Mei and Asa I labored a lot in water the hot water directly on
> > my lower back really helped the pain. Now, I had no water, no privacy and
> > pretty soon no husband to help me. I was feeling desperate, scared and
> > alone. I knew I needed to “get it together” if this baby was going to come
> > out. But honestly, I did not think I could do this alone and was asking Joab
> > to give me drugs. In fact the lady on the other side of the curtain said to
> > me in English “I think you need some drugs for the pain”. I said back to her
> > “Do you have drugs? Can I have some of yours”? She said nothing back to me
> > and then they announced it was time for me to go down one floor to the
> > delivery room….and Joab could not come with.
> >
> >
> >
> > Joab really tried- bless his heart. He tried to talk to anyone in power to
> > get him into the delivery room. But in the end (I was at 5 cm) they put me
> > on a different metal bed and rolled me down the hall, through the waiting
> > room (cue all the Chinese starring at me) and down one floor by elevator. My
> > last words to Joab were- “If I die please get remarried”. Joab assured me I
> > was not going to die- but it sure felt like it. At this point I was
> > screaming- and trying to not lay on my back while getting wheeled down the
> > hallway. I am sure I was a sight to be seen!
> >
> >
> >
> > I was wheeled into the group delivery room. Think a room about 40 feet by 40
> > feet with three metal beds, three mid wives, three nurses and one cleaning
> > lady. The other two Chinese ladies in there were in the middle of giving
> > birth when I came in. There were no curtains- it was like walking into a TLC
> > birthing show LIVE! At this point I really do not care that other people are
> > with me. I want DRUGS I want JOAB. I was screaming- screaming at them-
> > screaming at myself- I was loosing it.
> >
> >
> >
> > The midwife’s job is to catch the baby (note- this is not like the earthy
> > midwives who love natural birth like in the USA). They do not help you with
> > breathing or positions. They want the baby to come out their way and their
> > timing. The first thing the Midwife does is take me feet and put them into
> > stirrups- I started to scream louder and plead with her to NOT do this. With
> > the amount of back labor I was having I could not have more pressure on my
> > back. In my anger I kick off the stirrup from the bed. So the midwife looks
> > at me and tells me to just breathe. Just breathe! Right. So then she gives
> > me the “puffer”. She could have given my cocaine and I would have probably
> > taken it. As last time them checked my 15 min ago I was 5 and now I am a 9
> > or 10 they tell me. She puts her hand up me and touches the babies head. She
> > tells me take the “puffer” and then start pushing. Well, the puffer must
> > have been some type of laughing gas? Not sure- it was two huge tanks of gas
> > and one gas mask that were made of a little Chinese mouth. I had a hard time
> > just figuring out how to breathe in it. Not sure if it was the fact I was
> > thinking more about the “puffer” and less about my back labor or that the
> > puffer actually worked- but somehow I got to 10 cm!
> >
> >
> >
> > They put my legs back in the stirrups. Actually the bed they had me on was
> > not wide enough for my hips and my legs to be on there together. I just
> > resigned myself that their plan was the stirrups and my plan was a baby. So
> > I guess I needed to do it their way. In fact I did think about just getting
> > up and leaving- but since the baby was basically falling out of me- decided
> > against this. The midwife also told me to grip on to these metal handles
> > which somehow were attached to the stirrups. I kind of felt like I was in a
> > space ship in a very awkward position holding on to metal bar that was going
> > to get me no where!
> >
> >
> >
> > My dear friend Laura reminded me the week before not to push until I felt
> > like it. I took this to heart and actually waited (screaming through the
> > pain of the back labor while my legs are in stirrups while holding on to the
> > metal bar) until I felt the urge to push. Which was kind of the diamond in
> > the rough- with Asa the midwife basically forced me to push
> > before I was ready- and I always regretted that. So with Salome I waited and
> > it went a lot better. It took maybe five minutes and she was born. They told
> > me to slow down after her head came out- which was really hard to do! But
> > she came out- they said (in Chinese) you have a girl! And then they took her
> > vagina and basically shoved it into my face! Because they thought I did not
> > speak Chinese- I guess they wanted me to know for sure!
> >
> >
> >
> > They took Salome away to the other side of the room (I could see her the
> > whole time) and then proceeded to get the placenta out. The midwife did not
> > want me to push the placenta out- she said it would come out on its own.
> > Perhaps in a safer spot when I could actually hold my baby it would come out
> > on its own! But I wanted that baby- so I just said forget it and pushed it
> > out! Placenta was a-okay and they asked me for the third time if I wanted it
> > boxed up and taken home. No thanks but can I have my baby?! At this point I
> > start speaking Chinese and all in the room are shocked I can speak it! I
> > said – when I am not pushing a baby out I can speak Chinese- they laughed.
> >
> >
> >
> > So baby out- time for me to eat?! They give me a Chinese dumpling thing, a
> > bowl of rice porridge and a hard boiled egg. I am covered in goop and now I
> > want to eat? No thanks.
> >
> >
> >
> > At this point they bring out the tea pot. Not filled with tea but some type
> > of Chinese medicine mixture which they pour all over my birth canal and
> > area. It actually felt pretty good- then she took this Q-tip style thing and
> > started to “clean me out”. At this point I lay back down (I can only see
> > Salome if I am sitting up) and just try to relax and eat my dumpling! I was
> > actually hungry and it tasted really good!
> >
> >
> >
> > I keep asking if I can hold Salome and when can I get out of here and see
> > Joab? They inform me that I need to wait two hours in this room before I can
> > see Joab. Two hours!!!!!!! Yikes.
> >
> >
> >
> > They then take a small plastic pan to “catch” all the blood coming out of
> > me. They want to see a certain amount and keep on checking me (and kneading
> > my uterus- it really hurt). About 45 after giving birth they give me Salome!
> > She is wrapped in this paper towel looking thing- naked except for a diaper
> > (which they had to go back to the waiting room and get from Joab)
>> and she has had no bath! They then tell me I
> > need to nurse her the whole two hours while I wait to “recover”. At this
> > point I had totally resigned myself to whatever they asked of me- because
> > they let me see Salome. She was so pretty! And with red hair! Miriam is
> > going to be sooo happy!
> >
> >
> >
> > So Salome and I nursed – ate some more Chinese dumplings both of us half
> > naked on this horrible small plastic bed alone without Joab. However, we did
> > enjoy watching all the other babies being born around us while we waited
> > those two hours. I love the TLC birthing shows and I was in a live one!
> > Amazing the gift of birth!
> >
> >
> >
> > After about 1 ½ hours they took Salome from me (I thought for her bath) and
> > put some clothes on her. By this time I was READY to see Joab, get out of
> > the TLC birthing show and take a shower! I asked if we could be moved into a
> > VIP recovery room- to which the midwife said all the VIP rooms were full and
> > I needed to go into group recovery. FINE I thought- just get me out of here!
> >
> >
> >
> > So a super long 30 minutes past when finally they got another metal cart for
> > me and a smaller one for Salome. They put a new fresh gown on me and wheeled
> > us down the hall to finally see Joab! Joab met us at the door and I think
> > was pretty happy to see me alive. I was pretty happy to see he had not remarried!!
> >
> >
> >
> > We got wheeled up to the group recovery room- I was in the middle bed
> > separated by curtains from one woman on my right who just had a c-section
> > (did not look fun) and a woman on my left who had given birth a few days
> > before hand. Thankfully when I got into the room the head Doctor was making
> > rounds. She told us we could leave basically when we wanted to. Next to
> > having Salome this was the best present I got at Christmas! So as soon as
> > they could process the Birth Certificate Salome, Joab and I were out of
> > there!
> >
> >
> >
> > Born at 5:45 AM- left hospital at 3:00 PM on December, 23 2009.
