The Parents & the big day

This is Phil and I in Central Park in NYC in early December 2005. The little one is still in the belly at this time. But this is just to show you who we are.

This was me climbing Mount Arrowant behind my house a week after the baby was due. At this point in time Baby's name was Madge and I was very keen to meet him/her. I was very sore and tired and tried everything to bring on labour. It just never happened.
So, on Monday 24th April 2006 we went to the Canberra Hospital to be induced because this stubbon baby did not want to come on his own. So we went through about 6 hours of labour. It started out promising, as they broke my waters for me and we progressed through contractions. Although we did have to stop at the geriatics ward to get some incontinent pads as my waters we gushing still after half an hour of walking.
After 6 hours of painful, constant labour and little change in my condition as well as concerns over the babies heart rate being too high and dropping too much whit strong contractions causing concern for cords location, they decided that a Cesarean was needed.
So they did the paper work and wheeled me off to theatre. It took about an hour to get into the room and about 1000 questions later I got a spinal block and waited.
It was at 4.05pm that our little boy, Solomon Steven Belcher was born. Phil was very excited, exhausted and relived that everything went really well. I was really tired, but pumped full of drugs, so it was a bit of a whirlwind for me. But I remember the moment they said it was a boy and how excited I was to see him for the first time. It was a bit crazy considering all I could do is look at him and they placed him on my shoulder for cuddles, although I couldn't move my hands. Phil was proud as punch.

It took forever to get back to the post natal ward and they did plenty of checks on Solomon and me before recovery. I fed him for the first time as they wheeled us through to recovery and it was wonderful to be holding our new baby.
When I went back to the post natal ward I was very tired and the pain started to kick in. So I was pumped full of morphine for the next 12 hours, making me very drousy. But we had our familes come and visit that night to meet the Grandson and nephew.
It was a really long day. But it was just wonderful!!!