All Things James

This is a blog for all things James. I will post too many pictures and stories here so people can stop in for updates as they wish. I'm so excited to share our love and excitement for this precious boy with our friends and family. 

BEFORE:

BIRTH STORY: 

Tuesday, August 2nd 1:37am I woke up when I felt a pop that I thought could, maybe, possibly be my water breaking? I jumped out of bed quickly (as I was borrowing a friend's foam mattress topper and I promised I wouldn't get amniotic fluid on it), took two steps and then had puddles of fluid around my feet, just like in the movies; I didn't think it actually happened like that. I said very calmly, "Brian, I think my water just broke." Brian shot out of bed and started running around in circles saying, "What now?! What do we do?" I told him that it could still be a whole day before James was ready to come and that we should both try to get some sleep. I laid down and Brian nested; he packed his hospital bag, washed dishes, and watched an episode of Golden Girls. By 3:00am I was having intense contractions that were four to five minutes apart, which they say is when you should head to the hospital. I was definitely in shock and denial about how far along I was, because I let Brian sleep, told Becca that it wasn't an emergency to get to Berkeley yet (she was an hour away teaching in Stanford), and left a non-emergency message for my midwife that my water had broken. The contractions continued to get more intense and closer together. We logged them on my phone app and the alarm on the app kept going off saying: TIME TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR AND HEAD TO THE HOSPITAL. I wanted to labor at home as long as possible and definitely did not want to go to the hospital too early and get sent home. Becca, knowing that I was farther along than I thought I was, took a cab from Stanford and arrived around 6:30am. Around 8:00am my contractions were consistently one to two minutes apart and we thought it was time to head to the hospital. They checked me in triage and told me I was already 6 cm dilated, which was the greatest news I'd ever heard. I was already so exhausted from not having any rest time between contractions and if they had told me I was 1 cm dilated, I might have cried. Instead, I high fived Brian and the nurses rushed to get me a birthing room. I was only in the room for an hour before I started getting urges to push and told the nurse. She checked me again and said I was 10 cm and could push. Pushing felt like such a relief. I remember feeling so calm... the lights were dim, the room was quiet, and it was just me, Brian, Becca, a nurse, and my midwife. I am sure that the preparations that I did--yoga, walking, swimming, birthing classes, and stretching--helped immensely during this part of labor. The nurse brought a mirror in so that I could actually see the right way to push and the progress I was making which was also very helpful for me. At 11:47am James Austin Corman was born (weighing 7.1 pounds and 20.08 inches long), and I was the happiest person in the world. It was an incredible experience and went much faster and smoother than I ever imagined it would. I was so happy that I was able to do it drug free; it helped so much to have great support from Brian and Becca. 

There were some minor complications after James came out; I have a low platelet count which means my blood clots slowly. I've had this all my life, which I think was the cause of all the nosebleeds when I was little. After my placenta came out, I was hemorrhaging blood so the lights came on and the nurses rushed in and I was hooked up to IVs and given shots. I was hardly aware of all that was happening because I was holding James on my chest and busy falling in love. The nurses at Alta Bates hospital were amazing and took such good care of me and James. 

2 WEEKS OLD:

We are definitely settling into a routine and getting better at breastfeeding. At his two week check up he weighed in at 8.3 pounds and measured 21 inches long, which was a very exciting since he had dropped weight after birth and was dehydrated while waiting for my milk to come in. James' doctor was very impressed by our progress, and I'm thankful that James was patient enough that we didn't have to use formula. The bonding time we get during feeding is so precious, I would have missed it for sure.

On his 2 week birthday, James went on his second date with Sophie Belle Bricker. She was due on the same day as James in the same hospital, but James wanted to be the older man, so he came 4 days before her. Despite the "set-up" I think they have great chemistry.  

He also had a music lesson with Aunt Becca; he especially likes the ukulele.