5 Years Ago

In honor of his birthday tomorrow, I thought I would post Lamb 1's birth story.

I had extreme morning sickness and was even hospitalized in September. We called the midwife about 10pm on March 4. From what I described, she said it sounded like Lamb 1 would be born in a few days. I woke Ram at 5am on March 5. We left at 6:30am. Snow was bad and it took 2 hours to get to the hospital (it should have been a 1 1/2 hour drive). The first time I was checked I was dilated 9 3/4 cm! The nurse said, "Get the midwife over here fast!" Thankfully she lived in town and she made it quickly. We had to wait until the water in the tub was body temperature. I finally was able to get in the tub. Lamb 1 was born about an hour later. The nurses couldn't believe Lamb 1 was born so soon, especially since he was the first child! Lamb 1 had a knot in his cord. Nurses came from all over the hospital to check it out.

Lamb 1 was my first water birth. He was born during his last scheduled prenatal appointment. He was born exactly one week early. He was born on March 5, 2004 at 9:34am. He was 6lbs 13 oz and 20 inches. I didn't take any drugs for his birth.

Our journey with a baby that NEVER slept was just beginning. When he was two months old he was hospitalized and finally given the diagnosis of MSPI (Milk soy protein intolerance). I continued breastfeeding and changed my diet. He slowly improved and very slowly gained weight. Tomorrow he will be 5 years old and he can finally tolerate moderate amounts of dairy.

Because of his MSPI, I was exhausted and didn't feel like I was caught up until he turned 2. I feel cheated because I don't have some of the baby memories of Lamb 1 that I have with my other Lambs. I think this is unusual because usually you remember more about your firstborn before you have more children. I was definitely in survival mode his first few years of life. Thankfully he has outgrown this and we get to experience life with a five year old beginning tomorrow. There definitely aren't dull moments around the house when Lamb 1 is home!