"Baptism of Jesus" Day aka Samantha's arrival

It's 1:30 am, January 19, 2010 (Tuesday) - Baptism of Jesus Day according to the Russian Orthodox Church calendar. I had just fallen asleep 30 minutes before hand and woke up in the usual uncomfortable way - being pregnant and all. I needed to switch sides (I was sleeping on my right side and felt the need to switch to the left side). In doing this one action, the process was started. My water broke. I graciously screamed for Yura. He was sleeping on the couch - trying to get in at least one night of uninterrupted sleep (away from my tossing and turning). He would not receive his wish. As he comes running into the bedroom, he slips and falls by the bedroom door as I am trying to figure out how to get up without completely baptizing the bed, the floor and the carpet. Somehow I managed to get to the bathtub while poor hubby was figuring out how to clean up the mess while calling a friend to come watch the kids so we can get to the hospital.

It's in the -30's Celsius outside (around the same in F) and although the hospital is 1.5 blocks away, we paid $5 to take a taxi to get us there. The traditional "get there in the ambulance" wouldn't work because the number was constantly busy. By the time we arrive, change and register, it is about 3:15 am.

Let me pause here. If you haven't heard about my previous experience with having Pasha here in Russia, well, let's just say it was a different experience than having our other three children in the USA. I am very grateful, however, that considering the situation we were in at the time (just arriving back into the country, problems with visas and law changes), we were very blessed by a doctor friend who set us up to have Pasha at the birthing hospital. Without her, we would not have been able to get into a hospital at all.

With that said, we learned some things this time around about the law, what is and is not allowed for foreigners, etc. We signed a contract at the nearby hospital to pay for services which ended up being a good thing. Yura was with me during LDR (Labor, Delivery and Recovery) and it was done in one room with up to date equipment. Also, as part of the contract, hubby is allowed to visit from 5-7 in the evening in the room. Traditionally, no one is allowed in the hospital; not for labor, not for visiting, not for anything. So it was nice to have Yura with me, especially when I needed something interpreted. Let's just say that when one is in labor, even one's native language is not always understood, let alone a second language.

I didn't know it at the time, but the head doctor of the hospital was the one on-call and she delivered the baby. A lady had come in around 5:15 am and she was in the room next door. Of course, when it rains, it pours and as I understand it, she gave birth about 5 - 10 minutes before I did. One of the poor nurses was running around trying to convert the beds to delivery status while the doctors were calling her between the two rooms. It was another quick delivery for me, although not as fast as Pasha's (who came out in one push). Samantha was born at 5:50 am after 10 minutes of pushing.

She was 8 pounds, 9 ounces, 21.25 inches with black hair and dark blue eyes. She still has the dark blue eyes, and is putting on the weight with all the eating she does! We were in the room recovering for 2 hours and I was able to nurse her there. Then they took me up to my room. I ended up having a room to myself since it was the last room available. It was a full hospital - easy to do since it is a small one and has a tradition of being a good one. I must say, the staff is really professional and friendly. I had heard good things about this hospital and I wasn't disappointed. One of the nurses I already knew. She had also given birth the same day I had Pasha and we were in a room together at another hospital since this one was closed at the time for their yearly cleaning routine. Also, a mother of one of David's classmates from the Montessori school had her baby two days before I had Samantha. She was there and it was through her that we found out more details about the contract. It helped to see familiar faces!

In Russia, there is a minimal four-day stay in the hospital after giving birth. If there are any problems, then you stay longer. Since everything was okay with me and Samantha, we were able to go home on Friday. We came home to excited siblings who had made a welcome home sign, had drawn some pictures, and had bought a cake for this momentous occasion.

Unfortunately, I am typing all of this on the dinosaur computer (our laptop is getting repaired). As a result, it doesn't want to download pictures! I will post pictures when we get our laptop back. So sorry! Have a blessed day!