The story of Emily Claire

In case you haven't gotten an email from us (or we sent it to an address you don't check often - sorry!), we are the proud parents of Emily Claire Sullivan. Pictures are posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/sullyjava/EmilyClaire

Stats: 9 lbs, 5 oz, 21 1/4" long. (BIG girl) Born October 10 at 5:50 in the afternoon.

Story (the gory details that Travis didn't email out):

We checked into our delivery room at about 9:30 Tuesday night, and after all the paperwork and initial talking, they started labor artificially by putting a dose of something (can't think of the name of the stuff) right by my cervix to get it started ripening. They also gave me Ambien to help me sleep through the pain as it started going. I slept from 10:30 to 1:30, when they checked me again to see if it had done any good. I had gone from basically nothing to 1 cm, negligibly effaced. Unfortunately, they said my contractions were less than 5 min apart and they didn't like that, so they wouldn't give me another dose and instead started me on pitocin at about 2. From 2 until 6, I didn't sleep much, just laid there in drowsy pain. At 6 AM, the doctor came in to check on me, and said I was 1 cm, 40% effaced, and said it was time to start ramping up the pitocin. He also broke my water, which you'd think would be a one-time event but actually lasted all morning. Every time a contraction came on, I'd feel the gush first, then the pain. Having been housebroken for 25 years, it was definitely a weird sensation for me.

Trav woke up about this time, and we put in the movie "Knocked Up," thinking we were pretty funny for renting and bringing that. About the time the end of the movie came around, maybe 9:00 or so, I was actually hurting as much as the main character as she gave birth, so the irony was not so funny anymore. About 10:00, I asked the nurse when I might be checked again, and she said whenever I thought about taking something for the pain. I had been doing pretty well to that point - don't get me wrong, I was hurting a LOT, but fighting through it fine - so I figured I'd just relax and give it some more time.

But first - let me tell you about pitocin-induced contractions. They tell you in childbirth class that contractions last 45 - 60 seconds, and you should be able to feel them coming soon enough that you can help cope with a "cleansing breath". Pitocin-induced contractions mercifully last about 15 seconds, but hit with only a second of warning or so, so all that cleansing breath crap is totally out of the question because it can catch you mid-breath and leave you with no coping mechanism. And because they only last 15 seconds, it takes 3 times as many to do the good of one natural contraction, so it's 3 times the sudden, stabbing pain. And, the doctors control their frequency, so even though 3 minutes apart is sometimes all the more frequent they come during natural childbirth, I had them 3 minutes apart the entire morning.

So by 10:30 I'd had enough, and the nurse checked me. In four hours, I had worked my way up to 2 cm, fully effaced. I can't tell you the kind of mental effect this had on me, because at this point I was swimming in pain. If it had been 4 or 5 cm, I would've considered trying to tough it out, but, TWO?? Seriously, all that, and I was at TWO?? I thought I already had been at 2, because my last check had been "1 to 2 cm". Couldn't take it - asked for the epidural.

The anaesthesiologist came in by 11, and I was fully comfortable by 11:30. I wasn't so concerned at the time, but I asked later about the person who had performed the epidural, because all I remembered was that he had an accent I couldn't place - and since I couldn't see straight his appearance didn't give me any clues. Not that that really mattered, anyway, but Travis was curious about placing the accent, and asked the nurse about him. She said he was the very best in the hospital - the one you really want for an epidural because he's so good at them. And he's retiring soon, so if I have to go through induction with any of Emily's future siblings, I'll be sure to research ahead of time because I think I just lucked out. My back still has a bruise from the epidural site, but it's really not that bad. (there are other more painful things that generally have my attention now). And the nurse also thought he was from an island off of Spain, for those who are curious.

So, I spent the afternoon quite comfortable. I could still feel contractions, but they were only as uncomfortable as all the unproductive ones I had had prior to being induced. I still got the "gush" prior to them, and the slight tightening, but I was at least human again. I got a nice nap in the afternoon, and even had visitors who happened to be at the hospital for unrelated appointments. (Thanks, Sara!! That really was awesome of you and Ryan to stop by. :) )

Around 4:00, I checked at 8 cm, so the nurse started pulling out the delivery equipment. The "birthing suite" at Mercy are really awesome. Each room is twice the size of my living room, which when it's just me in a bed seems pretty silly. But come delivery time, all the unassuming cabinetry opens up and explodes with medical equipment, and the room is actually pretty full. Shortly before 5, I started feeling pressure with each contraction, and told the nurse, who said later that she figured I was fully dilated but she wanted to get her stuff set up first, although she did have the forsight to call the doctor so he was on his way. She checked me and I was at 10, so she had me do a couple "practice" pushes. After 3 contractions of pushing, she had me stop because I was making such good progress (yeah! go me!), so I had some final moments to rest up for actual delivery.

The doctor who delivered me is the one who had been so dismissive of my family history of big babies with big heads, not the one who was a jerk about Ragbrai. I'm glad I had him, because I guess the other doctor suggests every baby be named "Barney" or "Barnette" - and the nurses said it's hilarious every time.

So I started pushing. They had told me most first-time moms push for 1 to 3 hours, but I was apparently an excellent pusher for a first-time mom. Hey, everybody has a talent. Even though my cervix is completely retarded, I can sure push 'em out. I told everyone after the first few pushes that "I'm NOT pushing for an hour!!", and even though it did take 45 minutes, a lot of that was rest and recovery because my contractions were 3 minutes apart - just like they had been all day. For about 3 of the last few contractions I wasn't making any progress, so the doctor called for the vacuum to help her come out. I wasn't going to protest, because I really did want my baby out at any expense by that point, but picture, he had been trying to get her head out with each push by stretching me around. That wasn't working, so using the vacuum on her head he was able to just pull her through. You can imagine the condition that left me in, and he spent a good 10 minutes stitching me up afterwards. "Little scrapes," he called them, although the nurses said they were 2nd-degree lacerations. I don't know how many stitches there are, but there are enough that they HURT now.

Anyway, the doctor lifted my daughter up, announced that it's a girl, and put her on a blanket on my belly. She seemed really big to me, but what do I know about newborns? I figured I'd wait to see what her weight was, and then the doctor said, as though he had no idea, "She's a big baby!" I was too overwhelmed at the time to point out just how much I ALREADY KNEW that she's a big baby, and that I'd tried to tell him for a month how she's a big baby!! *sigh*

Travis went with her to the warming table where the nurse did all the cleanup and everything, weighed her, cleaned out her lungs. Then he brought her to me, and the nurse had said it might be a while before she felt like eating. She was already moving her mouth like she would eat, and when I hooked her up, she figured it out right away and ate for 45 minutes!! I was glad she did, because the nurses said a lot of times big babies (over 9 lbs) have a dangerous blood sugar drop right after birth, and they need to supplement with formula. Even though I specifically told the nurse I didn't want that, she poo-pooed my concerns and said it wouldn't affect breastfeeding. I am so glad her blood sugar was okay and they didn't need to, because everything I've read said that's an opening for lots of problems with feeding later.

Emily doesn't have any problems eating, though, and in fact it's time for her lunch now. I hope she doesn't mind her dad in the background, who is quite excited watching ISU play (lose to) Texas while she eats. My milk came in last night, and I am feeling like a fully-swollen breast-implant recipient. It's insane, but at least my big girl has plenty of calories to grow on. She's so beautiful, that even though most of my body feels like it's been through the ringer, it's so worth it. She is just amazing, and I can't wait for you all to meet her!!