My Sweet Angel is Here!

Emma Claire Gilchrist
Born: 6/22/09
Time: 5:35 PM
Weight: 9.0 lbs
Length: 20.5 inches

The last few days have been the absolutely biggest whirlwind of our lives. We’ve had what is most certainly the best day of our lives, and in some ways the worst. Emma is finally here, but it took quite a physical toll on her mama and an emotional one on her daddy.

I went into labor shortly after my water broke on Father’s Day evening. We called the doctor and decided to wait at home until labor really began before heading to the hospital. A few hours later we were on our way. We dropped Lucy off at my parents house and took off for Northside.

When we were admitted I was measuring 2-3 centimeters and making fairly good progress considering that I had just gone into labor only a few hours before. The pain got progressively worse and I got an epidural. It helped for about 4 hours or so and then I regained all feeling. I received 2 more boluses of the medication directly into the epidural catheter. Neither one worked. I progressed to about 5-6 centimeters on my own, but was beginning to run a fever from my water breaking earlier on and the risk of infection was getting higher. The doctor began pitocin in my IV in order to make the contractions more productive.

After SEVERAL hours on pitocin and my epidural doing absolutely nothing, I was ready to throw in the towel. It was my only true moment of weakness during labor and delivery. The pain was unlike anything I have ever experienced. Just as I was about to give up, I got the urge to push and the doctor checked and told me I was finally 10 centimeters and ready to push!

I pushed for about 30-40 minutes or so and Emma’s head popped out! Her shoulders were the issue. Rather than delivering one shoulder and then the other, Miss Emma decided to have both come out at the same time, horizontally. They placed her on my stomach backwards – I couldn’t even see her little face. Once Brad cut the cord he brought her back to me to see. Unfortunately, he’s so tall that I still couldn’t see her very well.

The doctor delivered my placenta and then started to panic a little. I suffered a 4th degree tear – the worst that the doctor or nurse had ever seen. They realized immediately that I needed to be rushed to the OR to be stitched up correctly. Not to be too graphic, but my perineum tore completely through to the other side. They brought Emma over so that I could kiss her and try to see her little face through my tears before they whisked me down the hall.

I remember them trying to administer more epidural drugs, but nothing was working. They eventually ended up giving me a “cocktail” of several drugs intended to make me not as aware of what was going on. I was still able to feel almost everything, though I did get some lidocaine injections before they started. I was in surgery being worked on by 2 surgeons for over 2 hours. I was in recovery by myself for another 2 or 3 (hard to keep track of time!). They kept me longer because of my increased heart rate, which was nothing new for me.

I finally got back to my room in time to say goodbye to Brad’s parents and sister. I was able to eat and wash my face before they brought Emma in to us. I spent the next several hours (it was at least 1 AM before we saw her) eating her up with a spoon. It still amazes me that she’s here.

We got about 2 hours of sleep the first night in the hospital. I was able to nurse for the first time with the help of some awesome nurses. The next day is pretty blurry. I was on a pain pump because of the surgery and a catheter, so needless to say I was confined to the bed. Nursing Emma was fairly easy for the first day or so. Then it got tougher.

She’s got a little temper to her and wants her food NOW! My milk was just starting to come in once we got home, but she wanted immediate gratification. I saw a great lactation consultant in the hospital, but it’s easier said than done. She gets very impatient when the milk isn’t coming out right away, and isn’t very willing to “work for it.”
Nursing has gotten somewhat better. She latches on fairly well and only refuses when she has gas, which she has most of the time. It’s a full-time job for both Brad AND I, as he has to help me position, strip her down to her diaper if she’s falling asleep, talking to her and tickling to keep her awake, etc. He’s my lifeline. All in all, it’s a good 1 hour job to feed her – and then start all over again 2 hours later. Her gas issues are awful. She’s been keeping us up every night, all night. I’m not exaggerating when I say that we literally got 2 hours of sleep last night. She eats, refuses to burp on occasion, and then writhes and screams in pain ALL night long. I’ve gone to a really bland diet to try to keep gassy foods out of my breast milk, but she’s still having issues.

My mom has been coming every morning and spending the whole day with us until dinner time. It’s been the biggest blessing. She’s making sure the house is taken care of, keeping us well fed, watching Emma while we nap, and helping me maintain my sanity. I’m having a hard time with my confidence level as a new mom and it helps more than she’ll ever know to have her here by my side. I really couldn’t do this without her. As tough as our nights have been, I have to admit that I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when she leaves. However, I know that she’ll be better off if she’s had sleep at night and can help us during the day while we sleep. I can’t tell you how hard it’s going to be when she has to go back to work – I may have to find a way to pay her to stay here with us. I wish I was kidding.

We took her to her first pediatrician visit yesterday. It was a little rough. She decided she wanted to nurse for a couple of HOURS before we left, and I had to stop her so that we could leave. She screamed the entire way to the office and calmed down once we got there. That was, until they made me take her clothes and diaper off to weigh her. She’s down to 8 lbs 1 oz, which isn’t great. The day that we went, my milk had come in the night before, so I’m sure that’s the reason. The doctor also noticed a little jaundice, but nothing too serious. She recommended feeding as often as possible, which I am. We go back on Tuesday to have her re-weighed to make sure she’s gaining weight.

In terms of my recovery, it’s been very difficult. Don’t get me wrong, I’m recovering, but it’s tough. I’m in a great deal of pain most of the time and sitting in general is very painful. I spend a lot of time in bed with Emma resting and walking when I can to keep my energy up. I’m pretty surprised that they released us from the hospital when they did because they were considering an extra day because of the severity of my tear. I am using lots of cool tools every time I use the restroom, which is an entirely different story altogether. It’s the only rain on the parade though – Emma’s my doll.

I hope this was a pretty complete posting. I’ve been writing it over several days, as I have no time anymore! We’ve had a tough time lately, mostly with no sleep and a very fussy, gassy baby. We’ve been spending any spare time we have sleeping and are sorry to say that we haven’t really been able to have visitors yet. I really hope that you all understand that it’s not because I’m trying to be selfish with her – I can’t wait to show her off. It’s just been a difficult transition and we’re really right in the middle of it. We’re enjoying our little girl and can’t wait until she’s a better “visitor” and her mommy is a little more recovered so that we can show her off. She’s tends to get VERY over-stimulated when she’s passed around or out of her “comfort zone” for more than a little while. When she gets to that point, there’s no coming back and she cries inconsolably for a LONG time. She’s a little hurricane! She’s the sweetest most pleasant and cuddliest little baby on the planet when she’s happy, but when she’s stressed out, look out! Please keep us in your prayers – it’s a great time, but a hard one!