Ilya Elizabeth Eivy

Posted by lena on May 24th, 2008 filed in baby news

There are few things people like to brag about as much as their children and Adam and I are no exception – so you probably know everything that I am going to say.  If that is the case, I will not hold it against you in the slightest if you choose to stop reading right now and move on.

When I left you last I was experiencing contractions on a regular basis that repeated took me out of whatever dream I might have been having.  Shortly after posting my last blog, I returned to bed and tried to use the coping breathing they taught us in our childbirth classes to deal with the pain.  The down side to the coping breathing was that it was rather loud and I ended up waking Adam up.  He called Christina and we agreed to meet her at the birth center at 7:30.  The contractions continued to get worse and I began to get worried.  I wasn’t sure how much more of them I could take, but I figured that I had at least dilated another centimeter.  I was wrong.  When Christina checked me at 9am, I was still 4 centimeters dilated.  I have never wanted to give up more than I did at that moment.  All that pain and nothing was happening.  I honestly don’t remember much of what happened over the next few hours.  My mom arrived.  I was hot.  The contractions got worse.  I never conceived that a person could be in so much pain and still be conscious.  Nothing I did could ease the pain.  I really didn’t think that I could keep going.  Around 1pm, my other mom arrived.  I started thinking about this study that I learned about in my psych classes in college called learned helplessness.  Basically a really awful researcher put a bunch of dogs in a cage and continually shocked them for a month.  The dogs eventually just huddled in a corner and waited.  I felt a little like that.  I knew that there was going to be this amazing baby at the end, but the end seamed so far away and all I wanted to do was sleep.  Adam’s mom arrived sometime in the late evening and I was 8 centimeters dilated.  I begged and convinced Christina break my water, which she eventually did.  Some ungodly number of hours later, I began to feel an urge to push – which I did.  After almost 6 hours of pushing, I was taken to the hospital where I was given an epidural (the most amazing thing on the planet) and pitocen.  The doctor gave me 2 hours to make some progress, but it turns out Ilya was in the wrong position so her head wasn’t even hitting my cervix.  The only way to get her out was a c-section.  The doctors and nurses were amazing.  Adam and my mom were right there with me the whole time.  They gave me a spinal block and a bunch of liquid (I had been throwing up all day).  Absolutely everything was worth it when I heard Ilya cry for the first time.  I would have done everything 100 times again just to see that little baby.  I was shocked that she was a girl and absolutely in love.  I couldn’t stop starting at this amazing little person that was suddenly in my life.

I have to say that never could have done this without such an amazing support team.  I had 3 mothers, 2 midwives, and Adam with me, doing whatever I asked no matter how unreasonable and how rude I was asking for it.  I remember calling out words like “hot” or “music” and three people would jump up and do everything they could to help me.  I am so grateful for that – I don’t think I can ever describe what that meant to me.  Adam was especially steller.  I know that he must have taken breaks to eat and go to the bathroom, but he did it in a way that I never once noticed that he left.  He stayed by my side helping me in anyway that he could.  I have never loved him more (until we got home and I saw how amazing he was with Ilya).  I lucked out and I still can’t stop starting at this amazing little person.

My incision is healing nicely and my boobs are big enough to be the stars of a porno all by themselves.  Ilya has decided that day is a great time to sleep and night is playtime – which just means that I need to also make that adjustment.  Thor is insanely jealous and my friends and family have been so supportive.  I haven’t had to cook for myself yet 🙂

__________________________________________________________________________________________

This is now day 3 of me trying to post this blog.  Things do tend to take a while when you have a baby.  Ilya had a very busy day yesterday.  The midwife came and weighed her (she’s back up to 9lbs already – a very good eater).  Then we went to a “happiest baby on the block class” and learned a few really cool tricks for soothing a fussy baby (not that we need them – Ilya is perfect – she only cries when she needs something and then she calms right down).  From the baby class we went straight to a play that my students were performing (I had promised them that I would see it).  I had a lot of fun, but I don’t think my body is happy with me.  I started bleeding a lot and the pain in my abdomen jumped.  Oh well, today is all about sitting on the couch and staring at my baby.  Its a good thing baby’s are too young to be creped out by stuff like that 🙂


One Response to “Ilya Elizabeth Eivy”

  1. Vanessa Says:

    I love hearing about her and know exactly what you mean about the love. It’s like you think you know what love is when you meet and marry your soulmate and that is love, but the love you feel for your child is so much less complicated and whole. Someone once said that having a baby is like having your heart walking around outside your body and I think that pretty much sums it up. Thanks for the pictures Adam, we were all over them– she is so cute! We put the smiling one as our background on the computer, which is my favorite, but Sierra thinks the one near it where she is making a really serious face is the best. We are getting ready for a sleepover here, S has 3 friends coming and M has calls into 4 friends– just think about all those fun things that are in your future. Do you have a “babies in the library program”? Check, because they are really awesome! Thinking about all of you! Love V and the gang