Our little one was born, happy and healthy, on July 8th. Ivy Claire Lapham Timm (she's a girl!) was 8 lbs. 14 oz. and 21 1/4 inches.
The anesthesiologist had Benji wait just outside the door of the operating room while he administered the spinal for the c-section, but I knew he was just a few feet away, and they brought him in 10 minutes later, after the spinal was administered and I was nub. They had him sit right at my head, and the drape was hung at the top of my chest so he could be right with me and still see what was happening below... I wanted updates from him.
Around 8:30 a.m. he announced that the baby had hair--I asked how much, and if he could see the baby's face, but he said the baby was back in. Apparently, it was difficult to get the baby around the tumor--Dr. Berkoff had to use a suction on her head and it took five pulls with the suction, with her head just peeking out, to get her around the tumor and out. Benji said at one paint Dr. Berkoff had a foot propped, against the table and was pulling back hard while the other doctor was on a stool at my side, pushing down hard on my abdomen. The incision never hurt, but I had hand print bruises all over my stomach and felt sore and bruised there, but not nearly as bad as I expected to feel. Benji got some photos of the tumor too--it was the size of a giant grapefruit. Unfortunately, it was too well attached and vascular to remove it then, but we're hoping it will shrink postpartum.
Ivy was born at 8:36 a.m., and they took her right to the table to clear her airway... I couldn't see her because one of the doctors was blocking my view, but they kept saying she looked great. Benji said she was so blue, and that it was probably best that I was just told she was great without seeing her color. When I did finally see her feet, i couldn't believe how blue they really were. Yet within a minute I heard her cry, which made me sob. As soon as she cried, they brought her right over and help her against may face; the anesthesiologist took off my oxygen and undid my arms so I could touch her right away for a minute to weigh and measure her, then brought her right back. it was wonderful to have her touching me all the time.
Laura was there as I as I was wheeled into recovery, she was going to come into the operating room if Benji needed to leave with the baby, but she came into recovery and took photos of our first moments with her, which meant so much.
We stayed at St. Mary's until Tuesday; the nurses and lactation consultants were so, so very helpful and we were glad to be there and soak in all the advice and tips we could.
Ivy is now nursing so well, sleeping well, and just all around perfect. I just look at her and cry several times a day; I feel so lucky to have her here, and so healthy after such a rocky start.
Thank you so much for all your guidance and support; you really helped put me in the right place to be ready for everything and advocate for the best birth experience I could have, given that it needed to be a c-section.
Corey & Benji, Shorewood
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