St. Francis welcomes hospital's first baby of 2002

Christina McCormick's visit to the doctor turned into a hospital stay, but she isn't complaining about the end result: a baby girl, the first child to be born at St. Francis Medical Center in 2002.

The Portageville, Mo., woman gave birth to Emma Marie by cesarean section at 11:26 a.m. on Wednesday. The baby weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces and was 21 inches long.

"She is a doll," McCormick said as she rested in her hospital room late Wednesday afternoon.

The baby is the first for McCormick and her husband, Jeffrey.

The McCormicks will take home some gifts from the medical center for having the first baby there this new year.

They include a photo sitting at Robertson's Photography, a teddy bear and other stuffed animals, two blankets, a bib, a bodysuit, a towel set, an infant gown, a set of booties, two pacifiers and a set of spoons.

Christina McCormick reluctantly had planned to go to a New Year's party before a visit to her doctor in Cape Girardeau on Monday sent her to the medical center.

"We came in New Year's Eve just after my doctor's appointment because a stress test showed the need for further testing," she said.

She was in the hospital for two and a half days before giving birth to Emma.

"We just couldn't wait for it to happen, " said McCormick, who was induced and went through about five hours of labor before having a C-section.

A recent law school graduate, Jeffrey McCormick currently works as a law clerk in Kennett, Mo. Christina McCormick teaches English at the high school in Portageville.