So, did I mention during my last post that the thing that concerned me most about the timing for having my gallbladder issues was that it might interfere with my ability to go see my grandparents in Indiana? I love my family, but we are so very far apart and it gets so difficult to spend time together that I didn't want to miss even one possible day. So we pushed it! We got the Dr. go ahead and at just one week post op we headed up to see my grandparents and other assorted family.
I remember being a kid and hearing other kids talk about visiting their grandparents as something horrible. That was never the case for me. For me the white farm house with green roof and shutters on a highway in Indiana was home. It was constant. It was full of love. It was comfort. When everything else in my life changed with every new order, that house stayed always welcoming. Though I haven't officially lived in Indiana since I was a year old it has always been home to me. My grandparents taught me how to love and every so often I need that fresh reminder of unconditional love despite the conditions of the world.
Now, I know I referred to the rest of the family as assorted but they are much more than that. My cousins have always been more like sisters to me. Actually, as a little girl one of my cousins and I used to believe that we were actually with the wrong mothers. I would say that my aunt gave me to my mother because I was only 10 months behind her first daughter and that my mother gave my middle cousin to my aunt as payment for me (she is a year younger than me.) The only problem with that is that I am very obviously my dad's offspring. Ha ha! Anyway, the point of all this is that I love my family very much!
I am so glad we managed to make the trip. We spent 9 whole days up there visiting and just being. I suppose that most people don't think there is anything very vacation oriented to do in Indiana, but it is one of our favorite trips to make. We sit and talk with my grandparents. My boys play with my cousins boys. We take trips to the county fair, us girls with our little boys. We have good home cooked dinners where there are more people than can fit around any one table. We traipse through Amish country and buy their yummies. We watch our kids admire the fireworks together. We just are. And I hope that I can say we always will be.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Three Merry Months
Happy quarter of a year birthday Will! Yeah, that's right... I am acknowledging my child's quarter year birthday! He is an amazing little guy and I am totally willing to celebrate every day that I am blessed with is presence so... Happy Birthday Will!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Troubles
My but it has been a long time since I last posted. I haven't avoided posting on purpose, and I certainly have had things to fill everyone in on, but life got in the way. Boy oh boy did life get in the way!
Everyone knows life with a newborn can be rough. One sleepless night follows another. Growth spurts require round the clock feeding cycles. The diapers pile up almost as fast as the dishes and the laundry. And we have certainly faced all of that, but we had an extra wrench thrown into the works. You see on Monday I was given the go ahead to resume life as normal. That meant no more restrictions from the surgeon and I was really looking forward to being able to really pull my own weight (ever diminishing as it was!) By Wednesday our world was back in a crazy whirl.
Wednesday night Hubby offered to take care of the baby and let me get a little rest so that I would be able to take the kiddo to her grandparents the next day. I happily agreed but almost immediately felt this horrible pain in my back. That pain lasted all night long and rapidly grew to the front of my abdomen. It hurt worse that the c-section had and that frightened me, if I am being completely honest. I took some leftover pain pills from the section and still the pain pushed on. By the morning I had to inform Hubby that there was no way I could drive since I hadn't slept due to the pain. I explained it all to him and he seemed pretty sure it was a pulled muscle. It hurt four times worse than any pulled muscle I had ever had before but I trusted he knew best. We did the drop off and the pain still remained. By the time we returned I was fighting very hard to not cry in front of people. At 20 hours the pain was bad enough to make me sick. At that point Hubby had a eureka moment and immediately took me to the emergency room rather certain that the pain was being caused by my gallbladder.
UGH... the next two days were full of aggravation. First the er doc said it was my gallbladder and then changed his mind. Then he had me admitted so I could have an ultrasound but no one knew when that would happen. The doctor that saw me on the floor just totally blew off everything I had to say. She wanted to believe that it was acid reflux, despite the problems my liver was already having. Ummm, honey, I know how acid reflux feels. I would never go the er for acid reflux! When I finally had the ultrasound no one came to give me results for 12 hours! The nurses were rude and, despite my asking both the doctors and the nurses if the meds were safe while breastfeeding, gave me meds that could have caused Will issues!
By the time the second doctor came around and told me it was probably just acid reflux I was ready to just go home and find a doctor who was willing to listen to me! I had to actually ask what the ultrasound showed... she hadn't even looked it over. They treated me like some homeless person who was making things up just to have a bed to sleep in. The whole thing was aggravating! Obviously, when the doctor said she wanted to send me home I didn't argue. No one had listened to me thus far, why stay and be ignored some more?
So home I went. Over the next 5 days I had 8 more pain attacks. At least they were only lasting hours instead of days, but I couldn't get them under control. I tried only eating really healthy food but still the attacks came. I tried only drinking but still the attacks came. I tried drinking only water but still the attacks came. I finally stopped eating or drinking and the attacks still came. Eventually I decided that if the attacks were going to come anyway I should eat whatever was best for Will so I could keep him healthy. Nothing helped honestly. Hubby and I spent hours researching solutions on the Internet and nothing kept the attacks at bay. I was frequently so frustrated that I would just cry and cry.
And then, one week after the first attacks, I went to the internist. She set up appointments for me to have a test on my gallbladder to see if it worked (why they didn't do that in the hospital I will never know!) and to see a surgeon. She also had some blood work done before I left, just to be sure my liver was working fine again.
Three hours later we got the wits scared out of us. As we waited in line at Subway the doctor called. Not the receptionist, not the nurse, but the doctor. She told us to go straight to the emergency room again because my liver function was significantly worse. Fun! Hubby drove while I called our families for a little help and support. (Shout out to our parents... Thanks so much!) When we got there the emergency room apparently hadn't gotten the memo. We went right back in to the wait around and see mode.
I have to say that at this point my stress level was pretty well pegged. Sometime the next day the decision was made to just go ahead and take my gallbladder out and be done with it. A few hours later they did just that and the attacks left with the gallbladder. Hmmm... I guess it wasn't just acid reflux, eh? Haha!
Before the surgery I had read and heard stories of people being back to work after two days. Even the paper from the hospital said that the recovery takes five to ten days. Well, I don't know if it is a result of how far downhill my body had gone before the surgery or if it is from having the surgery so soon after that third c-section but I am still not back up to par. I am finally able to sleep on my side again, though getting into that position hurts. I am finally moving like a normal human though that can cause some serious soreness. I am still on restrictions as far as how much I can lift and that sort of thing, though I honestly just do what I feel ok doing. All I know is that I am slowly getting back to normal, whatever that may be.
Everyone knows life with a newborn can be rough. One sleepless night follows another. Growth spurts require round the clock feeding cycles. The diapers pile up almost as fast as the dishes and the laundry. And we have certainly faced all of that, but we had an extra wrench thrown into the works. You see on Monday I was given the go ahead to resume life as normal. That meant no more restrictions from the surgeon and I was really looking forward to being able to really pull my own weight (ever diminishing as it was!) By Wednesday our world was back in a crazy whirl.
Wednesday night Hubby offered to take care of the baby and let me get a little rest so that I would be able to take the kiddo to her grandparents the next day. I happily agreed but almost immediately felt this horrible pain in my back. That pain lasted all night long and rapidly grew to the front of my abdomen. It hurt worse that the c-section had and that frightened me, if I am being completely honest. I took some leftover pain pills from the section and still the pain pushed on. By the morning I had to inform Hubby that there was no way I could drive since I hadn't slept due to the pain. I explained it all to him and he seemed pretty sure it was a pulled muscle. It hurt four times worse than any pulled muscle I had ever had before but I trusted he knew best. We did the drop off and the pain still remained. By the time we returned I was fighting very hard to not cry in front of people. At 20 hours the pain was bad enough to make me sick. At that point Hubby had a eureka moment and immediately took me to the emergency room rather certain that the pain was being caused by my gallbladder.
UGH... the next two days were full of aggravation. First the er doc said it was my gallbladder and then changed his mind. Then he had me admitted so I could have an ultrasound but no one knew when that would happen. The doctor that saw me on the floor just totally blew off everything I had to say. She wanted to believe that it was acid reflux, despite the problems my liver was already having. Ummm, honey, I know how acid reflux feels. I would never go the er for acid reflux! When I finally had the ultrasound no one came to give me results for 12 hours! The nurses were rude and, despite my asking both the doctors and the nurses if the meds were safe while breastfeeding, gave me meds that could have caused Will issues!
By the time the second doctor came around and told me it was probably just acid reflux I was ready to just go home and find a doctor who was willing to listen to me! I had to actually ask what the ultrasound showed... she hadn't even looked it over. They treated me like some homeless person who was making things up just to have a bed to sleep in. The whole thing was aggravating! Obviously, when the doctor said she wanted to send me home I didn't argue. No one had listened to me thus far, why stay and be ignored some more?
So home I went. Over the next 5 days I had 8 more pain attacks. At least they were only lasting hours instead of days, but I couldn't get them under control. I tried only eating really healthy food but still the attacks came. I tried only drinking but still the attacks came. I tried drinking only water but still the attacks came. I finally stopped eating or drinking and the attacks still came. Eventually I decided that if the attacks were going to come anyway I should eat whatever was best for Will so I could keep him healthy. Nothing helped honestly. Hubby and I spent hours researching solutions on the Internet and nothing kept the attacks at bay. I was frequently so frustrated that I would just cry and cry.
And then, one week after the first attacks, I went to the internist. She set up appointments for me to have a test on my gallbladder to see if it worked (why they didn't do that in the hospital I will never know!) and to see a surgeon. She also had some blood work done before I left, just to be sure my liver was working fine again.
Three hours later we got the wits scared out of us. As we waited in line at Subway the doctor called. Not the receptionist, not the nurse, but the doctor. She told us to go straight to the emergency room again because my liver function was significantly worse. Fun! Hubby drove while I called our families for a little help and support. (Shout out to our parents... Thanks so much!) When we got there the emergency room apparently hadn't gotten the memo. We went right back in to the wait around and see mode.
I have to say that at this point my stress level was pretty well pegged. Sometime the next day the decision was made to just go ahead and take my gallbladder out and be done with it. A few hours later they did just that and the attacks left with the gallbladder. Hmmm... I guess it wasn't just acid reflux, eh? Haha!
Before the surgery I had read and heard stories of people being back to work after two days. Even the paper from the hospital said that the recovery takes five to ten days. Well, I don't know if it is a result of how far downhill my body had gone before the surgery or if it is from having the surgery so soon after that third c-section but I am still not back up to par. I am finally able to sleep on my side again, though getting into that position hurts. I am finally moving like a normal human though that can cause some serious soreness. I am still on restrictions as far as how much I can lift and that sort of thing, though I honestly just do what I feel ok doing. All I know is that I am slowly getting back to normal, whatever that may be.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
No disappointment
I don't know about other people, but I live with little concerns floating around in my brain all the time. "Do I have enough gas in the car to get where I am going?" or "Will the paycheck hit the bank on time?" or "Will that guy texting while driving next to me swerve into my lane?" or "Will Boogie be disappointed at what a new baby is like?" I think they are all genuine concerns. Afterall, when I was a kid the gas gauge stuck once and we ended up stranded with no gas, the paycheck has been known to go in a day or two late when there is holiday around, many texting people are guilty of pinball driving and Boogie had huge plans about life with his new brother.
I tried to prepare Boog for how little a baby is, how little babies can do and how much attention babies require but fail to give. We talked about it and talked about it and talked about it. It was never a lecture but a lot of little "well honey" comments. I hoped he really listened to what I said, but I doubted any of it sunk in. I was concerned to say the least.
Well, don't you know it? My boys proved me a worrywart. After all those "well honey" comments Will has proven me wrong with each one and Boog has proven he had his expectations leveled appropriately. I told Boogie that babies don't really play. Boog's idea of playing with a baby is just exactly what he gets- Will's nose wrinkling at jokes, smiling at funny faces and wiggling when tickled. I told Boogie that babies really only cry to communicate. Will already coos and giggles at Boogie. I told Boogie that most babies only calm down for their parents. Will only calms down for Boogie in certain situations. He seriously seems to equate Boogie with the car seat. If we put him in the car seat he expects to have Boogie holding his hand or foot, talking, reading or singing to him and making funny faces just inches from Will's face. Any lack of Boogie equates to uncontrollable cries of loneliness that only Boogie can soothe!
At every turn I appear to be a liar! But you know what? I don't mind being proven a liar every day if it keeps them loving each other the way they do! They aren't at all disappointed in eachother and I am certainly not disappointed by being wrong!
I tried to prepare Boog for how little a baby is, how little babies can do and how much attention babies require but fail to give. We talked about it and talked about it and talked about it. It was never a lecture but a lot of little "well honey" comments. I hoped he really listened to what I said, but I doubted any of it sunk in. I was concerned to say the least.
Well, don't you know it? My boys proved me a worrywart. After all those "well honey" comments Will has proven me wrong with each one and Boog has proven he had his expectations leveled appropriately. I told Boogie that babies don't really play. Boog's idea of playing with a baby is just exactly what he gets- Will's nose wrinkling at jokes, smiling at funny faces and wiggling when tickled. I told Boogie that babies really only cry to communicate. Will already coos and giggles at Boogie. I told Boogie that most babies only calm down for their parents. Will only calms down for Boogie in certain situations. He seriously seems to equate Boogie with the car seat. If we put him in the car seat he expects to have Boogie holding his hand or foot, talking, reading or singing to him and making funny faces just inches from Will's face. Any lack of Boogie equates to uncontrollable cries of loneliness that only Boogie can soothe!
At every turn I appear to be a liar! But you know what? I don't mind being proven a liar every day if it keeps them loving each other the way they do! They aren't at all disappointed in eachother and I am certainly not disappointed by being wrong!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
A merry month of mayhem with my miniature man
My sweet baby boy was a month old on Sunday. That just doesn't seem right to me. I feel like he should only be a few days old, and I feel like he has been in my arms forever. This month has been, like the first month with every newborn, a crazy time. There is so much changing going on that first month, both with the baby and with the family. Here is a just a sampling of our events this past month...
4/15 Will born
4/16 Will holds his head up
4/18 come home from hospital/ new washer arrives!
4/19 Will rolls from front to back
4/21 weight check for Will, immunizations for Boogie
4/25 Will's first outing (took Boogie to dance class, then to buy dance shoes)
4/26 Plastibell came off
4/29 umbilical stubby fell off
5/1 Will tracks me with his eyes
5/3 Will coos for the first time
5/4 My post op check
5/5 another weight check
5/6 Will smiles when he sees me
5/7 Will rolls back to front/ Will giggles for the first time
5/8 Will's dedication
5/9 Will motivates across the floor
5/10 Will outgrows an outfit for the first time!
5/12 Start taking the kids on a daily walk
5/15 1 month old!
That doesn't include most dance classes, any small group visits, Hubby running monitors at church, grocery/supply shopping, etc. I can't believe how much has happened. I can't believe how much Will has grown. I can't believe I have been blessed to watch this amazing little boy develop and change every day!
4/15 Will born
4/16 Will holds his head up
4/18 come home from hospital/ new washer arrives!
4/19 Will rolls from front to back
4/21 weight check for Will, immunizations for Boogie
4/25 Will's first outing (took Boogie to dance class, then to buy dance shoes)
4/26 Plastibell came off
4/29 umbilical stubby fell off
5/1 Will tracks me with his eyes
5/3 Will coos for the first time
5/4 My post op check
5/5 another weight check
5/6 Will smiles when he sees me
5/7 Will rolls back to front/ Will giggles for the first time
5/8 Will's dedication
5/9 Will motivates across the floor
5/10 Will outgrows an outfit for the first time!
5/12 Start taking the kids on a daily walk
5/15 1 month old!
That doesn't include most dance classes, any small group visits, Hubby running monitors at church, grocery/supply shopping, etc. I can't believe how much has happened. I can't believe how much Will has grown. I can't believe I have been blessed to watch this amazing little boy develop and change every day!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Way back in 1999 I became a mother for the first time. I was young but I was determined to combat that by reading every book on parenting that I could get my hands on before the baby came. And so I did. I borrowed books from friends and read them cover to cover. I went to the bookstore and sat in a chair reading the books I couldn't afford. Based on what the books said I decided to breastfeed my baby.
She came a few weeks early but not before I had a couple weeks of being completely stressed out over things that weren't going right with the pregnancy. She was jaundiced. All she ever wanted to do was sleep. She never really latched on properly. I was super stressed and beyond tired. Any one of these things can affect a woman's milk supply, but apparently the combination (or perhaps some other reason) killed mine. It was the first thing I intended to do for my child to giver her the best, and I was a total failure.
Do you know that not a single one of those books that I had read ever indicated that a woman can have a failure to make milk? I felt all kinds of sadness that I can't really describe. Every book, every "expert" said that all women make milk, it's the natural way of things. The books all seemed to say to me that not being able to make milk was the product of not trying hard enough. They said to me that giving up was my not caring to give my child the best. It killed me to have to stop even trying but when I was getting nothing but blood when I pumped I had to give in.
It has been 11 years but the pain of that first maternal failure has always haunted me. It isn't that I always want it to haunt me but with each pregnancy since then the breastfeeding police have come after me. They come in the form of emails about breastfeeding from the doctor or hospital, ads in parenting magazines, entire chapters in parenting books, lactation boutiques being touted in hospital tours, etc. When you are a pregnant woman who has previously failed to successfully breastfeed those reminders are everywhere! My poor hubby dealt with many a tear over just knowing that I would fail again.
Fast forward to three weeks ago. Will was born. I was too scared to even think of the possibility of successfully breastfeeding. I refused to answer that question during the hospital intake. I wouldn't even allow myself to dream of such a thing. I kept saying, "Well, I will try and when all I make is colostrum again at least the baby will have gotten the good antibodies and I will be OK. I won't let it upset me this time."
Hubby must have had other plans because someone told the hospital staff that I would be attempting to breastfeed. When they came to me to confirm I panicked inside. I thought everyone was going to see me fail again. I was going to start a third child's life out by failing him. It scared me more than I allowed anyone to know. (At least I think I hid it pretty well.) But, I decided that if I was going to fail I should at least actually fail instead of just failing by refusing to try. So we gave it a shot.
I was a total roller coaster with it. Will has a great affinity for breastfeeding. He automatically took to it. It made my hope soar. Then they weighed Will and he had lost weight. That soaring hope crashed like a kite when the wind disappears. And repeat. Then a nurse had me start pumping and I would add a twist to each run of the roller coaster. I was so freaked out that each time I got any milk I made the nurse look at it to tell me if any of it was milk as opposed to colostrum. I even stayed in the hospital an extra day just to keep track of Will's weight.
Eventually I had to go home but Will and I kept at it. And guess what? We had success. When we went for his one week visit at the doctor the weight loss had stopped. He had even gained back an ounce. The doctor told us to come back in two weeks (earlier if things seemed to not be going well) and we would know for sure. He even gave Will and I a goal. He wanted Will to be back to his birth weight by this visit.
Yesterday we had that visit. I was a bit nervous about it. Will seemed to be back to his birth weight but what if it was all wishfull thinking? Well, I am proud to say that we hit our goal. Will weighed 9 lbs 3 oz at birth. When we left the hospital he was at 8 lbs 7 oz. That first visit had Will weighing in at 8 lbs 8 oz. At this visit Will weighed 10 lbs 2.8 oz! That's right yo! He is almost a full pound heavier than when he was born. He gained 27 oz in 14 days! Go Will! And go boobies! :)
Amazingly, breastfeeding gets to be something I can say I have conquered now! I don't know what was so different this time. It could be the fact that my boys took care of me while I was pregnant. It could be Will's amazingness. No matter what the difference I just want to say Yay!
She came a few weeks early but not before I had a couple weeks of being completely stressed out over things that weren't going right with the pregnancy. She was jaundiced. All she ever wanted to do was sleep. She never really latched on properly. I was super stressed and beyond tired. Any one of these things can affect a woman's milk supply, but apparently the combination (or perhaps some other reason) killed mine. It was the first thing I intended to do for my child to giver her the best, and I was a total failure.
Do you know that not a single one of those books that I had read ever indicated that a woman can have a failure to make milk? I felt all kinds of sadness that I can't really describe. Every book, every "expert" said that all women make milk, it's the natural way of things. The books all seemed to say to me that not being able to make milk was the product of not trying hard enough. They said to me that giving up was my not caring to give my child the best. It killed me to have to stop even trying but when I was getting nothing but blood when I pumped I had to give in.
It has been 11 years but the pain of that first maternal failure has always haunted me. It isn't that I always want it to haunt me but with each pregnancy since then the breastfeeding police have come after me. They come in the form of emails about breastfeeding from the doctor or hospital, ads in parenting magazines, entire chapters in parenting books, lactation boutiques being touted in hospital tours, etc. When you are a pregnant woman who has previously failed to successfully breastfeed those reminders are everywhere! My poor hubby dealt with many a tear over just knowing that I would fail again.
Fast forward to three weeks ago. Will was born. I was too scared to even think of the possibility of successfully breastfeeding. I refused to answer that question during the hospital intake. I wouldn't even allow myself to dream of such a thing. I kept saying, "Well, I will try and when all I make is colostrum again at least the baby will have gotten the good antibodies and I will be OK. I won't let it upset me this time."
Hubby must have had other plans because someone told the hospital staff that I would be attempting to breastfeed. When they came to me to confirm I panicked inside. I thought everyone was going to see me fail again. I was going to start a third child's life out by failing him. It scared me more than I allowed anyone to know. (At least I think I hid it pretty well.) But, I decided that if I was going to fail I should at least actually fail instead of just failing by refusing to try. So we gave it a shot.
I was a total roller coaster with it. Will has a great affinity for breastfeeding. He automatically took to it. It made my hope soar. Then they weighed Will and he had lost weight. That soaring hope crashed like a kite when the wind disappears. And repeat. Then a nurse had me start pumping and I would add a twist to each run of the roller coaster. I was so freaked out that each time I got any milk I made the nurse look at it to tell me if any of it was milk as opposed to colostrum. I even stayed in the hospital an extra day just to keep track of Will's weight.
Eventually I had to go home but Will and I kept at it. And guess what? We had success. When we went for his one week visit at the doctor the weight loss had stopped. He had even gained back an ounce. The doctor told us to come back in two weeks (earlier if things seemed to not be going well) and we would know for sure. He even gave Will and I a goal. He wanted Will to be back to his birth weight by this visit.
Yesterday we had that visit. I was a bit nervous about it. Will seemed to be back to his birth weight but what if it was all wishfull thinking? Well, I am proud to say that we hit our goal. Will weighed 9 lbs 3 oz at birth. When we left the hospital he was at 8 lbs 7 oz. That first visit had Will weighing in at 8 lbs 8 oz. At this visit Will weighed 10 lbs 2.8 oz! That's right yo! He is almost a full pound heavier than when he was born. He gained 27 oz in 14 days! Go Will! And go boobies! :)
Amazingly, breastfeeding gets to be something I can say I have conquered now! I don't know what was so different this time. It could be the fact that my boys took care of me while I was pregnant. It could be Will's amazingness. No matter what the difference I just want to say Yay!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Will's Birth Story
I guess the story of Will's birth should start the night before he was born. I was supposed to get a call that night telling me what time to show up for my c-section in the morning. Guess what? No call! That, shall we say, worried me a bit! I had to make a ton of phone calls to find out just when to come in. Eventually I was told 5:30 am. That seemed a bit early for the 9 am c-section I had scheduled but Justin and I just said OK. 5:30 am came very early and found me a bundle of nerves. Amazingly we made it to the hospital in time. We asked about the early time and got wonderful news. Instead of being the second section of the day we had been bumped up to the first position. Apparently the person originally scheduled to be first had delivered earlier in the week. So now they had to get me ready to roll.
The nurses were very nice, but they proved to me that I am a hard stick. It took 3 nurses 4 attempts to get an IV in my arm. I ended up with the IV in the side of my wrist. AWKWARD place, I assure you. When everything was attached and working we only had about 20 minutes before the doctor was supposed to come speak to me.
After 45 minutes one nurse informed me that no one had seen my doctor yet that day. Uh, what? Justin and I joked that maybe no one had told the doctor we had been bumped up the schedule. Surely not the case we told each other. The minutes continued to click by... quickly they turned into hours. Finally we had an update. No one had informed the doctor that we had been bumped up on the schedule, or verified that he was available when they bumped us up. My doctor was at the surgery center across town! Oops! Oh, and even if he could get there right that second we would have to wait. Someone having twins was using the other OR and they like to keep one OR open for emergencies. Finally the doctor was on site, the twins were delivered and it was my turn. The time- 10 am. It had been a long morning already!
Finally things were rolling along again. They brought me back to the OR and began the process of the spinal block. Despite the fact that this was my third c-section this was my first block. Oh my goodness did it freak me out. In my first two sections I could kind of feel pulling but that was it, with the block I could feel all the pressure being put on different parts of my body. With the other two I was just numb but with this one I felt like my bottom half was just asleep. In my previous sections I would go cold and into a haze. This time I started to sweat and I couldn't breathe but I stayed positively lucid. It was so different but my anesthesiologist made it all ok.
From there on things didn't just roll along, they sped. Hubby barely made it into the room before they had me all opened up. The doctor barely announced that he was about to remove the baby before Will let out the cry every mother longs to hear. Yep, Will didn't wait to be totally extracted before letting everyone know what he thought of those bright lights! He made his momma proud! Oh- amazing thing- the doctor dropped the shield during the section so Hubby could see Will come out! I am sure I don't have to mention that it was love at first sight! Hubby went with Will and I chose to stay and get sewed up... because I obviously had a choice! Haha! At this point there ends up being another difference between this section and my previous ones - I stayed awake. I have never been able to stay awake after the baby is removed but this time I did. I was even cutting up with the doctor and nurses. It was nice really.
From there Hubby and Will went to get the vitals (DOB 4/15 @ 10:36 am, 9 lb. 3 oz., 21 1/2" long) and I went off to start recovery where I did allow myself to sleep. Within a few hours I was in my room and Will was in my arms, right where he belongs!
The nurses were very nice, but they proved to me that I am a hard stick. It took 3 nurses 4 attempts to get an IV in my arm. I ended up with the IV in the side of my wrist. AWKWARD place, I assure you. When everything was attached and working we only had about 20 minutes before the doctor was supposed to come speak to me.
After 45 minutes one nurse informed me that no one had seen my doctor yet that day. Uh, what? Justin and I joked that maybe no one had told the doctor we had been bumped up the schedule. Surely not the case we told each other. The minutes continued to click by... quickly they turned into hours. Finally we had an update. No one had informed the doctor that we had been bumped up on the schedule, or verified that he was available when they bumped us up. My doctor was at the surgery center across town! Oops! Oh, and even if he could get there right that second we would have to wait. Someone having twins was using the other OR and they like to keep one OR open for emergencies. Finally the doctor was on site, the twins were delivered and it was my turn. The time- 10 am. It had been a long morning already!
Finally things were rolling along again. They brought me back to the OR and began the process of the spinal block. Despite the fact that this was my third c-section this was my first block. Oh my goodness did it freak me out. In my first two sections I could kind of feel pulling but that was it, with the block I could feel all the pressure being put on different parts of my body. With the other two I was just numb but with this one I felt like my bottom half was just asleep. In my previous sections I would go cold and into a haze. This time I started to sweat and I couldn't breathe but I stayed positively lucid. It was so different but my anesthesiologist made it all ok.
From there on things didn't just roll along, they sped. Hubby barely made it into the room before they had me all opened up. The doctor barely announced that he was about to remove the baby before Will let out the cry every mother longs to hear. Yep, Will didn't wait to be totally extracted before letting everyone know what he thought of those bright lights! He made his momma proud! Oh- amazing thing- the doctor dropped the shield during the section so Hubby could see Will come out! I am sure I don't have to mention that it was love at first sight! Hubby went with Will and I chose to stay and get sewed up... because I obviously had a choice! Haha! At this point there ends up being another difference between this section and my previous ones - I stayed awake. I have never been able to stay awake after the baby is removed but this time I did. I was even cutting up with the doctor and nurses. It was nice really.
From there Hubby and Will went to get the vitals (DOB 4/15 @ 10:36 am, 9 lb. 3 oz., 21 1/2" long) and I went off to start recovery where I did allow myself to sleep. Within a few hours I was in my room and Will was in my arms, right where he belongs!
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