Delivery Story Part 2

Dinner is taking longer to cook then expected and William is chilling in the bouncy seat - so maybe I can get through this. We left off at the c-section.

Like I mentioned - because of the blood pressure issues I had to spend 24 hours in Recovery. It didn't occur to me how much this was truly going to suck. They wheel me out of the OR and into a private room - which seems like a great idea - better than spending all that time behind a fabric curtain right?! Well - the "room" was really a closet and it was right next to where the medicine got shipped to the whole floor through a thing like the drive through at the bank - only this contraption had obviously not been serviced in 20 years and made a RIDICULOUS amount of noise every single time someone needed medicine. (Unfortunately it didn't occur to me until the next day that I could've treated it like Pavlov's dogs thinking it meant that MY medicine was coming!) It didn't occur to me because I was on a stupid amount of pain medicine. Sam says I went through almost all my doses of the first medicine in a couple hours. Hey - they asked my pain number and it's not my fault it was a 8/9. The only problem with that is - that I was so doped up I hardly knew what was going on. (which was probably a blessing actually.)

Luckily - they were allowing family back in pairs - so each set of parents took turns saying hello and then when the baby finally got there 3 hours later, holding him too. Yeah - so I had to wait 3 HOURS!! to see my child and then the pediatrician took him away less than 30 minutes later and then they wouldn't bring him back. Sam had to literally meltdown at the nursery before anyone would do anything - it was so sad - poor William laying all by himself in the nursery. I'm just glad I didn't get to see it. Another thing about all this time without the baby - no chance to breastfeed. Not that there would've been anyone there to help us figure it out. We were not off to a good start and I am pretty sure that is part of the reason we are having such a terrible time with it now. Not a good situation - I hate recovery.

The worst part about Recovery was that they were so busy it wasn't until we finally got them to move us to a "slightly" quieter room that I was moved off the operating gurney and cleaned up. Giving birth - even c-section - is pretty disgusting and I'm just glad I didn't see what I was laying in until I was moved. Just saying. Non-preg ladies - take note - just saying. Can't blame the day nurse though, Patsy, she was great - just SO busy.

So we're finally moved to the opposite side of Recovery - we can still hear the banging medicine - but it's a little fainter, thank goodness. Now we are into the night shift. Our night nurse was Indian (we couldn't understand her) and honesty - she was a bit of a bitch. She would only give me IBprofen for the pain (seriously!! I was cut open just 15 or so hours earlier and I got headache medicine!!!!!!!!!!!!) Nevermind the 3 hours I asked for pain meds in the early morning and NEVER GOT ANY! (but I'm not bitter) OH - and in the middle of the night while we are struggling with breastfeeding and trying to read the What to Expect book to hopefully get some help - she makes me put it down because the reading light isn't strong enough and I'll give myself a headache... Hate her.

In the morning - she was finally gone - and in came the nicest nurses ever. (we learned later that they were on loan from the "new mommy" section - so of course they were nicer!) I got an orange popsicle - my first "food" in two days and help in the breastfeeding department. The head nurse (of ALL the nurses) came by to say hello and see how we were doing which was cool. (My mother-in-law is on the Columbus Regional board) But she got interrupted by the pediatrician when he finally came by to check on William. Not long after all that - they removed my catheter (I was honestly a little disappointed I was now going to have to get myself out of bed to go to the bathroom) and put me in the wheelchair. That was an experience in itself and OH SO PAINFUL. But we were on the move - to the happy part of the hospital finally!

(BTW - we are now into Tuesday, our 4.5/5th day in the hospital) The difference in level of care was insane. The nurses were genuinely caring and compassionate. It was wonderful. Also - I was put on the clear diet which included jello. Jello makes everything better - atleast when I had been eating ice chips for 48 hours. Another good thing - I was still hooked up to some kind of IV but messed up the connection on my hand when I was trying to get out of bed the first time so it needed to be replaced. Well, these nurses don't typically have to deal with IV's and my sweet nurse made the executive decision that she wasn't going to put it back in - so I was FREE!!! First time in days I didn't have SOMETHING attached to me! And - my BP was only checked every 4 hours or so - so I was going to get some actual rest possibly.

We got to have the baby in the room with us - and all he was doing was sleeping pretty much - so that was nice and cuddly. We had fun getting to know him and stare at all his silly faces. Had lots of visitors - so they all had a turn holding him too and pretty much all is well.

This is pretty much where the story gets kind of boring. We spent 3 more days in the hospital and then we went home on Thursday. Our nurses were AMAZING!! and apparently we were great patients because they made sure they kept us. :)

Tuesday night I finally felt good enough to take a shower and boy did I need it! I can't believe I let visitors come in the room with the way I looked! Wednesday I was pretty mobile - could get myself out of bed fairly easily and even managed to pace with the baby while Sam was home taking care of some things for about 30 minutes. Thursday - felt great - and we went home. I was so ready to be home - not necessarily to be responsible for everything all by ourselves - but to be in the house and our own bed. Sam was pretty excited about the bed too - he'd been sleeping on a vinyl covered pull out sofa all week poor guy.

So the moral of the story - try not to spend an entire in hell (aka Recovery) and you will want to have more children much sooner and love on the nurses in the new mommy section - they hold the pain meds. :)

We're home and happy and so far so good.

Loves.