My Birth Story (Part Two)

Yesterday we left off with them wheeling my into the surgery room for a c-section:

The surgery room is much more clinical than the delivery, like something you see on a hospital show on TV, and there are probably 6-8 people in there prepping various things.  I get more medication and the put up a drape at my chest so I can't see what is going on below.  I was shaking so badly from all the medication that they also had to put an inflatable straight-jacket type thing on my that pinned my arms down so I wouldn't move so much.  And another oxygen mask since I was forgetting to breath.

During surgery you can feel tugging, and hear people talking, it is a very weird out-of-body type experience.  The Husband was near my head, but I was not in good shape so I barely remember him being there.  After about 5 minutes of surgery I hear the anesthesiologist tell The Husband to "look at his baby", for which he does and actually sees them taking her from my belly.  I think the graphic shot was much more than he bargained for.  The date is now October 15, and the time is 12:27 am.

her first picture, 5 minutes after birth

I expected for them to lift her up and show her to me right away, but they didn't and it wasn't until I heard her cry that I knew she was ok.  The Husband watches as they perform all the tests on her, and the wrap her up and I finally get to see her for a few seconds.  Then she and The Husband are rushed to the NICU so she can start getting her medication.  They stitch me up and wheel me to a recovery room, where I am mostly by myself for a good hour because The Husband is with the baby and our family hasn't gotten any updates yet.

Finally at about 4 am, I am wheeled to my post-partum room.  The Husband immediately passes out and I try to lay there and relax.  15 minutes later I start to feel super sick, and start throwing up all over myself.  I call the nurse and she gives me some medication and changes my gown, all while The Husband is passed out 5 feet from my bed.  He was so exhausted that he didn't hear a thing!

Because I was throwing up, I was put on a liquid diet for 48 hours.  Baby H is still in the NICU, which is somewhat of a blessing because I was in no shape to take care of myself, much less her.  I got to go see her twice on Saturday, including one failed attempt at breast feeding, which was slightly discouraging.  While she was there they had to feed her formula, but I was able to pump some colostrum for them to bottle feed her.

 visiting my baby girl in the NICU in my sweet wheel chair

 

you think she is going to be a Daddy's girl?  I do!

Finally, on Sunday, she was able to room-in with us and our adventure began.  We learned we sucked at swaddling, and that she was a very good baby as long as she wasn't hungry, which seemed to be all the time.  My recovery from the c-section was very slow, so we stayed in the hospital until Tuesday.  I could not have done it without the support of my family and especially The Husband.  Having a baby is a true test of a marriage, and he had to help me with things I never dreamed I would have to ask for help with.

Before she was born I debated having my Mom stay with us after the birth, but in the end we decided to bring her home just the 2 of us.  We spent several days holed up in the house getting to know our new baby and spending some quality time together.  It was truly the happiest I have ever been, and I would start to cry at night when she was asleep and The Husband and I were snuggled up on the couch next to her bassinet.  Ok I am crying right now as I type this.  I am officially a Mom that cries and thinks everyone wants to see pictures of her baby all the time!