Birth Day

I want to get this all down before I forget... but I also have a whole new set of responsibilities so this post might be a little messy or scattered...

My C-Section was scheduled for 10AM, which means, be at the hospital at 8AM.
I had a 9AM (1 hr) appt the morning before which included paperwork and blood work so the day of the surgery included a lot less activity than what we had last time.

8AM - Rob drops me off and I waddle on up to the 3rd floor (yes, I used an elevator, *wink*).
I'm greeted by Mariana in the LD hallway after gaining access through the security doors. She's a late 40's woman who's pretty open, accommodating and a little sweaty. She leads me to my pre-op room and informs me it will also be my post-op/recovery room (which, it later turns out they switched rooms on me and I will end up in a different post-op room).
I am handed a gown (no nurse fronts but snap-sleeves instead). This gown is a marked improvement over the one I was given last time I was here with Evie. The nurse handed me a gown in which she ripped off duct-tape keeping the boob flaps closed (the tape caused the front to be rough in texture, not to mention that is was also unappealing in every way).
I pee, strip and get dressed... well, considering the gown had no ties at all... I am draped.
I waddle back to the bed and am given an IV on the side of my left wrist (last time was on top of my hand). Ick, I hate IV's.
We complete some paperwork and get the belts on me and baby... I watch the computer monitor as it displays each contraction I am having. Funny, I feel absolutely nothing. I later feel a few sharp pains and watch them register but overall... nothing. I begin to question if I should have been a stronger person and even attempted a V-Bac after she tells me I am having contractions every 2-6 minutes. She later adds that I must have a high pain tolerance.
Oh well, no going back now.
Mariana concludes, "It looks like today's the day!" So, either labor I would have chosen... his birthday was probably always meant to be today. This makes me feel good.

We are left in this pre-op room for 45 minutes while we wait for my surgery time. Last time was a rush-rush of epidurals, catheters, IV's, blood work, belts and paperwork. I remember the IV drip being cranked up to full drip cause we were running behind. This time.... lights are dimmed and we watch Sports Center. I let Rob make me laugh one last time before I know it'll be remarkably painful post-op. Its really a great time and time passes by surprisingly fast.

9:45AM and Jake comes in. I had met him the day before and he told me that he's "the one who pushes the baby out." I later find out he's also the one who helps hold me steady while get a spinal block, preps the area, and even sutures me up afterward. He sold himself short. He performs most of the work!

Jake and Mariana discuss when I am to start heading down. I start getting nervous. I have been having thoughts of never seeing this baby... of dying in surgery... of something going horribly wrong with me. I try to shake these thoughts free while thinking of the dream I awoke to just this morning... both of my grandmothers were standing in the kitchen wishing me luck and telling me they couldn't wait to meet the baby. They are, in reality, both deceased (my dad's mom passed after I showed her my first sonogram of Evie and my mom's mom passed just a year ago... Evie got to tell her "I love you great-grandma" just hours before she died). Both grandmas looked younger than when I had last seen them... vibrant and happy. I popped awake from this dream. I never have dreams like this. I'm also NOT the religious-type to say "angels were watching over me"... but... I knew they were and it was both intimidating and wonderful.

Its creeping closer to 10AM and I am told to start walking to the OR. Rob will stay behind and put on his paper gown... I will walk in to receive my spinal block, I kiss him good-bye. Wow, this is really happening.

I walk into the OR. Last time I was wheeled in and they shifted me from one table to the other. They started the procedure instantly and I never got my bearings on the room at all.
This time, Jake has a live Sade album playing jazz while I am told to hop my bare ass up on the operating table. I sit perpendicular on the skinny table and lean forward. Jake holds my arms very tight (steady) and I feel my back get wiped with antiseptic and then ...the needle. No where near as thick as an epidural needle (which is also taped to your entire back and remains in your back the whole time), this needle goes in and floods your back with a warm fluid sensation. I am reminded of Natalie describing this to me... both comforting to know what's going on but also scary. She had also told me details about how fast it worked and how they tilt the table to control where it flows in your body...
I feel that my left side goes numb faster then the right and I mention this while thinking of Natalie's story... the table tilts and my right leg goes dead. I feel everything just below my boobs go totally dead. Now my arms are cool and tingling and I begin panic thinking my heart's going to go next. I mentioned this and the anesthesiologist says its all normal. Jake excitedly holds up calipers telling me he's been pinching the hell out of my skin without me sensing it at all... great. Funny man.
The anesthesiologist wipes my nose with an alcohol soaked gauze pad to show me how I can sense cold there... then on my arm... and then on my stomach (where I feel nothing). I tell him I am not concerned about hot and cold but rather the slicing open sensation.

The blue curtain goes up and they begin. I look up at the OR lights and can see a warped fly-lens image of my belly going red, I turn away sickened. They bring in Rob and he takes my hand. Moments later... I hear the doctor asking Jake to push down harder (this kid has a big head) and out he comes. I hear a suction and then... "WAH!"
Tears stream out of my eyes and the anesthesiologist dabs my eyes so I can see them hold up a slimy bouncing baby boy. I can't believe its been 4 years since I did this last. Its all so familiar once again.

Rob walks over as they clean him up. I listening to the gurgling sounds as they finish up with me.
I think overall, we were in the OR for 45minutes. It felt like 5minutes.

A few photos later and they wheel baby out in his incubator/bassinet. Rob leaves and goes to the post-op room with Max while they clean up my incision, slid me to a table with wheels and I out I go.

The post-op room is much bigger (and nicer than the per-op room!). It has a warming station and small sink.
Max is weighed and measured.
This time, I get to be there for all of this! Last time they let me nurse Evie but then whisked her away for nearly 4 hrs while they cleaned her up. Now everything is so much more soothing and coordinated. I get to nurse Max soon after he is sink bathed off to my right (he settles down when they massage his head with shampoo and a light brush). Its a lot less cumbersome this time and I feel much more in control. They leave Max with us in this room for almost 2+ hours. My parents leave to go pick-up Evie from school while Rob and I enjoy Ginger Ale and raspberry sorbet cups. It was... in a word... fantastic.

By early afternoon we are pushed on over to our final destination, room 319 in the Antepartum wing.
I must admit, I was disappointed when I saw this room. It was on our hospital tour back when we were pregnant with Evie. This is where the spill-over patents go. The rooms are a lot more out-of-date and the bed for dad is this really old flip-out recliner (the Postpartum Ward features a window seat that is the bed for dad... we were there with Evie).
The nurse that leads us into this room really doesn't care what we think and is rather dismissive when we ask why we are put over here if there is rom over in Postpartum.
On reflection, this ward is SO MUCH BETTER. The care over here has been class-act. I have one nurse for complete 12hr shift and I've gotten to know them all on a very personal basis. I am so glad we were over here (and a a little bit more thankful after I find out this is the area normally reserved for bed-rest patients and people with preemies).

The afternoon is filled with another visit by my parents... this time with big sister Evie. Evie marched on in boldly and headed straight for me. She played up the camera for pictures as the new big sister and after my be 7 full minutes, she was rather over it all. Disheartening, yes. Typical for a kid her age, most likely.

I'm allowed to eat dinner... which is great because I am hungry. Turkey with gravy, the driest stuffing on earth (it remains untouched on my plate when they take the tray), green beans, milk, juice, and honestly, a great tasting cheescake that I share with Rob.

Sensation begins to return to my toes and legs by late afternoon. I have to stay in bed with this inflating/deflating leg balloons that they make patients wear now. I also have to leave them on for a full 24 hrs! I listen to the buzz of the machine inflating and deflating every 5 minutes (and even all through the night). It gets old... quickly.

My night nurse takes over by 8PM. I'm kept on the IV drip for more fluids and pain relievers (some form of morphine) throughout the day but am removed with just the IV left in my hand that night. Sometime in the late evening my night nurse Janet removes the catheter and I get to walk/pee for the first time. It goes pretty well. I think the heavy drugs helped greatly.
I have some trepidation and am overtly cautious but... Janet, my night nurse the first two nights, is really great and understanding. She waits outside the bathroom door while I tinkle... pause... tinkle... pause... tinkle... will this pattern end? Its obvious I'm hesitant to "let loose" given my recent incision and she waits patiently.
I clean-up and get some new "seemless panties" (whoo-boy, if you've had a kid you know what I am talking about. Thankfully, this year's model is a vast improvement over the set from 4 years ago. They aren't mesh so your maxi-pad doesn't stick to your pants! Score! I am already scheming how I will leave this place with an extra 4-5 pair since I wore them for so long after having Evie...)

I hobble back to bed and my incision burns. Its amazing, I remember this being painful with Evie but this incision will continue to burn for much longer than it did with Evie. I will also leave this hospital looking much more pregnant than I did with Evie. I'm find this both slightly disappointing/ disheartening and also not troublesome feeling much more secure with my body & the relationship with my husband... I'm secure in knowing I look good for where I am at this point in the game and my husband is so encouraging about my body who could anyone feel deflated for looking so "unflattering" after having a baby?

The night continues with every 3 hour nursings. They are rough (painful) and Max has a tight suck. I wince with each feeding but am also confident that this is going better than it was with Evie.

By 7:30AM I am up with "breakfast!" being served. Wet scrambled eggs, 2 limp strips of bacon, an english muffin... untoasted, a generic container of corn flakes (I won't touch this), orange juice in a pull-top cup and coffee. I dive bomb on the coffee but end up inhaling basically everything on the plate. Hospital food is fantastic when you are nursing and hungry. ;-)

Conclusion:
So... there's 3 more nights ahead (yes, I ended up staying all 4 days... I should be covered but we'll see if I get a bill from the insurance company. The doctors and nurses were all supportive of my desire to stay on and to be totally honest... I was in more pin this time around but probably could have sucked it up and gone home on day 3).
I'll have to just remember some of the hospital stay in my memory cause now that I am home and writing this all after-the-fact... I now am short on time! Besides, this was just the birth story and there will be many more stories to be told in the days... weeks... months ahead. What an exciting time and another exciting adventure...