Boss of my Life

For months I had been telling everyone that I was taking the easy way out and scheduling a c section for the birth of my second daughter.  Even though I laughed and joked about it I was terrified.  Last time things happened a little too quickly for me to totally grasp what was going on.  I had a great pregnancy, labor was progressing at a decent rate, then all of the sudden we every time I would have a contraction her heart rate would drop.  Before things could go from bad to worse I was in an operating room with a healthy baby girl.  She had a usually short umbilical cord that caused the stress resulting in her heart rate dropping.  At the end of the day I had a healthy baby girl.

This time around I knew that I’d have to choose between trying for a natural birth and scheduling a c section.  There were pro’s and con’s of each route for me and we ended up deciding on scheduling it.  With all being said I already knew a little bit about what to expect.  I knew my only goal for that day would be to get out of bed.  I knew that them coming in to check on everything meant them pushing on my stomach, which hurts pretty bad the first few times.  I knew that my daily goals the next few days would consist of showering and walking laps around the wing.  I also knew that laughing, sneezing, or doing anything that involved my abs would hurt like hell.

Things that were different for me the second time around…

The list of things they give you to prepare you for surgery is crazy long and all I was wondering was why I didn’t have to do these things the first time around.  Most of them included stepping up your hygiene; dental care, clean clothes, clean bed sheets, showering, etc.  I didn’t change my bed sheets J

Walking into the hospital while you aren’t in labor is weird.  You basically just stroll in, let them know you are there for a c section and they take you back into a triage room.  Last time I didn’t make it to the triage room.  I am not sure if they just had open delivery rooms or if it was pretty obvious that things were moving along.  This time in the triage room I was able to take my time getting into a hospital gown, they hooked me up to the baby heart rate monitor, and asked me a ton of questions.  It was really nice this time around to actually be able to read the paperwork I was signing, instead of sneaking it in between contractions.

After what seemed like an hour they finally drew blood to check my hemoglobin levels.  They did this at the same time they got the IV started.  I am not really a fan of needles so I was a little bit nervous about it, but I was able to stay laying down in the bed and my husband was there to talk to me while they were starting it.  Then a whole lot more waiting around.

Finally the anesthesiologist came in and explained the spinal block process.  He basically just explained the difference between an epidural and the spinal.  Then after about 15 mins I was wheeled back to the operating room.  I think the worst part about the whole ordeal was that my husband couldn’t come back until they were sure the spinal was working.  Trying to hunch over so he could get it going was tough, not only because I was relying on myself and the nurses to stay calm, but also because bending over with a big belly is next to impossible.  Once they thought everything was good to go I got poked in the shoulder with a needle, then on the hips to see if I could feel anything.  I was honestly thinking the whole time, maybe 15 mins, that I was never going to do this again.  I consider myself a pretty tough person, but having to go through surgery like that twice was enough for me.  Finally my husband was allowed to come into the operating room.

This time around I was able to ask for and get a clear screen along with the normal blue screen.  The idea is that once the baby is close to coming out they would pull the blue screen down so I could see her.  The nurse warned me she was going to hop up on my stomach and help push the baby down.  That was quite a little experience in itself.  We actually all almost forgot to pull the blue screen down, but luckily the doctor remembered at the last minute.  It was an amazing experience to see my baby girl right away.  Then she peed all over me.  They took her to get cleaned up a little, then brought her back to me so I could see her a little bit before they do all the checks.  Once they were ready to do all the checks my hubby went with the baby while I got stitched back together.  About an hour later I was wheeled into the recovery room.

In the recovery room my face started to itch pretty badly.  It actually started as they were finishing up putting me back together.  I don’t remember that happening the first time around and the anesthesiologist said it was a side effect of the spinal.  Shortly after getting settled into the recovery room the lactation consultant brought my baby into the room with me.  This was the one thing I had made sure I requested multiple times.  I only requested it so I could spend some time with her, while I waited the hour before they cleared me to go to my room.  The lactation consultant helped with skin to skin contact as well as nursing her.  I kind of felt like she was almost man handling my boobs, but whatever it worked.

I don’t know if it was the transition to my room that did me in, but after I got settled into my bed I started to feel super sick.  Even though they gave me anti-nausea medicine I really didn’t feel too great.  I tried eating crackers and drinking a little bit of water, but eventually I gave up and got sick…a lot…over the course of a few hours.  If you think getting sick is bad try it after major abdominal surgery.  During the course of the day and night I was still able to nurse a little.  It was about 4 o’clock the next morning before I finally felt good enough to get up.

I also tried to tough it out overnight in the hospital by myself.  It was easier for my husband to stay at home with my daughter overnight then to have her bounce around at grandparent’s houses.  This sounded like a good idea at the time, but most of the nights were really hard.  Even though I could get my baby to fall asleep by time I got out of bed to put her in the little basinet thing I’d wake her up.  The last night I had my mom stay with me to help out and it made it a lot easier.

My recovery this time around seems to be going a lot better.  I was in a lot better shape and ate healthier foods.  The doctor was even impressed that my gut was recovering so well *Thanks to my shakes*  I am feeling pretty good now, even though the first day was one of the hardest days of my life.  I still can’t do any twisting motions and I’m technically not allowed to drive or pick up anything heavier than my baby for almost another week.  While I am ok with the not driving, it’s hard explaining to a toddler why I can pick her up.

After my experience this time around among other reasons I won’t be scheduling another c section and time soon…or ever.  Part of me is a little bit sad that this is my last child, but most of me is happy that I have two healthy beautiful baby girls.  I did feel a little guilty about not trying for a natural birth this time around since I was a good candidate, but come to find out the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck so there was a pretty good probability I would have had to have an emergency c section this time too.  It’s funny how things work out.