Post-Partum... (L&D Pt.2)

(VERY LONG part 2 of Labor & Delivery...) A little graphic and might make you uncomfortable. I realize this is not a private blog... but women have been having babies FOREVER and if youre a woman who has not had a child and plans to someday... this will get rid of a few of the suprises. If youre a woman who has had a child you will appreciate it or loath me for reminding you... and if youre a man reading this... it might do you a little good to know what your mother/wife/sister/daughter has or will probably go through one day.

Did I mention the episiotomy? No? Well, there. I mentioned it.

After Ezekiel arrived, they put him right on my chest so I could looks at him - and he was beautiful! Messy, but beautiful! Then we noticed he seemed to be having a little trouble getting a full breath of air, so off he went... to the little station just next to my bed where they helped him clear the gunk out of his lungs. Then once he was in the "all-clear", brought him back to mommy to enjoy for a few minutes until I insisted Cameron have his turn.

What I REALLY like about Wilcox Memorial Hospital is that they DID NOT TAKE HIM OUT OF THE ROOM! To clean him up, change him, weigh him, bathe him, give him his dose of Vitamin K (or something to help with the circumsision the next day), they eye gunk, all the quick little tests they do... they did right there. With Makoa, they took him to a seperate part of the L&D wing to do... and Cam went with. But it was nice not to have to think about it. Cameron was able to give him his first bath and change his first diaper and it was special to watch it all.

Then they brought breakfast (the Dr promised breakfast after baby), and seeing as I hadnt eaten anything since 10am the previous day, you would think I would have ravaged that meal... but no! Just after getting some medicine for the pain - Zonk - out like a light. That was the best feeling to just konk-out and sleep. I suprised myself with just how incredibly exhausted I was!

When I woke up, I was pretty suprised to discover I still had an incredibly painful headache after taking those hospital strength pain-killers. I was able to take a shower (divine!) and the headache persisted - weird. So, I mentioned it to the nurse (Lisa) and she had that "this-is-not-normal" look on her face and asked if it got worse when sitting up straight - I said yes - and she suggested it could be a spinal headache, meaning that when the edipural was administered I may have received a tiny scratch in my d-something and a little fluid may be leaking from my spine. She said she would call Dr Sanchez and get him up there asap to evaluate. Do it. Now, I wasnt too freaked out because I had heard of this happening before, and the nurse told me that what they do to reverse it, is to take some of my blood and inject it into the area the edpirual was administered to clot the scratch. Okay.

Dr Sanchez just HAPPENS to be right outside the door when Lisa goes to page/call/phone him and is able to come right away. He apologizes and genuinely seems to feel really bad about it. He's a nice guy, and stuff like that happens - yah! like one in 100 or less! He says it happens maybe once or twice and year... did I pick a lucky number I didnt know about? Oh well. So he goes over the procedure, should I choose to do it, and all its glory (same risks as the original epidural). He tells me that the "blood patch" is 95% successful and that they wont do another blood patch for 24 hours, but the 2nd time its 99% successful and that if needs be, the 3rd time is 100%. Not life threatening.

(Be warned, the following talks about blood and needles)

So, I sign the "little" consent and we get ready to pretty much do another epidural. Lisa draws the blood from my hand (about 20mg) while Dr Sanchez is numbing my back with his own two needles... then once she gets the 20mg out of me, Dr Sanchez injects the 20mg of blood into my back. Now, I knew this wouldnt be the best feeling in the world... but 20mg of blood is A LOT of blood and the feeling of it all going into my back was not exactly painful, but really really unnatural. The pressure was in my back, my butt, my head... everywhere! Once the whole 20mg was (back) in me, I was instructed to lie down flat for one hour. The flatter, the better. And while I was lying flat the heachache didnt bother me one bit. The pressure in my back relatively quickly went away... now it was just waiting out the hour... and I REALLY had to pee by then. lol...

My sister had arrived to meet the baby and was there for the procedure, but both she and Cam were instructed to be seated during it, for safetly precautions. (Dr Sanchez told us about a very sad lawsuit going on in Pennsylvannia against a hospital because a man fainted while his wife was getting an edipural, hit his head and actually died. So Sad... so in PA no one is even allowed in the room while epidurals are being given. Theres no law like that in Hawaii, but none-the-less a safety precaution).

lol... okay back to the "I really had to pee"... When there was about 20 minutes left to my sentence to lie completely flat for one hour... I really really had to pee. I'm still being pumped with fluids from the IV... so it was pretty much torture and every few minutes Id ask Cam and Meg how much time was left and they would tell me "15", "11", "10", "6", "5"... time has never gone by so slowly. But I made it.

Once I was able to sit up, the throbbing headache was completely gone... I was a little dizzy from lying completely flat for one hour... but that too passed. And I was as good as new... lol... okay, not really. But I was able to get up, do my thing, and walk to the room next door where we would be staying.

And there we stayed for 2 more nights enjoying all three meals in bed, nurses checking vitals every few hours (my right arm felt bruised by the time we left), adjusting to feeding Ezekiel every two hours (he is a very good, consistent eater), and basic post-partum recovery. All-in-all, pleasant. Will I do it again? Yes. Eventually. But I am definitely going to space the next one out a little more then 16 months!!!!

Okay here are my thoughts and recommendations. (be warned, a little graphic and personal, if you dont like the word "nipple" dont read on.)

1. Bring your own music. I bought "Absolute Relaxation" and "Peace" from Walmart by Andrew Fitzgard (or something) in the fung shui section (okay, thats not really the department, but its the one with candles)... LOVED IT! I still listen to it in my car and play it on my computer... its super relaxing. Anyway, it's very nice to set the atmosphere yourself.

2. Make sure that whoever is coaching you during the pushing part of labor is loud. Or loud enough that you dont have to ask "what?". Dont ask. It'll just make me frustrated. (just kidding, you can ask if your really curious.)

3. It's better to be snipped than to tear. Dont be afraid of an episiotomy, it will help the baby come quicker and like I mentioned, it's better to be snipped than tear. (One big reason I go for the epidural, snipped or tearing - I dont want to feel that!)

4. Take a shower as soon as you feel up to it. I didnt with Makoa because I was too tired and didnt care - but the really nice nurse-helper suggested I should and helped me move the IV thing around with me. And I tell you what that hot water was heavenly. I didnt get my hair wet, but it was still incredibly refreshing.

5. If your planning to nurse, it's gonna hurt. It was exceptionally painful with Makoa (like excrutiating, I would have given birth again if it meant THAT pain would go away...) a) Last time I discovered Lansinoh Nipple Creme ( A MUST, even if you arent in as much pain as I was)... if you dont have it, get it. If you know someone who doesnt have it - get it for them. And b) This time I discovered the nipple shield. It took Ezekiel a day to get used to it, but once he did it was the best! It takes a little more prep to feed, but it's worth it if your chi-chis get really raw and tender... it makes nursing a "pleasant experience". That was the best discovery this time around.

6. Bring your own pads. And Panties. It was way more comfy then what the hospital provided. This time around they provided some really big pads that were diaper ish and those were great, but they only gave a certain amount because I technically didnt need one THAT big, they're just more comfy than the regular strip pads. I read on a forum on parenting.com about what women recommended or didnt recommend, and I took the idea a woman suggested to bring depends, or a similar product. I recommend Poise Panties. I used those once my ration of big-orange diaper-ish pads ran out... and they were fabulous. Awesome for over-night security... (I could be on a commercial! "Awesome for Over-Night Security!!"). Anyway, love 'em. And I just got the $1 briefs from Walmart, cute pink ones... lol... enough of that.

7. Another recommendation from parenting.com that I tested and approved... two braids. Okay, I didnt actually do this while in labor, but wish I would have. I did it for the rest of my stay, and it was cute and even though it was matted, it kept the hair on the sides so when I laid down or leaned back, i wasnt on a chunk of hair and didnt get in baby's face when eating. If you can, have a girlfriend/sister who's visiting do it for you. It's always nice to have someone do your hair, and asking someone to braid your hair isnt that extraordinary of a request.

There you have it. I am now fully prepared to put this experience (mostly) behind me and move on to the next chapter of motherhood. Two Boys. Oh man. This should be good....