Mostly because I want to be able to remember all of the little details....
Sorry it has taken so long ...we've landed ourselves smack dab in the middle of a growth spurt ...and the baby feels like he's dying if he doesn't nurse every 45 minutes or so. Umm...I'm thankful for the increase in milk supply ...but geez.
After the NICU team was done with their assessment, Monk brought the baby over to me. The CRNA did an outstanding job taking pictures for us. She helped Monk to lay the baby on my chest while they were putting my parts back in and sewing me up. That was something that never happened with the golden child and I was so happy to be able to cuddle him that soon after birth. Eventually, Monk and the baby went into the recovery room and they moved me over to a bed and wheeled me into the recovery room with them. The NICU team asked that they wait to bathe the baby for 12 hours to give him more time to transition. One of my biggest "I don't want to do that" moments was over remembering the shaking chills after the golden child's section. They have a fancy new Bair Hugger gown that they had me wear and hooked the gown up to a hot air blower ...and I never got the chills. It was rather delightful.
Remember when I said that spinal anesthesia with duramorph was the best thing ever? It truly was. But it was also like ..almost the worst thing. The CRNA came in to check on me and told me that I might get some nausea and facial itching from the duramorph ...and that if I did I should ask for meds sooner rather than later. Ha! I felt great for quite a while ...I nursed the baby. He latched on like he was a 6 month old ..nursed on both sides for 15 minutes. I was rather amazed. Monk left the room to go tell the 30 or so family members about the baby and to let my mom and the golden child come back. The golden child was appropriately amazed and awed. The picture above is her first glimpse at her brother.
My mom and daughter left to allow Monk's parents to come back ...still felt great but maybe a little itch on my nose?? They left and Monk's sister and my niece came back. During the transition I started to feel really nauseated. They left, and the nurse decided to roll me side to side and change me into a regular gown to go back to my room in. Turned left ...no problem. Turned right ...and started puking like a mad woman. I must have thrown up/dry heaved 27 times ..each time feeling like staples were popping out. The nurse finally pushed some zofran and things calmed down. By the time I got back to my room, my face was full on ITCHING. I don't mean like ...a little scratch here and there. There was no rash ..but I swear to God I tried to rip the skin off my face. Monk was freaking out ...I couldn't stop rubbing, pulling, scratching my face for anything. And then, thankfully, I had the best RN I've ever encountered on the patient side of life. She came in and said that she knew I was an NP and had privileges at the hospital but that she was going to pretend like I didn't know anything and tell me everything anyway. She noticed that I was trying to peel my face off and told me that she was going to get some Nubain to make it go away. I told her I didn't want it - that it would make me sleepy and wasn't worth it. She essentially said too bad and went to get it. I demanded that she only give me half the dose. She said no ..and gave me the full dose anyway. I did get sleepy ..but the damn itching went away. And I have to say ....I think that took a lot of guts on her part. I don't know if I would have had the guts to do something like that - but it was exactly what I needed. She really was wonderful. Monk is still amazed by her. Because I was still paralyzed from the waste down, she taught Monk how to change the baby's diaper when he had his first meconium yuck. She was very patient with him. My mom and the golden child came into the room ...I nearly passed out from the Nubain ...Monk went to get some food ...and my mom held the baby while I slept. Eventually she took the golden child home and we were alone with the baby for the first time. It was all very surreal. He {the baby} moaned almost the entire first night with every exhale. I don't think we slept for 3 seconds because we were so worried.
At 4 am they got me up, took out my catheter, helped me to clean the betadine off all the parts that needed to be cleaned. I walked the halls (umm...9 hours after birth!) pain free and had very little bleeding. My only complaint - albeit a huge one - is that the air conditioning in the hospital wasn't working and my room was literally 82 degrees. It was beyond miserable. I was sweating from birth changes anyway ...and I spent most of the time we were there totally drenched. It was so so so so freaking hot.
The morning after the birth, the baby went for his kidney ultrasound ...kidney was still very enlarged. He peed a ton right after delivery ...but then hardly at all after that ...like twice a day. So I was freaking out about that.
The pediatrician came in and explained the process for the kidney work up. He would need to be on antibiotics and repeat the ultrasound in 2 weeks. They came in for the circumcision. Monk is still mad ..because every time someone would come in and say, "You want to have the baby circumcised?" I would say "SOMEONE in this room does ...but not me!". The friend/OB had 4 deliveries the morning that I was going to be discharged so her partner came in. I had never met him before ...and he was rather funny. He asked what I was going to do for birth control. I explained the whole, "I have PCOS and a history of multiple miscarriages and blood clots ...I can't take the pill" thing. I asked if I could start taking Metformin again. He said, "I'd start taking it right away ..wait 4 weeks then start having sex all the time and have another baby right away. Your body will be ready." I laughed ...thinking he was joking. The friend/OB came in later ...and he was apparently serious. He wants everyone to have 90 kids. Has 11 himself. Doesn't do any sterilization procedures. Hmm. Rather interesting! He ended up doing the baby's circumcision. I didn't realize that they slept for like ..8 hours afterwards because they were so traumatized. I'm still mad that we did it...even though everything turned out fine.
I did end up getting a little bit sore on the second day...but still never needed anything more than Motrin. The crazy stupid pelvic pain went away the second they took the baby out. I felt like I could run a marathon being pain free felt so good. The friend/OB wanted me to stay one more night ...but I couldn't deal with the temperature in the room so she let us go home. A little more than 36 hours after birth, we were all at home and cozied up together on the couch.
Blissful.
