One Week Postpartum

Well our little Mimi is one week old. It has been a crazy week. We had her last Wednesday at 12:50 pm, so she's officially one week now I guess.

The C section itself was not all that bad. I went to the chiropractor one last time Wednesday morning before we checked into the hospital at 10am. The Chiro thought maybe the baby had moved but I had my doubts. I still felt her little head camped out behind my belly button. Sure enough, the sonogram showed her still camped out in complete breech position. They put in my hep lock---one of the worst parts of the c section, and drew some blood from the other arm for some reason. I hadn't had anything to eat or drink, so the hole putting in IV's taking blood thing made me a little sweaty and sick feeling. Before we knew it, they wheeled me into the OR, put in my spinal, which was the second least pleasand experience, the spinal sent a lighting bolt of pain down my left leg and I got really scared and of course was crying. The guy was teasing me, which I didn't find very funny. They put up drapes so that I couldn't see anything and my body began to tingle and go numb from my chest down. My asthma was pretty bad that day and I was coughing, but with my diaphram numb, it was very difficult to cough. It felt so strange. They brought in my husband decked out in scrubs with his camera and began to cut. It actually felt like tickles. Within in minutes they held the baby over the drape and said "it's a girl!" She was crying and pinked right up. They cleaned her up and suctioned her mouth and nose and gave her to F, he brought her over to see me and I of course began to cry. So surreal to see your baby, to love something so much instantly without ever having seen it. By this time, they take the baby to the nursery and my husband followed and they give you some morphine while they stitch you back up. I had staples instead of stitches in my incision, which the doctor says heals better. They brought me into recovery for an hour before the baby came back to the room. I felt awesome. I was relaxed and calm and pain free. I felt this way for the next several hours. They keep you hooked up to several monitors, Iv's and such for the first night, which was really uncomfortable. You have cuffs on your legs to prevent clots, a blood pressure cuff that takes your pressure every 10 mins, and and IV and catheter. About 6 hours after the surgery the nurses help you up to the bathroom to get cleaned up and get you on your feet. This was a little crazy, I felt weak and sick. They gave me some anti-nausea medication after I was back in bed. I also felt very itchy, still no pain though. I don't remember much of the first night. I know I nursed the baby a bunch, and F changed her 8 poopy diapers. The next day I was in pain but the pain medication helped. I was able to get up to the bathroom and sit in a chair and hold the baby. I began to eat solid foods also. The next 2 days we had vistors, we slept, we fed the baby, and that's about it. The nurses come in almost every hour to massage your uterus, check your bleeding, and give you all sorts of drugs--some for nausea, some for itching, some for swelling, some for pain, some stool softeners, etc. etc. The doctors and midwives came in every day and checked on us as well. We opted to stay one extra day because I was in a lot of pain and discomfort and I knew once I got home I wouldn't get to relax as much, which is exactly what happened!

We got discharged Saturday afternoon. It was really exciting to take her home, but really painful to sit up in the car on the way home! lol. Mimi slept the entire way, I winced ever bump my husband hit in the road.

Since we got home, we've just been relaxing and getting used to having her around. People have come to visit and brought food which is so nice. It's really nice to not have to cook. We just heat up what people brought and voila, dinner! F has been somewhat helpful, he's great with the baby and does things when I ask, but he does let me do a little too much. I'll be doing dishes and be almost done and he'll be lack, oh honey dont' do those. I'm not very good at relaxing so it's not his fault. By the end of the day I can tell i've done too much. I get emotional and cranky and weepy and irrational, and I know it's time for a hot shower and some sleep.

My pain is getting easier to deal with and the incision is healing nicely. Breastfeeding is going great, I actually have too much milk--which is annoying because it leaks and she has trouble latching, but it's nice because I already have a couple of bottles frozen for later. I've been using my Medela pump after eat feeding, and sometimes before.

It's been really hard adjusting to pain and hormones and sleep deprivation but so worth it. I watch my husband hold her and kiss her and whisper little sweet things to her, and in the middle of the night I'll nurse her and she puts her little hand on me and I know it's all worth it.

I still feel brain dead and tired and like a train wreck, but everyday things get a little easier.