I expected to be stressed and running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get things done. BUT, I was actually calm, and got everything done early. I had time to rest, and Logan and I got to enjoy a "Last Supper" of Chinese food, and just spend time hanging out. This is a DEFINITE perk to having a planned c section.
We woke up early and got to the hospital about 5 AM. They hooked me all up to an IV, gave me a catheter [yeowch.], and made me sign a bunch of paperwork about the possibility of losing my limbs and other such pleasantries. We had to wait for a bit while I got stronger and stronger contractions [thanks, catheter] and baby kept kicking me right in the bladder [thanks, catheter].
They dressed Logan up like a mad scientist and wheeled me into this room with bright alien lights. I was pretty sure I'd been abducted for a few minutes.
Note: The expression on my face is purely because of the catheter. Let me tell you. I really hated that thing.
They did my spinal block and laid me out on the operating table. They even strapped my arms out to the sides like a cross, which was a little disconcerting. The spinal block started making me sick about the time they had Logan come in, seconds before they made the actual incision. The nurse anesthetist had his hands full shooting all kinds of anti-nausea things into my IV. Logan watched the whole thing up by my head. I couldn't see past the drape, but I could see the reflection of things below if I looked up at the alien lights. I chose not to look most of the time.
I felt lots of pressure and pulling. Its like I could feel everything they were doing, it just didn't hurt at all. Logan felt particularly honored because he got some blood on his little shoe cover things. Apparently there was a lot of it.
I really liked having the nurse anesthetist and Logan up by me because they kept me updated. Here's what I remember hearing.
NA:
I was a little worried that I wasn't numb enough because it just happened so fast. "They've already made the incision. Everything's going well."
"I just gave you some meds that are going to make you feel like you're floating in the clouds for a couple of minutes."
"You're going to hear a sucking noise. That means they broke the amniotic sac. Then you'll feel lots of tugging as they pull her out. You're gonna hear her cry soon after."
Logan:
"Are you doing ok? You can't feel it?"
"This is really cool."
"Woah! That's a lot of water."
And when they pulled her out, "Oh my goodness! She's so cute! She's really cute. Good job, Honey."
Usually with c sections, the drill is that they hold the baby up so the mom can see him or her and pass them through the window to NICU to get cleaned out really fast, then bring them back. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case for me.
I heard the sucking, and I felt a whole bunch of tugging. This is the time that I actually looked up at the alien lights and could see a bluish little baby being pulled out, feet first. When I heard her little cry, I cried. It was an amazing feeling knowing that she was here and she was ok, and she was ours. It felt like a miracle. The waiting was over, finally! Or so I thought...
I heard Logan comment on her cuteness, and a nurse say, "She's too slippery to hold up." Then, she was gone. I didn't get to see her at all! At this point, everyone was busy getting me all stitched up and pumping all kinds of stuff into my IV. I was so sick, and I just wanted to see my baby. Stitching up is the longest part of the whole operation. I thought they'd bring her back, just like they said, but they came back and told us they'd need to keep her a little while because she needed oxygen.
Logan got to go back and be with her though while they stitched me up. They wheeled me to a room where I kept dry heaving because there was nothing in my stomach to throw up. After a few minutes, I was really uneasy because Logan wasn't with me, so I asked where he was and they brought him to me. He sat with me and showed me pictures of our little girl and told me how great she was. They would be keeping her for 6 hours. I couldn't go see her because I was sick and numb from the waist down.
Here's a lovely picture of me feeling sick and holding a barf bag.
After a little while, Logan went back to be with her. A nurse came in to give me painkillers, and she brought the ones that make me really sick. [I'd already had an extensive talk with my doctor about this, and I was so frustrated.] I finally just broke down and cried and had Logan come back.
It was pretty awful, I won't lie.
They moved me to my official room. They gave me different painkillers, which I threw up. They gave me ice chips, which I threw up. They gave me jello... Which I threw up.
FINALLY, after a little more than 6 hours, they brought her up with a cute little bow on her head. And she was everything Logan had said and more. She was perfect.
And she was officially Audrey Jo Searle. Born at 7:14 AM on April 27, 2016. 7 lbs and 20 inches. Lots of dark hair, her daddy's toes, and a really excellent natural latch with breastfeeding.
And yes, I cried the whole time I wrote about not getting to see her for 6 hours. I never knew that not seeing someone I didn't even know yet could be so traumatic.
But everything was fine once I got to hold her and love on her. We're bonded, and all's well.
I was finally able to keep down food and get up and walk a couple of times the next day. We stayed for one more day and left the next day after lunch.
Recovery was a little rough for me the first couple of weeks because the good painkillers make me throw up and my swelling got worse for a few days instead of going down. And my milk took FOREVER to come in... Or so it seemed to me. But after a week and a halfish, I was off of all medications and started to be able to bend and use my abs again. I'm still not allowed to lift more than 10-15 lbs, but overall, I am feeling SO much better than I was for the first week. My incision is only a little tender. Being able to sit up on my own is something I hope to never take for granted again. ;)
Thank goodness I had Logan and my mom to help me. I was pretty useless.
Mother's Day this year made me especially grateful for fathers. [I know. That's probably against the rules, but it's true.] I feel SO grateful that a loving Father in Heaven has this awesome plan that we can choose a partner to work with us through this really hard and really important thing called parenthood. I feel for those parents who parent alone. I can't even imagine.
(This is us on Cinco de Mayo. It's an important holiday for us because we met 2 years ago when we got assigned to plan a Cinco de Mayo activity for church. We bought this little sombrero as when we were first pregnant because we knew we'd have a little child to wear it in May.)
I'm especially grateful for my husband. I was so sick and weak in the first few days that I couldn't even be up or bent over enough to change Audrey's diaper. Logan learned swaddling, diaper changing, and bathing in her first days, and continues to help with them often. He is a way better swaddler than I am. He's been peed on multiple times. He's my breastfeeding coach [because breastfeeding has seriously been one of the hardest things I've ever had to learn], my own personal chef, and my shoulder to cry on. He takes shifts to stay up with Audrey at night and takes her when he sees I need a break. ["She needs her dad right now."] He falls asleep with the pink boppy pillow, and sings silly songs about pushing out toots and diaper changing. I married an excellent father. This makes being a mother so much easier.
She'll be a month old this week, and I'm sure I'll just amaze you with my next blog about her first month and my wealth of knowledge about parenting...
But really. I've learned a lot already.
And isn't she just adorable?
