Today is the day! I am scheduled for a c-section at 10 am. We're spending the night in Columbiaj ust so we don't have to get up so early. My night goes as normal, sleep a little, pee a little, sleep some more, pee some more... Though I did have some back pain during the night, I just blew it off as the bed and the fact I'm 40 weeks pregnant. About 545 am or so I started feeling crampy, I thought to my self hmmmm is this what contractions feel like? So I laid in bed for a bit longer and felt two more. They were very sporadic, so I didn't wake up the sleeping husband. When the alarm went off at 630 am i said to him, I don't know what contractions feel like, but I think I've had three. He asked if he needed to rush to which I said no. So he goes on about his moring shower and I walk in the bathroom to brush my teeth. Suddenly I feel a trickle down my leg... My first thought was there is no way my water just broke, how is this possible and at the same time I thought how convenient. Brandon was in the shower and I told him, then went to the restroom and sure enough, that was it! We got packed up and overt to he hospital pretty quick. We were only a block away. I had a couple ore. Contractions while waiting for my c-section, a couole were hard contractions, my stomach, I've never felt it so hard.
Fast forward to c-section. For those of you having one, please read this carefully. It's not the horror people make it out to be!! They prep me and I walk from the labor room to the operating room. The epidural is annoying just because of the position you have to sit in while they give it to you. It's an instant numbness from just below your boobs to your feet. You can he ar what's going on, you're laying flat in your back and your arms are out on arm boards. Don't worry, they aren't tied down. :)
They'll put the screen up and go get your husband and it's time to start. You'll hear the dr and nurses talking and you'll have your husband up by your head patting your arm or your shoulder, he'll be a nervous wreck and doing his best to comfort you! You won't feel an y pain, what you will notice is the tugging, pulling and pushing before, during and after baby comes out. All of a sudden, it's a girl, 11:11am, 9 lb. 6 oz. 21 1/2" long!!! As soon as baby come out, dad leaves your side and goes with baby. He stayed with her from moment one! The whole process takes about 5 minutes. Now sewing you up, that takes about 30-45 minutes. As I said, dad is with baby. In your case, all hospitals are different, he was with her when she was cleaned up and even wheeled her up to the nursery. He was there to help with her first bath and was there the first time I met her in the recovery room. Wow! What a perfect sweet little princess!
Now on to the nitty gritty about c-sections. You hear lots of horror stories about how horrible they are. I would like to clarify for you they are not! Other than being stuck laying in bed for about 12-18 hours, you will survive. Make sure you drink plenty of water, the better you fill that little cath bag, the sooner it comes out and the sooner you can shower! You will appreciate this shower more than any you've ever had!!! Be prepared for lots of blood... It's gross, you will have clots half the size of your fist, again, it's gross. While you're laid up in bed, the nurses will come in and "clean you!" Yes, they will squirt water between your legs and wipe you clean... Did I tell you to leave your modesty at the door when you walk in to have a baby? Well, you should! Bring your own granny panties and your own pads! Make sure they are the thick, period from hell pads. You'll appreciate this as much as your shower. Those sexy gauze underwear and hospital pads just don't cut it! Make sure you have someone who is staying with you. You won't be able to do everything for baby for the first day/night. Once you can get up and walk and your cath comes out, you'll be set, but until then, you'll need someone to change diapers, hand you baby to feed and etc. I somehow got lucky and have this great guy Morgan gets to call Dad who stayed with me! Seriously, this guy is my hero! Okay, back to business, walk, move, walk!!! Yesterday, Morgan was 1 week and 1 day old. We had our f ire today out. It felt good to be out and moving, but I can sure feel it today. Take it easy!
You won't sleep worth a shit for the first night, between the nurses coming in to check on you or check on baby, they'll come in to weigh her at 4 am, just when you fell asleep, your dr will come in at 6 am, then it's time for the nurse again, then the pediatrician and etc. As soon as you find a comfy spot in the horrible bed, here comes someone else. The second night isn't as bad, the nurse doesn't check on you quite as often, she'll still come in to check on baby, but you won't always notice. They really do try to be quiet when they come in. Be strong, mind over matter, if your handling your pain well, have gone pee and poop and babyis doing well, you'll probably get to go home on day 3!!!! We did! Nothing at es you feel better than getting released from the hospital a day earlier than planned!
So you've been released and it's time to take that new bundle of joy home! There's no better feeling then walking into home with your new baby. Now what? They'll eat, a lot, sleep, a lot and poop, a lot! Were 10 days in and have settled well. We just need to learn to go to bed when she does and not stay up until all hours of the night. She does well on car rides. In fact, as long as her belly is full and her butt is clean, she's pretty easy going. :)
One more thing they don't tell you about.... POSTPARTUM HEADACHE - I'm hard headed and don't like taking anything more than tylenol or ibprophen for headaches. If ought this one for 3 days before finally calling the dr. To which they said take one of these pills you we're give and rest. Between that and Brandon making me drink what felt like gallons of water, it was finally gone! Make sure you drink lots and lots of fluids!!! Oh, and the tension and body aches. Think about what your body has just gone through.
Good luck ladies!!!
