What day is it? Seriously. I don’t know right now. Yeah, yeah… I’m slacking. No “Medical-Monday,” no “Celebri-Tuesday”… but I had a baby! A girl! And I will use her as an excuse for all things as long as I can… On this blog, we will call her LadyP!
LIFE IS GOOD. 🙂
Since my last deer-in-headlights video post about a week ago (on the way into the hospital to get this little thing out) I’ve experienced more drama, comedy, fulfillment and disbelief that I will ever have time to tell you. I won’t lie: I’ve been in hell for the last few days (recovering from an unplanned C-section), but it has been the best hell of my life. (This statement, again, falls into my “I would’ve rolled my eyes at myself if I knew I’d be saying this a year ago” category.) I still don’t think that childbirth is “beautiful,” but it is pretty damn amazing. Now I get it.
Here are a few tips re delivery/hospital/first-day-with-baby that I’d like to pass on to you on behalf of little LadyP:
1) BE EDUCATED AND ASSERTIVE: If you’re planning to have an epidural, tell all nurses that come into your pre-labor room. Don’t assume that one nurse will spread the good word to all those working on your floor. Nurses change shifts swiftly, and you do NOT want to miss a window of epidural-giving should your labor/contractions progress quicker than anticipated (like mine did). Also, it often takes about an hour for the anesthesiologist to get to your room once he/she is called. I toughed it out with induced contractions for 2 hours, thought I was seriously going to die right then and there, and asked for my epidural (which didn’t even hurt at all!). I then progressed so quickly, that, if I hadn’t asked for my epidural then, it may have been too late.
2) TRUST YOUR DOCTOR/HOSPITAL: They are not out to get you… their job is to deliver the baby in the safest way possible regardless of what your ideal plan is. Doctors/hospitals harbor liability: they’re not going to suggest you do something if it will put you or your baby in danger. I did not want a C-section because of the intense recovery. However, my body had other plans. My labor/dialation progressed very quickly (within a few hours) but then I stalled for hours on end with Baby’s heartbeat decelerating every time I shifted positions. My doctor was “mildly” concerned and suggested a C-section. Good thing we did: LadyP was found “sunnyside-up” with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck… labor would’ve been disastrous if I had insisted on “pushing” for a normal delivery.
3) DON’T EXPECT TO FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR BABY IMMEDIATELY: It took me about a day-and-a-half before I realized what had happened and began to connect with her. When she was first delivered, I groggily remember the doctors putting her on my chest (as I was being sewn back together) and thinking “What am I supposed to do with this” through my tears. It was amazing, but I felt completely dumbfounded, confused and freaked out at the same time. Not to mention, I was drugged out of my mind and shivering beyond control. And over the next few days in the hospital, I began to feel a bit jealous about how my husband seemed to connect with her immediately! Why could he calm her down, but not me? 5 days later, I’ve finally caught up to him and feel more and more confidence and adoration for her. My point? It takes different amounts of time for everyone. Stay calm!
So far, so good… dare I say this is actually FUN.
Here’s proof (sorry so blurry! from my phone’s camera!):
[…] first time we did this party was about a year and a half ago: When I had to have a C-section after being a week past my due date, stalled labor after induction, […]