The aftermath (aka: good, the bad, and the paparazzi)
The first few days in the hospital following Lucy's birth were...eventful, to say the least!
Just in case you were wondering, a c-section (the procedure itself and the recovery afterward) is no walk in the park! As a result of the c-section, I was in the hospital for 5 days (drugged up for the first few), which meant I was out of commission on a number of fronts. I looked and felt like I was run over by a mack truck, and it hurt- inside and out. In addition to being in pain, I needed lots of help, which meant I needed to rely on the awesome nurses at St. John's - and the even more awesome Brian - for a lot. Because I was stuck in bed and couldn't tend to Lucy as much as I would've liked, Brian was the number one diaper changer and baby soother. Of course he was a total pro and awesome dad from Day 1. :)
I needed help doing just about everything, including breastfeeding. Lucy latched on like a pro right away, but it turned out that despite how easy it comes to some moms and babies, and despite what all the books seem to say about how newborns don't eat a lot at first, the colostrum just was not enough for her. She was really hungry (she must not have liked that GD diet either!) and because she wasn't getting enough nourishment from me, she was also really angry. Not only that, she was losing weight. To combat this, the lactation consultant we met with suggested that I try to pump to stimulate my milk production, and it was also recommended that we feed her formula in the meantime. The formula worked- she was a MUCH happier baby once she started getting more to eat (and as a result, we were much happier parents). However, I was battered and bruised (physically and emotionally) and wondered if my milk would ever come in. (Fast-forward: It took a couple of weeks, but thankfully, my milk finally did come in, and I'm now able to nurse. I still feel like we're on shaky ground with it (possibly due to our rough start) and it definitely takes a toll, but I think it's well worth it and I hope I can keep up with it for as long as possible.)
Back to the hospital. It was a rough few days, but I have to admit I was also glad to be there, in the safe confines of the hands of people who could help me out (because I needed it) and who knew what they were doing (because I certainly didn't). Still, toward the end, we were ready to go home. Unfortunately, there was yet another unexpected complication. My heart rate was high and my hemoglobin level was low. As a result, Dr. Bliss recommended I be given some blood the night before I was scheduled to leave the hospital. Yet another thing during this whole birthing process that I was not pleased about, but again, it was determined to be for the best, so we went ahead with it. I was put on iron supplements and administered 2 bags of blood on Thursday night. It was scary, and being back on an IV sucked, but I did end up feeling better the next day, and my levels were back to normal, so everyone felt better about me going home on Friday as scheduled. Yay! I was so over it by the time I was discharged that I cried out of relief, and sheer exhaustion. I hoped and prayed that would be the end of the unpleasant side effects.
And then there were three
Unfortunately, when it rains it pours. I ended up developing an infection at the site of the c-section incision. The incision itself was perfect (I'm actually shocked by how good it looks), but I seemed to be allergic to the staples that were over the top of the incision (which were later removed). The area was itchy and irritated (and pretty gross). I was put on antibiotics and it's gotten a lot better, but it still isn't completely healed.
I couldn't believe how many crazy road blocks kept coming up- I felt as though I was being hit by an onslaught of unexpected complications, one after another. It was disheartening and I felt completely overwhelmed, but then I would look at Lucy and melt. Everything was - is - all worth it!
5 days old, on the way home from the hospital
Oh, so what about the paparazzi, you ask? Well, we happened to be at the same hospital as Farrah Fawcett on the day that she passed away. From my hospital room, we watched as more and more news vans and paparazzi with telephoto lenses congregated outside the hospital that morning. What a scene.
Pretty horrible and sad, really. It was a circus. But, nothing compared to the media circus that occurred a few hours later, a few miles away at another hospital, where Michael Jackson passed away later that afternoon. Talk about a crazy, surreal day!
That entire week was surreal, actually. Okay, who am I kidding- this has all been surreal! I still feel like I'm in a daze to a certain degree. I can't believe it's been almost a month since Lucy was born and all that happened. Time flies when you're caring for a newborn! :)
Just in case you were wondering, a c-section (the procedure itself and the recovery afterward) is no walk in the park! As a result of the c-section, I was in the hospital for 5 days (drugged up for the first few), which meant I was out of commission on a number of fronts. I looked and felt like I was run over by a mack truck, and it hurt- inside and out. In addition to being in pain, I needed lots of help, which meant I needed to rely on the awesome nurses at St. John's - and the even more awesome Brian - for a lot. Because I was stuck in bed and couldn't tend to Lucy as much as I would've liked, Brian was the number one diaper changer and baby soother. Of course he was a total pro and awesome dad from Day 1. :)
I needed help doing just about everything, including breastfeeding. Lucy latched on like a pro right away, but it turned out that despite how easy it comes to some moms and babies, and despite what all the books seem to say about how newborns don't eat a lot at first, the colostrum just was not enough for her. She was really hungry (she must not have liked that GD diet either!) and because she wasn't getting enough nourishment from me, she was also really angry. Not only that, she was losing weight. To combat this, the lactation consultant we met with suggested that I try to pump to stimulate my milk production, and it was also recommended that we feed her formula in the meantime. The formula worked- she was a MUCH happier baby once she started getting more to eat (and as a result, we were much happier parents). However, I was battered and bruised (physically and emotionally) and wondered if my milk would ever come in. (Fast-forward: It took a couple of weeks, but thankfully, my milk finally did come in, and I'm now able to nurse. I still feel like we're on shaky ground with it (possibly due to our rough start) and it definitely takes a toll, but I think it's well worth it and I hope I can keep up with it for as long as possible.)
Back to the hospital. It was a rough few days, but I have to admit I was also glad to be there, in the safe confines of the hands of people who could help me out (because I needed it) and who knew what they were doing (because I certainly didn't). Still, toward the end, we were ready to go home. Unfortunately, there was yet another unexpected complication. My heart rate was high and my hemoglobin level was low. As a result, Dr. Bliss recommended I be given some blood the night before I was scheduled to leave the hospital. Yet another thing during this whole birthing process that I was not pleased about, but again, it was determined to be for the best, so we went ahead with it. I was put on iron supplements and administered 2 bags of blood on Thursday night. It was scary, and being back on an IV sucked, but I did end up feeling better the next day, and my levels were back to normal, so everyone felt better about me going home on Friday as scheduled. Yay! I was so over it by the time I was discharged that I cried out of relief, and sheer exhaustion. I hoped and prayed that would be the end of the unpleasant side effects.
And then there were threeUnfortunately, when it rains it pours. I ended up developing an infection at the site of the c-section incision. The incision itself was perfect (I'm actually shocked by how good it looks), but I seemed to be allergic to the staples that were over the top of the incision (which were later removed). The area was itchy and irritated (and pretty gross). I was put on antibiotics and it's gotten a lot better, but it still isn't completely healed.
I couldn't believe how many crazy road blocks kept coming up- I felt as though I was being hit by an onslaught of unexpected complications, one after another. It was disheartening and I felt completely overwhelmed, but then I would look at Lucy and melt. Everything was - is - all worth it!
5 days old, on the way home from the hospitalOh, so what about the paparazzi, you ask? Well, we happened to be at the same hospital as Farrah Fawcett on the day that she passed away. From my hospital room, we watched as more and more news vans and paparazzi with telephoto lenses congregated outside the hospital that morning. What a scene.
Pretty horrible and sad, really. It was a circus. But, nothing compared to the media circus that occurred a few hours later, a few miles away at another hospital, where Michael Jackson passed away later that afternoon. Talk about a crazy, surreal day! That entire week was surreal, actually. Okay, who am I kidding- this has all been surreal! I still feel like I'm in a daze to a certain degree. I can't believe it's been almost a month since Lucy was born and all that happened. Time flies when you're caring for a newborn! :)
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