I was really nervous about the surgery. I read a lot of board postings and articles about recovering from a section and everything seemed to say that it was horrible, painful and long. I was ready, but scared, for a lot of pain and weakness. I'm happy to say it really wasn't too bad.
For the first 36 hours or so I had no real pain. They put some long lasting drug into the spinal before removing it and it kept me from feeling too much. After they removed the IV and Cath (24 hours post-delivery) I was able to get out of bed and sit in the glider next to it. Yeah, it hurt a little to stand up, but it wasn't even close to unbearable.
By the next day I was taking pain killers (percoset and motrin) but was up and around, walking the halls. We went with Lily to the nursery to watch as they weighed her and checked her temp. Every day was a little better than the one before. By monday I was able to take a short walk outside with a friend, and by Wed. when we were released I was able to walk up the Stairs to Eric's apartment without any pain at all.
I'm happy to say that I didn't have any of the horrible gas pains I'd been warned about by so many people. The incision ached a little, and still does from time to time, but nothing more than an irritation. In all I'd say recovery has been probably easier than I would have ever dreamed it might be... maybe too easy since it seems I may have become too active too soon and it may be affecting my milk supply.
And about Breastfeeding... I REALLY want to be able to breastfeed Lily for at least 6 months, and hopefully a year. We had a bit of a rough start. While she was awake and latched on easily right after she was born, she soon became what is often called a "sleepy baby."
It is apparently somewhat common for infants born a little early (she was called near term) to be extra sleepy afterward. Lily would have slept 24 hours a day for the first week or so, if we'd let her, and while many people dream of a newborn that will let them sleep through the night, she wouldn't even wake up to eat.
In the hospital she lost 10% of her birthweight pretty quickly and, unfortunately we had to supplement her a bit with formula. Since then, while she nurses ok most of the time, it's been really tough trying to maintain a good milk supply for her :(
Once she woke up (more) she began to eat a little better. At her 2 week appointment she was still an ounce under her BW but the Dr. doesn't seem too concerned. We just have to take her in for another visit at 1 month to make sure she's gaining ok.
So now, even though she seems to be growing, I am worried about having enough to feed her. It kind of sux to not be able to tell how much she's getting at a feeding and I still worry that she's not interested enough in eating to complain if she's getting too little. Luckily, the dr said I can stop by and have her weighed anytime I want, I just hope that I am able to keep breastfeeding her exclusively (or nearly anyway) for at least that 6 months.
Adding to the problem, it seems, of my supply is the fact that I've been pretty active, not slept enough, am taking Buproprion, smoking 3-4 cigarettes a day (couldn't quite quit :( ) and am more than a little stressed out about it. All of these things are bad for supply and even with taking a lot of Fenugreek I still feel like my supply is dwindling (I am getting less and less when I pump) and I'm nearly desperate enough to check in with a Lactation Consultant or La Leche person.
The good news is that she's now alert for several hours a day and seems to be pretty good at eating when we nurse. She's also (just today) come to realize that I am the food source and will stop crying (for a sec) when she's hungry and given to me :) .
It's amazing how much they change every day. I know I will enjoy raising her and will get over my disappointment if the nursing doesn't work out ( :( ) but for right now I'm going to do my best to keep things up and make sure I'm taking every measure to be able to bf.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Happy Birthday to Us!
^^Eric and Lily sleeping^^
On the morning of September 29th I felt like something was going to happen. Throughout the day I was feeling some contractions, but they didn't really hurt. I began timing them in the early afternoon and then, after lunch, around 2pm I called my doctor. They were coming about 2 minutes apart.
It was a Saturday, my regular OB was not on call but his partner got back to me quickly. Since Lily was still breech and he was worried about cord prolapse in case my water broke he told me to go into the hospital. Once there we found that I was having real contractions (even though they didn't hurt and I didn't even always feel them) and I was dilated to 2cm (was at 1 cm on thursday). The doctor decided that it was too dangerous to chance sending me home (again in case of water breaking/prolapse) and told me I'd be having a C-section as soon as I was ready for a spinal (had to be 6 hours post eating) at about 9pm.
It was closer to 10 when they had the OR ready and took me back. I was by this time pretty nervous. I've never had a "real" surgery before (I'm not counting my tonsillectomy at 5) and had read a lot about how painful recovering from a section is. I was also scared about the spinal and if it would hurt badly or if I might move and end up with serious problems.
They shaved me, gave Eric a cool white paper outfit and surgical hat and footies to wear then I went alone to the or for my spinal. It was scary but didn't hurt too bad (actually the IV hurt as bad). Once I was numb they put up drapes and let Eric come in. He was up near my head for the surgery.
Once they started the section Lily was born in a matter of minutes. They held her up for us to see (and Eric was able to see her actually born) and then took her over to be weighed, suctioned and wrapped up. She was pretty heavily covered with Vernix when she was born and looked a little icky with all of the white stuff all over her (it was heavier than it would have been if she'd have waited till her due date) but still beautiful. She had a full head of hair and was bigger than I'd expected.
She weighed 7lbs and 7oz. I'd expected her to be much smaller since she was 2 and a half weeks early. Once swaddled and wiped down they handed her to Eric and he held her while the doctor sewed me up. Before the section he came and talked to me about the surgery and we'd decided a couple of things. First that he would "milk" her cord to help get more of the cord blood into her. If she'd come naturally we would have had them wait to cut the cord until after it had stopped pulsing, but the dr. said he couldn't wait since I'd be open and bleeding and they needed to get my bleeding stopped. Also, the doctor explained to me that while my incision would be bigger than usual (harder to get out a breech baby) there was this little thing he customarily doues with his section patients. While repairing my wound he would stitch the abdominal muscles the same way they do for the internal part of a tummy tuck. This, he says, will help me not have a baby pooch once the swelling goes down and I lose the weight. I was pretty excited about that :)
In all the repair took about 45 minutes. After that Lily was placed on my chest and we were taken down to the recovery room where my mom and new step-dad were waiting. I was a little tired but not in any pain. While in recovery I started nursing Lily, who was awake and alert, and she latched on easily. We were there for about 2 hours before being taken to the room where we would spend the rest of our stay.
Lily came at 10:19pm. I turned 32 at midnight. I kept thinking, and still do, that she is the best birthday present that I've ever gotten. Many people have said that it would have been cool if she'd have waited to be born on my birthday but I think it's close enough. We'll always have birthdays to share together but she has her own...
I've felt (since I was maybe a teenager) that 32 was going to be when my life would "really" start. I'm not a superstitious type of person but I find it an interesting coincidence that she arrived just in time to make that feeling come true. In the past 22 days I have found that I love being a mother much more than I thought I would. While she still doesn't do a whole lot, she already has both Eric and I completely charmed. I really look forward to watching her grow and develop into her own person... I can't wait to see what kind of person that will be.
And I do feel like my life has finally "really" begun. I've led a pretty full life so far. I've done a lot of things and had a lot of experiences. I feel, though, that in having Lily I have accomplished the greatest achievement that I will ever undertake (unless/until we give her a sibling). I don't believe anything I ever create could compare to her perfection and beauty... I look forward to dedicating the large part of the next 18 or so years to her, and hope I am able to give her the kind of life that she deserves to have.
So this was my happy birthday, and hopefully hers. Welcome Lily... we love you!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Breech Baby
So nice to have Eric back :) We're having fun becoming reacquainted, had a nice visit with his parents, and have gone to 2 doctors visits together since his return.
Lily seems to be doing well. She's getting big (and helping me not sleep a lot!) and hiccuping a lot now-a-days. Unfortunately, she also is stubbornly remaining breech. It looks like we are going to have to have a c-section :(
She is frank Breech (feet by her head, butt down). This is the most common type of breech position (though only 3% of term babies are breech to the end) with 60-70% of breeches being frank. I wonder if this one is more common because it is the least conducive to letting the baby turn around. It seems like it would be hard to move around in that position, anyway.
It also seems that it is common for baby to assume this position for a few days after birth... I guess that will look pretty strange :) I've never seen a baby pic in that position but if she keeps it I will surely be taking a few.
It is, in any case, getting very close to her arrival. Our baby shower is 2 days from now and then we will be scheduling the C for early October if she doesn't flip. I feel as if I have no idea of what needs to be done and I have nothing ready. I'm hoping I will feel more prepared after the shower, when we know what we have and need for her.
And that's pretty much it for now. I'm off to try and see what kind of artwork I can come up with for her room. I really wish we could do Amy Sol prints but they are really expensive. Instead I'm going to see if I can come up with something passable that is inspired by her style :) (and probably include a lot of lemurs).
If it turns out well I'll post a couple here.
Lily seems to be doing well. She's getting big (and helping me not sleep a lot!) and hiccuping a lot now-a-days. Unfortunately, she also is stubbornly remaining breech. It looks like we are going to have to have a c-section :(
She is frank Breech (feet by her head, butt down). This is the most common type of breech position (though only 3% of term babies are breech to the end) with 60-70% of breeches being frank. I wonder if this one is more common because it is the least conducive to letting the baby turn around. It seems like it would be hard to move around in that position, anyway.
It also seems that it is common for baby to assume this position for a few days after birth... I guess that will look pretty strange :) I've never seen a baby pic in that position but if she keeps it I will surely be taking a few.
It is, in any case, getting very close to her arrival. Our baby shower is 2 days from now and then we will be scheduling the C for early October if she doesn't flip. I feel as if I have no idea of what needs to be done and I have nothing ready. I'm hoping I will feel more prepared after the shower, when we know what we have and need for her.
And that's pretty much it for now. I'm off to try and see what kind of artwork I can come up with for her room. I really wish we could do Amy Sol prints but they are really expensive. Instead I'm going to see if I can come up with something passable that is inspired by her style :) (and probably include a lot of lemurs).
If it turns out well I'll post a couple here.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Finding a Ped. and Flaming
Today I began my search for a good pediatrician for Lily; I knew it would be hard (it's always hard to find a doc you like) but my ins. made it even harder! The provider catalog they sent me was out of date and none of the listed providers accept my insurance any longer :( Fortunately Webmd.com carries an up to date list and I have an appointment to meed with a Ped on August 27th (yay!).
In other news, my results for the 3 hour Gestational diabetes test came back and I passed (YAY!!!) all of the levels.
I was amused to see the one response I received to my last post. I thought, for any future flamers (as I am likely to have them since I can be rather unorthodox), that I would provide you with a list of suggestions for intelligently flaming my posts:
1) Do your homework; If you have information that contradicts data I have found in my research I would love to see it, please send me links or article information so that I can verify your statements.
2) Present your opinion logically. If you need assistance with understanding what constitutes a logical fallacy I can suggest that you visit http://www.logicalfallacies.info/ for more information.
3) Be respectful: If you choose to forgo the respectful route I will likely not remove your comment, but I (and many readers) will take note of your lack of respect and your rudeness is quite likely to detract from whatever argument you are presenting.
4) Present opinion as opinion: If you have a problem with any "facts" I present in any of my blogs I welcome you to ask me to provide you with the evidence I have based my writing on, if I cannot back them up I will agree with you that they constitute my opinion (which I also retain the right to have based upon any or no evidence :)).
You can ignore or disregard these suggestions as you choose (I find it somewhat amusing to read responses not conforming to these guidelines) but you are much less likely to be taken seriously if you present an over-emotional, illogical, and/or nasty response to any position (and I am not above pointing out your presentation of any of these things-- I'm not as nice as my bf :)).
Happy Flaming!
In other news, my results for the 3 hour Gestational diabetes test came back and I passed (YAY!!!) all of the levels.
I was amused to see the one response I received to my last post. I thought, for any future flamers (as I am likely to have them since I can be rather unorthodox), that I would provide you with a list of suggestions for intelligently flaming my posts:
1) Do your homework; If you have information that contradicts data I have found in my research I would love to see it, please send me links or article information so that I can verify your statements.
2) Present your opinion logically. If you need assistance with understanding what constitutes a logical fallacy I can suggest that you visit http://www.logicalfallacies.info/ for more information.
3) Be respectful: If you choose to forgo the respectful route I will likely not remove your comment, but I (and many readers) will take note of your lack of respect and your rudeness is quite likely to detract from whatever argument you are presenting.
4) Present opinion as opinion: If you have a problem with any "facts" I present in any of my blogs I welcome you to ask me to provide you with the evidence I have based my writing on, if I cannot back them up I will agree with you that they constitute my opinion (which I also retain the right to have based upon any or no evidence :)).
You can ignore or disregard these suggestions as you choose (I find it somewhat amusing to read responses not conforming to these guidelines) but you are much less likely to be taken seriously if you present an over-emotional, illogical, and/or nasty response to any position (and I am not above pointing out your presentation of any of these things-- I'm not as nice as my bf :)).
Happy Flaming!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
