How the Stork became a Kangaroo...

One week has past since delivery. Baby Annabella arrived right on schedule on Tuesday November 7th, 2017 at 12:22 pm. She was greeted by an OR filled with an eager welcoming committee. Both Anthony and Jillian were allowed special access to witness the birth of their daughter. Prior to heading back to the OR - I felt somewhat nervous. Although I knew exactly what was going to happen. I have witnessed and participated in several cesarean deliveries over the last 8 years. I have gone through the ritual of setting an OR suite, placing a patient in a supine position, strapping her down and scrubbing her belly. As these acts were being done to me I felt the anesthesia medication course through my body. My legs became warm and heavy - and my brain felt fuzzy. I looked up at Kylie (who was there as my support person) - and smiled a cheshire smile "I feel freaking high..." She giggled. I felt an overwhelming sense of relief that I could absolutely relax and let my surroundings be controlled completely independent of me. As I felt my head turn to cotton candy - I could feel gentle tugging at my abdomen and I could hear the clanking of the surgical instruments. I started listening to the familiar noises around me -- counting instruments, times being called out for important surgical notes. "Skin!" "Uterine!" "Rupture...clear fluid!" and I held my breath for the last announcement -- "Baby!" Silence...for what seemed like an eternity. I tried to imagine what was happening on the other side of the surgical drape. Cord milking? Suctioning of the baby? And then there it was. Her first cry. Quiet at first then bellowing louder as time passed. I let out a sigh of relief and I could hear Jillian and Anthony crying around me and I felt my own tears flowing. The entire OR suite was overwhelmed with emotion and there was a moment when I think everyone stepped outside of their routine roles to acknowledge the fascinating picture unfolding before them. Two people who were strangers to the staff at the start of the case - connected only by stories and anecdotal evidence throughout my pregnancy - now becoming a family right before their eyes.

Jacob came to visit me in the hospital later that day. It was suggested by CCRM to have Jacob see Annabella outside of my belly and let him know that it was just a temporary home for Annabella to grow big enough to be taken home by Jillian and Anthony. Baby Annabella had to come out of Mama's tummy through a hole that the doctors made. I let him know that I was like a Kangaroo. He immediately understood and was otherwise unimpressed by the baby before him. Ahh gotta love that three year-old narcissism.

Now let's talk about post delivery...

I won't spare any details about what recovery is like. For I want this to be as realistic and educational as possible. In nursing school we focus on the following acronym to assess postpartum recovery:

B- Breasts

U- Uterus

B- Bladder

B - Bowels

L - Lochia

E - Episiotomy/Tear (or in my case incision)

S- Sadness

Breasts: The first few days after delivery my boobs felt like they got punched fifty times. They were rock hard, swollen, and ached. Since I didn't want to introduce the supply/demand mechanism of pumping -- I have been taking Sudafed regularly and wearing tight sports bras. The ibuprofen is also helping with the soreness.

Uterus: Visually I look about 4-5 months pregnant still - although involution is occurring (the natural shrinking of the uterus post-delivery) -- it's hard to not want to speed up the process. Fundal rubs have been teeth-baring at best.

Bladder: A full bladder means the uterus can't shrink down the way it wants to - so that department has been easy enough to handle.

Bowels: Pregnancy + Spinal anesthesia + Narcotic pain medicine + minimal movement post surgery = CONSTIPATION. My ass was walking the halls ASAP in order to avoid this hellish side effect. However my relief wasn't until FOUR DAYS POST-OP. And let me tell you.... it was almost a religious experience.

Lochia: Yay for having a light to moderate flow on a daily basis with no end in sight. It's common to have vaginal bleeding for up to 4-6 weeks past delivery. I'm wearing these panties with built in pads called "Discreet Boutique" because they have these flowery designs on them. They've actually been awesome at keeping everything tidy. More so than a maxi pad stuck to some granny panties. I recommend them for anyone who just had a baby -- vaginal or cesarean.

Incision: I have this super fancy dressing that has to stay intact for 2 weeks before I can take it off. So I haven't really been able to take a solid look at my incision yet. However -- my last (serious) pain pill was 3 days ago so I'm assuming that my wound isn't dehiscing currently and my guts are intact as well.

Sadness: Total uncontrollable crying sessions - #17. Not for any particular reason - but it's amazing how I'll be watching a movie or someone asks me how I'm feeling - and I will find myself in tears. Good news is that now I'm a week out I've only cried twice today - which is progress - wait...now make that three times. Damn blog writing... All due to normal hormonal fluctuations which I touched on in a couple of posts back. Which - if you weren't expecting it - would be quite alarming. This is why I try to focus on this topic in my Childbirth Education classes at the hospital. Part of me has wanted to start a community group for either postpartum patients or infertility patients that are now pregnant. Research has shown that women that have struggled with fertility have increased anxiety and depression during their pregnancy. They also have problems bonding with the baby in fear that something awful will happen during the pregnancy or delivery. I also feel that in general -- women are usually forgotten about after the baby is born. Everyone is focused on the baby and the mother is expected to handle taking care of the baby, maintain a functioning house - and for God's sake - loose that damn baby weight and get back into that bikini body. Not to mention planning that Pinterest perfect 1st Birthday party. It's no wonder that Postpartum Depression has risen to 1 in every 7 mothers (and this is just the reported cases).

But I digress...this post was meant to wrap up this incredible journey that this couple has made. They have been through hell and high water to get this little angel in their arms. And I am happy to have been of service. The pregnancy was about as close to textbook as you could get. And the delivery? Absolutely magical...

She seems pretty pleased with the way her life has started too.