Evening everyone! Thanks for all of your good wishes. I came home today with Olivia, who is, btw, absolutely gorgeous - as all of us mums say! I have posted a couple of photos on my profile already.
Now, FAR be it from me to moan or whinge about my birth experience .... but I really thought that once baby was here, apart from recovering from the c/s, all would be pretty much ok.
LONG POST WARNING.... birth story...
So, the c/s went OK I guess and I was the first one to be taken to theatre . So. after we were gowned up, relevant introductions made, forms signed, scans done and confirmed that the baby was back to lying in transverse, the anaesthetist tried to put canula in hand.. I should have known at that point things would go wrong as that didn't quite work out and ended up swapping to the other hand. The original hand still hurts like buggary and is black from side to side!
Once the canula was in hand, the surgeon came in and announced they had an emergency to attend so could the anaesthetist not start the spinal. Fair enough...
1.5 hours later, the anaesthetist came back and started on the epidural. 1st attempt didn't work; 2nd attempt didn't work; 3rd attempt didn't work... it was due to the position i/baby was in... talk started of a general anaesthetic. I couldn't move any more forward than I was sitting on the bed because baby was actively changing position from transverse to cephalic whilst they were trying to apply to epidural! Anyway, they got there on the 4th attempt and by that point I think I was pretty scared and het up.
Enter all other medics and so starts the fun. My blood pressure has been really good throughout the pg but because of an artery dissection a year ago, they really didn't want my BP to go too high. Well my BP literally went from one end of the scale to the other repeatedly and I was continually being pumped with different medications to rectify the situation. I went "unconscious" several times and I can tell you it is the most awful feeling, lying on the theatre table feeling yourself slipping away and knowing that is a pretty bad thing to happen. My poor DH. Each time we managed to get back on track and DH and I breathed through the "faint" feelings, managing to get enough oxygen in, together with the medications to pull out of the BP floor hitters.
Enter the world Olivia Iris Evans at 12:51pm and they pretty much threw her on top of my head (in a very nice way I must add) so that I could see her at which point I started to bawl. So did DH and he then followed the midwife into recovery and managed to photograph, video camera etc the rest of the procedure with her for me. We were so overwhelmed to have a little girl.
Meanwhile, the surgeon performed my sterilisation which was straightforward enough, then they suctioned out oodles and oddles of blood clots from my uterus which they say would have contributed to, if not was the main cause of, the unstable lie throughout the pg. Apparently they were pretty big.
Managed to lose 3 pints of blood in the process and witness the delivery suite lead midwife enter the theatre half way through asking the surgeon for her estimate on blood loss so that she could complete her forms and get off home early! The surgeon replied that she would get her figures when she was finished - so the mw asked her to hurry up!!! I piped up DON'T YOU DARE! PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU DO THE JOB SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY! F*ing cheek. The surgeon went mad I can tell you.
So into recovery we went and stayed there for hours because some eejit had taken a child into the postnatal ward with chicken pox. So they had to close half the ward down and fumigate before they could take any new patients in.
Because of the amount of blood loss, I apparently didn't get the whole amount of morphine I was due - something to do with probably needing a blood transfusion - and as a consequence every staff member I encountered for the next 24 hours seemed to forget to give me one form of pain relief or another. Don't get me wrong, I did get some co-dydramol . You can imagine just how
far that got me after a major operation .
Catheter came out Wed am, couldn't stand up to get to WC/shower room due to pain. They took me there in a wheelchair and I managed to at least brush my teeth, throw a bit of water on my face and try to pass urine.
Passed out and vomitted Wednesday afternooon and finally got a shot of morphine and a visit from a doctor who rectified pain
control measures which meant that yesterday (Thursday am) was the first time where I started to feel on planet earth.
Had a lovely restful day in hospital with only the kids coming to visit in the evening (at my request) and delivering me a wonderful picnic hamper of the softests ripest and bluest cheeses for my NYE feast! Three new complications to hit were air/gas trapped in the stomach - enter oodles of peppermint tea to break it down - I won't even go into the detail on that one; a discovered allergy to surgical stockings and more swelling/oedema on my feet and legs. This started, if you recall, a few days before I went in, but this swelling is humungous! Today, the swelling had escalated to my thighs and I truly look like tree trunk woman. The staff told me that it is quite normal as the bodies fluid no longer has the placenta to travel to and hence has nowhere to go until the hormones correct themselves - usually up to 6 weeks post birth
So, I came home this afternoon, my biggest maternity clothes which were my tried and trusted legging are cutting in to my tree trunk legs. Like LondonLottie, flip flops are the only footwear that goes anywhere near my hideous feet and today I also had to contend with the dreaded POST PARTUM POO.... 10 hours after attempting to start the procedure, I believe I have finished it .
For the first timers out there, please do not underestimate the difficulty with this - whether c/s or vaginal birth the procedure and fear is the same! Make sure you are equipped with peppermint tea, lots of water, fruit, fibre (in the lead up to the birth too) and if really necessary an ample supply of lactulose!
On a very positive note, I needn't have worried that I might have bonding issues with my DC due to awful pg - I fell in love with her totally and completely from the moment I set my eyes on her. Now I'm looking forward to doing nothing for the next weeks in my "c/s recovery" other than cuddling and loving my newborn daughter aaaaahhhhh.
Fingers crossed we now start to have more happy posts from CTFN! x