Hello ladies. I didn't want to just have my bub and disappear and leave you all! Although, I do have to say, at the moment, that I don't appear to have any real SPD problems and did leave my crutches at the hospital, in a positive frame of mind! I am walking a little hunched and really have trouble bending over to feet/legs and most particularly on one side more than the other - but then again, I am only on Day 6 post caesarean so I think any discomfort/pain I feel is actually due to the scar and that kind of drawing feeling you get down below rather than the very precise pain you get with SPD.
There were a couple of questions on here about what complications I encountered with the c/s and whether SPD affects the c/s at all. I'm going to post my "birth story" here - so apologies for it being a long post but essentially SPD didn't affect it at all APART FROM the first dose of a particular painkiller I was supposed to have as a suppository. Because of being very fresh out of c/s, not having full quote of pain relief during the op and the SPD there was no way I was able to roll onto my side to allow them to insert it! However, that alone, did hamper my recovery for 24 hours...
So, I was the first one to be taken to theatre on 29/12/09 and 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 baby was in... talk started of a general anaesthetic. I couldn't move or curl my body any more forward than I was 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, but were telling me that for some reason I had loads of engorged blood vessels with clots that were probably the reason for my baby's unstable lie throughout the latter stages of the pregnancy. They suctioned out the blood clots and I managed to lose 1200ml (think that's about 2.5 pints of blood) in the process.
Entering the theatre then was the delivery suite lead midwife asking the surgeon for an 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 . Surgeon also made the mw come and apologise to me later and told me that she (the surgeon) had made an official complaint about the mw - she was furious with her).
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. This has the knock on effect of my children not being able to have a proper visit with me and their new baby sister because we were still in the recovery area .
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 Thursday am was the first time where I started to feel on planet earth.
Had a lovely restful day in hospital on Xmas Eve 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. The swelling escalated to my thighs, is still there 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 Friday afternoon (New Year's Day), my biggest maternity clothes which were my tried and trusted legging are cutting in to my tree trunk legs. Flip flops are the only footwear that goes anywhere near my hideous feet and on Friday I also had to contend with the dreaded POST PARTUM POO.... 10 hours after attempting to start the procedure, I finished it .
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. Indeed, far more than I did with my previous 2 DCs. It's an amazing feeling. She just totally melts my heart.
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.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. I didn't have a great c/s experience BUT it was not related to SPD at all. The only advice I would give is try to make sure someone writes you up for an alternative to DICLOFENAC SUPPOSITORY on the first night. That was the only SPD hindrance - but did set me back for a few hours.
Apologies again for the long post.
x