One Month

Okay I could have used a better one month picture, but what can I say he looks mean like his mommy!

Arrival of Joy

On the morning of December 28, 2011, I was scheduled to be at the hospital by 5:00 for my scheduled c-section. The night before the big day, we were absolutely wired! I did not sleep and Jarvis did not sleep. We got approximately 2 hours of sleep then it was time to get up and get ready. We arrived at the hospital and 4:40am and they took me straight back. I was so nervous that I didn’t know what to do. I dressed out into a hospital gown and went over medical information regarding my health and signed consent forms and etc. I was hooked to the belt to monitor my contractions and I was having light contractions. Now that I knew what a contraction felt like, I saw that I had been having them for the last two weeks. It was then time for my IV. I thought to myself “not ready yet!” I asked for my arm to be numbed prior to the IV and the nurse said that it may not be possible because it would make my vein roll or difficult to find. Well that scared me the thought of getting an IV without getting numbed first but luckily I was numbed and my vein was easy to find. I was then shaved at the site where the incision would be and with me being extra ticklish, it was rough! I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing hysterically. Jarvis looked at me as though he was embarrassed and said to the nurse “she has always been like this”. Approximately 20 minutes after receiving my IV, the nurse told me that the anesthesiologist would be in 15 minutes to do my epidural and needless to say, he came in within five minutes and Jarvis was asked to leave the room. I was shaking as though I had been left out in the cold naked. I was not mentally prepared and afraid that I would have a panic attack so I asked for something for anxiety. The doctor told me that it will make me very sleepy and I told him that I did not care. Once I received the anxiety drug, I instantly felt sleepy and could barely keep my eyes open. Next I was guided into the position to receive the epidural and I was terrified. I hunched my back like a cat and I was guided step-by-step of what was going on and how it would feel. I have to say, the doctor was right on point because I felt everything that he said that I would feel. I did not move, but I grunted one time and the doctor somewhat went off and said “DON”T DO THAT”. After the epidural was administered, I remember looking at the clock and it was 7:02 am and my doctor came in to talk to me and tell me that it was time, but I could not focus because of the drugs. Jarvis came back into the room as they were preparing to roll me away. He was dressed in scrubs and looked nervous and excited. Once inside the operating room, the nurse anesthetist introduced himself, gave me oxygen, and told me to let him know if I felt anything or had any discomfort. I was then transferred to the operating table under the light. I was introduced to another physician that would be assisting my doctor. I was rolled on my left and right side and I yelled “OMG yall are going to drop me, why are you rolling me”. They reassured me that I would not be dropped and that the purpose of the rolling was to evenly distribute medicine. After that, my c-section started. My doctor started telling me his every move and I quickly intervened and said that “I’m so sorry, I’m not trying to be rude, but please don’t tell me anything that’s going on, just do it”. From that point on, I heard nothing but silence and smelled my flesh burning. The nurse anesthesist stood up and looked over the sheet then told Jarvis to get the camera ready because it was time. I was stoked and at the same time extremely tired/sleepy. The baby came out screaming and crying and I saw him for a few seconds before they cleaned him up and then he was brought back and placed on my chest briefly and then into Jarvis’ arms after we posed for a picture. My arms were not strapped down as I thought they would be, they told me that strapping depends on the patient. Jarvis and the baby were escorted to a recovery room and I patiently laid there waiting to be sewn back up. Once I got into recovery, a nurse placed him on my chest for skin to skin contact. We were there for about 2 hours and my mother was in the waiting room and practically blew Jarvis’ cell phone up. She thought we intentionally kept her out of the room despite her previously being told that hospital policy states that I could have one person with me and I chose my husband. Once I was transported into a room, the wait was another hour for any visitors so that I could get vitals, settled in, and etc. Once in the room, I quickly regained my feeling and was directed to use the pain pump every 6 minutes. I have to admit, once everything wore off, “that junk hurt”! I was confined to the bed along with a liquid diet. I just wanted to eat and the broth they gave me was disgusting so I just drank a lot of apple and grape juice. I begged for a sprite to help with my nausea but I was denied because it would cause more gas. UGH!

Since the arrival of our son, I have had very little to no time to update this blog and I will get to it when I can. I have so much more to say, but my time is up because I have to tend to the little one and get myself a nap while he naps.

This post will be continued…..

 

 

39 Weeks

Everything is surreal! I have so many emotions (good ones) going through my head. After almost one year of pregnancy, he is almost here!

My last day of work for maternity leave ended up being December 16 which was earlier than I had planned. I chose to come off work because I could barely walk with the swollen feet and rash on my feet. My body itched so badly that I needed to be at home dressed lightly to have a tad bit of relief. I initially planned on December 22 being my last day since December 23 and 26 were paid holidays. Despite things not going as planned, I enjoyed a few days off of work to prepare for baby and have some semi-relax time.

My biopsy results came in from the dermatologist indicating that I did not have PUPPP as originally thought, but I have Uticaria which is a form of hives. He said that it was probably a medication or something that I have eaten that produced them. I thought it was crazy because I haven’t done anything differently. I was prescribed a six day steroid pill, but I decided not to take it until childbirth. I felt as though if I’ve been itching this long; I could go an extra week or two if necessary.

On the Friday before my scheduled c-section, I had my last appointment with my doctor and we talked about the procedure and what to do and not to do. I won’t go into detail, but my only option for childbirth was via cesarean. I felt like that was a bummer, but on the same token, I did not care as long as our son came out safely. I was told that the cesarean would take approximately 45 minutes. Five minutes to get the baby out and forty minutes to stitch me back up.