WARNING: There may be TMI for some of you in this (i.e. catheters, cords, etc) and it is REALLY LONG!
My last post talked about my choice to have a C-section. I never knew how ironic that post would turn out to be, because as it turns out, it was a blessing to have a C-Section.
D and I arrived on time to the hospital and entered triage to a silent room. There was no hustle and bustle, in fact when I mentioned it the nurse shushed me! :) I was put into a room, changed and they gave me my IV. My doctor had wanted me to have an entire bag and a half of fluid before surgery. That stuff is cold mind you and D and I laughed at how cold my arm got. The nurse made me laugh because she said the first bag wasn't going in fast enough. I was really calm during my two hours in triage. I wasn't able to update my statuses on FB, but I was able to text message so my friend J updated on FB for me. Yes, I am a crazy person about FB, I admit it!
Even when the anesthesiologist came in I was fine. He asked me questions which I answered. He explained different scenarios about what I should and should not feel (I was completely asleep for my last one). I was good, even making some jokes. Then the surgical nurse came and my gut dropped. D followed us and the nurse let him into the recovery room to wait for someone to come get him. I became a shivering, almost hysterical wreck. But not hysterical as in screaming. I just started crying silently, my nerves had set in quickly and I was trying to be calm. I prayed, I breathed, and I silently did what I was told. Then the nurse saw and immediately got super close and tried to reassure me. She told me I should be happy and that there was nothing to worry about, which I knew, but my nerves are a funny mess of emotions for me and it took me a little bit to calm down. Then the anesthesiologist did my spinal and I started getting nervous all over again! Cried some more, but settled more easily. They laid me down and everything started to go numb and I was so happy that it did. It is the weirdest sensation I have ever experienced. I did get sick a little from my blood pressure leveling out, but it quickly went away and I realized: I WAS LAYING ON MY BACK AND IT FELT MARVELOUS!
They brought D in just after they started giving me some oxygen. Unfortunately I started itching all over my face and could barely hold D's hand because I was itching my face (around the mask, my eyes, forehead, etc.) The anesthesiologist let me take the mask off and I believe he began to give me benadryl through me IV because I really became calm after that. The doctors were working and I thought at any moment Cashew was going to be born, but the waiting just kept on.
We didn't think anything was wrong, but we realized soon that something was taking too long. It turns out during my previous two surgeries things had shifted inside and my bladder was in the wrong place. Now I don't know anything about anatomy, but my doctor was concerned about identifying where my bladder was and making sure not to harm it. So they had to do some inflating my bladder with blue dye backwards through my catheter. That way if my doctor nicked my bladder he would know. That craziness lasted for almost an hour. My surgery started around 11:40am.
At 12:35 Cashew was born. It was so quick. One minute the room was fairly quiet, the next you could hear our little man crying loudly. Then the doctor said, "Oh wow. There's a true knot." Now, if you are "ER" fans you will remember that Carter's baby died in utero because of a true knot. It is where the baby has flipped and flopped around and created a knot in the umbilical cord. Carter's baby's knot tightened to the point of oxygen deprevation and the baby died. Cashew's knot was loose, but large. He also had a REALLY long cord. So, if I think too hard about what could have happened during a vaginal delivery I shiver a little bit.
Poor D almost couldn't go see Cashew on the warming table because it was across the room and on the other side of the curtain protecting him from see me all open and stuff. You know the whole road precaution about driving and oncoming traffic headlights are blinding you? Look at the lines on the road, that's what D had to do. A few minutes after he went over there the anesthesiologist asked if D wanted to see the knot, D said no, I said YES! So the anesthesiologist took the camera from D and took a picture of it for me :) D brought Cashew over and held him to my face so I could just nuzzle on him and kiss him. It was really nice to just feel him. D was crying a bit, which the nurse that had taken care of me while I cried was just floored over.
My procedure also included a tubal ligation so I assumed that is what happened after that. I had a lot of scar tissue from previous surgeries and as the doctors were working I started to feel more pressure and some of it was not very comfortable. As they continued to work and I said ow a few more times than the anesthesiologist liked, he finally said he was going to give me a sedative. D and Cashew were led out by a nurse, which I knew would happen eventually.
I then woke up in recovery. I looked at the clock across the room and it said 2:30! D was there and so was my BFF Jill. As soon as I woke up, I wanted my baby and I got him. I was so shocked to see how much he looked like Pnut. So much so that they could have been identical. I immediately noticed all the hair he had, but I also noticed differences ( his lips are smaller, his ears are mine instead of D's). He had not a piece out of place.
My surgery had so many ups and downs to it, but there is such a large blessing in my decision to have a C-section. My doctor says my surgery was the hardest he has every done. I had lots of scarring, lots of bleeding (which upon blood work it was decided I didn't need to receive any blood), and then there was the bladder thing. The easiest part of my surgery was delivering Cashew. They did give me some general anesthetic, it is my assumption that because of the length of time it was taking my spinal was beginning to fade. Not to mention the next 24 hours of me receiving benadryl every hour because it seems I am allergic to the numbing agent they put in your back first before the spinal. I swear I thought I was going to scratch my skin off!
I held off on major pain medication for about 18 hours as well. I only took one shot and then everything was oral meds from then on.
Cashew is definitely different from his sister. He is a fussypants as I call him, but each day as he gets used to the world he is less fussy. He lets you know what he wants, but at the same time what he does and doesn't like. He definitly looks like his daddy. Oh my goodness does he look like his daddy. The hairline just does it for you. But he has this little old man look to him as well. He doesn't look like a baby, but a miniature adult. His eyebrows and eyelashes are so light or nonexisten that his face is just so gorgeous to me. When he sleeps on your shoulder his face looks completely like a baby, but when you lay him in the bed and look at him, it's the little old man face. When he is awake he has the brightest eyes and I can't wait to see what color they turn out to be ( our options are dark brown or light brown so not much mystery, but still).
I am so happy he is here. Pnut is trying to be a good helper and a great big sister. She has gotten better about not being so touchy. She really wants to help though so we are working our way through certain things. She started first grade yesterday so she is busy that way now as well.
It was a long journey to get our little man here. Lots of ultrasounds, no weight gain :) but lots of discomfort. I am happy to be in my bed again and be able to lay comfortably. My joints don't hurt anymore, my leg is no longer numb.
Cashew is almost two weeks old and I drove yesterday. Long trips are not in my future for another two or three weeks, but around town I am ok. No heavy lifting except my boy and maybe a gallon of milk. Thank you for all the prayers, visits, and meals! If you are looking for pics, please visit my FB, there are always new ones going up :)
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