I’ve been thinking about how to really get into this stay at home mom stuff. Diapers? Day/Night reversals? Praying for sleep…mine and Lucy’s? I think before I get into all of that, I will just start at the beginning. Don’t worry…I won’t go into all the gross birth story details, but I will be pretty honest. Be warned.
During my entire pregnancy, my blood pressure had been watched pretty closely because of a minor heart condition. My doctor didn’t seem too worried about preeclampsia but once my feet/legs/hands/face/entire body started swelling like nobody’s business, they decided to test my urine (I will save the awesome story of my 24 hour urine test for another post). While waiting for my results, my mom was here to help me get ready for the baby. I was 39 weeks and decided that it was a good idea to WALK AROUND IKEA. I have no idea why I went. I do not remember what I bought. When I got home I thought it would be a good idea to organize the kitchen cabinets…ON A STEP STOOL. As I was attempting to get rid of all the ugly beer glasses we have collected over the years, my husband walked into the room, bewildered. Before he could get too mad at me or my mom, the phone rang. It was my doctor saying that they found protein in my urine and that I did in fact have preeclampsia. I needed to come to the hospital to be induced. I’m not sure how other people react to this news, but I was excited to not be pregnant anymore! I took a shower, shaved my legs, and got in the car. Luckily I wasn’t in labor because it took an HOUR to get to the hospital.
Before they induced me I BEGGED them for a cheese burger. They gave in 🙂 I can be very persuasive. They used a few methods to induce me (yucky details to be avoided) and after an hour of full on contractions I FINALLY got an epidural. It didn’t work too well. I still felt pressure on the left side of my body and all of the examinations. After 10 hours, Lucy was no where close to entering the world, so the doctor said I needed a C-section. That’s when it hit me. This was really happening. I was going to go into the OR, they were going to cut me open, and then I was going to have a baby. EEEEK!!!
So, remember how I said the epidural didn’t really work? Well in the OR, the original plan was to just up the epidural dose so that I couldn’t feel the surgery. However, I felt them cleaning my stomach, taping things on me, etc. I kept telling them I felt stuff and they told me not to worry. Um…you are about to cut me open AND I CAN STILL FEEL EVERYTHING! I think that’s an OK thing to worry about. They gave me another shot in my spine (awesome) and that finally worked. Not long after that, Lucy was born 🙂 The doctor said there was no way I was going to deliver her naturally because she had such a big head (thanks to her father)! I loved her from the moment they held her up over the curtain! Eric left with her while they stitched me up, which kind of made me sad. I had to wait to hold my baby. If you know me, you know that patience is not really my best quality. Eventually, I went into recovery and got to hold my sweet girl.
I was in the hospital for 3 days total. It sucked. I got out of there as fast as possible. There are a few things I learned during this time, but I will save that for later.
Mommy Needs Some Bourbon 