On April 11th, we celebrated Ethan's 7th birthday. Earlier that day, I had gone in for my pre admission testing for my repeat third c section. In the past, I have never had to have this done. One was emergency, the next just sort of happened so fast we didn't have time to have that done.
I was sent home with a bottle of special surgical soap and told to be at New Hanover Regional Medical Center's Betty H. Cameron Woman and Children's Center at 530 am. I'm sure I had a list of other instructions, like no food or liquids after a certain time as well.
I remember rushing home and cleaning the house darn near spotless for my father. He was coming in later that day and would be watching my older two for two days during the c section and first night at the hospital.
(Below: Last pregnancy picture 38 weeks, 4 days)
(Below: I had put on 70 pounds total - most would later prove to be water retention from blood pressure issues).
I woke up, I showered with that special soap and I even threw on a little make up. (The nurse at pre admissions assured me it was okay). Besides, I'm a hot mess with out some form of face paint. :/
I have to tell y'all, Betty H. Cameron Woman's Center was so wonderful! I got my room right away (unlike my previous horror experiences at Cape Fear Valley in Fayetteville, NC). A few more labs were done, and also, unlike Cape Fear, I was able to meet the resident doctor doing my c section along with the attending. - If you've read my previous entry, you may have read that I was scared to death to have a resident perform the surgery. I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.
However, when I met the resident, Dr. Marr, and the attending, Dr. Beste from New Hanover OBGYN Specialists, I was impressed. IMPRESSED is such an understatement, because I can't give enough praise to how friendly and at ease they made me feel. I had NEVER experienced this with my last two c sections. Literally, the friendliest two I could have the pleasure of meeting, and THEY would be doing my last c section. GOD IS GOOD, haha!
After this, I met the anesthesiologist, I wish I could remember her and her assistants name, because they were both thorough and kind and I knew I would literally be trusting them with my life. AND I DID.
Once all was said and done, I was walking into the OR with the anesthesiology team. They never once made me feel uneasy, they never once made me feel judged for my weight gain (Cape Fear made me feel horrible and even picked on me while I was on whatever they gave me). They were amazing. The assistant placed my spinal and quickly had me lay on the table. I assume the catheter was inserted and I was getting scrubbed down and iv's run.
At some point, Stephen came in soon after. They started the surgery and for the first time in my c section history, I didn't feel a thing! NOTHING! They said,"oh you may feel this or that". I felt NOTHING. WOW, is this real?! Some one is cutting me open and I am feeling nothing? - Again, New Hanover surpasses Cape Fear Valley, because I felt pain with Cape Fear. Then something new, UH OH, I had to throw up. I could not stop throwing up, and the kind anesthesiologist assistant was quick to catch it every time and wipe my mouth, every time. It was a lot. I'm not lying when I say 15 times or more. In my mind I am thinking, "How on earth do I have so much bile and I haven't ate or drank anything in 16 hours".
Still, feeling no pain, the attending announces, that Danny is fixing to enter the world. I hear this amazing crying and my heart melts. They all comment how big he is and I just smile.
Now, I have to tell you all THE BEST PART about my c section?! TWO things really, The second thing is that, THEY LET YOU TAKE PHOTOS in the O/R! Thank you, THANK YOU SO MUCH, New Hanover, from the bottom of my heart. This is something EVERY c section mom wishes to experience and have since we are on a table and can't readily experience much. This is something I was told we could NEVER do at Cape Fear Valley. I can't thank you enough. I have memories and photos that I will cherish forever that I did not have from my first two children at Cape Fear.
My love is such an amazing Daddy!
Daniel (Danny)
12 April 2016
8:04 am
8 pounds, 6 ounces
20 1/2 inches
Now, the best -- very best part of my entire c section? I was allowed skin/skin contact immediately after the nurses checked him out while still on the table. I did start to shake violently though, and had to have Stephen hold Danny on my chest while I was still opened up. They were unable to do my salpingectomy. The attending was very honest about my adhesions and advised against it. He then left and Dr. Marr and other resident doctors finished putting me back together. I threw up a few more times and then told Stephen I didn't feel comfortable with Danny since my shaking was so bad. At this point he and the baby nurses left the room.
I continued to receive the best care in the world with the entire surgical team. I couldn't be happier.For the first time I wasn't given something that made me slip in and out of it and blabber about things I didn't want to blabber about. I was fully awake and aware and fully numbed and HAPPY.
I was told my shaking was since my blood pressure ended up dropping low from the surgery. After all was said and done, I then went into a recovery area and saw Danny and Stephen. They quickly plopped sweet Danny back on my chest and I finally understood what and why skin/skin was so important.
I fell in love in that very moment. My heart felt a way I'd never felt before. It was incredible.
In the past,. it had been horrible. I didn't remember much because they drugged me to the point I was talking about things I didn't want to. With Ethan they picked on me thinking I didn't hear them. With MiMi they knocked me out completely after they took her. With Ethan I saw him and then I didn't see him again for 2-3 hours after the recovery phase and with MiMi it had been 5 or more hours.
Not with this wonderful hospital. They were VERY baby friendly.
I saw him my entire recovery, and they wheeled me with him into the mother baby unit.
I don't even know how to say thank you enough. What I thought would be a bad experience was the best experience possible.
The nurses who cared for me in the mother baby unit were amazing. My favorite was a nurse named Linda D. (or Lisa D.) I am so mad at myself, for not remembering which name it was. She was so great. I started to bleed on the floor at one point and she without hesitation took me to the bathroom and cleaned me up. This is also something I never experienced before. Cape Fear acts as if everything grosses them out.
The difference with New Hanover? They have COMPASSION, YOU KNOW they care.
She was so kind.
Stephen stayed the first night and I finally caved into taking pain pills 6 hours later when I decided it was time to walk the hallways and encourage my healing.
The second night, my dad left and Stephen went home to watch the older kids. I was by myself and Lisa D (or Linda D). was amazing again. I hadn't slept a wink and held Danny the entire time except when I would get up to change him. Around 2 am, she came in and told me she was taking him and making me sleep.
That was a God send. I slept a good few hours until she returned and I cried because of her kindness towards me. She was a blessing. She was funny and sweet and the best nurse I had ever met.
Later that night as her shift ended, she kissed my forehead and wished me luck.It was like having a family member there since I was by myself.I NEED to find her and tell her thank you, now that things have settled down. I need to get her a giftcard or something, I need her to know she was very valuable to me those couple of days.
The next morning I was discharged and we went home around noon.
I know there is so much I am forgetting, but I wanted those important moments to be brought to recognition because I feel it is extremely important to give credit where credit is due. More over, I really just have never been to a hospital so on point. I have NO complaints. NOT a one. PERFECTION is real at this facility. I wished so hard I had received a feedback survey so I could have bragged on them, but one never did come
I only took pain medication the first two days home. After that I had virtually no pain what so ever. I had a blood pressure check a week after delivery and the staff at the obgyn clinic couldn't believe how well I was moving after just having my third c section.
My only real gripe with the obgyn is that they didn't want to diagnose pre E or gestational hypertension. My BP was in the 150's/90-100 range and a week later it was 114/70. I'm sorry, but that's NOT chronic hypertension as they suggested. That's from being pregnant when it gets that normalized again after being so high right after delivery. The only reason they didn't d/x Pre E was that my protein never hit the 300 range (it was 200 something). Still, I had every other symptom. BUT, it matters not, I had the best experience elsewise and the clinic was mostly wonderful anytime I had gone..
Today, Danny will be 4 months on the 12th. He's a big boy. He was 18 pounds at just 3 months. He's a sweet boy and a happy baby. A week ago he started sleeping up to 5-6 hours, which has given me more time to sleep and feel normalized again.
My children love their brother and I am so blessed beyond measure.
I was told so much would be wrong with Danny initially, we worried about heart defects etc. He was born perfect. God is so good. I am so thankful! I would have never seen myself starting over at 33, but I am so blessed we gave this a shot. I couldn't imagine my life without Danny in it.