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A Dragon is Born
On the night of September 10th the toilet got clogged up, so we went to the store. We were just going to go for a plunger, but Kip got distracted by the gaming magazines. While he was flipping through articles, I was walking around the store. I ended up walking around for about an hour before we left with more groceries than we intended.
I went the bed feeling kind of strange, but not too strange. However about 7am on the 11th I woke up to go to the restroom. When I climbed out of bed there was a rush...I was half awake and called into the other room, "Kip, I think my water just broke." He was all like 'do you think?' We got our stuff together and went out to the car. It was funny, Kip was like one of the panicky fathers in the movies. He must of ran in and out of the apartment at lest two or three times.
I however stayed calm. They got me back into receiving and hooked me up to the monitor. My contractions were off the chart. They really really hurt. But I was still more or less calm. That is until the felt for the babies head and he was no longer down like he had been. The little stinker turned himself around in the last week and was breached. They stared cramming all these people into this little room. I really hurt and wanted to sit up but they wouldn't let me. They were afraid I'd move the baby down more. They were going to have to do a c-section.
They took me back to the operating room and gave me a spinal. I quickly went from being in pain to being numb from the chest down. (Oh...this really doesn't have any thing to do with anything else at the moment, but the anesthesiologists was really hot.) It was a bit of a wait before they let Kip come in and hold my hand. But once he was in there he handled the whole thing like a pro. Kip was really supportive through the whole birth. He knew I was scared and tried his best to calm me down and make me smile.
When they were pulling the baby out there was all this pressure in my ribs. It was very uncomfortable, but it didn't really hurt. In all the confusion the baby began to cry. That first cry was magic. It was so good to know that my little dragon was alright. They cleaned him off and let Kip hold him. From about the moment they handed Drake to Kip, father fell in love with son. (Kip has really been a very attentive father.) Drake was born at 10:16 on September 11, 2007. He weighed 8 lbs. 6 Oz. and was 21 inches long.
It took them longer to put me back together then it did to cut me open. It seemed like ages. I wanted to hold my baby, but I couldn't. I could touch him while Kip held him though. He was so soft. When they were done stitching me back up they took me back to recovery. Before they could put me back into a room they had to wait for the spinal to start to wear off. I fed my baby for the first time. He knew what to do right away. He seems like a bright child. After he was done eating, they took him away to give him a check up and a bath. Kip and his mom went with him, this left me all alone waiting for my drugs to wear off. At first I just concentrated on making sure people were informed on what was going on. Next I started thinking of that one scene from Kill Bill and trying to wiggle my toes. It worked. I got back to my room much sooner then they thought I would.
The 11th - 14th of September...
After Drake was born they kept me at the hospital from Tuesday (11) till Friday(14). The stay for C-sections is typically one day longer then it is for natural birth. While I was there Kip stayed with me and his Mom was there everyday too.
My sister came on Tuesday and Wednesday. She was helpful, but she always had an extra kid or two in tow, which made it more chaotic then I really could take at the moment. On Wednesday she brought Alexis and got mad at me because I wouldn't let Alexis hold Drake because Kip thought it was a bad idea. She gave me a guilt trip about how I made Alexis cry. *sigh. I still feel that Kip deserves a say. If he isn't comfortable with a 7 year old holding our baby (even with help), than she doesn't get to hold him.
My dad came to visit on Wednesday and Thursday. He took a bunch of pictures. Some of them were really random, like pictures of Drakes knees and hands.
Grandma Dona and Grandpa Larry came on Tuesday and Thursday. They took pictures too, but didn't stay long. Grandma Dana is still suffering from some cracked ribs and now they found out that her wrist is broken, too. :(
Kip's dad didn't get to see Drake as much. He had to work. However, when he did show up he was clearly dazzled by his grandson.
The doctors kept a close watch on both the baby and me. While I was there they said I was healing fine. And Drake is healthy. The only thing they want to keep and eye on is they think his right hip might be lose. They are having us double diaper him to keep it in place more firmly.
I feel bad about it, but we had them take Drake down to the nursery a few times so we could sleep. It usually didn't really work though. There were so many doctors and nurses coming in to check up on me I hardly had time to breath. One afternoon I did get some sleep. I had a dream that I got in a fight with Kip about someone he wanted to go hang out with. I told him to be home before too late because I didn't want to be left alone with the baby. He got angry and pushed me. I started to cry in my dream and woke up balling in real life. Kip was there to comfort me. He's worried about the picture my subconscious has of him.
Friday night we went home and had pizza for dinner. Kip and his parents had a bottle of champagne to celebrate Drake's home coming.
Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th
Nothing really eventful happened. I enjoyed being at home. There were no doctors or anyone to really bother me, so I actually got more sleep being at home then I did at the hospital. Kip's mom was still there, at least for a little while, both days. She's been very helpful, but she is a little bossy and can get a little annoying at times. Still, I'm grateful for the help, and would feel really rude telling her to go away.
My sister came by on Saturday and brought all kinds of baby stuff that she had left over from Jordan. She's been helpful too, if not as present.
On Sunday night my mom's bff, Suzie, stopped by. She brought us dinner and some baby goodies. Her daughter has a baby that is just over a year, so I got some hand me downs from him. Some clothes, a few toys and a breast pump.
Monday the 17th - Monday 24
Monday started out pretty normally. We had a nurse come by from the hospital to do a check up on Drake and myself. I told her my incision hurt, and she said it was a little red, but it might just be upset with the staples. Drake was healthy. However, by Monday afternoon I was in pain, I fought through it till night time, but by that time I was hurting so much that I was in tears. I had Kip and his parents take me to the ER.
They got me back into a room. Kip's parents waited in the waiting room with Drake, but Kip came back with me. I thought they were going to kill me. The resident kept asking me what I was allergic to, and I kept telling him Advil and Neproxen. But he still kept saying he was going to give me Advil. I kept reminding him I was allergic. They decided to go ahead and pull my staples out. When they did there was a gush of fluid. There had been a little bubble of liquid stuck under my incision causing me grief. They said they would have to keep me for 24 to 48 hours.
They moved me back up to the floor with the nursery. They said that Drake could stay, but Kip would have to stay, too. It was almost 4am before they got us settled. I called both my parents to let them know what was going on and then we fell asleep.
For the rest of Tuesday (18th)they just kept and eye on me and changed the bandaging on the wound. It actually really hurt. They would have to peel the wet/bloody packing out, and pack new gauze in. They kept telling us that I'd have to learn how to pack it myself so I could do it after they sent me home. However, I didn't feel comfortable with that, nor did Kip, nor did his mother. We couldn't really find anyone to help.
Wednesday was my Birthday. They were still talking about sending me home and having to pack it. My sister brought my grandmother by to see me. She also brought cake, but at the time I was under orders not to eat anything. They were trying to decide if they wanted to have me pack my own wound or if they wanted to stitch me back up. Kip said it was okay, the cake wasn't that good anyway. lol. It is the thought that counts I guess. Suzie also stopped by and said that she'd be able to help change the packing once a day, but I'd have to find someone to do it in the morning. We couldn't find anyone. Finally, they decided to just stitch me back up. They took me in to the same room where they had delivered Drake and gave me a local to knock me out while they sewed me back together. When I got back to the room I felt so sick that the only think that I could really eat was chicken noodle soup. Kip's parents brought strawberry cheese cake for my B-day, but I only ate a bite or two then gave my piece to Kip.
I'm going to stop and say that Kip really was amazing through the whole ordeal. He stayed right by my side . He was very supportive and took very good care of the baby when I was out of it. He changed almost all the diapers while were at the hospital (and by the end of it we were there a week) and he even gave Drake a bottle or two of milk I pumped. He was sweet enough to even tell me how beautiful I was and how much he loved me when I knew I looked like crap. Kudos to Kip for being excellent.
Thursday they were going to sent me home, but I started to run a fever. They put me on three different Antibiotics because they were worried about infection. (They all put a bad taste in my mouth) That night my fever was up to 103. They had to take lab work. (I felt like a pin cushion. I had three I.V. over the week and at least six places were they drew blood.) I still had the fever on Friday and my stomach started to hurt. They took X-rays, but they came back normal. Actually, while I was running the fever, I felt fine. (other then my stomach hurting). It was on Saturday/Sunday that I began to feel like shit. My fever was coming down, but my body was just feeling all the havoc that was being done to it.
My friend Lindsey's mom stopped by on Sunday. It was really sweet of her. She brought me some apples and other food. Drake was asleep so she didn't get to hold him. I asked her what she thought he was dreaming about. She said she thought he was dreaming of heaven.
My labs came back that I had a bacteria called C. Diff. or something like that. It is normally in the body, but can sometimes get out of control. They took me off all of antibiotics I was on and put me on a new one. I guess some antibiotics can actually make it worse. They put me on room restraint and had Kip go down the hall to use an different restroom. What I had/have can be spread and they didn't want him getting sick. I was worried about the baby, but they said that he'd be fine. I was giving him antibodies and antibiotics through my breast milk.
Monday (the 24th) they were still talking like they were going to keep me for a few more days, but spontaneously turned around and decided to send me home. The idea was that I'd heal better if I could move around, and I couldn't really move around under room arrest. Most of me was really glad to get out of the hospital. Yay! I'd escaped. But two little parts of me wanted to stay. One part was the worried part. The part that didn't know if I could take care of myself and was nervous about being sick. The other part that wanted to stay was the lazy part. The part that liked the free cable and people bring food to me. However, it is good to be home.
Tuesday (25th) - Today
Nothing much happened on Tuesday. Mostly I just rested.
Wednesday, I had an appointment with a doctor to check up on my stitches. She ended up taking a bunch of them out because they looked a little pink around the edges. She wants me to shower ever day and to blow dry my incision afterwords. I rolled over on my side to sleep for the first time since Drake was born. I know it doesn't sound like much, but for me it was a big accomplishment.
This morning I woke up and the incision was bleeding. It had soaked through both my panties and my pj bottoms. I put on new clothes and a pad to catch the blood and had Kip take me to the hospital. We were only there for a few hours this time. They said that I had to take it easier. That I may have bleeding, that even coughing could sometimes make me bleed. However, not to worry about it unless 1) I'm gushing or 2) the bleeding doesn't stop within a half an hour.
other
Lilly is being bad again. I think that she's acting out because she's feeling neglected and she doesn't know how to take the new baby.
Drake is a really good baby. He sometimes gets fussy, but normally he only cries if he needs something. He doesn't like having a wet diaper (who would?) and he really likes to eat. He sleeps well, even if not when I'd normally sleep. My mom has told me that the first two rules to having a new born are 1) take care of yourself because if you don't you can't take care of baby. and 2) sleep when baby sleeps.