THE BIG BIRTH STORY! - Part 3: Post-delivery Details!

When MVJ was barely 2 hours old, she was already breastfeeding! She was amazing! She had been cleaned up but not given a bath yet. Her dark, dark hair was all matted. Their only concern with her was she was having trouble keeping her temperature. She got under the warmer a few times and loved the fuzzy swaddle wrap they gave her. I just keep going back to the saying that God doesn't give us more than we can handle. I was having some trouble, but Miss MVJ came out ready to go! The lactation consultant asked if MVJ would go teach the 8-pounder next door who was having trouble.

JJ stayed with us at the hospital on a cot and I got good rest in between breastfeeding sessions. The nurses brought MVJ to us about every three hours that night and then brought her back to the nursery so we could sleep. I was in I would say pretty normal pain - cramping and sore. I had a catheter because there was no way I was getting up quite yet. That may be an embarrassing detail for some people, but seriously, after being so sick and having to drag myself out of bed it was a welcome relief!

Tuesday

They drew my blood right away again the next morning and my hemoglobin was around 8.5 and platelets were 41,000, so while still a concern they had at least started moving in the positive direction.

I called my work because they expected me to be in as usual. It was a weird sort of conversation and I still didn't really know how sick I had been/still was. I think I said something like, "You know how I went home yesterday? Well, it turns out I was in labor!"

My Mom and Dad brought us coffee (for JJ) and scones. I gobbled one up. It was amazing to feel hungry and be able to eat again! It had seriously been about two weeks since that had happened. Poor JJ had the worst week school-wise. He had four big tests, so was unable to just sit and enjoy his new baby as much as he would've liked to I think. He was also worried about his wife. Oh, yeah, and had just started his new job. So, he was in and out quite a bit.

Throughout Tuesday I was still on magnesium. Apparently once a person is put on magnesium, it has to go for 24-hours. The "mag." made me so nauseous and dizzy at times and there was nothing really that could be done about it. I had a few phone calls and honestly don't remember a whole lot about the conversations. BB, our upstairs neighbor, had an appointment (she's due in April) so bopped in for a bit and got to hold our new little bundle! Also, CLJ stopped in just to hand off a present and give some well-wishes. I loved knowing that people were thinking about us, but were kind enough to let me rest.

I was hungry again for lunch but so dizzy the hospital menu just wasn't working for me. My parents were out and about and brought me my favorite Subway sandwhich, or so we thought. After a few bites I got concerned that the turkey or bread or something was mushy. Yeah, turns out it was tuna! I HATE fish - really have never been able to stomach it - but this sub was the best sub I'd had in a long time! heehee... I guess I really was hungry! After lunch my friend MM, a labor and delivery nurse, stopped in to visit. She even got MVJ's hand- and footprints on paper for me to scrapbook! So sweet! Around that time I had a complete dizzy-spell. I couldn't even open my eyes and of course Miss MVJ was hungry. MM was my angel and basically took over the breastfeeding for me because I couldn't even hold MVJ in the right position. This whole pregnancy and delivery thing has made me a lot less self-conscious! Especially since, hey, my girl needed to eat!

The doctors agreed to lower my dose of mag. and it seemed to help. They said just to be on the safe side I would be on it until Wednesday morning because they didn't want me coming off of it at night. A friend from work, JA, stopped in that evening and brought MVJ a super-soft puppy and balloon. After that the nurse said that everyone had to leave. I needed rest. About five minutes after my parents were out the door, I had a major throw-up spell. I completely filled the puke bag and overflowed it. It was disgusting. Also, it hurt my bottom so bad to be heaving so much. It was hard to even clean me up since I still wasn't into moving and my nurse (A) was so kind. After I got cleaned up, the order came back that I was to go off the mag. that night at 11:00 pm, roughly 27 hours after I had been put on it. The relief was absolutely immediate. It was amazing! JJ wasn't able to stay that night because of major tests the next day, but I just remember looking forward to feedings when MVJ would come in and I would just enjoy her and take in all her little features. I felt I wasn't able to do that before that night.

Wednesday

Through the night I was drawn a few times and Wednesday morning the doctor came in to tell me that my hemoglobin was 6.6 and my platelets were 50,000. He said they needed to give me a blood transfusion. I called JJ at home crying and told him the latest news. He said it would be ok and that he'd be there as soon as he could after his test. My Mom worked at a blood center and I felt completely overwhelmed to make a decision about that before talking to her. My parents and brother got to the hospital and I shared that my platelet count was up. My Mom said, "Well, that's good news!" And then I said, "But they want to do a blood transfusion and I said I couldn't do it until I talked to you guys." Then I cried and cried! It just seemed like there was no end to this whole ordeal! My Mom calmed me down and said, "That's not such a bad thing." We called the nurse (L) in to tell her I was ready and literally about 15 minutes later they were pumping me full of a generous donor's O- blood. It was a weird feeling - I always thought I couldn't donate plasma because of how it would feel for stuff to go back in, but it didn't bother me like I thought it would. Of course, I'll always be a whole-blood donor because of the benefits to so many people. (And because now I have been someone who has needed it!) My parents had planned on leaving earlier that day, but postponed their trip until they knew everything was looking better. JJ was able to do a lab later in the week after talking to his professor, so joined us at the hospital around 11:00. The roads weren't looking so good, so knowing that JJ would be with me, my family left then. It took them quite a bit longer to get home, but they made it safely!

After the transfusion, I finally can say I was on the road to recovery. I got a sponge bath and a new bed and felt like a new woman!

Thursday
Thursday brought my first time out of bed! Woohoo! It was a bit scary at first, but it felt great to be up and moving. This also meant my catheter came out, which was a good thing.

Thursday Miss MVJ had to pass the first test of her life. She had to pass the carseat tolerance test. We brought in our carseat and it was deemed too old. Boohoo! Mommy just tried to get a good deal on teacher e-bay. So, out JJ went to buy a new one. They said it'd have to be a certain length for our little peanut. He brought it back and they hooked MVJ up to monitors to see if she would sit in it without getting too traumatized. She did not pass the test! The seat was too big. JJ had to go back out and get one that was for even smaller babies. Phew, she finally passed the test and was officially discharged from the hospital on Thursday! Yay! My girl beat me!

Friday
Friday my blood counts were up, up, up. My platelets were 120,000 and my hemoglobin was 8.5. My hemoglobin is always a bit low, but this is still lower than my norm. I was told all about high iron foods and told to get at least 18 grams of iron a day. I've been taking a supplement to aid in this. Friday at 10 am I was officially discharged from the hospital and bawled on my way out. First of all, I had spent a whole week here and got to know a lot of great nurses. Second, I was emotially drained. My body had been through a lot in the last few weeks! Third, this was a huge moment! We were walking out of the hospital as parents!! Everything became a first. MVJ's first walk in her carseat, her first elevator ride, her first car ride, her first look at our apartment. You get the picture. It was so nice to be home and great to be feeling better.

I had quite an ordeal and am so glad that I didn't know more about what was happening to me at the time! I am so thankful to everyone who was praying for me and MVJ. God is good!