Friday, May 30, 2008

Just a little free time

Well, we are now officially a family of 4. I've been wanting to blog for a couple of days now, but it just hasn't happened. Currently Dan is outside playing with Maddie and Charlotte is taking a little snooze in her pack and play......that leaves the Mama with a few minutes to herself to play around on the computer.

I feel that this time around things were/are a lot easier.....as far as the birth and recovery are concerned. I'm gonna give you the cliff notes version of the past week. We checked into the hospital on Thursday morning and after playing cards with Dan in a transition room for a couple of hours because a labor and delivery room was not available, we finally got moved and settled and I was started on pitocin. After about 8 hours of being induced and not really getting anywhere we made the decision to stop the induction, met my uterus rest overnight while we stayed in the hospital and start over in the morning. Not only did I not progress in labor on Thursday the contractions didn't even hurt....they were more like annoying cramps than contractions and we basically watched movies all day in the hospital......a wasted day as far as I'm concerned. Friday morning we got up around 5:30am when they moved us back into a labor and delivery room, I was started on pitocin around 7:00am and started having contractions right away.....but like the day before they didn't really hurt. Around 8:45 my doctor came in and broke my water and that is where the fun began! lol The contractions were fast a furious and kicked my butt. It was a LOT more painful than it was when I was in labor with Maddie. Around 12:45 I asked for an epidural because I thought I was going to die, they checked my cervix and I was 6cm dilated.....it took them about 15 minutes to get the anistesiologist to my room and ready, by the time they were doing the epidural I felt like I wanted to push, but I was too afraid to say anything because I didn't want them to stop the process and check me again only to find out that I wasn't ready and then it would delay the pain meds. So, they got the epidural in, told me it would take 15-20 minutes to take affect, I mentioned that I felt like I could push, they had me lay down, checked me and I was 10cm dilated. They called the doctor in and I started pushing at 1:21 and Charlotte was born at exactly 1:30. Yup, thats right......9 minutes of pushing and exactly 4 pushes. I was all business!! The epidural hadn't even taken affect and they didn't even get the machine that pumps the medicine into my IVplugged in before I had delivered the baby. It was basically a useless epidural except that I did get 1 stitch so it numbed me for that. Charlotte Grace was 9 pounds 2 ounces and 21.5 inches long. Her apgar score was 10 and she was bright eyed and bushy tailed after birth.

I think that because my active labor only lasted 4 1/2 hours and I only pushed for 9 minutes my recovery has been relatively easy. I didn't even have any pain medication for 24 hours after delivery and then I really only had motrin because my tail bone hurt so bad from the back labor that I had.....I think it got bruised or something during Charlotte's descent because still today almost a week later it hurts to sit for prolonged periods of time. We got released from the hospital a little over 24 hours after I had her because we didn't want to stay away from Maddie any longer than we had to, and honestly you don't get any rest in the hospital with nurses and cleaning staff and others coming into the room on a cycle. The first few nights home Charlotte had her nights and her days mixed up and I was awake for most of the night nursing and holding her, but last night we got about 6 hours of sleep and the night before that we got 7 hours with 4 and 3 hour blocks which was wonderful and very much needed. Things are going really well with the breastfeeding.....much easier than last time mainly because I've done it before and know what it is supposed to feel like, and tricks to take care of myself. Charlotte is a good eater and the only real issue we have is that she has a small mouth, and sometimes it's hard for me to get her to open up really big.....but that is something that can totally be worked on, I have to remind myself she has only been alive for 6 days!!! I am feeling good other than the tail bone and have resumed normal daily activity although there is a lot more sitting because of the nursing etc.

Things were a little weird for Maddie when we first got home, but are now back to normal. I think that it really threw her off that we were just gone on Thursday morning and that grandma was here.....she arrived late Wednesday night after Maddie had gone to bed, so she didn't even know that grandma was here until she woke up on Thursday and we weren't here. She came to the hospital twice while we were there, but they were short visits and she was sad when she left and we didn't go with her. Then we get home and I have this baby that is attached to me all the time, and I can't have her crawling all over me like she normally is because I was sore etc. It was just a bit hard for her. I've been really emotional over all the changes that have occured with Maddie. I have felt guilty that life has changed so much for her, and I've felt like a bad mom because I can't spend as much time as I normally do hanging with her, but I know it's the baby blues and that the feelings will go away in the next few weeks. The crazy wacked out hormones after child birth are really hard because you know they are ridiculous and are not true, but you can't rationalize them away until the hormones get more stabalized. I was a basketcase for a couple days, but already am feeling better and less emotional. I really don't think that Maddie minds and if she does, she won't remember these changes.....she won't remember what it was like before she had a sister, but at this point she basically could care less about Charlotte. She acknowledges that there is a baby and has come up to her and said baby twice since we've been home, but she doesn't show any interest in her. We talk to her about the baby and ask her is she hears the baby crying, or sees the baby making a face, or sticking out her tounge.....stuff like that, and she'll look but that is about it. I'm pretty okay with that and not at all interested in trying to force Charlotte upon her, they have plenty of time to get to know each other and it honestly seems better that Maddie isn't interested in the baby rather than her being too interested and trying to hold her, get to her, sit with her etc. all the time. That could be scary.

Overall things are back to normal.....except I have no idea what normal is anymore. Maddie is on her usual schedule, Dan and I are on Charlotte's schedule. Dan is home through next Tuesday when my mom arrives and she is going to be here for 3 weeks. We have food in the freezer and both my moms group and our bible study are bringing us dinners for the next week or so. My mother in law went home yesterday evening and I miss her already. She was such a great help and really lovely to have around to talk to. Oh, and she got Maddie a little pool that she is in love with!! It's a nice activity to be able to do with her where I'm not running around the yard. I guess thats it for now. I'm really happy to not be pregnant anymore and to have my new daughter. I'm excited to see her grow and watch her personality emerge. I have pictures to post, but for some reason blogger doesn't have that option working. Is anyone else having this problem or is it just me? I'll try and add some if it decides to let me.

1 comment:

Kris10 said...

Thanks for the update, I can't wait to see pics of Charlotte! Congrats!

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