So it's taken me a week and a half, but here's some pictures of the new baby. If you read livejournal these are the same pics I posted over there. I just got to posting them a lot sooner there since I wasn't trying to put in any other information with them.
Now fair warning. If you don't want the picky details of the birth, read no farther.
Virginia Grace was born on June 30th at 11:30 am. We had some hopes of being able to VBAC, but it didn't turn out that way, so although I went into labor, I still ended up with a C section. Not exactly what I had in mind, but there it is. At least she got to choose her own birthday.
Funny thing, I already had a child, so you'd think I knew what I was doing trying to plan for labor, and yes, I knew how to pack a bag so I wouldn't freeze at the hospital. (The nurses laughed saying I was the only mother that summer to have wool socks in my overnight bag. I can't imagine this was actually true. That hospital is COLD.) But I didn't do labor last time, so what I didn't get was how labor goes from a perceptual zero to Oh-Shit-This-Is-Happening-NOW!! essentially as soon as your water breaks. And for that matter, the water breaking was... weirdly not what I expected either. I mean, there was no warning. I thought I was going to crash for a couple of hours and had just laid down to go to sleep and suddenly there was this random audible *POP* and some warm water and then HELLO! THIS IS YOUR LABOR STARTING. So, it's a damn good thing I didn't go to the office that day. My poor coworkers really didn't need frightening like that and I now see why people fear having their water break in public. I honestly didn't get it before. That could have been embarassing.
Anyhow, after what's called in Dr Speak "Failure to Progress" over the course of about 8 hours, which means contractions that weren't moving anything around, the docs decided a C section was a good idea and while I *could* have waited out the shift for a doctor who would have considered augmenting my labor (something the conservative head of the practice wouldn't do for a woman who'd had a C section before), I was tired and the whole thing was already so hemmed in with medical monitoring and an unwillingness to let me do anything constructive it was sort of a joke.
I don't want to kvetch. It just isn't helpful and we're here now. But I was not in active labor half an hour before they wanted me to come to the hospital and be monitored which meant from that point on no walking and no labor in the shower -- the two things that help one deal with pain and actually progress the most. Is it a surprise I didn't have a vaginal birth? No. Right. I said no kvetching. It's OVER.
For those who are interested, yes, I eventually took an epidural which was essentially me caving in to the inevitable. I couldn't MOVE so I might as well not hurt so damn much.
So anyhow, what's different about a C section the second time around? Not much. I remembered to tell the anesthesiologist that Reed is tall and needs a higher vision barrier or he'll see things he shouldn't and that he almost fainted last time. So we had no husbandly nausea or fainting this time. I also mentioned that something they did to me at the very end of surgery last time HURT and she said "Oh, that's when they put your uterus back in. Don't worry. I can take care of that."
Um... parse that. Put my WHAT BACK WHERE?? I didn't realize it had to be taken OUT!! I think I need to see a C section video tape now so I have some clue what was done. Since it'll never happen again, this is now an interesting idea. If I was contemplating a third... well maybe we'd put off looking. Anyhow, she didn't lie. I felt a blissful nothing this time which was goodness.
And again somehow there was no magical trumpets going 'YOU HAVE A BABY" somehow. Surgeons did what surgeons do and then showed her to me. Which was great, but not magic. The good news was that since she didn't have to go rushing off to the ICU, she was with us pretty much thereafter.
Anyhow, it's over. It took a week but I have ankles again and here exactly 2 weeks later I actually have some energy for about half the day before I *MUST* have a nap. I still have a LOT of weight to lose and I really am not sure how much of it is just going to fall off on its own versus what I have to work for. Will see.
Enough already. I will muse at a later date on the horrors of the toddler who will not sleep without you.
Posted by karen at July 14, 2005 09:22 AM