Saturday 28 May 2011

Pre-birth/At the Hospital

After a lot of waiting and intermittent blogging, the big day finally came.  I said in my last post that he was born, but didn't really give any details.  So here's my birth post.  It's a bit belated as I've been enjoying time with my newborn while trying not to neglect the rest of the family.

As it was a booked c--section, we knew when the birth was going to be way in advance.  The night before going in to the hospital I took my first batch of medications and started fasting.  The morning of the birth I took my next batch before going in.  (For planned c-sections they give you things like ant-nausea med's to take in advance.  The medications should help you to be more comfortable and also help to avoid complications.) 

First thing in the morning we dropped off the girls to be watched for the day for us and then went and checked in to the maternity ward at the hospital.  I had to fill in standard hospital admission forms which was entertaining as the nurse had to ask me questions like, "Is there any chance you could be pregnant?" and whether I was wearing a hair piece or dentures.   Then we went through the paperwork for the c-section. 

My husband and I were shown to a hospital bed in one of the wards to wait while I was prepped for surgery and we waited for our turn in the operating room/theatre.  It was all very relaxed, and they took their time talking to us and getting things ready.  It was so different from my previous experiences being rushed in for emergency surgery.

Some of the things that took place during this time:

-The anesthesiologist came to discuss the spinal with me and have me sign more consent forms.

-I changed into a very stylish hospital gown.  And by very stylish I mean flapping open under the ties and printed in an orange and brown pattern.  Weirdly it had labels on it telling you that it was for hospital use only, not to be removed from the hospital, etc.  If anyone has other uses for them or wants to steal them I really don't think I want to know about it.  Also my husband had to go wash his hands, etc. and change into scrubs (including hat and slippers).

-My blood pressure, temperature, etc. were checked.  They also listened to the baby's heartbeat.

-My husband and I played several rounds of backgammon on his phone.  I don't remember who won.

-They put tape over my wedding ring and made sure that I wasn't wearing any other jewelry.

Then it was our turn.  The nurse led us down to the c-section birth room.  I got to walk there.

Saturday 14 May 2011

He's Here!

I am happy to announce that our little boy finally arrived!  The little boss was born recently (I'll do some separate posts about the birth soon).  He's healthy and happy, and I'm recovering surprisingly well.  To sum up...he's perfect.

I'm sorry that you don't get a peek at his handsome face, but here's a peek at lovely baby hands & feet.  I just love his long toes and fingers.  Angel keeps picking up his hands & feet making comments like, "He has hands! I'm holding his hand!" and "He has lots of toes!".

Tuesday 10 May 2011

Preparing for the Birth

I had the best plans for being totally prepared in advance for my baby to be born.  I was going to have loads of home cooked meals stored in the fridge and freezer, an immaculate house, good hair, etc.  In short, everything was going to be perfect and ready before he was born.  Obviously this is real life (my real life to be more specific) and not a TV movie, so everything isn't as pristine as I had hoped for. 

However, we are ready.  I'm ready to meet my little boy.

Knowing that I'm booked in for an elective Cesarean makes preparing for the birth a little different from preparing for a "normal" delivery. 

Most pregnancy books/websites/etc. will give you helpful lists of what to pack in your hospital bags.  In my experience, all of these are focused on what women need during labor, and they're totally unhelpful if you're having a c-section.  I packed two hospital bags: one for me & one for baby.  It was actually exciting to pack them together with my husband.  Mostly we used common, sense on what to pack, but we did look up a couple of lists to make sure we weren't forgetting anything.  (Click here or here for sample hospital bag lists specifically for Cesarean births.)  As this is my 3rd section, I knew from experience to pack snacks (for both parents) and to pack normal (preferably black and baggy) not disposable maternity underwear (these tend to hit right on a c-section scar line).

There are some preparations we're being sure to do, like having my husband help me shave (way better than having a stranger dry shave you on a hospital bed).  Also trying to eat well (or at least healthy other than the tub of Ben & Jerry's we treated ourselves to) and get some rest.

Here are some resources I found on-line on preparing for a C-section:
"Preparing for a C-Section"
"A Step-by-step Guide to Preparing for Your C-Section"
"Preparing Yourself For a C-section Delivery"