Post Birth Recovery

Once the C-section was done, I recovered in the PACU for about 1.5-2 hours. Everything was going well post-surgery. Maverick latched right away, and I got to spend some time doing skin-to-skin. After a few hours, I was cleared to move to the Mother and Baby unit. Recovery from a C-section is no joke. Since my surgery was late afternoon, I didn't get into the postnatal unit until about 7:30 pm. I was still very tired. They placed a compression device on my calves to encourage blood flow since I had been bedridden for so long, as they were concerned about blood clots. However, they wanted to get me up and moving, so as soon as the spinal block wore off, my nurse took out my catheter, and I was asked to get out of bed.

The pain was immeasurable. I didn't realize you use your abdominal muscles for almost everything. Getting out of the hospital bed, walking, coughing, laughing, all of that was so difficult to do. So, to put it all into perspective, it is now Tuesday morning. I haven't gotten a full night's rest in 5 days, I have barely eaten anything, I have been sliced open like a fish, and now I am required to get up and move 5-6 hours post-surgery and care for a newborn who needs to eat every two hours.

Walker’s Birth

When I got pregnant with Walker, it was a shock (which I will touch on in another blog post). I found out I was pregnant again 7 months postpartum with Maverick. My OB knew I wanted more children, but she told me they prefer AT LEAST 18 months from cut to cut. Well, shit. That's exactly what crossed my mind when I saw those two pink lines. My pregnancy with Walker was similar to Maverick's. However, I was much more nauseous, and I threw up several times in the first trimester. When it came time to talk about labor, my OB said I could try for a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean), but there were risks and complications that could occur. Plus, I had already birthed an above-average weighing baby, and it is very common that with every child you have, they get bigger and bigger. So, I opted for another C-Section. It was so nice to just "schedule" Walker's birthday, and if I went into labor spontaneously, I would just go right into the OR.

This C-Section was different. I was SO much more nervous and scared for this C-Section than I was for Maverick's. I mean, think about it, with Maverick I labored for 60 hours, was in so much pain that I was about ready to get a scalpel and cut him out myself. With Walker, I showed up at the hospital as scheduled, in no pain. It was just weird.

I was prepped in triage, and surgery was scheduled for 7 am. When my OB arrived, I got out of the hospital bed, into a wheelchair, and was wheeled down the hallways into the OR, completely aware of what was going on. I remember the bright lights, the organized chaos, the very thin OR table. I got up out of the wheelchair and was instructed to sit at the edge of the OR table so they could prep my back for the spinal block. I was so nervous. One of the surgeons could tell I was about to have a mental breakdown, so she stood right in front of me and bear-hugged me as they performed the spinal block procedure. And, just like Maverick's C-Section, I could feel the warm anesthetic travel from my back right into my legs. They started to tell me to lay back, and sure enough, by the time I laid back, my legs started to go numb. The clock started to tick. I was more aware this time of what was going on. They placed the catheter, the respiratory therapist walked in, both surgeons arrived after scrubbing in. Once everyone was in the OR, the surgeons asked my nurse to present. After she presented, they asked for an instrument count (I found this interesting as they also did it after they pulled Walker out before they closed). And they began to cut. I found it interesting that this OB announced what layer she was cutting through before making the actual cut. Before I knew it, she was telling Chance to stand up and watch them pull Walker out. This time, Chance took live photos of them pulling Walker out. It is incredible to see. He didn't cry right away, as he had some fluid in his lungs. Babies born via C-Section tend to have more fluid built up. Unlike babies who are born vaginally, they do not, since that fluid gets squeezed out as they make their way through the birth canal.

They suctioned the fluid out, and Walker was a healthy 8 lbs 5 oz, 20 in long. They let Chance hold Walker while they closed. In the middle of closing, my CRNA was called into another surgery, and someone else walked in to take her place. The new CRNA decided to push me the remainder of morphine they had left. I wasn't really given the option to say no; it all happened very quickly. I think she was thinking that she was doing me a favor, but I wish she had asked. I immediately felt off and woozy. I told my OB that, and she immediately stopped closing and asked how I felt. I told her, and the CRNA jumped in and said that she pushed more morphine, and that's why I am feeling weird. The NICU nurse asked Chance to come with her and Walker so they could do an evaluation on him. They left the OR, and my OB proceeded to close.

Once I was closed and brought to the PACU, I immediately started to feel the effects of the morphine. I remember being very sleepy. My nurses took my temperature, and I was cold. Chance walked in with Walker and the NICU nurse. "He is very hungry and won't stop crying. I think he is ready to eat!" said the NICU nurse. "Well, unfortunately, her temperature is below normal, and she is cold, so she can't hold him."

I couldn't hold him because they didn't want me to drop his core temperature. They brought me towels to warm me up. After about 30 minutes, my temperature was normal, and I was able to hold him and do skin-to-skin. I started to feel nauseous. I tried to hold it back, I looked over at Chance, "Please take Walker." I practically tossed him to Chance because I could not hold back my vomit any longer. Throwing up takes abdominal muscles. So think about that... I had just been cut open and now my body is trying to throw up, and the worst part was, there was NOTHING for me to throw up. I hadn't eaten in 12 hours. The nausea and vomiting occurred for the next 3-4 hours, and then it finally let up. Since my surgery was early in the morning, I was anxious to get up and walking as I knew that was important to start the recovery process. By mid/late afternoon, my catheter had been removed, and I was out of bed. Surprisingly, I was not in as much pain this time. I also think I recovered much quicker with my second C-Section.

There were a couple products that helped me get through the recovery process.

• High waisted underwear. A C-Section incision sits right near the top of a panty line. These were great in helping to avoid any uncomfortable rubbing at the incision site- https://amzn.to/3On9Col

• Boppy Nursing Pillow. This pillow can serve and dual purpose! I used it for nursing, and I also used it to apply pressure to the incision site anytime I needed to get up from a seated position, laugh, or cough. https://amzn.to/41Pr1ct

• Diapers. I know what you are thinking, but trust me. It is WAY better than any flimsy hospital/postpartum pad. https://amzn.to/43qRzCb

• Loose fitting outfit. I used this one as my “going home” outfit. https://amzn.to/3olX9Xg

• Robe. Lets face it, postpartum life consists of lack of sleep and just trying to survive. for at least two weeks postpartum I just lived in my underwear, nursing bra, and a robe. https://amzn.to/3MEQSQ3

I hope these products help! Next week I will talk about what I packed in my hospital bag and why. Thank you for reading!