The next few days in hospital was mainly:
For baby:
- learning to care for bb (practise bathing, changing diapers, feeding, handling her cries...)
- her to go through tests and more foot pricking to monitor her sugar level (we were so happy on 03/04 when her sugar level finally stabilised and the pricing can stop!).
- lots of photos taking!
- just being a baby...
For me:
- started to eat all the diabetes forbidden food
- still pricking myself to monitor blood sugar
- daily checks on my wound and whether I can squeeze a drop of milk (sadly, nothing)
- foot still swell
- daily painkiller to reduce wound pain
For papa:
- being the "legs"
- bottle feeding and burping
- buying any food I craved
- registering the birth of baby
- admiring his princrss
Although all was fine with baby, the lack of sleep and need for 101% attention start to tired us out. At times when we are struggling, is nice to just buzz for a nurse to help and wonder how they can solve the issue or simply calm baby down....
04/04/2018:
Finally it was the day to go home! I was so bored to be stuck in the hospital and not went outdoor for close to a week??!!
It was a mad rush to care for the baby, pack up, baby to go through last checks, I to grab my prescription from gynae and husband to pay up and we managef to complete all by around 1300!
Husband was careful to push her princess home during the 10m walk home. And we were welcomed home to dirty laundry, lack of food in fridge and half set up baby space... well, still nice to be home..
Athéna, welcome to your home!
After awhile epidural kicks in, I was basically pain free. Since I was in the delivery ward with 1 stool for Sitting, I told husband to sleep in our room and be back at 0300+. Then I fell asleep from 2cm to 8cm! only waking up for few minutes whenever the midwife came to check and helped me peed..childbirth is not so tough huh!
Sadly, I was celebrating too early about being pain less. Husband return about 0400 and i started to feel contractions like from 0 pain to 3 pain... and it proceeded quite quickly to 7pain at about 0500. However, midwife checked and told us that baby was not low enough so we need to wait 1hr before she called my gynae for delivery. What??? Means i need wait 1hr for her to call and wait again for gynae to come for delivery? I wanted to ask for more epidural but I guess they will adjust accordingly as pain increased. By 0530 I was really in pain so with urge to push and finally midwife decided to call my gynae.
I was kinda struggling with pain by then. Another midwife came and they prep the room for delivery and I was hoping to see my gynae soon. And nope, no one touched the epidural machine and so no increased in amount. I was so glad to finally see my gynae at about 0620 and she agreed it was time for delivery!
I don't really remembered the whole delivery process except I was in alot of pain, I was asked to push by the 3 ladies, I was exhausted from the pushing, I was crying from the pain and exhaustion and squashing husband hand all the time... and yes, I did wanted to shout "I don't want deliver anymore!" But it was in my mind... suddenly 1 midwife literally jumped on top of me to help me push and baby was out.
I didn't hear any cry and husband was asked to cut the umbilical cord. Baby was then taken to the connecting room and husband followed into the room. Shortly I heard the first cries of baby. There I was with my legs while open and baby taken away..eh I thought supposed to have some skin contact immediately between baby and mama? I feel more like a surrogate mum who just sold my baby.
Just when I thought the worse pain was over.. the sewing up was really bad, makes me wonder where is epidural??? Anyway, no point to ask, I just suffer in silence at every poke and pull... Then someone told me baby is fine. Then pd came with husband and baby, I had baby on my chest for 5min and they took her away again. Someone cleaned me up and suddenly I'm just in the room alone? Husband came and told me that he wanted to come earlier but saw the room was full of blood like a crime scene so he decided to come later, haha.
Husband started tell me what happened during the delivery like baby's shoulders was stucked and gynae said if need, she will break her shoulder to get her out, how she is blue when born, cried only 3min later and all the checks they did for her in the other room. Shortly baby can return to our room so husband followed her and I'm in the room alone again.. at least I'm cleaned up?
Anyway we are happy to have an Easter baby but was also April fool day. Easter changes every year but not April fool... hope she won't be bullied or laughed at in school! And she definitely will be reminded yearly that she is an Easter baby. A bit off go if, husband and I had a conversation long ago about what soft toy will baby be attach too? And I conclude is what the parents wants for her because is parents who choose what to buy for her even before she is born. And being an Easter baby, I'll associate her w bunnies! And bunnies are so cute.. hehe.
I think is after 30m a nurse came with a wheelchair to push me back to my room w my tore surgery dress and underwear. I was told not to move from bed for few hours and to call them for my first pee pee. It was hard to adjust and finding a comfortable position on bed while in pain. Husband became my legs and constantly carry stuff including baby to me. Few hours later, I also managed to pee successfully and has a proper hot shower before bedridden again.
It was hard to carry baby for her to latch because she seems so fragile. Anyway I didn't had any milk and midwives always came and squeeze my nipples pain fully to check. So around every 2h, baby has to latch for 10m before husband feeds her the milk bottle. After a nurse taught us how to change diapers, husband became the only diaper man because I'm suppose to stay in bed... he did well except 1x (during our hospital stay) there was a poo poo explosion when baby had no diapers on.
Crazily, I still had left over energy and we managed to received husband's family to visit the baby. Like Everyone, the main comment is the amount of hair baby has.
The first night was always easy but it was hard to stay asleep with the pain, 2h feeding and a new human being in our room. Oh poor baby has to be pricked at her foot every 2h before feeding to check her blood sugar (her blood sugar is too low).. Finally, athena is here.. :)
