Birth Story ~ Part 2

After Owen was born, the anesthesiologist told me that I needed to lie flat on my back for at least two hours after the c-section because I lost a lot of spinal fluid.  (This is called a wet-tap.  Read more about that here and here.) This was to hopefully prevent spinal headaches, which may require a blood patch.  While I was laying down, my moms (all three of them!) were able to come back and see Owen.  I was also able to nurse him (a bit awkwardly, of course).  After the two hours in recovery, I was moved to my room, where the motion made me SICK.  I don't remember much about who was able to hold Owen during this time because I was terribly ill.  However, I do remember most of the people who visited, and I remember holding my dad's hand as I got sick (love my daddy ~ he's always there...no matter what).  I also remember the staff from our church coming to visit, and Nathan praying over Owen and me.

Owen William

Grandad Terry

Big Brother Jonathan and Owen

Grandma Thomas

Grandma Beck

Grandma Jeank

Grandpa Thomas

First family picture.  (Please excuse my grin...I was on a lot of drugs.)

Tinisi and Quincy

Owen and me

Daddy changing a diaper (hasn't happened since week one)

Aunt Amanda

Uncle Tom

Aunt JuJu

Happy Easter from Good Samaritan Hospital!

Love.

The worst part (at that point!) was the incessant itching.  I think I almost scratched my face off.  Literally.  I did not allow many pictures to be taken of me in the hospital (or after, for that matter) because my face was so scratched and ugly.  Blah. 

No headaches day one, but then they started creeping up on me; slowly, at first, and then with more intensity.  The nurses had me drink a lot of Pepsi, hoping that the caffeine would make the headaches go away.  Fat chance.  I couldn't sleep because the pain was so intense (and because of the obnoxiously loud clock on the wall).  Unfortunately, Owen spent a lot of time in the nursery so that I could rest and try to get rid of the headaches (which had escalated to migraine status).

The time in the hospital went by ever so slowly, and the anesthesiologist checked in daily to see how I was doing.  He suggested that maybe once I got home, I would feel better.  I hoped he was right!  (Please don't think my entire birthing experience was terrible, or that our hospital stay was terrible.  We had WONDERFUL nurses that took great care of Owen and me, and of course, I got the best present of all...my sweet baby.  Every second of pain was worth it.)

We got to the hospital at 7:30 am on Friday, March 29th, and left around 6:00 pm on Monday, April 1st.

Going home!!!

That night, my migraine got worse.  When I tried to lay down to sleep, my entire upper body went stiff and I could barely move.  My head felt like it was going to explode.  I wasn't quite sure what was happening, but I thought maybe I had a blood clot that was resulting in a stroke, I could be dying, etc.  All I know was that I was in the worst pain of my life, and I couldn't sleep at all.  The next day, my migraine continued to get worse, so we called my physician.  He suggested going to the ER because of the intense pain, despite the medication I was taking.  At the ER, I was immediately taken to triage, where I was told that my migraines were a result of losing too much spinal fluid during the epidurals.  I was hoping to avoid having the blood patch, but the anesthesiologist said that my migraines could continue for two weeks or longer if I did not receive it.  VERY reluctantly, I consented to have the blood patch.  (You can read about that here.)  It hurt worse than anything, but as soon as it was finished my migraine was gone...like magic!  I remember telling Darin that we would not be having any more biological children during this procedure...and I meant it! 

At nearly six weeks after Owen's birth, I am still having headaches on an almost daily basis.  I had one migraine when Owen was 4 1/2 weeks old.  I feel like the first two weeks of his life were a blur, as I was limited in what I could do to care for him.  I am so grateful that the Lord has healed me.  I continue to feel better each day, and am so glad that I can now spend more time with Jonathan.  I missed him terribly while I was recovering those first few weeks, and the poor guy missed having his "normal" Mama, too!

Thanks for all those who prayed for us, brought us meals, visited us, and helped us around the house.  We are truly grateful for your love and care.