How's mom?

Everyone been asking about my experience especially since I got to do natural and a c-section. So here's my take on it all!

I was having irregular contractions during my stay at the hospital, but I really didn't feel any of it. The worst I felt pre-labor was the blurry vision and wet noodle body from the magnesium.That stuff was awful. It didn't cause me pain just annoying. It just made me feel like I was doing serious drugs... or what I imagine it would feel like.

 Once they started to induce I felt pelvic pressure 8 or so hours later when I was 9.5 cm dilated. I did have an epidural that wasn't strong until delivery because I got it mostly in case I needed a c-section.
The vaginal delivery wasn't too bad, granted C was just shy of 4lbs so that helps a lot. It was annoying to wait 5 minutes in between contractions. I just wanted to push the whole time so that I could be done..I'm impatient like that.

When the doctor started to twist, pull, push, put elbows in my stomach, etc I didn't feel too much of it. Once they decided to do a C-section, the doctor quickly push the meds through my epidural and I could feel them take full effect immediately. My feet went really heavy. I think I asked them if they were sure it was working and they said did you feel the test? And I said, nope I guess it worked then.

In recovery, I mostly just wanted water and of course I was banned from it. They liked to withhold water from me during the days leading up to this. I was not a happy camper. I'm sure the nurses got annoyed with me for constantly asking for it. I was hoping they eventually would give in. And it did work before labor! And then I got ice chips in recovery. My legs felt heavy and I felt gross from the mag that I was still on. They wheeled me up to the NICU to see the boys after recovery, which I am really surprised they did. I have not seen anyone else get to do that while I am hanging out up there all day long. Granted I was in the middle of night, so that might have made a difference.

The hardest part of this whole experience was the next day. I hated the feeling of not being able to see. I just layed in the bed with my eyes close listening to everyone. By 2pm, I felt good enough to get out of bed and be wheeled up to see the boys. The trip was quick as I felt pretty gross. I then went up again around 6. I felt pretty good this time and hung out for a while. Then I went back to my room and started to feel gross. Marcus went to get dinner and I started to have a panic attack. The mag was really wearing on my body. I try to explain to the nurse and doctor that I don't ever say anything and I am pretty tough, but something is telling me that I need to speak up about how I felt. They looked at me like I was crazy and told me my vitals were all good. I felt really bad for complaining but I just didn't feel right. They had been watching my symptoms so hard up until that point and I had never had any. Then I seem to have a ton at once. We decided to pull the mag and I literally snapped out of it and said, 'oh I feel much better now, you can leave." Then 10 minutes later my skin burned as the mag seem to ooze out of my pores. My body seemed to really want to dump it as fast as it could, I even had tears coming out. And once a large portion was out, I felt great. Like a new person. They took my catheter out (probably around 9pm) and I got up and walked to the bathroom immediately.  At midnight they told me I would be leaving the room so I got up and started to pack the room as marcus continue to sleep. It was so nice to be able to stand and walk around after days of being tethered to IVs and the bed.

I slept the rest of the night in post partum area of the hospital. The next morning I got up and walked to the NICU. I had a little tingling feeling on my left side for a couple of days. The doctors said its probably the nerve endings coming back. I took pain meds once or twice, mostly as a precaution.

After leaving the hospital, we have been walking about a half mile to a mile each day, walking back and forth from the hospital to the Ronald McDonald house. I have had no issues with it. I truly feel great.

Everyone says that I should not be able to do all the I have done so quickly. I am really not sure why I have felt so great, but I am chalking it up to staying healthy during my pregnancy and being in good shape before I was pregnant. I keep thinking they clearly have never done rambo before... I am in more pain from that at times then this whole experience. I can't wait till I can get out and workout again!! Its going to be hard to sit still for 4 more weeks.

As far as my thoughts on the delivery- I am glad that I did try for a natural delivery. I originally was going to do a c-section right away to avoid both. However, the natural delivery really didn't take anything out of me. C was so little that it didn't phase me at all. And if they were able to make it work I could have avoid the c-section. Its hard to tell, but I don't feel like the natural delivery effected me in anyway. As far as the c-section, I wish we could have a vertical cut, but because of the direction G was in I had a classical incision. So if I have any more kids its automatically a c-section. I had the tingling feeling on my left side for a few days and that seems to be the only symptom of the c-section. It hasn't bad hard to walk, go up stairs, bend over, etc. So with having to do both, I lucked out cause neither of them was really hard on the body. 

Also, thank you all for your support and well wishes. We feel so blessed to have so many people that care about how we are doing. I promise we are all doing well. Marcus and I are both easy going people so we are taking it all one day at a time and we know that everything will work out.