Morning!

Can you believe this post isn't starting out with the words cute or bows or look at this!?

I know, the last few posts have been long on cute and short on actual information, and that's because I've been feeling pretty bad myself, and had a hard time just making it down to see her several time throughout the day. By the time I pumped, got up and washed my own parts and bottles, made it down to the NICU to do her hands on, and got back to my room, I would be sore and exhausted. Then I would order food, and then I would throw it up. Then it would be time to pump again.

It was a fun pattern. And it didn't leave a lot of time for much besides cute pictures.

Basically, I haven't been able to keep any food down since Evany was born. It took us all a while to realize it because the spinal headache I had took up most of the day following her birth, and no one expected me to be eating. When I had the procedure to get the blood patch and ate dinner that night and promptly threw up (not fun with a fresh incision, let me tell you!), everyone thought it was because I jumped into eating regular food again so fast.

But yesterday was the same. Everything that came near my mouth didn't make it there for long, including things as seemingly innocuous as saltines and ice chips. It was miserable, and as the day wore on and I kept getting powerful doses of antibiotics (they treat me for the same things they think she has) and painkillers, I started to feel more and more woozy. By yesterday evening it was bad and I couldn't even walk down to the NICU.

It turned out that due to a misunderstanding, my nurse had not been giving me the medication I was prescribed for nausea. That wasn't the only factor, but once they figured that out, they were able to change some other things, and last night about midnight I finally had a bowl of cereal without throwing it up immediately, the first food I had kept down since lunch on the 30th.

The plus side is, I know my doctor did a great job on the incision, and I've tested it out by throwing up about twenty times. Good to know, but I wouldn't recommend it. Otherwise, I'm healing okay. Thank God Evany is not rooming in with me...I have no idea how I would have taken care of her for the first couple of days by myself. That added to the fact that I am doing a lot by myself that John always helped with before...he was always great about delivering pumped milk to the NICU and washing the pump parts and bottles so I could rest, and helping me up and down, etc. And those were all natural births. It's been really challenging with a Csection and no one to help me with the little stuff. I've gotten by just fine, but I am definitely at a level of exhaustion I haven't felt in a while. As a lot of you know, when you're pumping every three hours around the clock, it always feels like it's always time to pump, or be getting ready to pump, or be delivering your milk. It's crazy how it takes over, and this time I don't have a heat start on her.

With the boys, I always had a good week to get my supply up before they even began eating, so I had a great stash. With Evany and the spinal headache I had the other day, I wasn't able to begin pumping until she was a full day old, and she was already eating by then. So it's kind of like playing catch up, especially when you have essentially no supply because you can't keep liquids or food down. And wow, the afterpains with a fifth child and Csection are DOOZIES!

All in all though, my recovery is going well, or as well as it can when your baby was actually cut out of you. I'm having a hard time adjusting to having absolutely no abdominal muscles and learning to get up and down differently. I'm still a patient at the hospital and have no idea when I will be discharged. The bigger issue than recovery from the Csection is the infection Evany and I got from my membranes being ruptured for so long. It took a few days to find out what exactly it was, and so we were both being treated with lots of broad spectrum antibiotics just in case until they got the cultures back.

I believe that happened this morning. I haven't spoken to my doctor or Evany's doctor yet today, but from what my nurse said it sounds like they've gotten more information from the cultures that have been growing for three days now. So hopefully tonight I'll have a better idea of when I'll be discharged.

My doctor asked how I was feeling otherwise and I told him not great, but I was pretty sure that was from being cut open.

He laughed like I had just told him the funniest joke he'd ever heard. We might have to hang out after all of this is over. I swear, he's delivered three of my kids and I feel like we've been through war together.

I'm going to try to eat something this morning and see if my streak continues, and then I'll be able to go down to see Vivi and get an update on her, too.

And no, I haven't forgotten that I have several other children, but I am blessed in that they are in good hands with my mom and my Aunt Lori and I have been able to compartmentalize for a few days and worry about myself and Evany. Thank God. Actually Seth is in therapy right now and I am very curious about how it's going.