I wish I were asleep right now. 5 AM. I have been trying for a while. Bailey sighs and slaps her tail on the floor as I ask for the millionth time why I can't just doze off. The alarm is set for an hour from now so I can actually get a shower before Sydney wakes. Last night, we signed off on a counter for the new house we are buying. Looks like we got it so now I can find something else to panic about. Not everything went as I had hoped, but we got the house and that is the most important thing. We will be moving in 2 1/2 weeks.
Last night was also our last childbirth class. There is one more next week, but Adam will be gone so I don't plan to go. We can take a tour sometime this week and the other stuff they cover can be figured out as I go along (post partum care is the topic). Last night they covered anesthesia and c sections. Since I am pretty sure that is what I will be having, I was glad to hear about it. What I didn't expect was to feel confused about what I want for pain medication and whether to have a private transition for the baby in my room instead of the nursery. It has been a goal/concern of mine to, as much as possible, avoid being nauseated or drowsy due to drugs or pain medication. I would like to remember the experience as much as possible and though it may not be as ideal as some deliveries, it will still be my experience so I might as well get the most out of it as possible. I don't know a lot about this stuff, but from what I can tell, a drug called duramorph is usually given/offered to control pain for 24 hours after the surgery. It is actually given with the spinal block for the surgery. One of the side effects is crazy itching all over. Then you might get Benadryl and that will make you sleepy. If you feel nauseated, they might give you something for that and that can make you sleepy. Apparently, they don't give phenergan anymore, they have a different drug of choice that doesn't make you drowsy. That sounds great because I typically feel sick with anesthesia. So do I want the Duramorph? The anesthesiologist last night made it sounds great. "Some" people experience itching, but most say it isn't that bad...that is what he said. After the class our teacher said that most people are miserable and that most the L/D nurses say they wouldn't get it. That to me says something. I have yet to find someone that hasn't had it with a c section. I think most people don't know that they are getting it or at least that there is a choice not to. I need to make a decision about it though.
As for the private transition, in some ways that seems great. Not having so have the baby away for hours after the birth while everyone else abandons you in the room so they can go stare and take pictures and report back to you how cute he is and what he is doing. Doesn't seem fair does it? Not to mention that the few hours after the birth I will still have the effects of the block so I might be feeling just fine and then when that wears off they will bring him to me and I will be in pain. Pain or itching? I don't know. With him in the room during transition you have a nurse right there to help you feed him and you can even hold him and do skin to skin contact as an alternative to the warmer for some of the time. This costs extra and would take some scheduling so I do need to make a decision. I just don't know how I will feel. I could just go with the flow and be drugged up with all kinds of things to help with pain and itching and just see him in a couple of hours. Any opinions?
Last night was also our last childbirth class. There is one more next week, but Adam will be gone so I don't plan to go. We can take a tour sometime this week and the other stuff they cover can be figured out as I go along (post partum care is the topic). Last night they covered anesthesia and c sections. Since I am pretty sure that is what I will be having, I was glad to hear about it. What I didn't expect was to feel confused about what I want for pain medication and whether to have a private transition for the baby in my room instead of the nursery. It has been a goal/concern of mine to, as much as possible, avoid being nauseated or drowsy due to drugs or pain medication. I would like to remember the experience as much as possible and though it may not be as ideal as some deliveries, it will still be my experience so I might as well get the most out of it as possible. I don't know a lot about this stuff, but from what I can tell, a drug called duramorph is usually given/offered to control pain for 24 hours after the surgery. It is actually given with the spinal block for the surgery. One of the side effects is crazy itching all over. Then you might get Benadryl and that will make you sleepy. If you feel nauseated, they might give you something for that and that can make you sleepy. Apparently, they don't give phenergan anymore, they have a different drug of choice that doesn't make you drowsy. That sounds great because I typically feel sick with anesthesia. So do I want the Duramorph? The anesthesiologist last night made it sounds great. "Some" people experience itching, but most say it isn't that bad...that is what he said. After the class our teacher said that most people are miserable and that most the L/D nurses say they wouldn't get it. That to me says something. I have yet to find someone that hasn't had it with a c section. I think most people don't know that they are getting it or at least that there is a choice not to. I need to make a decision about it though.
As for the private transition, in some ways that seems great. Not having so have the baby away for hours after the birth while everyone else abandons you in the room so they can go stare and take pictures and report back to you how cute he is and what he is doing. Doesn't seem fair does it? Not to mention that the few hours after the birth I will still have the effects of the block so I might be feeling just fine and then when that wears off they will bring him to me and I will be in pain. Pain or itching? I don't know. With him in the room during transition you have a nurse right there to help you feed him and you can even hold him and do skin to skin contact as an alternative to the warmer for some of the time. This costs extra and would take some scheduling so I do need to make a decision. I just don't know how I will feel. I could just go with the flow and be drugged up with all kinds of things to help with pain and itching and just see him in a couple of hours. Any opinions?
1 comment:
Don't know if this will help or not, but, you do know it's completely safe to take over the counter sleep aids (or benedryl, which is the same thing)? I found that out a little too late in the game with wilson, but will certainly be implementing that tactic towards the end when it's impossible to sleep. As far as the c-section goes, I do not remember any pain the first day- certainly none that would have taken away from holding and seeing wilson for the first time. I also got no reports from anyone about what he was doing or how he looked- mostly bc I was getting much needed rest, I had held him already (and before any family other than phil), and lets face it-at an hour old, they don't do much. Don't look at having a section as an "imperfect" birth as so many people will make it out to be. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way and I know several people who have done both and prefer a section over natural any day. Yes you'll be sore, but I would take this kind of sore over the soreness of passing a 9 and half pound bowling ball naturally any time!!
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