Two Weeks/Twenty-Two Months

Yesterday Rosie was two weeks old, and today Charlie is 22 months. I think I had forgotten - or blocked - lot of the details of Charlie's birth. Like how cold the operating room was or how I needed two doses of Lidocane to numb the spot where I would get the spinal (because of the scar tissue from my back surgery.)

So I am going to write down some memories, of the births of both Charlie and Rosie. So I won't forget again.

I did remember that it took a loooong time for the spinal to work with Charlie and this time I was able to make everyone aware of that so we weren't waiting around.  It seemed last time the anesthesiologist  thought it should have happened faster and was impatient.  This time we knew it would be longer and everyone was fine with it.  And I had a different anesthesiologist - that may have helped. 

And I remember with Charlie being able to feel my legs but not move them and being totally freaked out by that, triggering a good attack of anxiety. This time there was no freaking out. I was much calmer and able to joke with everyone.

This time, the spinal was not able to completely numb my left side, so while Rosie was delivered I had more pain. Scar tissue strikes again, this time from Charlie's delivery.  They couldn't completely numb me without putting her at risk, so there was a little hollering on my part when they took her out.  But I was given good drugs once she was born and I ended up falling asleep once she and Marc were taken to the nursery.

With both Charlie and Rosie, a nurse took some great pictures for us while they were born.  And we are so grateful for that. 

After the birth of Charlie, I didn't get out of bed until day 2, and walks around the floor were slow and required heavy dependence on the wall railing. This time, I was ready to walk just a few hours after her birth and once I was up, walking was not a problem. I was slow but not wobbly.  The nurses commented several times about how well I was doing.  I ate solid foods faster and felt ready to go home earlier, although we stayed three nights again. 

The only hiccup with my recovery with Rosie is that I evidently have a sensitivity to latex, as I learned once the catheter was removed and I couldn't pee. Did you know catheters are latex?  I didn't, and didn't have a problem with it when Charlie was born.  this time though?  Yeesh.  I'll spare you the details but an IV bag of liquids + drinking lots of water + a dinner of broth, juice and a Popsicle - a catheter = an very uncomfortable Mary.  It took almost 12 hours for the swelling from the latex catheter to go down before I could pee on my own. And before the nurse figured out it was a reaction to latex, they were trying every trick in the book - running the water in the sink, warm towels and peppermint aroma.

As I mentioned before, Rosie was delivered a little early because I had not gained enough weight and my fluids were close to being in a bad range.  So I got a little curious - when a pregnant women gains weight, what is it exactly? According to the Internet, it is:

Baby: 7-8 pounds
Placenta: 1-2 pounds
Amniotic fluid: 2 pounds
Uterus: 2 pounds
Maternal breast tissue: 2 pounds
Maternal blood : 4 pounds
Fluids in maternal tissue: 4 pounds
Maternal fat and nutrient stores: 7 pounds

I am guessing I lost any maternal fat to make up for the pounds that are tissue or blood, and maybe I was lower on the fluid weight.  But I am SO enjoying eating anything and not throwing it up!!!