Postpartum Recovery

So - after 27 hours of labor and a c-section, I was exhausted... but we had a baby, so my excitement overwhelmed my exhaustion by far. I was wheeled to the recovery room where Rusty and Adam awaited. Adam was being assessed and his vitals checked. The thing I remember most was shaking. I was told that I would shake as the epidural drugs left my body, and I sure did! My jaw began to hurt because of the shaking. After Adam was assessed, they asked if I wanted to hold him. Of course I did, but I was afraid that my shaking would cause me to drop him - but Rusty stood right by my side to help out.

Me and Adam in the hospital.

Oh - I don't think I mentioned that as I was being wheeled to the recovery room I asked if I could eat. The nurse told me I had to wait twelve hours - TWELVE HOURS!

Adam's breathing was very fast, so although we just got him, the hospital needed to take him to the nursery for a pediatrician to look after him for a couple of hours. As I was still being prepped to move from recovery to our postpartum room, I couldn't go with him. Rusty went, but returned to my side once Adam was in the nursery. We were moved to the postpartum room. At this point (2am or 3am), the only family left were my mom, one of my sisters and my brother. They came in to say hello, Rusty walked them to the nursery so they could see Adam and then they left.

Adam in the nursery.

I believe it is my grandfather who says that you don't go to a hospital to rest. That is all too true. My vitals were checked every three hours for the next five days. I needed to feed the baby every two-three hours. The cleaning staff came in twice a day and room service three times a day. Constant visitors of friends and family dropped in. About 24 hours after the c-section, I had to start getting up and walking around.

Those days at the hospital were very tiring. Everyone on staff was very helpful and attentive, but all my husband and I wanted to do was sleep. On day two or three, some family came to visit, so Rusty went home (which is only seven minutes from the hospital) for some much needed uninterrupted sleep. I think this really helped him as he came back rested and energized.

Rusty and Adam in the hospital.

By the end of the stay, we were learning to run on little sleep, but it was now time for us to go home and learn how to raise this little baby on our own...

Adam's going home outfit.