Benjamin Jon - Part 2

...the on-call Ob Gyn agreed with the nurse's assessment that I needed an emergency C section, especially after she found out that I had C section with Zac. They had put an oxygen mask on me and started asking me 15,000 questions, which were difficult to answer through the mask and while contracting. KGII and my Mom pitched in where they could. At one point, when a nurse was using an electric razor to shave me and I was staring up into the lights I thought, "This is it. This is the worst case scenario that I've been fearing." I felt naked, exposed, and very vulnerable. I was in a lot of pain and could feel the blood continue coming out.

Within 45 minutes, they had rolled me back into the operating room. Getting my epidural was unbelievably painful, which is probably why they don't let partners in the room for that. I actually cried and I kept apologizing to the nurse that was holding me upright because I thought I was bleeding on her (I wasn't). The doctor told me later that she was so concerned about the situation that she went into surgery before the labs had come back on my blood. Basically, she went in blind. The epidural didn't take immediately. She tried to make a tentative cut but I started screaming. I was very scared about feeling the surgery after the horrible experience I had with Zac's surgery. The doctor said we needed to go immediately and get the baby out, so she called for general anesthesia. One nurse started attacking my throat, which was really scary, while they put something in my IV to knock me out. Apparently she was keeping me from aspirating because I had eaten at 5am and the surgery was at 7am.

By 7:26am, Benjamin Jon was in the world. The doctor told me later that my placenta had uprupted possibly up to 50% and by driving to Clear Lake ER rather than the hospital in Houston, I had probably saved Ben's life. KGII wasn't allowed in the OR because I was under general, but he saw the NICU team cleaning him up and snapped the first pictures of Ben's life. Ben still had blood in his mouth when KGII saw him

I woke up around 8am to KGII rubbing my arm, no longer dressed in scrubs, and my Mom in the room. My Dad came later with Zac to see me. I was back in the triage room in Labor and Delivery and my legs were completely numb. I couldn't move them at all and they tingled. That epidural finally kicked in. They put the massaging cuffs on my legs which alternated and helped quite a bit. Within two hours, I was able to barely move a little and the longer time went on the more mobility I got back. I was taken to an ante partum room where, yes, even though you would think that I was done bleeding, more blood was coming out (this time it was supposed to happen) and my incision was weeping. I had a hard time managing my pain that first day. It just felt like my epidural pump wasn't working so I had to wait for IV pain meds once every six hours and morphine, when all of my planets were aligned and the nurse felt like it.


My pain became more manageable as each day passed. I had two friends come and visit me on Day 3 after surgery and they were really surprised at how mobile I was, since I was out of bed. I think C sections are easier the second time around. Certainly not "easy" by any means and I don't want to downplay the fact that they are major abdominal surgery, but I'm recovering faster than I did 7.5 years ago.

Later on the first day, I was able to go and see Ben for the first time at his 8pm feeding. They were only giving him 10ccs of formula, but I got to give it to him.

This picture shows how small he actually is. He has an IV in his right arm and the board to immobilize his arm so he doesn't pull it out. For the first couple of days, his feet and hands were turning blue unless he was under the warmer. He has jaundice and what started out as one light has morphed into a three light showing tanning bed extravaganza. You can see his bed from two rows away because he glows. Right now, we can only hold him for 30 minutes every 12 hours, which is hard. My Mom and Dad can go in alone without KGII or me because we signed a Grandparents waiver. My Mom, on her 62nd birthday today (Happy Birthday, Mom!) went after work and they made a special exception and let her hold him for 10 minutes and change his diaper. She was so happy.

That's where we are. They had to put in a feeding tube in his nose because he was breathing too fast to drink from a bottle. They extended his antibiotics for a full seven days (he's on Day 4 now) to try and slow down his breathing. Like I said, they have three lights on him for jaundice. Otherwise, he seems like a healthy baby boy that needs to come home and be with KGII and me. Zac hasn't got to see him, other than in pictures, and he really wants to show how excited he is to have a little brother.

Here he is in he hospital with his "I'm a Big Brother" sticker on his shirt, sitting next to my Dad. Zac has offered to read books to Ben that we can record and play for him while he's in the hospital. I just went with my Dad to pick up Zac from school and then set up an art project for him while I cleaned and pumped. My Dad said that was the most activity he's seen from me in months and it's true, I am feeling better. I haven't puked since Ben came out and I've only taken Zofran two or three times.

I have new respect for NICU Moms and I desperately want my family, my whole family, to be under one roof. Now I just need to wait until Ben is healthy enough to come be with us.