Saturday, August 21, 2010

Wow- It's Time to Go Home!

When I heard I was going to have to have a c-section with SJ4, I began preparing for a much longer hospital stay than I'd had with Katie Anne.  I spent almost 3 full days in the hospital when I delivered her, and my doctor had warned me that most c-sections require a 3-5 day stay.  So, I packed five days' worth of clothes for Katie Anne, several days' worth of clothes for Saunders, and lots of new pajamas for myself in preparation for a long stay.

I had the c-section on Tuesday morning at 7:30 am, and everything went great.  I was back in recovery by 8:30, and I was ready to move up to my regular room by 10:00.  I stayed in the bed the rest of the day on Tuesday, but I'd heard that the best thing for c-section recovery is to move.  So, I tried to move around in the bed as much as I could ... sitting up, laying down, moving around from side to side.  Then, on Wednesday morning, I got up.  It didn't take any help - the nurse was there, but I was able to get out of bed on my own with relatively little trouble.  I took a shower by myself, got dressed, fixed my hair and put on makeup ... then I spent the afternoon trying to walk as much as possible, even taking a few laps around the maternity floor while Saunders pushed SJ4 in the bassinet.  I was feeling pretty good and thought my recovery was progressing nicely, but I really had nothing with which to compare it.

Imagine my surprise when - on Wednesday night - my OB Dr. Pitcher told me that I'd be going home the next day!  I was floored.  In fact, I asked if she was sure that I was ready to go!  She said that I was doing so well that there was no reason for me to stay any longer, and - as long as SJ4 checked out okay on his jaundice test - we would be going home on Thursday morning!  I was kind of happy to be going home, but kind of nervous, too ... it seemed a bit scary to be going home only two days after having the c-section!  

However, when Dr. Shin - another OB from Dr. Pitcher's office - did her rounds at 8:00 am on Thursday morning, discharge me she did!  So, less than 48 hours after I was all stitched up, I was ready to go home!  We had to wait a little longer for SJ4 to be approved to leave, but he got an outstanding report as well when our pediatrician's nurse practitioner stopped by at 10:00 am.  So, after billing made their pit stop in the room and the discharge nurse stopped by, we rolled out of the hospital at lunchtime!  The only drawback to leaving so early is that SJ4 missed his appointment with the hospital photographer, so he doesn't even have an official newborn picture from the hospital!  I'm kind of sad that he won't have that little milestone picture - even though they're usually terrible pictures - but we've taken tons of him, so I hope one of those will fill in the gap of not having the "real" one!

SJ4 with Daddy:
SJ4 with Mommy:
He looks soooo tiny in his car seat!
All snugged in with a blanket and two special toys from his big sister:
Waiting in the lobby for Daddy to pull up in the Element:
Daddy carrying Baby SJ to the house for the first time!
While we were in the hospital, Katie Anne decorated the porch and mailbox with big blue ribbons (with a little help from Granddad):
Daddy posing with Baby SJ beside her decorations:

And, just like that - in the space of two days - we're home with two kids!  The surgery and hospital stay was easy, breezy, and beautiful ... hopefully SJ4 will continue to be as healthy as a horse and Mommy's recovery will be simple and smooth!