Six Week Update

On November 14, I went back to the doctor's office for my 6-week checkup. I didn't see Dr. H this time, which was fine by me. I really didn't want to see her anyway. I really don't like her, and I was thinking the entire time on the drive to her office that I wasn't going to be going back. I saw a nurse practitioner named Brittany. I hadn't met her before. I know that she started there in the end of September, because I was asked if she could see me for one of my prenatal visits. I said no, because I didn't want to have someone new so close to delivery. This was my first time meeting her, and I have to say that I really liked her. I think that she would be worth going back to the office. She was real and open with me. She also seemed to predict some issues that I would have after having a baby and was very in tune with my feelings. She said that everything was looking good, but my stitches were a bit tight. That might make things a bit uncomfortable for a while. I was just glad that I could now get back to normal. She said that I could go back to my normal routine of "business as usual." As far as a BABY UPDATE, I think things at home are also getting better. Edmund is still not on any type of sleep or feeding schedule, but I feel that I'm getting better at juggling.

Checking out and going home! :)

At midnight, the nurses came back to checkn on me and Edmund. I then fed him at 1am and did a diaper change and another feeding at 1:50am. Things were looking up in regards to his feedings, which put me more at ease. At 4:30am however, he spit up again. I was worried, since I thought over 24 hours had gone by since he was born. Shouldn't the spitting-up slow down by now? He really wasn't spitting up that much during the day, so maybe it was more of a night-time thing. I was unsure, so I changed his diaper and fed him again around 5:20am. The nurses came back while I was changing his diaper to do a jaundice test. The result was a minus 7, which I was told was good. He was fine. I fed him again at 6:05am, since the feedings were short anyway. At around 6:45am, Edmund was wheeled to the nursery in his little bed. He needed to get checked by Dr. G again. The doctor said that he looked fine to him, but he wanted the nurses to check him again around 2pm because of the positive Group B strep test I had during my 36th week of pregnancy. They wanted to make sure that he wasn't affected by it. The doctor told me all this around 7am when he came back to my room to discuss things with me in person. I mentioned the spitting up still, and again, he said to monitor it. He said that it wasn't uncommon for this to happen. Shortly thereafter around 7:10am, Dr. H came by. I was surprised that she didn't check me at all. Maybe she just went by what the nurses had been reporting in their log, because she didn't really spend much time checking me out at all. She wanted to know if I had any questions or needed anything. I wasn't sure about any of it, and I told her that I felt ok. She said that I could drive right away, and that she didn't see why I couldn't return to life as normal. I thought this was really weird, since I was told to take it easy for 6 weeks after having Andrew. Why was Dr. H so sure that I didn't need to take it easy? I really didn't like her, but I had to take what she said to be the rule, since she's the doctor. I was just so sore that I coudln't imagine life as normal for a while. She told me to make a follow-up appointment for six weeks and then left. That was it. I didn't need any prescriptions or anything else from her. I was free to go when the nurses did their final check of Edmund at 2pm. At 7:45am, my breakfast of biscuit, oatmeal, oj, decaf tea, peach yogurt and milk came. I don't know why it is, but I LOVE the hospital's oatmeal. There is nothing special about it. It is plain, but for some reason, I was craving it! :) Dennis left after I finished eating to go home and get cleaned up. A new nurse came in after that. Her name was Kathe, and she brought me some pills: iron, collase, and motrin. She also took out the needle from my IV that was sitting there, unattached to a machine since 2am on Oct. 4. I had to have my IV for 8 hours after delivery via Dr. H orders, in case I needed something else later. Kathe also brought me towels for a shower and more ice packs. Mom and dad brought Andrew up to visit again. Dad doesn't have to work on Fridays, so he was able to come with them. Andrew still seemed to be interested in his brother, but I think he was ready for mommy to leave the hospital. Dennis was still gone at this time. Mom changed Edmund's poopy diaper and brought us food for lunch/later. They left just before Dennis came back at 11am. I fed Edmund at 11:45am and then ate lunch myself. It was grilled cheese, peaches, side salad, and a dinner role with some lemonade. Not bad, but I worried that all the cheese would bind me up. I still wasn't able to make a bowel movement, and with the stitches, I was worried that when I did, it wouldn't feel too nice. :( Dennis ended up eating the food that my mom brought with them, all except the spinach pockets. I took those home. I got a shower after Dennis and I ate lunch. Dennis took a nap, and I started to get ready to leave. I sat in bed with my regular clothes on. We also put Edmund in his going-home outfit. It was a soft one piece sleeper that had a lion on the front. He was so cute and cuddly. I was ready to leave and get Andrew. It would be nice to have us all home. It would also be nice to see Kenneth and Maria. I felt so bad that we weren't able to spend more time with them. Nurse Kathe came back around 2pm, and we were free to go. I had everything ready, so Dennis only had to find a way to get it all on his shoulders to go down to the car. There was an older man, a volunteer, who wheeled me down to the main door with Edmund in his car seat on my lap. Dennis walked ahead once the elevator opened on the main level, so he could have the car ready for us. I was having some cramps at this point, so it was uncomfortable getting into the car. We called my mom, and she said that she'd have Andrew ready for when we got there, which was close to 3pm. We went straight home after that.