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| Braden Cai - Week 2 |
Post-op experiences:
Let me start with this: Braden and I both made it out alive - and that's great!
Saturday: After delivery, I was put in a recovery room for what I'm guessing is a couple of hours. Daniel came in to sit with me for a while. The nurses came in at one point and Daniel left - I really can't remember why. The nurses checked my dressing, gave me a new gown, and started wheeling me to my room.
I'm not sure if I was awake or not for the entire trip to my room. I remember looking at the sconces made with brightly colored marbles...
At some point that afternoon/evening, Tom and Angela stopped by. They brought the most beautiful Friendship Rose! I wish Maddy could have come too.
One of my L&D nurses stopped by to visit before her shift started Saturday night. Boy were we glad she stopped by. She mentioned something about how I shouldn't be feeling any pain with my pain management. We looked at her oddly - I'm sure. She clarified - the button you can push for more pain medicine. We still looked at her oddly. She asked, "Didn't the nurse tell you about your pain management?" No nurse told us about a pain management button... She looked around and said, "Oh, your button is still back here on the wall." She then moved the button within my reach and attached it to my pillow so I could find it if I let it go. This failure to inform me of my pain medication should have been a huge red flag to us...
Sunday: I managed to get up and change into my gown before people started coming to visit. Steve, Darlene, and Faye stopped by, then Jessica, Mason, and Marley, then Maurine and Renee. I apologize for being "out of it" for part of the visits - I evidently pushed my pain management button a few times... I really enjoyed having visitors!
Some time during this day, I had gotten up and felt something pull on my right hip. When I investigated, I found that the tape holding on my bandage had started to peel up - with my skin still attached! I asked the nurses about this every time they came in. They kept telling me that I could soak it off once I could take a shower. I wouldn't be able to shower until late Monday...
Monday: My doctor stopped in to check on me. When she went to look at my incision, she said, "Why is that still there? I can't see the incision through the bandage." I told her what the nurses had been saying about being able to soak it off sometime today after they take the epidural out. She said, "The bandage should have come off Sunday morning!" She reached to take it off and I stopped her. I told her that my skin was being ripped off by the bandage. She said, "That needs to come off now. I'll have to come back and look at in once it's off." I then proceded to very gently take it off. There was no way I was going to let these nurses touch this bandage!
After asking all morning when someone would be coming to remove my epidural, they came in shortly after my doctor left and removed it - finally. At this point they started me on oral pain medications. Which, I had to call for - they didn't just bring them when it was time for the next dose...
Eggy stopped by to visit with a friend of hers - they happened to be taking a class in the area!
Tuesday: People started coming in with paperwork... We had to fill in the information for Braden's birth certificate, sign forms stating that I didn't want him vaccinated against Hepatitis B (this is normally a vaccination that only healthcare workers receive), and sign forms stating that I did want a DTaP (or is in TDaP) booster.
A nurse came in to take out my staples - that was interesting.
Finally - we're out of here! To home we go!
Extras: Aside from the issues pointed out already - I guess the nurses assume that people will keep track of wet and dirty diaper times, and feeding times and lengths. They kept coming in and asking for this info. I guess it's a good thing I kept track of all of it...
They failed to mention the wetness indicator on the diapers too. Mom even asked several of them how we were supposed to know if he was wet since these diapers hold so much...
I may remember other flubs later, but Braden is waking up from his nap now.
Weight update: Braden weighed in at 7 lbs 15.5 ozs yesterday!
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