I'm Baaaaack ... maternity leaves over early here

**qtkitty** · 04-18-2008, 05:27 AM

well first went on maternity leave early March 19th because of pain.. i couldn't sit up on the bed that morning and was feeling extreme pressure... March 23 i had contractions all day long as short as 20 minutes apart then at the end of the day got diarea and my temp spiked at almost 101 then went back down...I called the hopsital and they told me that i probubly just had a bug and not to worry about it that the contractions were probubly from dehydration. Say what??.. Next day i went to the dr i was 1 cm and 70% effaced...Tuesday Joe had an appointment at 10 and we had several things we HAD to get done while my mom was in town. We went to the appointment and i kept feeling like i had to pee. Well when i got up i felt like i had peed myself while standing. DOLP... i went back and peed and by the time i got back out they were calling him back. Before i could leave i stood up again and it happened again. Oh boy.. i told my mom and Joe either i am peeing myself or my water broke. We quickly finished everything we needed to get done and then i called the DR. By 3pm we were in his office. He had my get on the table and was going to test to see if my water had broke ( ahead of the 3 hrs wait that was in his waiting room ... since this was important ) anywho i went to wiggle my butt down on the table and GUSH. He goes UHM well this is going to be blue get dressed and go to the hospital.

We were in the hospital and i was hooked up to an anitbiotic and pitocin by 4pm. By 6pm i was having contractions every minute for 20 seconds back to back to back. For a while sitting in a chair helped, but then as my contractions progressed i couldn't open my legs enough to get confortable. With tremendous back pain, but it wasn't the back pain that had me calling for an epideral it was the pelvic pain on the left side. I was litterally holding myself up in the bed trying to hold myself up off the bed because of the pain in the pelvic area.

Once the anistesiologist administered the epidural ellen went into distress ( later the Dr said it wouldn't have mattered how long i would have labored she wouldn't have ever come because of the way she was turned ) her heart beat started dropping after every contraction. They dropped back on the pitocin to try and help her recover.. that didn't help so they started prep for a C section. Joe was asked nott o go with me to surgery because of his sezures and it was late night and they were low on staff. So luckily my mom was still in town and she went in with me.

By 10pm i was being rolled down the hall to surgery shaking because of nerves and the epidural medicine. They had everything ready and around 11pm they started the procedure. I was sitting there singing to myself trying to stay calm and not need any more meds. They were trying to push meds to "relax" me and what not. They finally asked if someone was supposed to be in there and went and got my mom. We sat there together singing little ditties back and forth. Finally my dr goes is someone singing.. *lol* apparently he was starting to wonder if it was in his head *LOL* At 11:39pm March 25th Ellen was brought into the world and breathed her first. She weighed in at 8lb 1.4 oz.

The day after surgery i met the nastiest Tech i think i will ever meet. A nurse took out my cathiter. The Tech gave me orders that i would be getting out of bed ( this is 7 am in the morning or so ) and that i wasn't going to get any help from anyone i was going to grab the edge of the bed and wheel around and put my feet on the floor and walk to the bathroom. About that time Ellen started to cry and Joe started to go to the basinet to change her diaper because it was dirty. She grabbed Ellen from him and informed him that he didn't know how to change diapers. So there i am trying to wiggle slowly out of bed and had gotten over to the edge and about to get my legs over. She turns on me and goes mom you haven't gotten out of bed yet. Stop babying it its gonna hurt weither you take your time or not now move it. I finally got to my feet and i thought my belly and guts had fallen OUT it was a flash into my skull even.. i stood there for a while whole time this lady is yelling at me to move to walk. I finally made it to the toliet and fell onto it limp legged and shaking. She took the huge hospital pad away it was full needless to say. Then went and asked if i could have my IV out. She came back and yanked the thing out of my hand and had me hold it for a few seconds while she got a bandaid. When she got back she took the toliet paper off my hand and a drop of blood came from the wound, so she started yelling at me that i should have put pressure because it shouldn't bleed like that if you apply pressure. She clamped down on my hand and waited like 30 seconds. When she lifted it let out a drip of blood so she did it again this time harder ( OUCHIE was the only thing i was thinking at the time ). Then she tells me i am getting off the toliet and into the shower. She turned on the water HOT. I sat there thinking of where i needed to grab to help myself up and she goes We are in the army now get up MOVE IT MOVE IT MOVE IT Drill sargent style. I know the look i gave her had to be death warmed over*lol*. I finally got up got into the shower... with in a few minutes i started feeling light headed .. the tech had left by this point.. then my hearing went.. and my periferial ( sp ) vision.. i knew if i didn't do something fast i was going to go down. I pulled the emergency cord incase i didn't make it and quickly stepped out of the shower and sat on the camode. The head nurse came in and asked if i was okay. I was like yeah now i thought i was going to pass out there for a second. She was like okay well just sit there for a second to get your barings. Shortly after the tech comes in and asks me what i am doing. Then tells me to get up and get moving. I finally get up and try to go back into the shower to finish up as she was yelling at me to do and i start feeling dizzy again. This time though i started hyperventilating and feeling dizzy.. Joe who was in the bathroom with me was just like sit sit sit!! The tech decided she was to busy to help me and called a nurse in to help her since she was busy changing my sheets. The head nurse came in and asked if i was okay and behind her the tech was telling her i was just lazy and piddling. I was just wasted and shaking leaned against the wall. The head nurse helped me wipe blood from off my legs where it had dripped to the floor when i had stood up. Then into a nice attractive pair of knit undies to hold the hospital pad *lol* Then got me back into bed.

After that incident and after i had sent Joe home to get some rest since he had slept on the cot the night before. My mom had went to the hotel to get a nap and then went to my house to rearange the babies room because she had gotten a rocking recliner for me. I was alone and from then on i would slowly wiggle up and go to the bathroom so that tech wouldn't come in again. ( turned out she was asked to leave early ... for some reason ) By the next day i got up and got into the chair to sit up for a while.

During the whole time i was in the hopsital i tried to breastfeed. I even tried a shield, which she wouldn't open big enough to take. She was Very sleepy for the first i would say 72 hours. She would nurse for a while once she got latched though, but would just drift off to sleep.

Thursday i was discharged from the hospital with a clean bill of health for me and baby. My mom had to leave that day so it was me, Ellen, Joe and his mother returning home. Luckily they had given me a pain pill before i left cause i think she hit every bump on the way home. Monday i got my staples out at my Dr's and went to Ellen's dr visit.

When we were at Ellen's Dr we found out she had lost 1lb since birth. The dr freaked and suggested formula after breast feeding. Then as we were leaving she made a comment about calling DSS to have someone come out to show me how to breastfeed. Of course i hear DSS and i lost it.. i waited to get to the car to start crying. From the way the Dr acted and saying she was going to call DSS.. i litterally thought i was going to get my child taken away for trying to breast feed. We found out that she had weighed 7lb10 oz when she left the hospital and had only lost 10oz in 4 days she had been home the rest ( 7.4 oz) she had lost in the first 36 hours of her life. Needless to say i had a bad next 2 days by the time we got home i was a hystarical crying mess i tried breastfeeding Ellen and she had trouble latching probubly because i was upset. She latched for a short time though. Then had her first bottle. Then after that she would just sit there and scream bloodly murder if i showed her my breast. Which hurt even worse. She was still cranky, but with in a few days she was allowing me a little sleep. I started pumping my breasts and putting it in with her formula to keep her a little more regular and to get the antibodies. ( even now thinking back on that time i cry although its a lot better now)

Second appointment wensday with Ellen's Dr she was doing much better 7lb8oz. Still the dr wasn't happy and told us to get her to eat more and every 2 hours. But we did get some things cleared up about the DSS. Turns out that she hasdn't called Dss to come out and check up on her it was that she had had to call Dss so that she could have a nurse come out and weigh ellen every day. I also talked with the nurse and the nurse was at a complete loss for words at why the DR would loose it like that because it was normal for breastfeed babies to loose an lb in the first week or so of life then they gain it back. She couldn't understand why she had had me go on formula so fast either since she didn't know if the weight was stablizing or not. The nurse didn't even know why she was coming out to weigh ellen. But according to the Dr she needs someone to watch Ellen. Ellen had blood work done as well and she was dehydrated so her liver levels were up so we had to take her back this past tuesday for more blood work. We are hoping that her blood work comes back normal. We are really worried about that.

Monday was our last visit she wanted me to force Ellen to eat 4 oz every time she ate no longer then 3 hours between feedings. If she couldn't take 4 oz then i was to make her concentrate formula. We ended up making her formula thicker. Then she has started having thow up fits. On 2 seperate occations she has thrown up projectile while being at a 45 or more degree angle.. each time throwing up 2 times. The vomit smelled FOUL.. like sour orange juice and was all curtled. Needless to say we put back the formula to normal strength.. we have not had another episode. Spit up yes but no nasty orange juice smelling yellow-orange stuff.Concentrating the formula made her projectile vomit from her mouth and nose so we went back to normal concentration before the next drs visit low and behold she was doing good and 9lb.

She is now over 9lb and already lifting her head and trying to lift up on her arms. She is making different sounds da ma la na and starting to put them together in nonsenical blabering with her usual squeaks and clicks. When she wants more formula she will click her tounge... she also has started doing that for songs ect. She looks carefully over pictures in books, studies faces, and follows people with her eyes around the room. She follows converstations between Joe and eye by watching us inturn. She has found her tounge, ears, eyes, and fingers. She acts shocked when things happen like daddy tickles her sides ...her little eyes will get huge and she will fling her arms spread eagle with her hands open as if to say AHH yah got me. ( but now she has started curling her hands around his if he does it long enough)

As for me my insision(sp) is healed on the outside and the Dr says that it heals faster on the inside.. i didn't have any problems even though i am over weight.. but since i had seen my mom go through this i was extremely caucious... i kept getting joe to clean the incision and area where the tape ripped the first layer of my skin off and caused an allergy.. I kept a small towel under my belly til the area was totally healed to keep any moisture from making the incision get infected.

Tonight is my first day back at work.. i am only working 2 days this week 8 hr shifts to see how it goes.. my manager wanted to put my directly on 12 hour shifts back to back and i said no... since i have to find out if my body can take it and how ellen will take it. So far so good... she has actually slept well tonight.... to well .. now watch her be up all day instead of asleep so i can get some sleep.. DOLP!!

Next week i might take on 3-4 days depending on how i am feeling after this.

**Holly** · 04-18-2008, 06:42 AM

Welcome to the world Ellen.
Welcome back to the board qtkitty.
Sounds like you had a time of it.

**Darlene** · 04-18-2008, 06:53 AM

Congratulations! Welcome to the world Ellen!

Your story is something else, that tech is/was especially witchy. I could use some other words but won't.

Hope you get good news from those tests & you all continue to thrive.
Take good care!!!

**Hannahs mom** · 04-18-2008, 07:02 AM

Welcome back! I'm glad to hear that your little one is doing well. Ellen is such a beautiful name! Aren't babies the best??

It stinks that you had such a tramatic expierence with the "drill sargent". You might think about contacting her superior, because more than likely she treats everyone like this!

**mmy2grls** · 04-18-2008, 07:13 AM

Congratualtions mom!

**champagnium** · 04-18-2008, 08:08 AM

Congratulations!!!
I'm sorry you had to go back to work so fast

Hopefully your manager will be kind and not force you into things too fast

**PrairieRose** · 04-18-2008, 08:23 AM

Congratulations on the birth of your baby girl!

I hope you're feeling better soon and get over the shock and awe of the tough time. I had 3 babies and 2 births were similar to your's.

No fun, but oh so worth it.

**forHISglory** · 04-18-2008, 08:45 AM

QTKitty, I had been searching for you on the board, thinking that maybe I missed the announcement of the baby's birth. I had been praying for you all, but had no idea you were going thru all this.

Congratulations on the beautiful little new one, and take care of yourself. This can be a time of great stress, so take it easy.

**luv-my-lexi** · 04-18-2008, 08:59 AM

Ellen is beautiful and I am so glad you and the baby are doing so well.

So sorry the tech was such a witch

(putting it nicely). Glad you are back.

**frugalfriend** · 04-18-2008, 09:14 AM

Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl!! I'm sorry you had such a hard time of it. I think that tech should be reported ASAP! That is no way to treat you after surgery (or at all!!) Glad you are all doing well now. Welcome to the world baby Ellen!

**McD** · 04-18-2008, 09:25 AM

I was JUST thinking the other day that I hadn't seen you around and you must have had your little sweetie pie!

Congratulations!!!

P.S. I would raise holy heck at the hospital about that tech and get her fired!

**ktsmama** · 04-18-2008, 09:38 AM

So glad to hear from you!

Congratulations to you and your husband on your new bundle of joy.

**karone** · 04-19-2008, 03:51 AM

congrats. like the nurse said bf babies do lose some weight but can also get jaundice in the first week. i tried to bf also and merrick ended up with jaundice and had to stay in the hospital a couple of days longer.

**qtkitty** · 04-20-2008, 03:05 AM

Thank you all *ss* over all i am pretty lucky even though it was a rough start.

We have a scale now and keep track of Ellen's weight... she hit 10lb friday morning when i weighed her when i got home. Eating 30 oz a day since friday.

I am going to list the tech on my survey they just sent me from the hospital... And make a few comments too!!

karone~ oh i was very worried about jaundice so i put her in indirect sunlight for several hours a day...the nurse was in aww about her great color and how perky she was and how much she moved..and that was just a few days out using formula so there wasn't much difference and actually she had gotten more rag dollish after starting the formula