I get wheeled down to meet my son. The whole time I can't stop itching my face from the medicine, and all I can think is, Thank god the baby won't remember this because I probably look like a drug addict, I sure do feel like one.
The first time I see him outside of the OR he has his arms stretched out above his head, and he is just hanging out. Looks like he should be on a beach, getting his tan on. We hang out in recovery for a bit, and then we are taken to our room. We are quickly joined by our family, all checking out Roo, and checking on me. It was quite a loving experience. Roo was born at 36 weeks and 1 day. So he was checked on A LOT. But, at least he was in the room with us. He had trouble keeping his sugar levels elevated. So I would feed him when they told me to, and he was checked. Finally, he was in the clear. It almost came to the point where he would have to go to the NICU until he could regulate it, but my baby was finally in the clear...Or so I thought.
Then came jaundice. I knew it was common in babies, especially if they are early but I didn't think it would happen to mine. Poor Roo's foot had been pricked so much for the sugar levels, that his foot was so tender and bruised, and now they are having to prick his feet for this. He ended up having to spend the night in this blue zip up bag looking thing, on this blue light. But, at least he was in our room. To get rid of jaundice a baby must poo it out. To poo you must eat. My milk or colostrum hadn't come in yet. Because he was early he couldn't pull it out too well.
Funny thing about this blue bag. He had to spend the night in the bag. When B got up to change him in the morning the bag was filled with liquid, Roo's back was soaked. I almost cried thinking my baby had been sweating in that bag all this time and I didn't know. We called the nurse, and we told her. She told us it was pee. He had pee'd out of his diaper. But his diaper wasn't wet where his pee-pee was. So this is still a mystery to me.
I wanted so bad to breast feed. When I was younger I was weirded out by the idea, but as soon as I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to breast feed. I also wanted to have a completely natural birth, but as you know that didn't happen. Because of the jaundice I ended up having to supplement, we couldn't wait around for my milk to come in. This was my first mistake as a mother, but you live and you learn. I pumped and pumped to stimulate my milk to come in, I would get the teeniest amount out and feed it to him with a spoon. Little did I know but that pump would become my life for the next 3 months.
Tucker's levels were finally leveling out, but he had to get lab work done again in the morning. I had the option to go home, and come back at 7 am to get Billi test (test for jaundice) done. This would give them enough time to process the results so his pediatrician could make go over the results with us at his 9 am appointment. All I wanted to do was go home, and get away from all of these nurses. My BP had come down quite a bit, and I just wanted my bed. Even if that meant waking up super early to start our first journey as parents. So home we went, and that was the best decision I ever made. I couldn't have been happier to be home, and I slept better than I had in almost a week. And Roo looked so cute at home, and so small in his bassinet part of his pack and play.
Tucker's levels continued to level out, after a few more trips to the hospital for Billi tests, and a few afternoons laying next to the window, he was finally in the clear. Finally my baby is all well, and doesn't have to be poked, pricked, or checked anymore. At least until his next check-up.
xox-J.
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