Side note on giving birth... There are so many things that people don't talk about that I wasn't aware of! Prime example, how in the world are you supposed to use the restroom?! About three hours after Callie's birth my epidural started to ware off and I knew that I was going to have to pee soon but was petrified to try. I had just pushed a human being out from in between my legs, how in the world and I going to use the restroom??? Luckily my sister in law, Melanie, was there and gave me some tips! My first trip the nurse came in and assisted me, the pain was so intense that my vision went black and I couldn't walk back to bed without getting uber light headed and wanting to pass out. And that was just for going number 1!!!!!! We won't even go into number 2. :)
Around 8:00 my doctor, his nurse and the nurse that assisted in the birth all came into our room and surrounded my bed. I put on the best smile that I could muster trying to mask the pain I was in. They asked how I was doing and how I felt, through gritted teeth I lied and said that I was doing well and just wanted to get over to be with my baby girl. I have a wonderful relationship with my doctor having known him since I was 19... I think he could see the pain in my eyes of not being with Callie outweighed the physical pain I was in and told us that he was going to start the paperwork to get me discharged right away. We eagerly started getting things gathered up and showered. At 11:00 we had finished paperwork and were on our way out of the hospital. That is less than 24 hours from when we checked INTO the hospital, and less than 17 hours from when I had given birth.
Josh was so eager to get in to see Callie I think he forgot that I had just gone through labor and an episiotomy because he parked the car in the parking garage without thinking about how I was going to get from the car to inside the hospital. As soon as we started walking toward the elevator in the garage he realized how much pain I was in and offered to go drop me off at the doors but by this point I was on a mission. We walked into the front doors and apparently I looked pretty bad off because the man sitting at the front desk told Josh to get me seated and gave us a wheelchair. That wheelchair was my saving grace for the next couple of days!
Before I knew it Josh was wheeling me into Callie's room. Cook Children's Hospital is an INCREDIBLE facility. The NICU is brand new and each child has their own room. As we entered the room our eyes went straight to the little box that held our precious daughter. My heart skipped a beat seeing her but my stomach churned at the sight of all of the cords and wires that were attached to her perfectly soft, brand new skin. Tears welled up in my tired, burning eyes.
Callie had been put on a ventilator and had already received two doses of surfactant (a chemical that helps the lungs). She had an IV in her head, and IV in her belly button, monitors stuck to her chest, and a feeding tube down her throat. I hated it. All I wanted to do was rip it all off of her and hold her in my arms. Not being able to hold your child when they are in pain is one of the hardest things a parent will ever have to go through. At this point there wasn't much we could do and the exhaustion of giving birth and not sleeping had finally caught up to me. The nurses came in and made up the couch bed for me - knowing I was with my little girl (and the aid of some pain meds) eased me into a deep sleep for the afternoon.
Doctors estimated that she would need to be there for about two weeks. Josh and I settled in for the long haul just content to be with our baby...
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