The Experience

So the experience of having a 2nd baby has not been what I expected...AT ALL. In some good ways and in some bad ways. Let me start with what I expected: First off, the worst, the delivery to be awful...I expected the IV to hurt like it did last time (it didn't), to be poked a million times while getting my epidural because the doctor 'missed' (he never 'missed' and got it painlessly on the first try), to have the mean nurse like I had the last time (my nurses were the best I've ever seen), to be in major pain in recovery (I wasn't, I was majorly drugged actually), to have a baby that slept all day, but not at all at night (he did both; slept all day and all night),to be in normal sized room like every one else, which didn't bother me so I was pleasantly suprised when at the end of the first day I found out that my doctor reserved the suddenly vacant hospital suite for me! There are only 2 rooms like this in the hospital and when it became vacant he made sure that I was put in it. It was awesome! I think Allie loved it the most because there was so much room to run around. Here's what it looked like, though I don't think the pictures do it justice of just how big the room actually was...like the size of a large living room. Oh and here is a picture of Ryan in his going home outfit...I love his shoes! They're lil loafers that I bought the day after I found out he was a boy...










When we got home is when my perfect experience seemed to crumble. At discharge (8/30), we found out Ryan was jaundiced...and the level was rising. So the doctor ordered me not to breastfeed (which at first I refused to follow) and had a light therapy machine delivered to our home. He was to be on this thing for 48 hours before he could be tested again. So we went in on 9/1 to retest and the level had gone down just a smidge. My orders were you MUST stop breastfeeding and continue light therapy for 48 hours. As hard as that was for me I began to try to supplement with formula but not stop breastfeeding. I just couldn't see how formula could possibly be better for him than me, that was just my instinct. And the light therapy...oh the light therapy...that was miserable! It's like this lighted pad that gives of UV rays and he lays on it skin to skin. The problem was it was hooked to a machine that plugged into the wall. It had a very short hose attached to it so he could only be in 2 places in our house; the bassinet at night (which had to be next to the wall, that means night time feedings took place on an uncomfortable office chair placed right next to the bassinet).Ugh, horrible because I couldn't carry him anywhere. The next day, we were called in again for another test where the nurse practically yelled at me over the phone about the breast feeding. I still hadn't really followed the rules because he wouldn't take the formula. So we went in for that test and his levels were much lower (and I had barely given him one bottle of formula at this point). We had to go in again today 9/4 to repeat the test and thankfully for the final time, because he's now jaundice free! Woot! I immediately called the company to have them take back their stinkin' light therapy box and now I can resume breastfeeding! Happy day!
In the middle of all this jaundice drama, on 9/1 I noticed that c section incision was not doing to well. Tuesday morning we hightailed to the doctor and was told just to put neosporin on it and come back in a week. Then yesterday, I developed a fever and the incision looked even worse so today I went back to the doctor where I found out it is a very superficial infection (because I don't have any centralized pain to the area, and basically no pain around the incision as of late.) Now I'm on antibiotics and have to be seen in a week. I still can't shake the fevers though...






In other news, Ryan is a perfect angel. He sleeps sooooooooo much. And he's so calm. When he cries it freaks Allie out and she cries which in turn makes him stop to listen to her cry. It's funny actually. I think her crying is a familar sound to him. She is slowly, very slowly, warming up to him. She gave him a kiss the other day, which just melted my heart, but mostly she just likes to watch from a far. She doesn't get as upset as she used to when he fussed, now she tells him, 'No, no baby' or 'hush'. She helps by handing me his binky when ever he cries too! Too cute!






Now, I couldn't resist adding some pictures of my Allie boo that we did just before Ryan's arrival. Look, She's doing the 'pose' in one of them! (BTW, I think I have about 20 more pictures of here 'posing' like that, I'll have to post them sometime.)