Before I blog for a very, very long time, I just wanna give a huge thank you to everyone who congratulated us & who came out to see us at the hospital...for waiting hours and hours for Dylan's arrival..for all the food and gifts...for sticking around while I was in agony in the recovery room...for welcoming our little boy & showing all the love..for all the support, we seriously appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts! It means a lot to us to have shared with you all the most important event in our lives so far :) We couldn't ask for better friends & family. Also the staff was very good to us; we are so thankful to have had their help! After going through all the pain & health complications, it was DEFINITELY worth it, seeing that my baby is finally here. He's the best thing that's happened to me; I don't know what I'd do without the two loves of my life--baby AND baby daddy. Mark & I are truly blessed.
I'll post everything that's been happening recently in the next blog! All the postpartum stuff :)
Friday, May 22, 2009
Mark & I arrived at Little Company of Mary hospital at 6pm exactly. They already expected me there. Our labor room was 309 :) I was super happy to have phone signal up in there! Because I know in some rooms there isn't any service at all. Ashley & Mark were there like a minute after we got there! I was so surprised that they had come right away to show their support :) My first nurse was Krystal. She was a really nice lady. She asked me all these medical questions & had me sign all the necessary paperwork. I had to change into those super ghetto hospital gowns that make your ass pop out lol. I was really paranoid about that so I always covered myself up as much as I could. The fetal heartbeat monitor was placed around my belly along with the monitor that keeps track of my contractions. Then I got the IV set up in my arm..that thing made me so paranoid..just the thought of a needle staying in my arm for hours and hours. They finally started inducing me around 7:30pm. They inserted 'Cervidil' which is used to help soften or ripen the cervix. THAT SH*T HURT. And this might be a little TMI, but I dreaded the nurses checking how much I was dilating. I squeezed Mark's hand so hard because my 2nd nurse, Ta, was KILLING ME! Oh man. Another nuisance was the fact that I had to call my nurse to assist me whenever I had to use the restroom. I pretty much had to go every hour because in addition to the baby putting all that pressure on my bladder, I had an IV flowing fluids throughout my body so I dialed my nurse quite often. Since I was experiencing those preeclampsia symptoms, I had a blood pressure cuff go on every 15 minutes to monitor my blood pressure. Can you just imagine how much crap I was hooked up to?! It was ridiculous. Lia, Jsun, Michelle, Janelle, and Andrew also came to visit :) I was starving & very desperate for food :( Everyone was eating! All I could eat were ice chips. Gosh. We pretty much watched Jon Kate Plus 8 the entire night. I was really curious as to when I would be fully dilated.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
By midnight, I was hoping it would all be over by 2-3am. Janelle, Andrew, and Ashley had left already, but Lia, Jsun, & Michelle decided to stay. My nurse Ta had asked them to wait in the waiting room to let me rest. I got so angry because she told them that, and that I could only have 2 people present during the birth. I was like WTF? The last nurse had told me that anyone could come and be a part of it. I just brushed it off and said whatever, and they went to the waiting room. I felt so bad. After a while, I just kinda let myself get some rest. Or tried. Mark was already knocked out on the pull out bed, but I was lying on my hospital bed dying in pain. I started feeling a little more pain & I finally asked for some pain medication. It pretty much numbed me & I was able to get an hour of sleep in. After the medication wore off, it was already morning. I was still in a lot of pain, and Lia came back to the room (and informed me that Jsun had to go drop Michelle off). I felt so bad that they had been waiting so long :( It was already 7am, and I was barely 3 cm dilated (I came in being 2cm dilated). So I waited..and waited...by 8am, I begged for an epidural. It was already getting way too painful for me. Thankfully my first nurse Krystle came back (they have their 12 hour shifts). She was a really nice nurse. She helped me out a lot. My anesthesiologist was extremely nice too. He explained the procedure to me. It really didn't hurt much at all. I had to sit bending over (my nurse was pretty much hugging me from the front) and the anesthesiologist explained that I might feel a slight burn. I did, and it wasn't so bad afterall. After that, all my pain disappeared because I was completely numb from belly to toe. I had to lie down pretty straight though. That's what killed me. Then I started shaking uncontrollably, and I didn't know if something was really wrong with me or not. The nurse and anesthesiologist told me that it's normal to experience shaking after receiving the epidural. It looked as if I was freezing cold, but I was seriously shaking so much it was so annoying. I couldn't stop! Nay & Shehan actually came too, I was so surprised! I was really happy with everyone's support. I really don't think I complained ENOUGH about how hungry I was. The last time I ate was 3pm the day before, I only had a crunchwrap from Taco Bell so I was famished. Jeanillie also came by sometime after Shehan and Nay left. Thanks for the Hello Kitty cupcakes GF!! :D By 3pm, I was barely like 4cm dilated, and I was started to feel pretty frustrated as to why nothing was really happening. My upper back started to hurt really bad due to my position laying down. My nurse told me not to lay on my side or sit up too much. It was really killing me. It got to the point where I really wanted to cry. I felt a lot of pressure below, and I was given a button to press every time I felt that I needed more epidural. And I was pressing the button every half hour because I swear I was in sooooooo much pain! GOSH! And when it ran out, my anesthesiologist came right back to refill it (THANK GOD). Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I had a catheter inserted so I never knew when I peed lol. It bugged me only because I couldn't get out of my bed; I was pretty much like a vegetable.
I don't remember exactly what time my OBGYN (Dr. Mendoza) had come in to check me out, but she broke my water! She used this long yellow stick thing--it was very intimidating. I knew what to expect because Ashley warned me about it the night before hahaha. Good thing I had my epidural though because I didn't feel a thing. But I was like wow, yeah, well my baby should be coming anytime soon now. Two hours later, my doctor called me and told me that after 24 hours, I hadn't been progressing as much as she expected me to, and that she would have to perform a C-section. I dreaded having a C-section before any of this happened, but at the moment I cared less because I just seriously needed this all to be over with. Dr. Mendoza told me she'd arrive within 30-45 minutes since she was delivering at Torrance Memorial. So the nurses were getting me prepped up for the surgery. Mark was given these disposable scrubs to wear in the O.R. No one else was allowed inside :( Mark's aunt Nancy, Tom, and my mom came...Mark S came...David came...Ashley came back with some yummy cupcakes from Torrance Bakery :D Everyone started coming! I was getting super nervous because I didn't know what to expect. I never really researched and studied C-sections because I was expecting to deliver vaginally so I was super nervous. My upper back was really killing me to the point where I started tearing up, ready to cry and scream. I started shaking, like EXTREME shaking. Krystal, my nurse, kept telling me that it’s totally normal. Dr. Mendoza came a little bit later than I expected, and she checked how much I was dilating (for herself). The nurse earlier told me I was 6cm, but my doctor said I was only 4-5. She seemed really pissed at my nurse. I was dying in my hospital bed trying to find a comfortable position. I felt really lame having everyone see me in so much pain. I couldn't stop complaining how much it hurt. More nurses began to surround me, and they got my bed ready to roll out to the operation room. Mark packed up all our stuff and left it with our friends to watch over in the waiting room (THANKS YOU GUYS!).
By 7:25pm, I was transferred to the operation room and moved onto a different bed. I felt so helpless. I couldn't even move! My anesthesiologist came in, and I couldn't stop complaining to him about my upper back pain. They threw on another blood pressure monitor, and it wouldn't even read because I was shaking so much. I was practically crying in pain, and the anesthesiologist reassured me that the pain would go away once he gave me more meds through the IV. That stuff definitely worked. Within a minute, my back and neck pain was gone, and they placed the blue cover in front of my face (so I wouldn't be able to see the surgery going on). They placed the nasal cannula in my nose for oxygen. I kept breathing..in...out...in...out. I kept thinking to myself "Don't worry, this will all be over soon." Mark came in and had the video camera ready in hand. He also kept reassuring me that everything was going to be okay because I couldn't stop freaking out. I was injected with how many different pain medications, and I was still shaking uncontrollably.
The surgery began. I was completely numb, but I could definitely feel the pressure and tugs. I could tell when they started cutting. It really made me nervous. Can you guys just imagine?! Gosh, I hated the fact that I was completely conscious! The pressure was so bad that I actually started crying, and I really did feel like I was experiencing pain. My anesthesiologist kept telling me how great I'm doing; he would warn me when the pressure would be getting worse. I even squeezed his hand so hard because it WAS that bad. The last thing he said was, "Now you're about to feel a lot of pressure to get the baby out..." and once it happened, I swear I was screaming. Either I screamed in my head or outloud (I can't even remember, but I remember the pain), and the next thing I know, I heard my baby's first cry :) I couldn't stop crying. I was so happy to hear him. It finally kicked in. That I had a baby! He's real! It's really happening! My anesthesiologist suggested that Mark go and record the baby getting cleaned up, and all I could hear was Dylan crying and crying. I didn't get to see him yet so I just lay on my operation table crying and desperate to see my baby. After he got cleaned up, they brought him to me, and placed him on top of my chest. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my whole life. My baby is here...we made this miracle. I was so happy :) He stopped crying once I held him, and I kept telling him, "Hi Dylan; it's mommy...Mommy's here.." Definitely a moment I could never ever forget. He just layed on my chest with his eyes closed. So peaceful. My anesthesiologist took the video camera and recorded us :) "Happy Birthday!" he said. Sigh. Finally, my family was complete.
Afterwards, they had to take baby Dylan to the nursery, and Mark went with them. I stayed in the OR getting all cleaned up and stapled up (I didn't know I had staples 'til way later). I was then taken to the recovery room where I was by myself along with my registered nurse Mary (who I seriously loved). She was the one who had to monitor me for 6 hours straight. First, she took my blood pressure. My blood pressure was extremely low, you wouldn't even believe. I think it was 72 over something, at its lowest, so they got really concerned. They had to call Dr. Mendoza and even my anesthesiologist to ask what kinds of meds to give me through the IV to try & stabilize my blood pressure. So there I was, right after surgery, extremely drowsy, exhausted, with a blood pressure monitor going off every 5 minutes. I was still shaking uncontrollably because of all those meds & my body was seriously traumatized after all that's been happening to me. Everytime Mark came in to check up on me, he asked me if I was cold, but I told him that I wasn't; that I had no control over all the shaking. I felt ridiculous. The nurse also had to check my bleeding every half hour or so. That REALLY hurt after the numbing started to wear off. She had to press hard on my belly to squeeze the blood out, and I was in PAIN! The next thing I know, my blood pressure shot up too high, and they were worrying again. Oh man. I didn't know what was going on with my body, and I was getting scared. My nurse Mary told me that I couldn't have visitors inside (besides Mark) because anything could raise my blood pressure higher than it already was, and I totally understood. She said it was fine if they came in real quick to say a "Hi, congratulations, bye", but nothing more. I was in no condition to be seeing people anyway. I felt so bad that everyone had to wait :( But I was glad they all got to see baby Dylan by the window of the nursery. Lina, Janelle, Andrew, Kate..they all came in to greet me before they left. Thanks you guys :)
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Midnight. I was really in my own little world..I was so tired. I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours..I didn't even get to drink any water 'til after 1am. Before that, Mary gave me ice chips; nothing ever tasted so GOOD lol. Sigh, but I kept telling Mark that all I wanted was to see Dylan. He kept coming back and forth to check up on me since he had to keep everyone else company in the waiting room at the same time. Finally by 2am, my blood pressure was normalized and I was able to transfer to my postpartum room. Everyone had left besides my sister & her boyfriend Neil, so they came to my room to see us & the baby. I didn't want any pictures of myself since I looked like crap & felt like crap. I was seriously in the worst condition ever. The nurse and nurse assistant had to set up everything on and around me. I was really nervous since I didn't know what to expect. I had to wear this type of humungous pad thing to control my bleeding. They put these massagers on my legs because of the swelling, and I had to wear them all night (it was itchy). They also placed a belly band around my stomach. It was so weird feeling my belly. There was no more bump! Just flabby, stretchy skin. So nasty lol. I was still connected to my IV so they were able to give me pain meds through it. They also had the check my vital signs every couple of hours, and check my bleeding as well (that pouncing on my belly was NOT COOL) I was so exhausted, but when Dylan came in, he had to be fed right away.
I tried to breastfeed Dylan, but he was having a very hard time latching. I didn't know breastfeeding could be so hard! He was crying & crying because he was so frustrated that he wasn't getting his milk. Like I said before, I discovered my colostrum as early as 12 weeks pregnant, so I had lots of milk coming. Dylan still wasn't getting enough. I tried and tried. He would only latch on for a couple seconds then let go. Sigh. It was tiring trying for an hour or so. Mark's mom came and visited after she got off work at 3am, and I was seriously so POOPED. I didn't even get to sleep! It was really nice though, Mark & I with our new baby. I could definitely see it in Mark's face how Dylan's existence has changed everything for him. He's happy! He loves his son. He loved holding him and just staring at him the whole night. He even got learned to swaddle him & change his diapers since I couldn't even get up. He even said himself, "Dylan is like having a 2nd chance in life." :) I was in too much pain, and it really aggravated me because I wanted to be able to get up and hold Dylan and change him and help out with whatever I could--but I wasn't physically capable of doing so. So Mark took on the job.
Okay, I just wanted to write about me calling my dad. My dad & stepmom were actually out of town that weekend because it's our annual family union/fiesta every Memorial Weekend, and they planned to go months before so I don't blame them. So I called my dad right when we got to the postpartum room because I had no reception in the recovery room. He sounded sleepy, and he was telling me how he was actually at a rest area on his way to San Diego (it was like almost 3am i swear), and I told him that I just had the baby & I was explaining all the complications I was experiencing. He didn't sound interested or enthusiastic whatsoever..and I was wondering what was wrong with him. After we hung up, I was like wtf? lol. I didn't know what was going on. Usually my dad would be super concerned about what I'd be going through, especially if I'm in pain after going through a surgery and what not.
By around noon, my mom & Mark's mom came to visit again. Later on, our family friend Kathy and Mark's aunt Nancy came to visit as well. They brought us some pretty flowers :) I don't know how I did it but I stayed awake through the entire night...I think Mark got an hour in. It was hard to sleep since Dylan was feeling hungry most of the night. The latching on was very hard, and I still didn't know what to do. I asked every single nurse and lactation specialist (no joke, EVERY!) to assist me in trying to feed Dylan properly, but he just wasn't getting it :( So I ended up having to split breast milk and formula in order for him to get enough nutrients that he needed until I could get my hands on a pump.
They finally took those massagers off me. I hated those things anyway, but supposedly they were supposed to help me since I got super swollen after the surgery. I looked at my hands and I was like WHOA! Yeah, definitely swollen. My hands, face, legs, and feet. It was disgusting. It was way worse than how it was when I was pregnant. I was too embarrassed to take any pictures with anyone lol. I tried to keep my feet elevated. The CNA on that shift came in and told me that the RN wanted to get me to start walking. I was like WTF? WALKING?! ALREADY?! But yeah. It was the most painful thing trying to get in and out of bed. It hurt like a bitch. I was walking around with my IV like an old person. But surprisingly it actually felt good to get out of bed. I just felt like a zombie because I hadn't slept so I was kinda woozy. You would think that after a surgery like that, you'd knock out right? Ha, not me. There were just too many things going on around me! It was impossible to get rest. They ended up taking my catheter out as well so I had to force myself out of bed if I needed to use the restroom. I started trying to get out of bed more often since I hated lying on the hospital bed for hours.
Sadly for me, I was on a liquid diet for my first day after surgery. I ate jello in the morning, and I don't remember what else I ate that day. Just a bunch of hospital food. I wasn't even craving all the food that I was craving the day before while in labor. The surgery definitely killed my appetite. Later that night, Janelle (thanks for the Albertacos & Jordan outfit cholo!), Don, Lina (thank you for the onesies!), and Nick John came and visited us :) Thanks you guys.
Monday, May 25, 2009
It was about 1am when Mark & I were having the hardest time trying to soothe Dylan's crying. He just wouldn't stop, and it sounded like the torture cry. I was exhausted so I was half asleep hearing the baby cry while Mark was at his bassinet trying to savor his every need. Dylan still wouldn't stop, and I suggested to Mark that maybe we should just send him to the nursery where they can look after him while we get a little rest (by this time, we hadn't slept for 2 days straight). I snoozed off for 5 minutes, and when I woke up, Mark walked in with our nurse who offered to take Dylan to the nursery. We were very thankful since Dylan needed something to fill his stomach, and we definitely needed a couple hours of rest.
By 6am, Dylan was brought back to us. I woke up right away and so did Mark--he missed his boy :) I felt so rejuvenated even after only 4-5 hours of sleep. We spent time with the baby, and after a while he fell asleep so we took that time to get some more rest 'til about noon. Ashley & Mark Gil came back to visit & so did TN. Thanks TN for all the candy ;) Later on around 4pm, Mark's dad's side of the family came to visit.
I actually got to take a shower! They have showers there, but it was for women only. In the labor rooms, they have showers. I felt bad for Mark because he had to go back home every day to shower. The showers were pretty legit though; hot water! Yeyuh.
So my dad ended up calling and said, "CONGRATS ANAK! Your Ate Kathy (my cousin) told me that you had the baby!" I was like, "WHAT? I TOLD YOU I HAD THE BABY! I CALLED YOU REMEMBER?" And he said he wasn't comprehending me so late that night..that he was completely out of it & thought that I was just being "moved" to a new room in the hospital, not that I had the baby yet or anything. Then my cousin tells me that my stepmom wanted it to be a surprise so that's why my dad didn't know about it either. Interesting family I have lol.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
In the morning, we heard a knock on our door. It was Mark Gil letting us know that our friend Ashley (his wife) was in labor too! I was so shocked because Ashley & Mark were just visiting us the day before & now she was in labor! I knew she was gonna give birth the same week as me. She had a beautiful baby girl (Ava) that afternoon. I was so happy for them!!! I was pretty bummed because I couldn't go visit them since I could barely walk :( But it was nice to share the experience with someone. Ashley's been such a big help since the beginning of my pregnancy! And here we are, having our babies the same week. How awesome :)
ENGORGEMENT. If you guys never heard of it, it's the worst thing that can happen to your breasts, I swear!!! Omg, I woke up that morning wondering why my boobs hurt so bad; they were HARD LIKE ROCKS. No joke! I never read about engorgement so I went on my laptop to find out, and I totally understood afterwards. About 3-5 days after you deliver, the actual MILK MILK comes in, and it's pretty much builds up if you don't nurse frequently. For me, it was horrible since I was having a very hard time breastfeeding Dylan so I had to ask the nurses about what I could do. They actual let be use one of the hospital breast pumps to let some milk out. It hurt soooo bad. It was ridiculous. But at least I was able to feed Dylan some breast milk through the bottles. But really, engorgement, the worst. The good side of it?! My boobs have definitely grown. I went from a 34B (small, I know) to a 38C; BEST BELIEVE IT! WOOHOO!
Technically we were allowed to go home, but we were told that Dylan was experiencing high bilirubin levels (jaundice) so he needed to be treated under the blue UV light. The nurse asked me if I wanted him to be sent to the nursery or if I wanted to keep him in the room. You would think that after getting no rest, I'd have him sent to the nursery, but I didn't. I wanted to be there for him and take care of him so I did. We were allowed to have him out of the light for 30 mins max for feeding, and the nurse was afraid that I wouldn't listen. But I took the best care of him. Poor guy had to wear those bili goggles that made him look like he was suntanning lol. And he cried and cried, but I got the routine of feeding him every two hours so he was fine. He was pretty funny under that light; he would wave his arms and legs around like he was dancing; I'm pretty sure he was asleep the entire time, he was just active. I stayed by him all day while Mark slept on my hospital bed (since his pull out bed was uncomfortable). Aj came to visit that night, and so did Cindy, Will, & Cody :) After they left, baby Dylan had to go right back under the blue light. Poor guy.
I was getting worried because I didn't know whether he'd be allowed to go home with us the next day or not.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
We waited the entire day to see the results of Dylan's bili levels. By 5pm, we were given the OKAY to go home! WOOHOO! I was so happy; we were at the hospital for so long that I felt like we practically lived there. We packed up all our stuff, and Mark had to come back and forth from the room to the car since we had a bunch of stuff. It turned out that Ashley & Mark were also leaving at the same time. So ironic! I really wanted to be see them, but our volunteer for the wheelchair never came & we had to tell one of the RNs that we'd been waiting forever. Kindly, she got the wheelchair herself & took us down. It had been gloomy outside for the past couple of days. It sorta kills your mood when the weather is like that, well for me. But Dylan finally got to ride in his car seat for the first time! :D Finally, we were home.
My engorgement was really bad. The pain was so unbearable so I told Mark that we needed to go to Target ASAP & get that breast pump. I was riding that Smart Cart at Target since it hurt to walk, and everyone was staring -_- But I got myself some Motrin for the pain, and I got my breast pump. As soon as I get home, Don & Aj came over to visit, and once they left, I got right on that breast pump to get that milk out.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
It was Dylan's due date :) So happy he came sooner though! <3>
